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. This week I have to say everything was well liked by all of our writers and it's with reason, lots of killer tracks for you fine folks from Indie Rap to Indie Rock. If you want to see your band on one of these lists, send us streaming music and as short bio.
Band Name: Fences
BMN Score: 9/5/10
What the band says they sound like: “I felt empowered by other people,” says Christopher Mansfield, ahead of the release of 'Bright Soil,' his new full-length album under the Fences moniker. “I didn’t feel alone. I felt happy… I just wanted it to sound cohesive,” he says. “With my previous full-length albums, I’d recorded them in different states with different producers, different drummers, different everything. For this, we had a room for a specific amount of time. That’s it. It was like, ‘Lock the door and don’t kill each other.’”
What we say they sound like: On this newest single it's a little bit like if you took Phoebe Bridgers with a male lead vocal and infused The Cure and some Elliott Smith into the mix. It has a very mellow indie vibe like Wilco but less Americana and more indie in line with Nada Surf, Death Cab, Seawolf but mellower than all of those. It has a very soft and warm quality to all of it. Initially the Post Malone look of lead singer Christopher Mansfield is a little shocking as you expect something more like Lamb Of God to be the music brand and it's not. It's almost a complete opposite sound from my own bias thinking about fully tatted up singers. Branding wise it's a very Post Malone look and sound somewhat but not saying that in a bad way at all, quite the opposite. Well thought out composition and a great song.
Song to add to your playlist: Thin Legs
Band Name: Lucy Kruger & The Lost Boys
BMN Score: 9.8/10
What the band says they sound like: In some ways a focal point of the new record, 'Howl' doesn’t just use the voice as a way to form words, but as a form of expression - an animalistic kind of autobiography. Strange sounds, and intimate snippets of stories are threaded between pulses that hope to pull the body into feeling. "I spent the last three albums quietly singing about how I wanted to make a noise and, on this song, I’ve finally managed to do just that - which means, when we go on tour, I’ll have to make more noise, which is a lovely trap to have set for myself. I’m looking forward to seeing how it all goes, and how it all feels, for everyone involved," says Lucy Kruger.
What we say they sound like: I'm really digging the triphop feel of the bass line in this track from the Sneaker Pimps type vocal to the Massive Attack sounding orchestration. This is sort of in the vein of Purity Ring or The Marias but with a vocal scream that occasionally breaks out of the pop aesthetic and into more gothy territories. A really catchy song and that I could see an indie pop audience enjoying as much as an older goth crowd who loves Depeche Mode and NIN. The vocals really set this apart from other genres as it's as if we are spying on inner dialogue the artist is having with themselves.
Song to add to your playlist: Howl
Band Name: Jon Wiilde
BMN Score: 8.9/10
What the band says they sound like: “’Carry On’ is faith in the process. A lot of music today is here today gone tomorrow, but the music that flows through and resonates is here to last. Every day is a practice in being alive and living in a true state of artistry. Finding the awe in the obvious, and translating each kick drum, key pluck, and soul sample into a reflection of the present moment. The present is all we have, and all we’ll ever know. Faith in this process is confidence in life and the journey itself.”
What we say they sound like: This has an odd vibe, it's a little bit Childish Gambino and Hobo Johnson but mixed with a soulful choir hook singing the lyrics “carry on” over and over again. It's hard to not hear the hook and wait for the harmony laiden clip to break into “Carry On Wayward Son” by Kansas. The video is pretty like-able too with it's straight up homage to The Beastie Boys “Sabotage” video which is a homage to 70's cop shows. In a weird way we are getting to this era where if you've been around long enough everything is a copy of a copy of a copy but i digress. This track and presentation is great.
Song to add to your playlist: Carry On
Band Name: The Ragged Jubilee
BMN Score: 9.1/10
What the band says they sound like: Jubilee recorded 'Mulholland Overdrive' in late 2020 with Rob Campanella (The Brian Jonestown Massacre). After spending most of that year cooped up and quarantined with ample time to write and practice, Ragged was ready to record their 5th studio album. Jacob Wick introduced the band to Rob Campanella and in December 2020 the band drove down to Rob’s studio in LA. It took two days to record the album, mostly live. After recording the album, it was a longer road than expected for release but eventually Ragged signed to DC-Jam which allowed full steam ahead for releasing the album, 'Mulholland Overdrive.' The band feels this is their most ambitious project to date.
What we say they sound like: It's no wonder with members of Brian Jonestown Massacre this band has such a great 60's garage rock sound. The track starts off though sounding a lot like The Ramones “Happy Family” but spills over into more of a garage rock burner. The stops in the song that come back in with monster shredding only helps to move steadily into the mid section of the song which is like an MC5 live interlude as it eventually starts to erupt around the 8 minute mark of this 10 minute epic. If you love Steppenwolf, The Seeds, The Doors, and anything else hovering around that type of genre in the late 60's then this is going to be one of your new favorites.
Song to add to your playlist: Like A Knife
Band Name: E.R.I.E.
BMN Score: 9.5/10
What the band says they sound like: It’s a resplendent examination of the world around us, rife with equal parts cynicism, wit and hope. Featuring pitch-perfect collaborations with Brooklyn-based dream-pop trio ALMA, and fellow Albany, NY area songwriter Sydney Worthley, the record showcases a band not only finding their footing, but settling into a signature sound.
What we say they sound like: E.R.I.E. from NY State blend a great mix of Americana, punk, emo, rock n roll into everything they do. The band in the past has dropped more mellow efforts than the bombastic new track “Bad Man's World” but it still has it's charm. On other singles like My Rusted Armor the band has more of a Killers feel. I think The Killers mixed The Get Up Kids is an approximation of some of the bands new material but then on other tracks you get a totally different vibe. They manage to keep this upcoming album ‘Suburban Mayhem’ ecclectic but accessible and cohesive. On songs like “Little Heartbreak” the band is joined by another wonderful NY state band Alma to help round out the sound. Overall an ambitious big record that at moments even has some Springsteen qualities to it.
Song to add to your playlist: Bad Man's World, My Rusted Armor, Little Heartbreak