Hinds’ ‘The Prettiest Curse’ Is One of Victory
On The Prettiest Curse, Hinds create messy pop music that captures the vibrancy of youth without being childish.
lo-fi
Yes, Melkbelly’s ‘PITH’ Is Pithy and Expressive
Melkbelly's PITH wondrously pivots between noise-rock abandon and the warmness of lo-fi pop.
Car Seat Headrest’s ‘Making a Door Less Open’ Is an Indie Pop Triumph
Car Seat Headrest push their lo-fi signature into newly polished (and labyrinthine) space on Making a Door Less Open. The result is a glittering look at our everyday fantasies, our patterns of style and denial.
Sam Doores Brings New Sounds to Americana on His Solo Debut (album stream + interview)
Deslondes member Sam Doores goes solo during down time from the band. His new album upsets expectations about the nature of Americana music in 2020 and yet maintains strong ties to Doores' roots.
Black Lips Create a Killer Country Record, Infused with Lo-fi Garage Rock
Black Lips concoct a lustful mix of cocaine country, psych stomp, and honky-tonk fire and brimstone on Sing in a World That's Falling Apart.
The Horror and the Humor in Liz Phair’s ‘Horror Stories’
In her music industry memoir, Horror Stories, Liz Phair has a knack for imbuing the ordinary with a weighty and relatable significance.
“You Can Have It All”: Ariel Pink on His Odds & Sods
Los Angeles pop weirdo Ariel Pink looks back at two early records freshly reissued by Mexican Summer and discusses his new Odditties Sodomies Vol. 2 rarities collection.
Guided By Voices Deliver Their Most Sonorous and Authoritative Album of 2019
Sweating the Plague is Guided by Voices' third album of 2019. It also happens to be their loudest, most conceptually focused, and most enduring record of this year.
Timelost Give Marilyn Manson’s “Cryptorchid” a New Lease on Life (premiere + interview)
Lo-fi, black metal-cum-goth-ish outfit, Timelost share a cover of Marilyn Manson's "Cryptorchid". They talk with us about the importance of making the old new.
With ‘Room to Breathe’, Low Hum Flesh Out Their Engaging Lo-Fi Psych Pop Sound
Low Hum make dreamy, psychedelic pop magic with their first full-length album, Room to Breathe.
Sebadoh Come Back Revitalized with ‘Act Surprised’
Indie rockers Sebadoh have a new energy and brightness to their challenging vision for their first record in six years, Act Surprised.
Coming Out in Weird Ways: Sotto Voce’s New Album is a Beautifully Twisted Pop Gem
Considering it's all the work of one person, Sotto Voce's Safety is surprisingly ambitious, and Ryan Gabos' musical chops seem to fly in the face of what sounds like the lack of a proper recording studio.