welcome back to The Bark List, a (now) weekly feature rounding up a bunch of music from Connecticut songwriters and artists! this was the week of surprise releases, with multiple bands dropping EPs and full-length albums without warning. if you weren’t paying attention, you probably missed something great! 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.
melanie champagne – “who are you?”
officially, melanie champagne only has three songs to her name. those three songs, however, are all real stunners, and hey, that’s enough for an EP. “who are you?” is a bit more uptempo than “in my dreams” and “swing”, but the new single showcases her clear, glorious indie-country vibes.
phat a$tronaut – “rare fruit”
chad browne-springer and company are back with another slice of spacey funk. equal parts throwback and futurist, this is phat a$tronaut at their best, complete with killer grooves and beautiful organic arrangements. browne-springer’s pitch-shifted vocal hooks are just that: hooks, and ro godwynn’s vocal harmonies and dylan mcdonnell’s flute lines are pure bliss.
space camp feat. olivia west – “the rift”
there are so many spectacular moments on space camp’s new record overjoyed in this world, but “the rift” is maybe the album’s most commanding song. the tremendously fat synths, the apocalyptic string section, the psychedelic sax line, the cascading live drums — it all comes together in a track that is part mythic lore and part vicious desecration. check out our longer-form profile of overjoyed in this world HERE.
new average standard – “what are the odds i meet a young success story from wyoming?”
as a surprise last week, new average standard announced the friends, forever ep. the track that the band previewed, “worthless”, was a lively, but downtrodden, rocker (a sadboi anthem, if you will). and make no mistake: a lot of friends, forever is downtrodden, with songs about growing up and growing apart. the life you’re in now isn’t exactly what you planned, and realizing that can be tough, but new average standard want you to know that you’ve never been alone.
pond view – “neighbor”
and speaking of surprise releases, i had no idea that pond view were on the verge of release a whole-ass album this week. after previewing a couple of singles in the past months, the branford indie rockers dropped fungus?, a loud, big record that is wildly diverse. check out “neighbor”, one of the album’s many standout tracks, but compare it to the album opener, “phony”, and it’s easy to mistake them as two separate bands.
private language – “sun has depression”
ever since private language released “umbrage” last year, i’ve been eagerly awaiting some new tunes from this indie/emo band. and on the sly, the four-piece released teeth on spotify (soon to come to bandcamp), a six-track EP with some old songs (“umbrage”, “peppermint candies”) and some new ones. my favorite of the bunch is “sun has depression”, a bluesy tune whose chorus erupts in one of the catchiest (and saddest) hooks the band has ever devised.
uncle sonny – “hands of fate”
when i covered “trade winds” in last week’s music roundup, i had no idea that it would soon be followed by a full-length record. that album, hands of fate, skirts the line of classic rock, post-rock, jam, and indie. my favorite song on the record is the title track, which takes all of those ingredients and casts them in a gothic light. or is “gothic light” an oxymoron?
t!lt – “sleeping”
checking out the new t!lt track has become a new weekly routine for us. “sleeping” marks the latest in a string of weekly singles. this track, like the ones that precede it, showcase an excellent talent for combining experimental pop with r&b and indie.
bao joey – “fake love”
one of the best mc’s from the dirty waters, “fake love” showcases a softer side to joey, both sonically and lyrically. the piano-driven beat is hit with the gently processed vocal lines. it’s a surprising turn from the author of “new patek” and “bao anthem”, but a great surprise.
thejudasobscure – “merricat”
and speaking of the dirty waters, thejudasobscure has been releasing some of my favorite screamo in the state. woody’s latest release is a split EP with putrid parrot; thejudasobscure has three new tracks on this, and they all continue the same brutal attack that was started on 2019’s charlatan. what i love about his music is how it marries the political and the personal, with each song speaking to large quote-unquote big ideas, but still feeling visceral and immediate. “merricat”, for example, follows the poisoning of our earth.
vera icon feat. pearl sugar – “thick skin”
let me be real with you for a moment: i don’t know if vera icon is from connecticut or not — i couldn’t find that info online. but this song, “thick skin”, is too good not to include in this weekly roundup. and if the beats sound familiar, that’s because they were crafted by pearl sugar (who is definitely from ct). so load up on the vera icon hype train before this leaves the station.
memory celle – “only human”
let me know if you ever find another musician that sounds like memory celle. to my ears, her music is unique, and in a way, post-human. it transcends most musical conventions, and yet she focuses everything with melodies. no matter how abstract she gets, she always reigns it back in with a catchy chant, vocal line, or vivid image.
trace mountains – “rock & roll”
okay, so the connecticut elders have agreed that trace mountains is a ct band. this isn’t just wish fulfillment either: dave benton’s backing band features sean henry, susannah lee cutler, and jim hill — all established musicians that lived in connecticut (or still do). and damn am i glad i can call them a ct band, because the first two singles from the upcoming lost in the country are really sublime. beautiful and comfortable, “rock & roll” will be the album’s opening track when it comes out in april.
kolessa – “a song for the road, like they sing in the temples back home”
i am constantly impressed by (1) adam matlock’s songwriting versatility, and (2) his sheer rate of output. every month seems to have a new release, and march is no exception. this time, we’re treated to a new album by kolessa, matlock’s dungeon-synth, new-age impressionistic project. stunningly beautiful and strange: “otherworldly” is a fair way to put it.
sketch tha cataclysm – “stroll” feat. the protégé
a few months ago, sketch tha cataclysm re-issued the sharing is caring EP, a collection of tracks made in collaboration with deto 22. it seems that sketch is feeling nostalgic! this week, he uploaded the 2016 untitled is hard enough instrumentals EP to streaming services with an additional track. that track, “stroll”, is the only one of the bunch that features vocals, but sketch and the protege ride this beat beautifully. better flow is not chemically possible.
jungle fiction – “lasts one night”
expect more from jungle fiction soon! this band quietly released a two-song single on streaming services in preparation for more material soon. think of it as a proof-of-concept. “lasts one night” is a forelorn funk tune, and its b-side, “hey joe” will probably sound a little familiar…
somewhat woke – “propane” music video
the funk/hip-hop/alt-rock hybrid somewhat woke don’t think in singles: they think in music videos. “propane” is the newest video from the group, following up “jammin'”, which came out a few months ago. the song features a variety of styles and genres, so chances are if you like music in any capacity, you’ll find something here to entertain you (despite the song’s dark subject matter).
decent news – “black box” no names remix
chaotic industrial boyband decent news teamed up with australian label-mates no names to release this remix EP, no names vs. decent news. all proceeds raised from the collection go to benefit wildlife displayed from the recent wildfires. if you didn’t think decent news could get any heavier or harder, well, give this a spin.
happy ending – “surfing on mars” live video
the executive director of best video in hamden (a beloved DIY venue) hank hoffman has a band of his own: happy ending. to celebrate his birthday, the band got together in mid-february to sling out the psychedelic jams. they recorded that performance, and you can find it on bandcamp now in its entirety: a live album titled when i’m sixty-four. the below video was recorded by music reporter extraordinaire, karen ponzio!
