Last year, just before the pandemic hit, the young San Diego hardcore band Glean released their demo. Glean’s timing wasn’t the best, but that demo showed a ton of promise. Glean’s sound was melodic and emotive, and it made me reach back to the early ’90s for comparison points like Sugar and Quicksand. Today, Glean […]
Stream London Punk Band Game’s Frantic, Feverish New EP Legerdemain
On the same day that the Chisel and Big Cheese both put out new music, we’ve now got another ripper from another UK punk band. Game — the London punks, not the former G-Unit member — released their debut album No One Wins in 2019. The band features Fucked Up drummer Jonah Falco, a man […]
Jason Isbell – “Souvenirs” (John Prine Cover)
Broken Hearts & Dirty Windows: Songs Of John Prine, Vol. 2, the new tribute album from the late legend’s Oh Boy records label, is out today. In addition to previously heard covers like Sturgill Simpson’s “Paradise,” Brandi Carlile’s “I Remember Everything,” and Tyler Childers’ “Yes I Guess They Oughta Name A Drink After You,” the […]
Stream UK Hardcore Band Big Cheese’s Tough-As-Nails New EP Anymore For Anymore?
If you’re at all interested in all the new punk and hardcore coming out of the UK right now — and you should be — then today is a good day. First, the Chisel announced the impending release of their debut LP Retaliation, and now we’ve got three new songs from motherfucking Big Cheese. Big […]
Stream The Alchemist’s New EP This Thing Of Ours 2 Feat. Vince Staples, Danny Brown, More
Once again, veteran rap producer the Alchemist is having a big year. He made Haram with Armand Hammer. He made Bo Jackson with Boldy James. In April, Alchemist released his EP This Thing Of Ours, which featured rappers like Earl Sweatshirt and Navy Blue rapping over his beats. Today, Alchemist has released the sequel, which […]
Stream Kowloon Walled City’s Heavy, Intense New Album Piecework
The Oakland band Kowloon Walled City has been putting out sludgy, anxious, difficult-to-categorize music since 2008, but they’ve been quiet lately. Kowloon Walled City’s whole style pulls in elements of doom metal, post-hardcore, and ‘90s noise-rock, and it captures a certain sense of freaked-out despondence. That feeling never really goes away, but it’s really in […]
Hatchie – “Crush” (Jennifer Paige Cover)
In 1998, the singer Jennifer Paige released a sparkling and evocative teen-pop song called “Crush.” The song peaked at #3 on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming Paige’s only real hit. In an era of deep indie rock snobbery, “Crush” still made its way to the indie rock world; the Dismemberment Plan released a great “Crush” […]
The Chisel – “Retaliation”
Last year, the great UK punk band the Chisel got together in London. Since then, they’ve cranked out three EPs of simplistic shit-stomping leftist anthems that draw on street-punk, oi, and old-school hardcore: Deconstructive Surgery last year, Come See Me / Not The Only One and Enough Said this year. If you’ve heard those records, […]
Atmosphere – “Barcade” (Feat. Aesop Rock & MF DOOM)
More than 21 years ago, I saw the Minneapolis rap group Atmosphere open a show at New York’s Knitting Factory. At that show, the late Eyedea was Atmosphere’s hypeman, and they were great. The bill also included a couple of standout New York underground acts, J-Live and MF DOOM, all opening for Chuck D’s terribly […]
Video: Kelis “Midnight Snacks”
It’s been a long time coming, but Kelis is back and satisfies that late-night craving with “Midnight Snacks”. In the complimentary video, Kelis dons a pink robe with a variety of enticing snacks bring the sexually-driven track to life. Those who pre-save the single are also eligible to win one of the three midnight snacks […]