Best New Releases, May 10: Knocked Loose, Amen Dunes, and more
As we creep ever closer to the year’s halfway mark, the new releases keep on flowing in. This week sees a batch of new releases from some indie rock MVPs, a blistering hardcore record, an enigmatic and influential producer’s return, a pair of instrumental collaborations and more. Check out this week’s Best New Releases.
Blurbs by Jeff Terich (JT) and Mia Euceda (ME)
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Knocked Loose – You Won’t Go Before You’re Supposed To
Louisville hardcore bruisers Knocked Loose offer up their first full-length album in five years with You Won’t Go Before You’re Supposed To, and it’s an absolute crusher. Featuring 10 songs and 27 minutes of some of their most brutal and punishing songs, as well as guest appearances from Poppy and Chris Motionless. The band is nothing if not efficient, cramming every second with maximum pummel and ferocity. We’ll have more on this one soon. – JT
Listen/Buy: Bandcamp | Rough Trade (vinyl)
Amen Dunes – Death Jokes
Singer/songwriter Damon McMahon’s sixth album is a fascinating collage of sounds, sometimes literally. Death Jokes is rife with loops and samples, curious electronic compositions and a sense of playfulness that’s sometimes reminiscent of a catchier version of post-rock experimentalists Disco Inferno. The change in approach is a reflection of the album’s themes about America’s culture of violence and individualism, which makes it perhaps a little more challenging, but it’s also an invigorating listen as well, one that merits the time to untangle all of its knotted up threads. – JT
Listen/Buy: Bandcamp | Turntable Lab (vinyl)
Arab Strap – I’m totally fine with it 👍 don’t give a fuck anymore 👍
It’s nigh impossible to read the title of Arab Strap’s ninth album and first in three years as a passive aggressive statement. The group’s Aidan Moffat has said that the record is driven by a “quiet anger,” but a lot of the record isn’t actually that quiet at all, with songs such as the ominous opener “Allatonceness” and the driving “Sociometer Blues” carrying a tension that feels more palpable and dangerous than on some of the group’s quieter early records. The album is rife with electronics and overclocked anxiety, and a frustration at the state of the world that’s been too relatable for too long. – JT
Listen/Buy: Bandcamp | Rough Trade (vinyl)
A.G. Cook – Britpop
The high-adrenaline, high-pitched sugary sounds coming out of A.G. Cook’s PC Music label was once an anomaly— pushing pop music to be as bubblegum and processed as possible. In an era where many trending songs gain traction as a speedy TikTok edit, the frantic, maximalist pop that put the U.K. producer on map is less of a novelty than it used to be. While the titular single teases repetitive choruses and synthetically sweet synthlines, he’s more interested in playing around with muted song structures and takes his time to build up the momentum. The autotune and simple lyrical whimsy remain, only with touches of doo wop and guitar pop. On Britpop, his first album following the closing of the beloved label, it’s clear the producer wants to turn a new leaf. – ME
Listen/Buy: Bandcamp
Yaya Bey – Ten Fold
New York neo-soul singer Yaya Bey makes her return with a new album featuring production from Butcher Brown’s Corey Fonville, Karriem Riggins, Jay Daniel, Exaktly, and Boston Chery, and a consistently lush sonic atmosphere to go with its R&B grooves. Its 16 songs are rife with laid-back, lived-in funk and low-key, club-friendly beats, and a consistently gorgeous and luxurious vibe to go with critiques of gender norms (“Sir Princess Bad Bitch”) and humorous potshots at the powers that be (“Eric Adams at the Club”). We’ll have more on this one soon. – JT
Listen/Buy: Bandcamp | Rough Trade (vinyl)
Les Savy Fav – OUI, LSF
Les Savy Fav released their last full-length LP back in 2010, and since then the members of the celebrated New York indie rock outfit have been involved in various other projects, many of them non-musical (including singer Tim Harrington’s children’s books). The band more or less pick up where they left off after 14 years, delivering hook-laden and stylistically elastic rock anthems that occasionally get loud and intense (“Guzzled Blood”) or more dreamily quiet (“Don’t Mind Me”). More than anything, it’s just great to hear an excellent band back at it, doing what they do best, with a few surprises at that. – JT
Listen/Buy: Spotify | Rough Trade (vinyl)
Sisso & Maiko – Singeli Ya Maajabu
Tanzanian producers Sisso & Maiko make their collaborative debut with Singeli Ya Maajabu, which true to the singeli sound that emerged in their home country in the 21st century, maintains a clip of BPMs at well above the rhythm of actual human movements. It’s frantic and furious, playful and animated, a wondrous collage of intensely paced productions rife with bells and whistles, buzzers and sirens, merging Afro-house with footwork and all manner of other mystifying sounds into an eye-popping whole. – JT
Listen/Buy: Bandcamp
Jim White & Marisa Anderson – Swallowtail
This year is proving to be a prolific one for Jim White, drummer of Dirty Three, whose steady release of new music continues with a collaboration with guitarist Marisa Anderson (who also recently appeared on the excellent new Big|Brave album). Swallowtail is a relatively stark release, comprising just the two musicians performing instrumentally, but it’s a gorgeous showcase for what two phenomenal and imaginative players can do together, crafting improvised pieces that range from the stormy to sedate. It’s sometimes meditative, sometimes intense, but Swallowtail is nonetheless consistently breathtaking. – JT
Listen/Buy: Bandcamp | Rough Trade (vinyl)
Mary Lattimore & Walt McClements – Rain on the Road
Harpist and composer Mary Lattimore continues her prolific streak, coming off of two new albums in two years with yet another one, this time a collaboration with modern classical artist Walt McClements. Rain on the Road is a beautiful and moving set of ambient and new age instrumentals that pairs Lattimore’s harp with McClements’ synths in ways that sometimes sound grand and austere (“Stolen Bells”) and sometimes serene (“Nest of Earrings”). We’ll have more on this one soon. – JT
Listen/Buy: Bandcamp | Rough Trade (vinyl)
