welcome back to The Bark List, a weekly feature rounding up a bunch of music from Connecticut songwriters and artists! this week was not nearly as hectic as last week (which had like 30 songs), but you will definitely want to check out each and every one of these bangers. 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.
crag mask – “waver // pacer”
In case you missed it this Friday, we premiered the new Crag Mask track “Waver // Pacer”. The song and its accompanying music video won’t be featured on the next Crag Mask album (still scheduled for the second half of 2020), but it’s a great snapshot of the band’s future and the band’s past. The song, bifurcated right down the middle, is half dark synthpop and half post-rock simmer. The band’s sound has changed quite a bit since their last record, Bend, thanks in part to the addition of Shyanne Horner on vox/synth and Quinn Pirie on drums. Check out the video below.
figurine – “needing”
Figurine — the musical project by Ashly LaRosa — has been hinting at new music for a few weeks now. Their instagram is a beautiful panoramic display, with individual posts detailing the creation of songs and lyrics, tiny little snapshots into the life of an upcoming album. the song is a gorgeous, lush arrangement (music credits to Tom Smart), and LaRosa keeps the melody mesmerizing. If you need a comparison, think if my local favorites Namesake and SAP made music together. Stay tuned for the new Figurine album (of which “Needing” will not be a part of!).
s.g. carlson – “spangled sun”
The new S.G. Carlson record, Sing the Hits came out this week, and it is a joy. We plan to write about it in longer-form later, but suffice to say that “Spangled Sun” is a beautiful snapshot of a songwriter who has carefully honed their craft into something genuine and masterful. Check out the album and our interview with Carlson!
fat randy – “connecticut”
Even though they’ve been in the studio working on their new album, Fat Randy (self-proclaimed Connecticut’s worst band) found time and energy to sling out this new single. As far as their music goes, this is one of the most straight-forward songs the band has ever released. It’s short, sweet, and catchy, but it’s still filled with all of the weirdness you’d expect from the fat ones. Use this time to check out “Connecticut” and their last album, Reggaenomics, one of our very favorites.
powerviolets – “smegma”
“The new album is coming soon” felt like a running joke on Violet Hetson’s instagram feed. Hetson would tease new mixes, and a full album would peak its head out and retreat, just out of our reach. So even though Hetson announced that her debut album ~No Boys~ would be released in 24 hours, it still felt like a surprise! The album features exactly what we loved about previous Powerviolets singles “Moon Man” and “It’s So Fucking Beautiful Outside”: these songs are loud, loose, and grungy. One of our favorite tracks of ~No Boys~ is the album closer, “Smegma”, which veers into post-punk territory.
dyme 203 – “pansexual.mp3”
Probably the only song on this roundup that brags about “big strap energy”, if you know what they mean. Dyme 203 are always a blast — fun ad-libs, interesting points of view, and a hunger for connection. “Pansexual.mp3” is one of their latest, and its lyrics are… well, pretty much exactly what the title says they’re about.
daniprobably – “worlds end”
While technically a demo, this new Daniprobably is a heart-wrenching song. You may be like me and misread the title as “World’s End”; it’s an important distinction, though. The song couldn’t come at a more symbolic time, either, as we are all leaving behind our old worlds, whether that be in the “new normal” of quarantine or living separately from a former partner.
bonzoraps – “comin’ up”
“They don’t know my name, but I been making hits”. I suspect that within 6 months, only one of these statements will be true. Bonzo’s flow, and they way he bounces on Scorez’s production, goes down so, so smooth. Check out the music video for “Comin’ Up”, below, and stay tuned for new videos soon (if Bonozorap’s instagram is to be believed!).
sarah lemieux – “willow weep for me”
When we wrote about “Goodbye, Paris”, we didn’t realize that Lemieux had a full-length album just on the horizon! Her new album, Jazz for the End of the World is cool, melancholy, and sweet. The title of the record, a wink at our current timeline, is the perfect antidote to the tense knots of existential anxiety that wind up in my chest. This record is filled with great songs (“Born to Be Blue” is also another favorite), so check it out!
people i love – “painkillers”
When he’s not being prolific with Waveform*, Dan Poppa is being prolific with People I Love. The People I love soundcloud account is a terrific treasure trove of lo-fi song sketches. This one, “Painkillers”, is only a minute long, but it’s fantastic, packing in a strong melody, a cool groove, and the loudest lead you’ve ever heard.
greetings – “ephemerality”
The state-favorite collective Greetings is back! Saturday, filmmaker Matthew Meigs (who you may know as part of Hamm’s Odyssey) premiered his experimental documentary Ephemerality, a feature about Greetings. Shortly after the doc’s premiere, Greetings released their score for the film, including never-released material. If you haven’t seen Ephemerality, you can check it out below, and watch as the band play songs live, including members of King Bongo, Donnie Alexzander, and Phat A$tronaut.
the microbes – “tapeworm”
The only information that Manchester’s The Microbes included on their new EP’s bandcamp page was “Recorded in an hour and a half at the Dam House basement by Liam.” That’s mostly all you need to know — these songs are fast, loud, and lo-fi. American Dream is the debut EP of The Microbes, following their widely-loved demo from 2019.
skit nite – “wasn’t invited”
Indie pop collective Skit Nite are back! Their new song is an ultra-catchy track about… well… you guessed it: not being invited to a party, but showing up anyways, and not really giving a fuck because you don’t need that kind of validation.
musicbydoc13 – “my bad”
We reported on Doc’s EP a few weeks ago, and now he’s got an official music video for “My Bad”. It is wildly different from “It’s A Vibe”, both in sound, tone, and theme, so if you think you have Doc pegged, check it out below!
evelyn gray – “sweet mirror”
Last week, we previewed a new track by Evelyn Gray, so while you are hyped about her upcoming music, take this moment to revisit her masterful 2019 album Let the Flower Grow. On the International Transgender Day of Visibility, Gray released this music video for “Sweet Mirror”.
dumlords – “television”
In the past few months, Dumlords has amassed a great collection of singles: “I Want U”, “Tyler Lindsay, MD”, “The Deep End”, and now “Television”. The wild thing about these singles is that if any of them were on 2018’s Smiles for Miles, they’d be my favorite song on that record. We have our eyes peeled for an announcement of an official EP or LP. You can check out the official video for “Television below!
spray bottle fever – “one more time”
The below video may contain images that are dangerous for audiences with a history of epilepsy. Spray Bottle Fever are fresh off of their win of the Battle of the Bands at College Street Music Hall. You can think of this video, then, as a victory lap celebration. It’s a loud, bright, harshly colorful video for “One More Time”, taken from their 2019 EP Empire in the Sky and the Destruction of All that You Hold Dear.
skin and bones – “don’t let us get sick” cover
Matt Banta, the owner of beloved Middletown CT venue MAC 650 DM’ed me this track. All he said was that he and Kevin Gaffey worked on something together, and when he posted it, he alluded to “MAC 650 Studios”. That’s all I know. It’s a cover of a Warren Zevon track.
If I missed anything that came out this week, please feel free to email me at ctversesmusic@gmail.com! I’m always looking for new great CT music! See you next week.
