April 11th, 2022
New albums, circling back on the 80s, and what has been playlisted lately.
Hey y’all.
I was away on Friday, so I completely missed out on my usual morning digital digging session. I’m trying to catch up, and I’ve got some thoughts and notes on recent releases here below. For a while I’ve been trying to suss out a format for the tab. I’ve always enjoyed the idea of having rotating features - hence my Quick Hits posts, sporadic audio dispatches, posts about Power Hour playlists etc.
Unfortunately, I feel like maybe this has also hindered my ability to capture attention, I imagine the thought “what exactly is the discover tab?” probably has floated through more than a few minds. Long story short, I’m trying to see if maybe I can combine some of these (sans the podcast) into a more standard newsletter format. Let me know if you like this, if you hate it, or whatever! on Twitter or in the comments. I’d love to hear some feedback.
For now, here’s some music.
Duster - Together (2022, Numero Group)
Sometimes I forget that Duster already returned in 2019 on a self-titled record for Numero Group, after a series of reissues. I don’t mean to say that record was forgettable—I loved it!—but when 2022’s Together dropped I had that overwhelming sensation of holy fuck, duster is back!!! all over again. If you’ve heard and loved Duster in the past, you know what to expect. If you haven’t, now’s as good a time as any to dive headfirst into the haze.
Scrunchies - Feral Coast (2022, Dirtnap Records)
Scrunchies’ 2018 record Stunner was certainly a highlight of that year, though I don’t believe it landed a spot on my year-end list if I recall correctly. Something I love about their records is that they can be hard to pin down in the best kind of way; Scrunchies aren’t garage rock riott revivalists, post-punk fetishists, punk-pop minimalists, or bubblegrunge hook worshipers. In moments, they certainly fit into these buckets, but as a whole the album adds up to a lot more.
Ithaca - In the Way & They Fear Us (2022, Hassle Records)
I fell hard for Ithaca’s 2019 release The Language Of Injury, which I described as having “major 00s era hardcore/metalcore vibes, with enough emotional and atmospheric touches to keep you hooked.” The singles off their upcoming release They Fear Us (due out via Hassle Records) have been huge steps forward for the band. They continue to prove that they are one of the most exciting and talented bands in the genre. I’m also loving the art direction on both the album art and their music video for the title track. So, so sick. Easily my most anticipated album of 2022, no question.
U.S. Highball - A Parkhead Cross of the Mind (2022, Lame-O Records)
U.S. Highball was a name that had rattled around my mind a bit - they’ve release two albums previously - but one that hadn’t quite taken hold yet. I’m not sure I spent much time with those previous records, but something about the art on A Parkhead Cross of the Mind was pulling my eyes towards it in my album pile again and again. The music, which sits somewhere between skittering 80s and 90s twee acts and 70s power-pop. Before I read it in their bio, my brain had already made the comparison point of early TMBG—back when they were a duo leveraging their Macintosh for spiky drum patterns to back their quirky pop tunes. A Parkhead Cross of the Mind is like that too, a sunny 26 minutes of quirky, addictive tunes.
Slow Children – Self-Titled (1981, Ensign) & Mad About Town (1982, Ensign)
As I dug around for a playlist (that you’ll hear more about later), one of my favourite discoveries was Slow Children’s two albums from 1981 and 1982. Both sit in that new-wave art-pop kind of thing that was wildly popular at this time, but they have an off-beat kilter to their songs that have had me frustratingly addicted.
You know when you hear a band, plow through all their music, and then you find yourself scouring the bargain bins for more forgotten gems that scratch the same itch? That’s me the past few weeks with these records. If you want to try a few tracks, I suggest 1982’s “Vanessa Vacillating” and 1981’s “President I Am.”
Quincy - Self-Titled (1980, Columbia Records)
More new-wave pop for my addiction, I found this scrounging around on Spotify in a “year:1980” search I believe. The album art caught my eye, of course, as quintessentially 80s. This stuff is totally Costello-esque and would sit right on the shelf beside your Any Trouble records. Unfortunately, the version on Spotify sounds to my ears to have been captured at a slightly slow speed, and the bitrate quality varies wildly. Listen to “Always in the News” on Spotify and you’ll be taken back to your Napster days, with that wishy-washy underwater hi-hat sound you hoped to never hear again. Find yourself a vinyl copy, or hit up YouTube for a better quality rip.
The Vels - Velocity (1984, Mercury) & House of Miracles (1986, Mercury)
Two more 80s new-wave pop albums that have not left my heavy rotation in weeks. I think I found these records in a Rate Your Music spiral, and then through some Google searches wound up on this page. A quick email to the writer of that article later and I had myself a copy of their personal vinyl rip for 1984’s Velocity. Chaulk one up for the kindness of the internet’s music-obsessed strangers.
As you can tell from the embeds, I’ve uploaded both of their records since you can’t get them on streaming services. I highly recommend you also search out some vinyl copies for your collections because both albums are packed to the brim with sparkling, catchy pop tunes. Velocity is a bit sunnier, with catchy bass-led tracks like “Coming Attractions” but House of Miracles also has some major tracks like “Face to Face” and might be my favourite of the two.
🌊 Women in New Wave, Post-Punk, No-Wave, Punk Rock & More
I spend a good number of hours turning this Rate Your Music list into a 530+ song playlist. That’s over 30 hours of albums either created solely by women or by acts prominently featuring women that put out records between 1976-1986 or so. If I missed any erroneously added bands or acts let me know on Twitter.
Power Hour: Magnapop
One of my latest Power Hour playlists I create was for Magnapop, the oft-overlooked Atlanta, Georgia grungy indie-rock ‘n’ punk-pop act. If “This Family” or “Lay it Down” aren’t immediately burned into your brain upon first spin, I’m not sure what to tell ya.
That’s it, that’s all. Be excellent to one other.