welcome back to The Bark List, a weekly feature rounding up a bunch of music from Connecticut songwriters and artists! this week featured a bunch of great records from bands, some of which we haven’t heard from in a while! surprisingly, even though it was 4/20, there was scarcely a weed anthem to be found! so if you want to write your own, just DM me.
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.
zaaqqara – “jigglypuff”
coolest person in New Haven, the artist formerly known as Trinity, the event planner of the Zygote Residence DIY spot, and the songwriter of one of our favorite songs this week: Zaaqqara’s “Jigglypuff” is a minimalist, sleek pop track. this is the song that plays in your head, internally, when you are completely overload with sensory input. bright lights, loud machines, but somewhere inside is “Jigglypuff” riding is simple groove and catchy hook.
cinema stare – “never know”
when you’re in a smaller music market, every band can feel like a “DIY supergroup”. but the chemistry that new band Cinema Stare has is really quiet special. formed by members of other bands (Pasquale Liuzzi of Seller and Posture & the Grizzly; Jason Moriarty of Mineva; Joe Pelegano of Dear Pines; Tom Shreve of Carlos Danger), Cinema Stare jumped straight into their new LP. no EPs. no demos. no early singles. recorded with Chris Teti (of the World is a Beautiful Place), the album sounds big, loud, and exquisitely emo. an early favorite of the LP is “Never Know”, embedded below. i’m breaking my own rules here. Hum and the Glow came out today (at midnight), but i am including it in last week’s roundup. why? so that i can include “Nebraska, 2017” in next week’s collection.
the world is a beautiful place and i am no longer afraid to die – “in circles”
covering a song like “in circles” takes a lot of guts. it wasn’t a huge mainstream hit, nor is it a dated curio. no — the song is the closest Sunny Day Real Estate ever got to being on MTV, and that band is reaching mythic status in today’s music circles the same way that Neutral Milk Hotel did in the late 2000s (do not @ me). it’d be easy to fuck this up, but The World Is A Beautiful Place And I Am No Longer Afraid to Die deliver their version with reverence and awe. it’s not a facsimile, and it’s not a reinvention. it’s the perfect balance you’d want if one of your favorite bands covered another one of your favorite bands’ songs.
zebvlon – “oil’s dry”
we got a chance to premiere this one earlier in the week! Zeb and the gang released a surprise EP that is a sweet dose of grunge pop. Zebvlon is one of our favorite CT bands right now, and this is a great place to jump into the Zeb Mrowka-musicverse (which extends to others like Blue Park Suites, Royal Oaks, Fredo Disco, and more). (also, like the above The World Is track, it features a doggie on the cover art. hell yeah)
sam nazz – “navy”
you know Sam Nazz! whether it be as part of Cheem or Bowling Shoes, Sam Nazaretian has been responsible for some great music over the past few years. this week, they previewed a cut from the appropriately titled Stuck In My Room EP. the song “Navy”, embedded below, is a fast, incredibly-catchy slice of pop rock.
warbats – “jc’s conflicted copy”
you know that feeling you get when you discover a band you love that you should have known about? you just want to share that band with everyone you know, in hopes that you can spread the love. that’s the whole reason we started this blog! Warbats’ new album, Temper Tantrum, is an absolute gem, and i feel like such a putz for having it in my blind spot. the West Haven three-piece kicked out some dirty punk rock this month, and you simply must hear it.
hallowz – “wait until the end”
it’s hard to think of an album that sounds more like now than Hallowz new Call Me Out. a concept-album of phone calls, laden with trap hits and emo lyrics. more than that, though, this record sounds like it was recorded late, late at night alone. it’s that feeling of isolation, loneliness, and introspection that hits home hard right now.
kurita – “karma”
here’s another album that was totally in our blind-spot. Kurita’s new record, Karma, is pop, but progressive. it’s fun, but artful. straddling between indie-pop and radio-ready mainstream, Kurita’s new album is a blast that should appeal to you, your boyfriend, and your momma too. Karma was recorded with Kingship Recording, who has brought us some of our favorite tracks from the past couple of years.
street hockey – “in other words”
RIP Dream Hermit. Long live Dream Hermit! Max Holsbeke may be retiring his Dream Hermit project, but that’s opened up the doors for Street Hockey, his new music venture. our first listen it “In Other Words”, a song that captures the same energy as Holsbeke’s previous songs but amplifies it. if you ever caught a Dream Hermit live show, this is what Street Hockey sounds like. we can’t wait for more.
chef the chef – “weird”
dude, we are excited any time we see new music from a member of The Quest Presents — Chef the Chef has a new song you can stream right now! it’s the first formal release from him since “Promises” (another fantastic song you best not sleep on), and it lives up to its name. “Weird” is weird. the producer/vocalist rides the second half with a bowlegged hook that is so catchy. it will make you smile, but it’s hard to say if that’s because i’m losing my mind or genuinely happy.
aunts – “zihuatanejo”
hey, remember that Cinema Stare record we mentioned earlier? that same record label (9th Street Records) has another new band you need to know about. Hartford’s Aunts will make their formal debut in the middle of next month with The Last Great Place. in the meantime, you can check out their first single, “Zihuatanejo”, a blast of mathy emo. and just to be clear, the name of the band is “Aunts”. i didn’t mean that your tia from West Hartford was going to be releasing new music. but if she is, let me get those details.
he was an artist, she was a carpenter – “i made you a cookie but i eated it”
considerable academic discourse has been dedicated to whether He Was An Artist is a “CT band” or not. if you are interested in that conversation, there was a recent article published in the New England Journal of Regional Music about the band. in the meantime, just sit back and enjoy their first new songs since the excellent I’ll Never Be As Happy As I Was Last Summer. when Tom Fisher sings “I’m not pretty / I’m not interesting” we really felt that.
dan falkovich – “grow up”
Dan Falkovich’s last release was the pared-down single “A Priori”. his new EP, Grow Up, Little Boy, is a definite change from that song. well, it’s a change in style and genre, but not so much in mood. the gloomy introspection is still there, but now with a sleek pop sound. check out this song and its companion-track “Little Boy” embedded below.
the fiction kids – “swiss army”
hands down, one of our favorite records of 2019. New Haven’s The Fiction Kids released Souvenir as a bandcamp-exclusive for several months, but now you can stream it on most online platforms. so, if you haven’t gotten a chance to jump into Souvenir, you now have no excuse. check out our long-form write-up of the album HERE.
justin holden – “life of the party”
in case you missed it, Justin Holden’s EP, Lust for Potent Universal Meaning, was a gently experimental record. it’s a beautiful, soft collection of songs, some of which break down into fractured loops. it’s great and you should check it out, partly because it is so enjoyable and listenable, but partly so you can see how wild “Life of the Party” is. it is, and i mean this in the best possible way, a panic attack. i was playing it the other day, and i tried to pause it, and just for a second it did not pause, and i had a sudden terror that i was trapped. that feeling is exactly what Holden is recounting on this song as he finds himself stuck at a party.
ceschi – “love song for the apocalypse” (maulskull remix)
with the world handling Covid-19 (or Covid-19 handling the world, however you want to look at it), a lot of us have been looking at songs like Ceschi’s “Love Song for the Apocalypse” for guidance. this fan-favorite track just got reborn for 2020 with the help of Maulskull’s remix. the song, like a lot of Ceschi’s music, is a balance of the internal and the external — a moment of introspection during the armageddon; cognition during cataclysm.
tate & silas – “wanted”
the Branford wildcards Tate & Silas have a new record! appropriately titled Rock and Roll (presumably Tate is “Rock” and Silas is “Roll”), it is an encapsulation of everything you love about the duo. it is a loving throw-back to old rock-n-roll from the late 1960s, filled with casual stoner energy. my favorite song, besides the title track, is “Wanted”. stay for the extended outro, which fucking rules.
psychic of orange – “pon pon pon”
yeah, i mentioned above how difficult it might have been for The World Is to cover “In Circles”. well how about covering a beloved song in another language entirely? that’s what Psychic of Orange does in their new cover of “PonPonPon” by Kyary Pamyu Pamyu. it is just as color and delightful as the original, and it’ll get you in the mood for the new Psychic of Orange track that will be out this summer!
jeremy cooney – “alone”
New Haven’s Jeremy Cooney featured in a previous Bark List with “Interstate 95”, a song about the open road. his newest track, “Alone”, is the exact opposite. gone are the great expanses of traffic and radio — it’s been replaced with PPE, drawn curtains, and scavenger hunts for toilet paper around the house.
the other realm – “solitaire”
alt-folkers The Other Realm has a new “quarantine bop” for us. “Solitaire”, as the name spells out for us, is a song all about being alone and flying solo. is it sad? sure. is it also comforting knowing that someone else feels this way too? you’re goddamned right.
3.5.7. solar – “disco’s back”
i don’t know much about 3.5.7. Solar except that they are a duo formed by two separate songwriters. their new track, “Disco’s Back”, is a catchy, fun, neon song that you will want to dance to. or, if you’re in quarantine, maybe not dance, but your around your seat playfully in.
owen mcmahon – “the little illiad”
The Voice Memo Demos is Owen McMahon’s newest EP! and as the name suggests, it is a stripped back, minimal release. there is a lot of great new folk cuts here, but our favorite is “The Little Illiad”, which serves up a pitch-perfect chorus.
stone jaw – “spring yellow flowers”
oh hey, “spring yellow flowers”, that sounds like music i can relax to! Terrance Regan makes a lot of music (also as Antillean Sister and Grankhul), but none of it that i have heard is relaxing. Stone Jaw’s newest release — a split with Soloman Tump — is a brooding analog drone experiment. if you want to freak yourself out, turn off all the lights, lay on the floor, and crank this one up.
ghost tones – “who saved who” music video
a new CT ska band! if you went to last year’s Ska Prom, you got a chance to see Ghost Tones, but if you didn’t, here’s a quarantine-friendly music video that serves as a perfect introduction. it’s delightful and fun — give it a look / listen!
demkovic – “immortal sin”
Richard Demko wears a lot of hats. mostly we know him as the head of Neurotronix Records (which recently released that excellent Passing Strange album), but here’s a look at his ambitious symphonic metal project, Demkovic. Demko plays most of the instruments, with the exception of a brief lead guitar and the vocals, which are provided by Suzanne Vick.
ritual clearing – “void”
Dan Manning of Reduction Plan has a new black metal project! Ritual Clearing, like Reduction Plan, is great feel-bad music, and it feels wonderfully uncomfortable in a way that Reduction Plan doesn’t. check out their new EP to get a sense of what i mean. this is loud, sprawling Norweigian black metal, but presumably no one in this band has killed each other or burned down a religious site.
