Cool Records From March 2024.
Jynx716 & Che Noir — ANDY
I thought this was going to be yet another Che Noir solo release, but it seems that the record highlights Jynx716 far more. That being said, even having Che involved on another record speaks volumes about her prolific nature, having her hands in song and record drops all throughout the year. I would say this one might be more for fans of the artist themselves, as I don’t know that there’s a lot specifically to call out, but the sound itself is strong, another solid hip-hop record that was able to keep hope alive that the genre is still generating a traditional sound that I’ll gravitate towards.
Check Out: Hope (w/ Freeway)
Mourn — The Avoider
This album is punctuated by its brightness. An energy brims from this band like a tiny writhing sun, casting beams across all that orbits it. The raw guitar sounds like you can follow the cable directly to the amp as you hear the poppy clamor, the synths feel like you’re standing directly in front of them and can read the model number, the shortcut keys, see the little orange buttons and the tiny red lights. Something about this record draws you into it, something closer than other indie records with this same mood. I’d say for a great deal of this album, there’s a lot of ‘fun’ to be had, but I think the focus lies more squarely on the frothing adrenaline and combustion-ready glow that comes off of it.
Check Out: Truck Driver
Adrianne Lenker — Bright Future
When I was first hearing the individual tracks from this one as the release grew closer, I wasn’t connecting with the songs as much as I had with her previous releases. This is the singer from Big Thief, a band who has released U.F.O.F., probably my favorite album in the last 10 years (I’ll have to dive deeper to confirm, but it’s a strong actuality), and also solo records which still get spins from individual timeless tracks like ‘Anything’ and ‘Symbol’. The ideas on this release feel much more spread out, with many more individual ideas and concepts taking center stage. They are stark, stripped down, and minimal with Lenker’s voice being the core of each track, often only accompanied by an acoustic guitar and sparse ambient environment in the background, but the themes themselves, the content of these songs feel personal, like finding a bundle of envelopes in a dresser drawer filled with dense, handwritten letters which detail extraordinary emotion. This is probably not an album I’ll revisit a ton, but its flame holds a specific glow and a specific warmth that I’ll be sure to keep alight. ‘Ruined’, the final track, is a tightening emotional vice.
Check Out: Ruined
Rosie Tucker — Utopia Now!
This is a record which really highlights why my brain started to sift out lyrical content from the way I primarily hear music. The songs are full of life and strike an interesting balance between brilliant pop and lively indie introspection. I think I love this record when I don’t think about it too much. I think I love this record when I examine just how brilliant the songwriting is, in a language-less, expressionless design. But when I get too close to the lyrics and let some of the irony-soaked narrative bleed into my mind and I start to find a Reading Comprehension Experience start to deconstruct from my intended Music Listening Experience and I just start to hear my own mind talking to me more than the music. It isn’t all the time. In fact, I think the whole second half of the record really starts to speak more from the heart than from the analytical mind and the “vibe” comes back into focus. I don’t know. I’m writing this after only a couple of listens, so I may not be completely acclimated to the environment that Tucker is creating, but I do know enough to say that I will 100% be listening to this album a lot throughout the year, especially as the weather starts to get nicer. There are a lot of really cool post-production events going on throughout the album. A great example is on display during the beginning of the track Eternal Life. It really allows itself to grow in a million different directions, and it’s super cool to get a dive into the wildly creative mind of the artist.
Check Out: Paperclip Maximizer
Sweet Pill — Starchild EP
Dude, Sweet Pill rules. They’re one of the modern emo stalwarts that gives me a wave of goosebumps every time I see they’re active with either a new song or a tour coming up. Emotional, aggressive and wickedly talented, the band’s full length from 2022, Where the Heart Is, is a mainstay in my rotation. I’m awed at this band’s potential. When this EP dropped and it was only 4 songs over 11 minutes, it sort of broke my heart in a way that could only highlight the greed surrounding me in the fact that I wanted more. Each song on here is worth a listen, a nice little chaser to hook to the back of listening to their LP, but the second half of this release is flawless. Putting the bull before the cart here just a little bit, but if this work prophecies what’s coming for the band and their next full length, I am beyond excited to see what’s next.
Check Out: Sympathy
Boundaries — Death Is Little More
This is aggressive as hell. It’s breakdowns and punishing bridges. Screams that implode into roars. This record fulfills a very specific need. When you need all of your blood to boil over like a rotting sea, when you need bones pulverized, when you need the sky to rain black, these are the songs you need to score your day. Some of the singing parts aren’t really my thing, but when this album embraces its darkest nature, its animal core, I am completely invigorated by it.
Check Out: Turning Hate Into Rage
