Best New Releases, Oct. 11: Chat Pile, ELUCID, and more

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Chat Pile

Last week was absolutely ridiculous. We’re going to be writing about October 4 releases all month. In the history books, Oct. 4, 2024, will be remembered as The Day All the Music Was Released. Which is a good thing, obviously, but time marches on, and we have another new music Friday upon us, even though we’re still working our way through the last one. This week’s list of must-hear albums includes our Album of the Week from an amazing noise rock group, plus one half of the best hip-hop duo of the 2020s delivers another outstanding solo album, a psychedelic metal group make their return, and more.


Chat Pile Cool World review
Flenser

Chat Pile – Cool World

Oklahoma City noise rock group Chat Pile return with their sophomore album Cool World, which builds on debut album God’s Country with a set of songs that balance a more melodic sensibility with a pronounced heaviness, and as always, an incisive lyrical approach. It’s amazing, and it’s our Album of the Week. In our review, Brian Roesler said, “[their] relentlessness hasn’t gone anywhere on Cool World. In many ways, their approach has ascended into a desperate, filthy terror.”

Listen/Buy: Bandcamp | Rough Trade (vinyl)


Elucid revelator
Fat Possum

ELUCID – Revelator

One half of the prolific and consistently great hip-hop duo Armand Hammer, ELUCID makes his Fat Possum debut with a set that marks a significant tonal shift from 2022’s I Told Bessie. Soaked in even noisier productions, Revelator features some of his most abrasive material, albeit delivered with his animated and agitated lyrical cadence, as well as a few appearances from his partner-in-rhyme billy woods. Plus early single “The World Is Dog” likewise comes out of the gates hard with a furious live drum backing. It’s a ripper. We’ll have more on this one soon.

Listen/Buy: Bandcamp | Rough Trade (vinyl)


Nuclear Blast

Oranssi Pazuzu – Muuntautuja

Finland’s Oranssi Pazuzu never disappoint. The psychedelic metal group swung pretty wide into cosmic prog metal with their last release, 2020’s Mestarin Kynsi, and now they’ve tightened up a bit with their follow-up, Muuntautuja. More concise, more tightened, but no less blazing in their interstellar metal intensity, Oranssi Pazuzu build on the promise of early singles like the title track with a set that delivers more fury than fantasy. We’ll have more to say about this one soon.

Listen/Buy: Bandcamp | Amazon (vinyl)


Touche Amore spiral in a straight line
Rise

Touché Amoré – Spiral in a Straight Line

The Los Angeles post-hardcore outfit return four years after their 2020 album Lament with a set of even more immediate and accessible rippers. Spiral in a Straight Line finds Touché Amoré at their most melodic, balancing big hooks with surging energy and abrasive riffs. Songs like “Hal Ashby” showcase the band’s recognizable sound with an even more soaring, anthemic quality, while lower key songs such as “Force of Habit” reveal a more subdued approach, albeit with Jeremy Bolm’s unmistakable scream. We’ll have more on this one soon.

Listen/Buy: Bandcamp | Rough Trade (vinyl)


envy new album Eunoia
Temporary Residence

Envy – Eunoia

Japan’s legendary screamo/post-hardcore group Envy re-emerged in 2020 with The Fallen Crimson, following some shifts in lineup and a longer-than-usual hiatus between albums. They’ve remained active since then, releasing the Seimei EP in 2022 and now delivering another full-length. Eunoia is shorter than its predecessor, at just a half-hour in length, but the band’s ability to craft atmospheric, lushly arranged post-rock instrumentals gives even their most concise material an undeniably epic quality. And though their intensity hasn’t waned, they offer something that feels huge, even though it breezes by quickly. We’ll have more to say on this one soon.

Listen/Buy: Bandcamp | Rough Trade (vinyl)


Lauren

Ariella – CryBaby

Singer/songwriter Ariella makes her debut this week with CryBaby, an outstanding set of indie folk and alt-country that showcases a stellar young talent. The Los Angeles artist crafts stunning ballads steeped in a hazy dream-pop quality reminiscent of artists like Mazzy Star while fleshing them out with rustic arrangements featuring banjo, pedal steel and violin, each remarkable melody balancing a sense of intimacy with an irresistible richness. At times she even veers into an unexpected heaviness on songs like “Ready,” while easing back into a gentle country twang on “Houston.” There’s a lot happening on this record, but it maintains a balance and harmony that you might not expect from a debut album. An outstanding introduction to an artist that’s off to an amazing start.

Listen/Buy: Bandcamp

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