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. I've found some new bands this week I have not heard of and I loved all of them. Hope you enjoy these picks by our writing staff. If you want to see your band on one of these lists, send us streaming music and as short bio.
Band Name: Phantom Wave
BMN Score: 9.2/10
What the band says: Brooklyn shoegazers Phantom Wave just put out the incredible second single from their upcoming LP. The track is called "Chimera."
What we say they sound like: Ok, anytime something starts off like a Cure song with washy Shoegaze vocal, I'm immediately in. These guys have elements of My Bloody Valentine as the chorus introduces a wall of fuzzy reverbed out sound. This has a classic feel to it like it's analog and recorded pre-2000. It's got a warmness to it that I'm feelin. The bridge gets a little more rock n' roll than most shoegaze but the following solo treads back over the shoegaze / dream pop trope well. The chorus gives this some great energy and is a nice accompaniment to the clean grooving verse.
Song to add to your playlist: Chimera Phantom
Band Name: Goblyns
BMN Score: 9.8/10
What the band says: "The idea for all of our songs comes from a feeling rather than a concept or story. Sakura came from a single chord played that made the three of us feel like we were having a break from our usual faster and heavier songs. We wanted to write a song that revolved around that feeling, and so Sakura came. We hope that we’ve managed to get that across with this first track of the album."
What we say they sound like: I'm gonna lose most of you with this first sentence but this song has such a great groove to it, it reminds me a little of the Alice Coltrane/ Joe Henderson Elements record for a moment before it breaks into a big single note lead in the vein of Tony Iommi, while jumping in between a verse riff that reminds me of Norri & His Dorpa Band. To hit on three specific vibes so concisely and three vibes I really dig is a phenomenal thing and the genius of this track may be lost on a bunch of you morons. It even has a Dick Dale/ Ventures-ish riff that takes us to the outro. Even the chords that just ring out with the wah-wah pedal are a perfect touch.
Song to add to your playlist: Sakura
Band Name: Bristler
BMN Score: 9.9/10
What the band says: Bristler is an indie/alternative band from New Jersey, formed in 2023 by Rudy Meier (Guitar, Vocals), Biff Swenson (Drums, Harmonies), and Dana Yurcisin (Bass, Harmonies). The trio began working together as bandmates in Yawn Mower. Bristler’s first batch of songs were written for Rudy’s previous project, Wetbrain, but were never released.
What we say they sound like: This song starts off like any minute Ben Gibbard is going to start singing and then the perfect vocal comes in like it's Ben Gibbards little brother. The cadence and the lyrics all just feel like what you always wanted new Death Cab to sound like. What helps is these guys are all in other bands like Scumming, Yawn Mower, Dana Why but combine to make something that is really great and completely different from their other projects. Superb song and one of the stronger debuts I can remember on here.
Song to add to your playlist: Jaguar Shark
Band Name: Acid Snot
BMN Score: 8.1/10
What the band says: "RISE" is a call to action in a world plagued by the echoes of neoliberalism and the alarming ascent of alt-right political ideologies. Drawing inspiration from the harrowing legacy of Franco's dictatorship, which cast a shadow over Spain for decades after the Spanish Civil War, Acid Snot thrusts the dangers of colonialism, imperialism, and fascism into the spotlight.
What we say they sound like: I hear Rise Against sprinkled all over this and I'm fine with punk rock that bites on another bands style because in the end the whole genre is derivative. The metal bridge is a nice touch and the production is flawless. This has that great 90's blast beat feel. I don't know how many adjectives I can string together to describe punky hardcore stuff but if that's your thing, you might dig this. I did and it's not really my thing anymore.
Song to add to your playlist: Rise
Band Name: Linda From Work
BMN Score: 9.5/10
What the band says: RIYL: Veruca Salt, The Donnas, Yeah Yeah Yeahs
FFO: garage, alt-rock, rock
What we say they sound like: This is very fun. I can't really place what it reminds me of exactly but the name of the band is one of my favorites I've seen in a while. The band skews very indie rock but has a nice punkiness to it, almost like an indie punk version of The New Pornographers. This is great songwriting, I especially like the attack and of the verse and how it almost picks up steam into a jangly flowing chorus that feels huge.
Song to add to your playlist: Jealous