Our inbox is over flowing again so we are letting you good people know exactly what is new and available out there in the music world. Pretty interesting mix of music today that runs the gamut from screamy to delicate. If you want to see your band on one of these lists, send us streaming music and as short bio.
Band Name: Feral Vices
BMN Score: 8.2/10
What the band says: Lead vocalist and guitarist Alexander Hoagland says, "'Lock & Key' is about the abusive religious systems that I think a lot of us grew up in where leaders were taking advantage of their positions for money, power, sex, or some combination of those. Being in that world, you're taught that this is a blessing or that is a blessing when in reality you're being taken advantage of and are forced to experience the evils of it alone because once you start tugging at the strings of that, the whole system falls apart. It's a very hard and lonely place to be even though you're surrounded by people and I think that makes it even harder to get out of or acknowledge the reality of. So, this song was my way of talking about that and processing it for myself."
What we say they sound like: This has a great groove to it, almost a Rage Against The Machine mixed with the bluesy-ness of Black Keys in the verse but then it explodes into more of Linkin Park type chorus. Overall it has a late 90's vibe / early 2000's aesthetic. It's a song that feels heavy but I could picture it being much heavier live. It's almost like it was subdued for the purpose of recording something polished. By songs end the screaming is reminiscent of Refused, hence the comment. I like this, it's interesting enough to keep my attention.
Song to add to your playlist: Lock & Key
Band Name: Yes Yes A Thousand Times Yes
BMN Score: 9.7/10
What the band says: Supertinyinfinitedans is a document. Better yet, it’s a time capsule. Most of Yes Yes a Thousand Times Yes’ sophomore LP has existed, in some form or another, since 2014. In that way, it’s almost a time machine, a look back into songwriter Dan Hagendorf’s life and mindset nearly a decade ago. At that time, cuts like the anti-social media ender “The Movies” and eat-the-rich anthems “Dead Eyes, Clapping in Unison” and “Numb Sum” might’ve sounded hyperbolic; in 2023, they seem prophetic. Hagendorf says their goal on Supertinyinfinitedans is to “vindicate its listeners in saying you are justified in feeling angry and desperate, but also challenge them in saying hope is not mutually exclusive.”
What we say they sound like: This band kind of took me by surprise because they consider themselves part of the emo revival but are much more eclectic than anything in that genre. This release has so many interesting musical parts and feels like some very well seasoned musicians. Every song has kind of a different vibe and feel but it's all so fucking good! This band would be at the top of my list of a band to try to catch live. So Yes Yes A Thousand Times Yes by the album, catch them live!
Song to add to your playlist: Buzzing Still // Cousin's House, Two Birds, One's Stoned, Realizing You're Everywhere
Band Name: Worriers
BMN Score: 8.9/10
What the band says: This is some of the most fun I've ever had writing and recording a song, so I wanted the video to come from an equally fun and joyous place. The song is meant to celebrate learning to trust your intuition and advocate for yourself and your own time, even in the face of being told that everything is fine. I thought it would be a good match for the video to be an interpretation of Empire Records where we're saving a queer bar instead of a record store - just a fun way to claim space and community and see yourself in something when outside forces are working against you. Queer interpretations are some of my favorite things to talk about, and I'll never turn down a chance to incorporate queer joy into our work!
What we say they sound like: I like this sound, as it's somewhere between Suzi Quatro and the Go Go's. It's a very interesting mix of tones for a band that definitely branded as more indie rock. I hear such a love for pure 80's pop in this track. If you told me this track came out in 1986 I would completely believe that and that's not a bad thing, it's instant classic sounding.
Song to add to your playlist: Trust Your Gut
Band Name: The Make Three
BMN Score: 9.5/10
What the band says: The band embraced a DIY approach for recording their debut album You, Me & The Make Three which yielded surprisingly polished results . The process saw them tracking the record in an empty beach house the week after Christmas. “That wasn’t the initial plan, but you know, money. Or rather, no money”, states Lardieri. “In the end, it ended up being a DIY project in every sense, but we don’t believe that a record made at home has to sound ‘homemade’. Not that I don’t appreciate that aesthetic. It just didn’t fit with what we’re doing”.
What we say they sound like: Do you remember bands like The Smithereens and Dramarama just had this thing about them that was so New Jersey. I would say exactly the same thing about The Make Three. It's a great mix of Lemonheads and Guided By Voices among other very cool 90's indie alt stuff all mixed together into a great indie rock package played by scene veterans who are perfect in their musical execution. The record is polished and perfect which makes you wonder why any bands pay thousands for a studio when this was recorded as a home DIY project. Can't say enough good things about this band and how they along with their label mates San Tropez give these bands with scene veterans a very good name. A really exciting record from start to finish!
Song to add to your playlist: Emily Strange
Band Name: Everyone Asked About You
BMN Score: 10/10
What the band says: Penned between heated sessions of MarioKart64 and Goldeneye, Little Rock high school quartet Everyone Asked About You developed their own take of the emo sound that was sweeping the midwest in the late-‘90s. Built around the twin guitar attack of Chris Sheppard and Collins Kilgore, the band was held together by drummer Lee Buford’s pulverizing drums and dusted with Hannah Vogan’s twee-adjacent vocals. Channeling Rainer Maria’s earnestness, the Promise Ring’s knack for melody, and the Rentals’ penchant for synth, Everyone Asked About You the biggest secret to come out of Arkansas since Whitewater.
What we say they sound like: I love everything about this from the jangly guitar not being perfectly played to the honest and genuine vocals. My big question is from everything I know about Arkansas why would a Queer Tweemo band like this live there instead of moving to an indie rock city like Seattle, Minneapolis, NYC where they are destined to be huge stars. This seriously is so good. The little touches like flute and toy piano, the feeling like this is an outpouring of pure emotion by young musicians. It's perfect in it's imperfect state.
Song to add to your playlist: Sometimes Memory Fails Me Sometimes