Best New Releases, March 22: Waxahatchee, Jlin, and more
It just so happens that the week we publish our list of the most anticipated albums of spring (which is, of course, the first week of spring), the flood of new releases begins. This week is the most overwhelming list of new albums we’ve seen this year so far. Count ’em: Twelve new must-hear albums, which isn’t anywhere near the total number of new albums out today. They are, however, Treble-endorsed and well worth your time. Queue up our picks for this week’s best new releases.
Blurbs by Jeff Terich (JT) and Mia Euceda (ME)
Note: When you buy something through our affiliate links, Treble receives a commission. All albums we cover are chosen by our editors and contributors.
Waxahatchee – Tigers Blood
Four years after the alt-country career peak of Saint Cloud, Katie Crutchfield continues to set the bar a little higher on the excellent Tigers Blood, which is currently our Album of the Week. In our review of the album, we said, “[These songs are] clever, honest and affecting—perhaps not songs you felt like you’ve heard before, but perhaps ones you’d wish you had, songs you might need at some point later down the line.” – JT
Listen at Bandcamp
Buy at Rough Trade (vinyl)
Jlin – Akoma
“The original drum is the heart—the heartbeat,” Jlin recently shared in an interview with Treble. “I wanted this record to be that, so that’s why you hear different ranges of percussion.” Taking cues from HBCU marching bands, Phillip Glass’ daily morning rehearsals, and Detroit techno, Akoma is the Gary, Indiana footwork producer’s most intricate and sonically interesting record to date. Buzzy basslines juke with skittish fickling drum patterns, simultaneously complementing and contrasting each other’s moves. The album’s various timbres and speeds are akin to an auditory dance battle (the voice on “Speed of Darkness” echoing “final round” really solidifies this imagery). Featuring stunning collaborations with Björk and Glass, this record had me alternating between breaking a move and stopping to analyze and appreciate the compelling and complex rhythms offered here. We’ll have more coverage on this one next week. – ME
Listen at Bandcamp
Buy at Rough Trade (vinyl)
Adrianne Lenker – Bright Future
Two years after the release of Big Thief’s double-length Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You, singer/songwriter Adrianne Lenker is back to releasing a new set of solo material, this time with a new set of collaborators. In our review of the album, Sean Fennell said, “Lenker has always been an opaque songwriter, favoring allusions, winding narratives, and discrete meaning over anything concrete, and her latest, Bright Future, is no different. It can, at times, feel impenetrable, even a bit affected, but more often than not, it’s easier to simply give in to Lenker, to join her flock and let yourself be enchanted.” – JT
Listen at Bandcamp
Buy at Turntable Lab (vinyl)
Julia Holter – Something In the Room She Moves
Julia Holter’s recently been exploring various musical terrain outside of the experimental pop she’s known for, including film scores and classical, though that’s hardly surprising given that her albums always feature a fascinating mixture of accessibility with the avant garde. Something in the Room She Moves is no different, seemingly more concise than her 2018 album Aviary, though many of the songs here stretch past six minutes apiece, unfolding gracefully and in fascinating ways, yet still driven by some of the most immediate melodies of her career. It’s fantastic, and we’ll have more on this one soon. – JT
Listen at Bandcamp
Turntable Lab (vinyl)
Restorations – Restorations
Philadelphia indie rock outfit Restorations last released new music in 2018 with the underrated LP5000. The group make their return with a set of songs that roar a bit louder, carrying a heavier post-hardcore crunch along with their earnest, heartland rock influence, and it’s a thrilling comeback to be sure. Early single “Cured” showcased a band reenergized and with more musical muscle to flex, while other tracks like “The Cost” and “800” showcase more richly nuanced elements within that harder rocking sound. We’ll have more to say on this one soon. – JT
Rosali – Bite Down
Singer/songwriter Rosali Middleman makes her debut on Merge Records after a string of excellent albums released between 2016 and 2021. On her latest, the North Carolina singer/songwriter delves into a set of songs that observe the dualities of living—the good and the bad, the beautiful and the painful—backed by her outstanding backing group The Mowed Sound. It’s as much a showcase for a great band with a wonderful chemistry as it is a proper singer/songwriter record, and an outstanding step forward for an artist whose songwriting feels like it’s reached a new high.
Listen at Bandcamp
Buy at Rough Trade (vinyl)
Klaus Johann Grobe – Io Tu il Loro
Swiss duo Klaus Johann Grobe deliver their first new album in six years with Io Tu il Loro. Last month we premiered “Try,” a gorgeously grooving jazz-pop track with shades of ’70s fusion, and the album as a whole carries a similar stylistic blend, with intricate arrangements and lush, velvety textures, like the mesmerizing keyboards that drive “Never Going Easy” or the fat synthesizers backing leadoff track “Highway High.” A welcome return from a duo that excels at making the kind of songs you want to simply step inside and make yourself comfortable. – JT
Listen at Bandcamp
Buy at Rough Trade (vinyl)
Early Day Miners – Outside Lies Magic
More than a decade has passed since the last album from Early Day Miners, Night People—which was released under the acronym EDM. But the group’s return after 13 years doesn’t bring with it radical change so much as a natural resumption of their gorgeously graceful slowcore approach, which on their latest features a blend of haunted atmosphere, stunning guitar jangle and a gently hypnotic sensibility overall. Outside Lies Magic is a welcome return from a group of indie rock veterans who have mastered the art of the slow reveal. – JT
Glass Beams – Mahal
Glass Beams have become something of an overnight sensation, garnering millions of views for their single “Mahal,” the title track on their new EP and seeing their social media numbers leap by huge numbers and many of their tour dates selling out. The Australian group blends psychedelia in the vein of Khruangbin with Indian musical motifs (founder Rajan Silva’s father emigrated to Australia from India in the ’70s, and he introduced him to Ravi Shankar and Bollywood singers like Asha Bhosie and Mangeshkar). Their new EP is layered with grooves and wispy atmosphere, a kind of fusion that’s somewhat mysterious yet easy to understand how it’s garnering as much attention as it is. – JT
Nourished By Time – Catching Chickens
Following the acclaimed Erotic Probiotic 2 from last year, Nourished by Time returns with 15 fresh minutes of psych-pop in the form of new EP Catching Chickens. These five songs, including standout first single “Hand on Me,” blend Yves Tumor-style alt-psychedelia with more than a trace of ’90s-era R&B influence, combining into something that feels bright and warm and consistently compelling—much more than a holdover until Erotic Probiotic 3, or whatever he chooses to call the next one.
Listen at Bandcamp
Buy at Rough Trade (vinyl)
Civerous – Maze Envy
It’s a good day for death metal! Los Angeles death-doom outfit Civerous make their 20 Buck Spin debut with Maze Envy, a burly, brawny, churning set of supernatural brutality that’s big on dark, menacing atmosphere and a slower pace of pummeling. There are a handful of eerie interludes to break up some of the more monstrous moments, but they’re only fleeting pauses before the next outburst of ferocity. A good day for death metal, indeed.
Listen at Bandcamp
Buy at Amazon
Alice Coltrane – The Carnegie Hall Concert
In contrast to her late husband, John Coltrane, Alice Coltrane never released much in the way of live recordings. In fact, the only live album released in her lifetime was 1978’s Transfiguration. With The Carnegie Hall Concert, we finally get a chance to hear the spiritual jazz innovator in a different live element, performing pieces from her legendary 1971 album Journey in Satchidananda, with performances from the likes of Pharoah Sanders and Archie Shepp, in addition to a rendition of John Coltrane’s own “Africa.” It’s a stunning live recording, somehow both meditative and powerful, and the fact that it’s finally seeing release feels significant on its own. – JT
