Yep, you read the title. We slacked this week and have to own up to being a complete failure. Thought about scrapping it entirely, but what would you do without our takes? I know what you would do. You would go over to Pitchfork or Rolling Stones and let an ivy-league-educated wiener break down Spotify’s POLLEN picks for you, the Type-B demographic. Despicable. To spare you the shame, here’s what we listened to last week. You are very welcome.
“Walkers Beware! We Drive Into the Sun”/ “Stab-Slow” – Sweet Trip
Yes, you read that right, new music from Sweet Trip. The shoegaze-electronic-indie giant has been slumbering since their last release You Will Never Know Why in 2009, and that long period of hibernation is finally paying off. For a fan of the group’s previous work, “Walkers Beware!” and “Stab-Slow” are like coming home after a long time away. The first track kicks right into gear with those trademark blissed-out, dreamy, and morose guitar lines, backed up with the impeccably ethereal vocals we’ve come to expect. “Walkers Beware!” is a perfect reintroduction to Sweet Trip’s whole vibe, and I couldn’t be happier. Reaching back even further, “Stab-Slow” dives much deeper into the electronic pool, delivering on a beat that’s both full of energy and incredibly laid-back. Look out for their new full-length album A Tiny House, In Secret Speeches, Polar Equals set to release this coming spring.
Colin Brunson
“Hole / The Used” – Girls Rituals
Attention all anxious boys, girls and everything in between, if you are in need of a swan song before you buck up and finally download that guided meditation app or fill your Xanax prescription, “Hole / The Used” by Girls Rituals is the tune for you. The lyrics are chock full of triggers: insecure thoughts, going over the endless possibilities in your head, asserting that “everything little thing matters”, and plenty more brain poop. Let the dissonant keys and heart-thumping beat take you to that bad headspace and reaffirm your deepest darkest fear: that you are in fact “just a hole”.
Delaney Faherty
Drunk Tank Pink – shame
Making noise in the British punk scene in 2018 with their debut album Songs of Praise, shame is back with their second full-length album almost three years later. It’s heavy, feral post-punk at it’s best; Drunk Tank Pink is far stranger than their first project, but equally catchy. Roaring guitar and harsh vocals soar over fast, deafening drums on tracks like “Alphabet” and “March Day”. Songs like these showcase the band’s homage to the pioneers of post-punk, reminiscent of sounds from Bauhaus or Killing Joke. However, they remain surprisingly original. “Great Dog” is practically a hardcore punk song, finding the band at it’s loudest and most barbaric; it’s snarling and harsh, right in your face. As a majority of the songs here are fast-paced, “Snow Day” and “Station Wagon” are gloomy and droning; frontman Charlie Steen is talking more than he is singing on these, hauntingly atmospheric and harrowing. There’s more bleeps and bloops all over this album compared to their first, too. Strange and swirling synthesizers create the archaic, dark attitude that Drunk Tank Pink radiates. If you’re a fan of anything heavy or punk-ish, check this one out.
Robbie Baker
Banana Peel on Capitol Hill – MonoNeon
Banana Peel on Capitol Hill is the latest release from bassist Dwayne Thomas Jr., better known as MonoNeon. While most are probably most familiar with MonoNeon’s virtuosic social media content and role in the funk band Ghost-Note, this record provides a more in-depth platform for his songwriting and artistic capabilities. At its core, Banana Peel on Capitol Hill feels like a funk record, but one viewed through a kaleidoscope of sonic and thematic absurdity. The record’s opening track, Spider-Mane Was on Crack One Day is about exactly what its name implies. Though all the music is excellent, “Find the Gold” stands out as one of the project’s (musical) highlights, with a mesmerizing afrobeat-sounding drum groove and funk bass line. If there wasn’t a global pandemic, and I was the type of person to host parties, this album would be at the top of my Spotify cue.
Hank Mckay
“Coming Back Around” – Cory Wong
For anyone unfamiliar with the magic of Cory Wong, the funk-audio-guitar meister has been blessing the world with disco, funk, jazz, and everything in between through his various musical projects. In a turn from his usual work with his groups Vulfpeck and The Fearless Flyers, Cory has been producing a new online music series called Cory and the Wongnotes Variety Sho with “Coming Back Around” being featured in the first episode. In collaboration with Cody Fry, Cory brings us this disco-dance-pop track that is sure to get your head boppin’ and toes tappin’. Featuring a horn section, a guitar solo, and crispy drums – what more could you want?
Brian Mendez
This article was compiled by .WAV’s Content Editor and .WAV Staff Members Delaney Faherty, Colin Brunson, Robbie Baker, Brian Mendez, and Hank Mckay. Delaney Faherty created the graphic.
wav 