Essential Tracks This Week: Monde UFO, Sam Akpro and more
Another week, another batch of excellent new songs. Among this week’s top-notch offerings are the latest singles from an L.A. psych band, a genre-swirling single from an up-and-coming artist, the return of an influential techno group and more. Dive into this week’s Essential Tracks below.
Monde UFO – “119”
Los Angeles psych band Monde UFO introduced themselves via self-released recordings full of eclectic crate-dig exotica, swirling together vintage and futuristic sounds alike in a uniquely exciting swirl. As they prepare their third album Flamingo Tower, the group’s sonic strata seems to grow even denser and more playful, as heard through new single “119.” It’s an urgent and infectious standout, with upbeat drum breaks pulsing with danceable grooves, dreamy melodies, squawks of saxophone and hypnotic vocals, bridging the gap between post-punk and surreal psychedelia in an incredibly fun and endlessly rich sensory experience.
From Flamingo Tower, out March 7 via Fire
Sam Akpro – “Evenfall”
Londoner Sam Akpro has released just a trio of EPs thus far, each one showcasing an eclectic and richly layered approach to rock music with a diverse set of influences—all of which remains intact on “Evenfall,” the title track released in conjunction with the announcement of his debut album of the same name. “Evenfall” juxtaposes dreamy and weightless verses against a kind of lush take on post-punk in the chorus, stitched together with electronic effects and a deep bass groove set against a hazy wash of guitar. Structurally, it’s even more interesting—there’s essentially just one verse and one chorus, the remainder of the song wrapped in gauzy ellipses, less a pop song than a melody taking shape from the ether.
From Evenfall, out March 28 via Anti-
Sandwell District – “Hidden”
Sandwell District left a heavy impression on the sound of techno with their 2010 debut album Feed-Forward, but the individual members have since primarily focused on their own projects, including Regis and Function. After the death of member Juan Mendez, a.k.a. Silent Servant, Karl O’Connor and David Sumner have returned to the project, both to honor their late friend and collaborator whose art is incorporated in the project, and to recapture the thrill of creating the music they started more than a decade ago. “Hidden” is as dark and haunted as ever, with a sinister, sleek, pulse oozing with industrial menace and a streamlined sexiness. But there’s a hedonism to it as well, a seedy sense of fun that reminds you this is, after all, dance music. An unexpected and exciting return.
From End Beginnings, out March 28 via The Point of Departure/PIAS
Vulture Feather – “Sweetest Friend”
Vulture Feather’s debut Liminal Fields was one of the great underrated albums of 2023, the first release from the new project of two former members of similarly stellar if short-lived indie rock group The Wilderness. “Sweetest Friend” is a good reminder of what made that first LP such a stellar introduction, finding the group taking off into a soaring and dreamy chorus after crashing back down to earth with a heavy, yet jangly post-hardcore verse—melodic but with a heavy back end. They craft something powerful that nonetheless showcases a sense of restraint, along with a captivating and hypnotic sense of repetition.
From It Will Be Like Now, out February 14 via felte
Gunn-Truscinski Duo – “Fin”
Steve Gunn and John Truscinski have a chemistry that feels psychic, the duo frequently conjuring stellar feats of psychedelia from improvisational sessions. “Fin” is one such act of alchemy, a song that begins as a kind of free-form ambient folk piece that transmutes from gas to solid through an unseen chemical reaction. About halfway in, that ambience takes shape as a deeper, bluesier groove, becoming grounded and hypnotic. It speaks to the duo’s mesmerizing abilities, but it feels a little like magic.
From FLAM, out February 28 via Three Lobed
