Best New Releases, March 1: Mannequin Pussy, Faye Webster, and more
Today feels like a pretty significant week for new releases, in large part because we’ve anticipated several of them since last year. Indeed, a couple of the artists dropping new records today appeared on our list of the best songs of 2023, so it’s great to finally hear the full realization of that promise. Among this week’s best new releases are a series of records from some indie heavyweights, the return of an artful noisemaker, some reissues of unsung underground classics, jazz fusion, hip-hop, space disco and more.
Blurbs by Mia Euceda (ME) and Jeff Terich (JT)
Note: When you buy something through our affiliate links, Treble receives a commission. All albums we cover are chosen by our editors and contributors.
Mannequin Pussy – I Got Heaven
Mannequin Pussy’s latest addition to their catalog is a fuzzy, feral, yet romantic one wrangling with desire, restraint, and angst. Drawing inspiration from breakups, pigs, and art films that express “artistic horniness,” the Philly band taps into romanticism on I Got Heaven. Seemingly polarizing elements, like Marisa Dabice’s rabid vocals followed by glossy synths and divine lyricism, mesh together seamlessly. And their new guitarist, Maxine Steen, absolutely rips on this record. The grimy, looming guitar layers on “Sometimes” are very reminiscent of shoegaze and pair well with both Dabice’s brisk growls and smooth singing. Expect this noisy, pining collection of confessions/aggression to be on heavy rotation. We’ll have more to say on this one soon. – ME
Listen at Bandcamp
Buy at Rough Trade (vinyl)
Faye Webster – Underdressed at the Symphony
Faye Webster previewed her new album Underdressed at the Symphony with two excellent singles last year, “Lifetime” and “But Not Kiss,” the latter of which ended up on our list of the 100 Best Songs of 2023. Indeed, there’s a lushness to this set of songs that represents some of her most sonically intoxicating material that leans heavy on pretty, laid back balladry and ornate flourishes of piano. Yet she occasionally kicks back into high gear with driving rock songs like “He Loves Me Yeah!” to break up the gently luxurious vibe. More on this one soon. – JT
Listen at Bandcamp
Buy at Turntable Lab (vinyl)
Pissed Jeans – Half Divorced
Noise rock MVPs Pissed Jeans made their return this week after a seven-year break with the pointed, aggressive new album Half Divorced. Their follow-up to 2017’s Why Love Now is rife with pointed, aggressive songs that offer a reminder of just how thrilling their music is. In our review of the album, Greg Hyde said it was “a hugely enjoyable collection of songs that represent a considerable evolution in Pissed Jeans’ musicianship, one which will no doubt translate well to a live setting.” – JT
Listen at Bandcamp
Buy at Rough Trade (vinyl)
Jahari Massamba Unit – YHWH Is Love
Madlib and Karriem Riggins first debuted their jazz fusion project Jahari Massamba Unit in 2020 with Pardon My French, and with its follow-up, YHWH Is Love, they continue their pursuit of chill-out grooves with an element of spiritual elevation. The tracks on their sophomore album are rich in atmosphere and vibes (literally—there’s a heavy use of vibraphone throughout, which gives it an intoxicating ambience), meant for late night listening, starlit drives or luxurious, possibly intoxicated chillout sessions. We’ll have more on this one soon. – JT
Listen at Bandcamp
Buy at Turntable Lab (vinyl)
Yard Act – Where’s My Utopia?
Yard Act’s debut album The Overload found the Leeds group met with early acclaim with their blend of post-punk sounds and sardonic social commentary. With their follow-up, they change courses, embracing a heavier use of electronics, string arrangements and a more versatile bag of tricks as they dive deeper into the horrors of the modern world and how we survive them. A promising young band grows even stronger here, showing off what they’re capable of. Look out for more on this one soon. – JT
Listen at Spotify
Buy at Rough Trade (vinyl)
Mildlife – Chorus
Australian jazz-fusion-psych group Mildlife have spent the past half-decade honing their groove, which goes even deeper and gets even funkier on their third album, Chorus. Its seven tracks are leisure-suit luxurious, rife with deep basslines and scratchy disco guitar, but it’s not until the album hits track four, “Musica,” that it truly begins to take flight. The band fully embraces the arpeggiated bliss of space disco, lighting up the dancefloor with neon-lit funk. On Chorus, the groove never quits. – JT
Listen at Bandcamp
Buy at Rough Trade (vinyl)
Sheer Mag – Playing Favorites
Sheer Mag is back and they brought the riffs. The group’s first new album in five years, Playing Favorites, leans heavy on their power pop influences, pushing the hooks forward while reflecting on their lifestyle as road warriors. Shades of Thin Lizzy, Cheap Trick and Blue Oyster Cult still appear throughout their songs, as well as righteous guitar harmonies and a sense of melody that sets them apart as one of the most purely enjoyable contemporary rock bands. One that wears vintage aesthetics on their sleeves, perhaps, but there’s no question—they wear them well. – JT
Listen at Bandcamp
Buy at Rough Trade (vinyl)
Ben Frost – Scope Neglect
Ben Frost has spent the seven years since his last record, 2017’s The Centre Cannot Hold, mostly composing music for film and TV, but his highly anticipated return is rife with the kind of intense, agitated post-industrial noise on which he’s made his name. Scope Neglect begins with a sound not particularly common to Frost’s records: Heavy metal guitar. But like all of his records, it’s a sound that gets manipulated and twisted into more tense and atmospheric shapes, ultimately forming a set of pieces that reconfigure industrial rock into a haunted and psychedelic experience. We’ll have more on this one soon. – JT
Listen at Bandcamp
Buy at Rough Trade (vinyl)
ScHoolboy Q – Blue Lips
ScHoolboy Q hasn’t released a new album in five years, but he didn’t necessarily go on hiatus, releasing the odd single and collaboration since 2019’s CrasH Talk. But with Blue Lips, Q drops 19 tracks that represent some of his most versatile material to date. He’s at turns introspective and socially conscious, while alternating between beat-heavy tracks that go hard and more laid back jazz-rap exercises. Moments like the recent Essential Track pick “Yeern 101” offer reminders of ScHoolboy Q’s raw talent as a rapper, while “oHio,” featuring Freddie Gibbs, finds him trading one-liners with Freddie Gibbs on a moment of immersive, laid-back late-nite funk. – JT
Linda Smith – Nothing Else Matters/I So Liked Spring
The music of Baltimore singer/songwriter Linda Smith, who recorded a number of excellent and undersung lo-fi indie pop records in the ’80s and ’90s, was given a worthy reappraisal in 2021 with the release of her Till Another Time compilation, released via Captured Tracks. Now, a pair of albums from her back catalog have also been reissued: 1996’s Nothing Else Matters and I So Liked Spring. These albums showcase Smith’s music more than a decade into her career, the songs on the two albums comprising material that’s dreamy and serene, mysterious and melodic, and frequently harboring stunning surprises. They’re both excellent albums from an artist whose material is ripe for rediscovery. – JT
