new music reviews
my qualifications: sometimes I get upwards of 25 streams on my weekly college radio show, so there are at least a handful of people that like my taste.
Every week I have to listen to a lot of music to build my playlist for my radio show. I also almost constantly have headphones in at work, so I blow through a lot of music. If you like rock, indie, shoegaze, etc., then you’ll enjoy this post. The music is all stuff that’s been released in the past 3-ish months, so keep reading for new music recommendations!
The Simmers - Coincidence (4.5/5 ⭐️)
alternative, rock, punk rock
Listen on Spotify here
This single caught my attention right away with its quick, upbeat start. I wasn’t sure at first if I liked the vocals, but as it began to remind me of 2010’s alt/indie rock that ruled my music taste in high school, I decided that I definitely do like the style. The guitar rifts are interesting and vibrant, with quick drums in the background.
DIIV - Deceiver (4/5 ⭐️)
shoegaze, indie rock, slowcore
Listen on Spotify here
It took me a few songs to get into the album, but I think it was overall a really good shoegaze album. “Skingame,” “Between Tides,” “Taker,” and “For the Guilty” were my favorites. As usual for a shoegaze album, the guitar was dreamy and gritty. The vocals were soft and sweet, but they weren’t the main focus of the music. That’s something I like about the genre; the guitar feels more like the main force in the songs, and the singing supplements it, instead of the other way around. The band also finds a way to keep a similar sound without the album sounding too repetitive with indistinguishable songs, which can be a struggle for bands creating shoegaze. I’d definitely give it another listen in the future.
FRANKII - Between Dreams (4.25/5 ⭐️)
indie pop, psych pop, indie rock
Listen on Spotify here
This blend of pop/psych/rock genres creates fun, chill songs. I tend to get bored of slow songs, but the songs were still catchy and enjoyable. Also, I love the singer’s voice. My favorites were “Visions,” “Garden,” “Rich,” and “Down for You.” The first song, “Visions,” reminded me a little bit of Florence and the Machine. It kind of reminds me of fall? Like the kind of album you’d listen to while you’re sitting on a park bench in between classes having some sort of crisis regarding an all-encompassing inner turmoil. I didn’t like the end as much as the beginning, but overall still a good album.
Death Valley Girls - Island in the Sky (4.25/5 ⭐️)
psych rock, garage rock, glam rock
Listen on Spotify here
This album is so fun and clearly has a large catalogue of classic rock fueling their inspiration. The song “Sunday” is a beautiful song that starts slow with the girls singing over an organ in a nostalgic, spiritual-esque manner with the rest of the instruments coming in towards the end. The way that they blend their guitar, keys, and other instruments creates a peppy, enthralling, genre-bending sound. This, on top of their combined, talented vocals, makes you want to get up and move. I listened to it once a few months ago, but I think I like it a lot better on my second listen. It might just be the kind of experimental music that you need to be in the mood for. I think it definitely works better as an album you listen to all the way rather than in a combined playlist.
Fox Teeth - Through the Blue (3.75/5 ⭐️)
alternative, emo, indie rock
Listen on Spotify here
The album starts off with an almost melancholic instrumental song that artfully transitions into their second song, “Ghost Without a Grave.” I think the singing is (thankfully) less whiny than typical emo, which allows me to actually like the songs. I think the instruments are the strongest part of the music, with most songs having a really good instrumental portion near the end. The fourth song “Promises” takes on an angrier tone with the vocals. The songs, “Mathematician” and “Dying By My Own Blade” take on a slower, sad approach that I wasn’t a big fan of. However, the second half of the album still has good songs, like “Two Emos (And Some Checkered Vans)” that seems to incorporate some shoegaze elements, “Floral Patterned”, and “Asbury Park.” Overall, there’s definitely some songs I would re-listen to.
That’s all for now. Let me know if you liked/disliked these albums in the comments!
This was awesome!! You should review Trip the Witches self titled album next🤘