welcome back to The Bark List, a (now) weekly feature rounding up a bunch of music from Connecticut songwriters and artists! 21 brand new songs from across the state! this week was a bummer for everyone as COVID-19 shut down everything fun. many of the bands featured in this week’s roundup were (and are) directly affected by the social-distancing / quarantine measures. you can find a list of bands who had their gigs canceled here (with a playlist). 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.
s.g. carlson – “holy motors”
the first song from the upcoming Sing The Hits, set to release on April 1. this music video, created in collaboration with Kicker Pictures features a young man (Ilya, the other half of Ports of Spain) being guided around by a Magic 8-Ball. the song itself is marvelous, with warm, beautiful melodies and understated instrumentation (you might not immediately catch the beautiful harmonies at the end, or the keys in the second verse!). [this track was previewed last year!] while the album is not yet available for pre-order on bandcamp, trust me when i say you will not want to miss it. in the meantime, check out the self-titled record here.
sap – “fiction”
after releasing their couple singles, this dream-pop band is back with new music! already! yeah, i know! it’s a gorgeous track, and even though the band has described it as “spooky”, i’ve found that it pairs perfectly with this winter/spring intersession. the bad news, though, is that they removed the Best Video demos from bandcamp, so your only recourse for action is to see them live (whenever CT starts having live shows again, of course).
ditch boys – “saboteur”
in case you missed our premiere of this track, Ditch Boys are back with not only a new song but a whole filthy EP. the EP is a throwback to punk’s early years. this track, “Saboteur”, is my very favorite from this release, and you’ll recognize it immediately if you’ve seen them live recently.
passing strange – “won’t”
imagine if early Fiona Apple had a goth phase. no, i mean more goth than that. Passing Strange’s new album The Water and the Woods is a great trip through a cold, haunted forest. this two-piece (piano and drums) may sound like a pitch-dark pop band, but their influences range from the Dresden Dolls to Marilyn Manson (did you hear their cover of “Tourniquet”?) to Alice in Chains.
bone church – “acid communion”
are you in the mood for some bone-crunching heavy music? check out Bone Church’s new record Acid Communion, out via Ripple Music Records. New Haven’s Bone Church make music heavier than the earth itself. a complete throwback: look at the band’s album art, their riffs, or even their lyrics — they all speak to an earlier time in metal, back when religion and mythology were a central part of the art and the music was clearly influenced by the blues.
woozles – “summer days”
i’ve covered Conor Ryan’s music since the earliest days of the blog, and he always finds ways to surprise me. his lo-fi indie pop takes many shapes, and we’ve previewed many of them in the months leading up to the new Emoji of a Bee 🐝 album (singles like “Who??” and “Made to Stream”, for example). this album, however, takes a beautiful shift from the high-energy pep of side A to the more relaxed and introspective side B. one of my favorite tracks from that quieter side is “Summer Days”, a song clearly influenced by Ryan’s musical friendship with Tiny Deserts, smile emoji.
shed life – “this house is a coffin” music video
get ready! Old Saybrook’s Shed Life is about to release a new EP! in the meantime, treat yourself to their lead single “This House is a Coffin”, which showcases their math-tapping pop punk at its finest. the music video, complete with house shows and partying, contrasts with the somber, serious lyrics of the song. we’ll let you know when Stop Yelling and Have a Good Time (their EP) releases later this month, and in the meantime, follow Shed Life on spotify.
chocolate thunder – “idk” music video
a DIY music video from one of my favorite young musicians from Waterbury. the song features Chocolate Thunder straddling the line between being introspective and popping a flex, and as always, he’s got some great melodic hooks. and hey, the video features friends riding in a car with a puppy, so what’s not to love?
vundabar – “out of it” music video
aight, so someone of you might come at me saying that Vundabar isn’t a CT band. they might even say that themselves. but with Crag Mask’s Zackery Abramo playing bass for them both live and on the new album Either Light, you gotta at least admit that they are 33% CT band, right? anyways, the music video for “Out of It” was released alongside the premiere of Either Light, and it’s a great snapshot of what makes the band great: slightly askew pop set alongside dance punk (but this time a little more serious).
space camp – “she tells me yes yes yes” music video
premiering a day after their spectacular album release show at the State House, Space Camp’s “She Tells Me Yes Yes Yes” music video is beautiful, hypnotic, and abstractly powerful. it’s (probably) my favorite song on their new album and an early contender for my favorite music video of the year. the video, which features not only Space Camp but Tyler Trelease (who is featured at the end of the song), was shot by Mattie Hamer, who also directed the band’s video for “Righteous Dollar Bills”. their album, Overjoyed in this World is out now everywhere!
zillawatt – “certifiable”
Zillawatt have returned with a new EP, LZRD! self-described as “funk, rock, jazz-fusion jam sause for your chicky nuggs”. this Hartford-based group is so, so smooth. as a fan of Steely Dan (if you don’t fw them, i don’t fw you), i’ve been waiting for a CT band to capture that same precision and groove. if you’re into that, LZRD has exactly what you’re looking for (stream it below).
the story of how – “say go”
a musical partnership between Katherine Schneider and Dave Robertson, The Story of How is a new project that is unlike anything else on this roundup. combining spoken-word poetry (Schneider) with inventive instrumentation (Robertson), the group create an awesome and experimental pair. “Say Go” busts through traditional walls of genre and structure, and it’s a cool reminder of the possibilities music can offer.
potential for a fall – “20/19 vision”
after a short rest, Potential for a Fall has awakened with this lightning fast, totally catchy track. i will warn you — it will whet your appetite, but not successfully quench it! and that’s OK because there is more Potential for a Fall on the way, with an EP (Spring Cleaning) set for release at the end of the month (3/27). members include Jackson Donovan from He Was An Artist She Was A Carpenter.
rex thurstan – “very happy song”
Rex Thurstan gonna Rex Thurstan. Thurstan is always releasing songs, and at the moment, they are between big projects: Eel People is on a hiatus after releasing the magnificent double-album A Preliminary Display of Tomorrow’s Grievances, and their other project, Litvar (with Joe Lemieux from Spray Bottle Fever) is preparing for a wildly ambitious debut. in the meantime, Thurstan has an EP coming out (which seems to be titled Very Happy Songs). you can hear the first piece of it below!
fifac – “jake’s track”
you look at Jeff Dragan’s rig and you wonder if he’s about to make some screwed experimental blast beats or pilot The Enterprise. lol, got ’em. his newest release is “Jake’s Trash”, the world’s first ambient diss track. the song is short (especially by ambient standards) and was performed live, featuring some skin-ripping abrasive sounds. RIP jake.
human fruit – “graffiti”
Ian McHugh (who sometimes records under the name Shaguar) has released a full-length album of lo-fi, experimental pop! Warm Years is Human Fruit’s first official release, and it recalls the same adventurous spirit as other Shaguar releases. Released in conjunction with Prozaq Records (the experimental Hartford collective), “Graffiti” is my favorite track on Warm Years, as it sounds (in some ways) like a blown out Ariel Pink.
pine straw – “not missing much”
Jake Webber from the band Storrs (not to be confused with the township) has released a collection of lo-fi indie folk songs that are beautiful. the EP is titled “Demos”, but please don’t let that fool you — if it weren’t given that name, i’d suspect this was a fully-realized debut. this EP is a must-listen. warm, gentle, and caring, Demos is an excellent opening salvo for this project, and its sparse instrumentation feels pitch-perfect.
skit nite – “citrus”
i don’t know the specifics, but the lore around Skit Nite is that it was a group of family members and friends that promised to make music together on a lark, a one-song-a-month type agreement. the group have released a few singles on spotify, and if you are craving indie pop, “Citrus” will hit the spot easily. did you see that? a food figure-of-speech because “Citrus” is the name of the song? i bet you did not [Vitamin] See that coming. okay, sorry about that — stream this excellent single below.
ritual clearing – “hide”
the guy that made Reduction Plan now has a black metal band. i’m tempted to just leave it at that because it’s really all i need to hear for someone to sell me on the new Ritual Clearing single. “Hide” is loud, icy, and just as dark and damaged as Reduction Plan’s goth post-punk. very excited to have a norweigian metal band in our CT midst. the band has a debut EP coming out through Eternal Death records, and you can pre-order their cassette right now.
tracey gardens – “nothing on you”
America’s favorite britpop band is back, now on bandcamp and spotify! we talked about “Tongue Tied” on last week’s Bark List, and “Nothing on You” continues the band’s exploration of early ’90s / late ’80s pop music. darkly romantic and warmly melodic. their first official show will be with Reduction Plan and Choir Boy at the State House in May.
powerviolets – “moon man”
Violet Hetson is back with a new song! “Moon Man” is a song that has been long-gestating, and it features no real lyrics, but who needs lyrics when you’ve got a goddamned banjo on the track? that’s what my mom taught me, anyways. always excited to hear new Powerviolets material, and hopefully we can expect more soon!
