welcome back to The Bark List, a weekly feature rounding up a bunch of music from Connecticut songwriters and artists! last weekend, we celebrated our one-year anniversary for the blog. if you missed the livestream, you can check out the sets of Evelyn Gray, SHY, and Snowpiler on our instagram feed now! this past week wasn’t a flood of songs (it was still more than anything we’d expect pre-coronavirus), but holy shit, the songs that we did get this week are so great. we’re excited for you to check them out!
check out this week’s songs below, and as always, if you like what you hear: share it with a friend! and if you have the means, consider buying their music. spotify is nice and all, but unless you plan on streaming a song multiple hundred times, bandcamp is best. you can follow us on instagram and twitter for more music during the week.
warbats – “killer clean”
You may have missed Warbats’ debut album, Temper Tantrum, because it dropped right around the time when the coronavirus prevention measures were becoming widespread. And that would be your loss because wow, Temper Tantrum is so good. Loud, noisy, raucous, and cool as hell. The band just released their album on bandcamp, so if you haven’t scoped this one out yet, now you have no excuse.
brunettes – “consciousness for sleep”
People were blown away by Brunettes new record, A Brief Repose. If you haven’t caught up with the band before, they’ve moved in fits and spurts, with songs and smaller-scale releases arriving periodically since 2013. A Brief Repose, however, feels like the band’s formal debut — bigger, louder, than anything they’ve released so far. If you like your songs less than 2-minutes in length, with all the power of a nuclear warhead, (Kidnapped and Perennial gangs rise up), you’ll love these songs.
evelyn gray – “give yrself what u need”
I considered saying that Evelyn Gray had a busy year, but the truth of the matter is that she seems to stay busy and productive. Her new EP, Give Yrself What U Need, came as a surprise this past Friday, hot on the heels of two new songs that were released for non-profit benefit compilations (“Cement Mixer” for the Free As Birds compilation, and “Faith” for the Modern Ghoul Records compilation). The song features a gang-vocal refrain courtesy of Shyanne Horner (from SHY), Nick Restivo (from Snowpiler), and Emily Rose Alderman (from Glambat), reminding us that it is OK, allowed, permitted, and welcome to give yourself a goddamned break every now and again.
laura wolf – “love in the time of quarantine”
One of our favorite demos of 2020 is now one of our favorite songs of 2020! Laura Wolf used the early weeks of the coronavirus quarantine to write and record a series of fantastic demos. The first of those songs, “Love in the Time of Quarantine”, has now been tweaked, mixed, and mastered in all of its “low-immunity-sad-girl bedroom pop anthem” glory. If you missed this the demo when it came out a month ago, I ask — nay! demand! — that you give it a listen now.
.k – “essence pt. 1”
Kayana Guity from Jelani Sei has a new song! You may have seen Kayana perform as “.k” — I remember a particularly beautiful, stripped back show at the Wherehouse in Hartford, last year — and now we’ve got some official recordings for the project. “Essence Pt. 1” is as chill and contemplative as you might expect from the voice of Jelani Sei, and its name suggests the existence of a part 2, thank god.
deegan – “we heal”
Take modern pop music and R&B, tear it apart, and play around with its essential parts. That’ll give you something like DEEGAN’s new song “We Heal”. The track playfully breaks down some of the expectations you’d get with pop music: a few false-stops, a few mischievous production choices, an ending refrain that could be its own damn song entirely. It’s incredibly catchy and delivers a wonderfully soothing vibe.
aunts – “open space”
Hey! You got emo in my math-rock! Hey, you got math-rock in my emo! Two great tastes that go great together. Hell, even if you don’t normally like math-rock or emo on their own, I think you’d like Aunts debut record The Last Great Place. Thoughtful, introspective lyrics and knotty musical arrangements, Aunts will keep you on your toes, but will disarm you with their oblique honesty. Released in collaboration with Ninth Square Recordings, which a recommendation in its own right.
king bongo – “miss it”
I hate to be that guy, but “finally”! We’ve known about the existence of new, great King Bongo tunes for a while now — they even showed off two of them in the great ZH1 live session from last year. Now, Connecticut’s best psychedelic band is back with a full album coming later this year via Funnybone Records. World Power Love will be here July 10, but you can hear two of its songs right now. “Revolution”, which you may have caught on the Funnybone Records compilation from 2019, and now the new “Miss It”, which has its own music video. Henry Tobelman is wearing a tie, so you know it’s official.
knowte – “right?”
One of our favorite young songwriters in the state — KnoWTe’s lyrics and delivery are always fresh and inventive. His new album, 20/20 is packed to the brim with great songs, and let’s be honest, any album that starts out with a skit has my attention. The album is great, but “Right?” caught out attention early on as one of KnoWTe’s new best tracks.
greta stroebel – “dancer in the heart of france”
I don’t know how to tell you about Greta Stroebel, except that she’s a fantastic songwriter. Her lyrics are vivid, personal, and imaginative. Her voice can stop you in your tracks. Her new record, Dancer in the Heart of France, is a stripped-back album, with scarcely more than her voice and guitar. However, you’ll quickly forget about how minimalist the arrangements are because Stroebel’s songwriting is so expansive, it will occupy every corner of your room.
frederic anthony – “honey”
Of the three “official” Frederic Anthony tracks that have been formally released, “Honey” is my favorite. To me, this song feels like 2AM, alone, in a room that is so quiet that when you say something out loud, you’ve done something illegal. The song erupts into glorious distortion with each of its choruses, and I’m in goddamned heaven. Recorded by the always excellent Sans Serif Recordings.
justin holden – “entertain the broken heart”
New Justin Holden music on the way! Lust for Potent, Universal Meaning arrived earlier this year, in all of its gentle brilliance. Holden followed that EP up with the chaotic “Life of the Party”, a glitchy, electronic panic-attack-in-a-song. “Entertain the Broken Heart” finds home between these two poles, and Holden has announced that it is part of a new EP that will arrive sooner than you think!
woozles – “take a dip”
Emoji of a Bee is another one of our favorite records of the year. It hasn’t even been out for two months and Conor Ryan is already releasing new music. Yes, that is the Woozles you’ve come to love and expect! “Take a Dip” is a quick, but profound, track that pulls from the hard-auto-tune adventures of Emoji of a Bee and the thoughtful poetry of his non-musical writings.
mickey blurr – “are friends electric?”
Mickey Blurr has been incredibly busy during the quarantine — their bandcamp covers project has continued to grow (it is up to 8 songs now), and they’ve teased that another album (or at least an album’s worth of songs) has been fully-written and recorded. This week we are highlighting the Gary Newman cover of “Are Friends Electric?”.
baby lorraines – “holding yours”
Last week, I bemoaned that the anticipation for new Figurine music is killing me. Ashly LaRosa’s new project, Baby Lorraines, has only sharpened that need for new music! A collaboration with NY musician Molly Rabuffo, these “b-sides” are bite-sized confections — short, meticulously crafted, and astonishingly beautiful.
tracey gardens – “asking for trouble”
Your favorite American britpop band is back! They have a new EP coming out at the end of the week (with some truly blessed artwork), and their new song “Asking for Trouble” is all you need to hear to get you excited. If you haven’t heard a Tracey Gardens song before, the band create pop bliss with striking melodies and retro synthesizers. “Asking for Trouble” is no exception.
evan diem – “people face”
One of Connecticut’s best lyricists, Evan Diem is back with a new song for you! Or at least, it kinda feels like it’s “for” us, as a lot of his writing blends his own personal, specific perspective with broader themes that we can relate to. Oh, and it is about cats. A lot of Diem’s work is influenced by the folkier side of rock music (think Mountain Goats, for example), but “People Face” is decidedly a little rowdier. The song is the last single before Diem releases a full album some time this year.
dc wolves – “nighthawk”
Dan Cahill’s project, DC Wolves, is back with a new single! This song hits hard, and will put fresh fire in your lungs. And damn, that bass line makes me want to flip a table (safely, of course). Cahill has teased that a full music video will be on the way soon, and we are excited to see what he’s been working on, as DC Wolves always has exciting music videos!
versatile von – “i’m a cowboy”
Sometimes calling himself Versatile Von, sometimes Pizza Face, sometimes Robo Whaler — one of the most idiosyncratic voices in CT hip-hop has a new song out. The song, which explicitly and playfully references all the cowboy-posturing of 2019/2020, will get stuck in your head.
maxthekid – “drowning in the sea”
Max Johns, the genre and stylistic musical chameleon has a new song out! Born out of a place of intense depression and pain, the song is meant to be a life-preserver in these dangerous days. Check out “Drowning in the Sea” embedded below.
the knife kickers – “real trust”
I had plans to see The Knife Kickers at Best Video in Hamden when the coronavirus prevention measures started taking place — a great gig with Sap and Daniprobably was cancelled unceremoniously. For that reason, I’ve had a bit of an unrequited feeling with The Knife Kickers. If you’re like me, and a bit heartbrokened about missing that gig, you can check out the new video series Johnny Z has arranged. Three songs in the woods with an acoustic guitar. That sentence alone is big Knife Kicker energy.
cassie’s crutch – “cerulean”
The debut of Cassie’s Crutch! Check out their song “Cerulean” in the video below, recorded and curated by WSAM Radio, the same folks that brought us Live From The Lawn concert series. We aren’t sure when we’ll get new Cassie’s Crutch tunes, but you can rest assured you’ll find it here on the weekly roundup.
potential for a fall – “send you my love”
Released as a “demo”, this track from Potential for a Fall (members of Goldflame / He Was An Artist) is a beautiful ballad, that will make your chest ache.
