welcome back to The Bark List, a weekly feature rounding up a bunch of music from Connecticut songwriters and artists! in case you weren’t tuned in, bandcamp (our favorite music platform outside of local music shops) waived their platform fee for artists this past friday. many great CT musicians took advantage of that and released new songs, albums, and EPs, so this week’s roundup is STACKED. so stacked, in fact, that we couldn’t cover everything. in particular, there’s a very special compilation that i want to talk about tomorrow…
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.
window seat – “just friends”
New Haven’s Window Seat is a new band — they’ve only been around since 2019, but their initial impression is a gut-punch of post-punk / pop-punk in the form of an album, Call Me in the Morning. produced by Noah Silvestry (who was featured in a previous Bark List as Luke Ellingson), this album sounds great, and Window Seat’s overflowing energy is outrageously contagious. “Just Friends” is a great encapsulation of what makes Call Me in the Morning mandatory-listening.
perennial – “the skeleton dance”
released as a May Day bandcamp exclusive, this track may not be public for much longer! Perennial have been working on a follow-up LP to their fantastic The Symmetry of Autumn Leaves and Food for Hornets — this is the first slice of that record, and holy shit. slightly over a minute long, it is a pure adrenaline rush. if you’ve seen the band live in the past few months, you may recognize “The Skeleton Dance”, and if you do, you’ll be like me and thrilled to hear what else Perennial have in their vaults. (check out our interview with Perennial!)
psychic of orange – “blush”
pop savant Psychic of Orange has a new record coming out this summer! one of the things that i love about Psychic’s music is how influenced by old-timey r&b it is. their music is simultaneously a futuristic pop jaunt and a blast from the past. you can hear that in “Blush”, and those influences are made explicitly clear in their christmas album and their recent (outstanding) cover of Paul Anka’s “Put Your Head On My Shoulder”. “Blush” follows a string of great releases from Psychic, including “Bouncer” and “PonPonPon” from previous Bark Lists.
rushing spring – “groceries”
pop-punk heroes just released their debut EP, 100% Human, a few months ago, but they’re already back with new music! “Groceries” doubles down on the loud, catchy music they slung out in 100% Human. could this mean there is more music on the way soon? hmm…
keila myles – “love as is”
in late April, Keila Myles dropped this beautiful track. what i love about it is how it threads a careful needle: the song is an assertive, propulsive pop song, but the production uses an airy wave of synths. the result is a track that is catchy, but moody; fun, but melancholy. check out Myles recent collaboration with Esor Rose for the Tiny Desk Concert submission!
an historic – “counter-clock”
the outrageously prolific Adam Matlock is back with new music! the new An Historic record, Thawing, is a sprawling, grand machine. one of my favorite tracks on the album, “Counter-Clock” captures a lot of what i love about Matlock’s music — it is familiar in a distant, foggy way. as if this music is being half-remembered from a separate universe. this is pop music, but it’s pop music not from our world or time.
sam nazz – “coral”
last week, Sam Nazz (member of Cheem and Bowling Shoes) teased us with “Navy”, the first single from the EP Stuck In My Room. the full thing came out this past Friday, and it’s excellent. if anyone ever tells you that they don’t listen to music with hard auto-tune, play “Coral” for them and tell them to shut their damn mouths and get educated.
xylorp – “panning for sand”
Alec Bedini released a Xylorp record earlier this year, but it is now mysteriously missing from the internet! never fear, however! he’s already written and recorded a new album in the interim. the self-titled album refines Bedini’s DIY shoegaze — you gotta hear “Panning for Sand”. its waves of distortion are razor sharp, and the vocal lines are hypnotic.
the odds – “freddie mercurcy”
Dan Bogosian has a new band! or, at least it’s kinda like a band, but he is every member of the band. you know, kinda like Dick Van Dyke in Mary Poppins. The Odds is Bogosian’s follow-up to Spillway, who disbanded a couple of years ago. this debut track is a love letter to Freddie Mercury, and the strange, iconoclastic role he had as an artist unafraid to be weird, loving, and passionate. oh, and Bogosian will release his Red Hot Chili Peppers book in the very near future, so check that out too!
murderous chanteuse – “made of candy”
have you seen the new “Made of Candy” video? Jennifer Hill and company go wild on assorted misogynists, beating them mercilessly with dildos. you can’t tell me you heard that pitch and aren’t interested, right? the video (embedded below) is hilarious, and the song is sick. you may know Murderous Chanteuse as the force behind CT’s SWANDay (Support Women Artists Now Day) advocacy.
sarah golley – “punch me”
Songwriter and pianist extraordinaire Sarah Golley had a busy 2019 and is in the midst of a busy 2020. aside from guest starring on radio shows, writing her own musical, and hosting elaborate quarantine livestreams, Golley has a new song out! the song, which is being considered a demo, is everything we love about her music. “Punch Me” feels cosmic in its proportions, and by the time ending refrain of “Punch my lights out” lands and loops, i’m glued to my chair, unable to move under the weight of its beauty.
adversity – “check”
Adversity always has a great hook, and “Check”, his new single, is no exception. not only is the chorus catchy as hell, but his lyrics are playful and witty, simultaneously being tongue-in-cheek and braggadocious.
beau dega – “anything 4 u”
i fucking love glam rock. i don’t know if Beau Dega would consider what they make as glam, but this is dirty, kicking punk music with heaps of style. and even though i’ve listened to this song several times, i can never really prepare myself for how hard the guitars hit at 0:28. “Anything 4 U” is the first cut from an upcoming larger selection of songs.
the let loose – “show me love”
hey! New Haven’s The Let Loose have a brand new single out! “Show Me Love” is the first track since Mistakes Were Made, which came out just a few months ago. The Let Loose always find a slick, silky groove, this time belying some biting lyrics, aptly calling out “Love” as a four letter word.
j.e. duffy – “pretty blue”
where J.E. Duffy’s last single, “Don’t Fade”, was a fond, warm look back at folk-inspired rock-n-roll. his new track, however, is such a great curveball. it’s a grooving, theatrical song that winds back and forth, and it’s impossible not to tap your foot or bob your head. do i smell a hint of “Killer Queen” here, in that playful approach to rhythm?
the last years – “tv romantic”
we are always excited when The Last Years throw down a new song! “TV Romantic”, like the songs before it, find The Last Years recreating what you remember, or what you think, the 1980s were like. this music doesn’t sound like the 1980s, but it sounds like what we think of when we think of the 1980s: it’s a pastiche of the hallmarks of the decade that we’ve come to love for its exuberant style.
sindler – “bandage on a missing limb”
Ryan Sindler from Private Language has a new track! this was incredibly exciting to me, because “LOL”, his other 2020 solo track, has been one of my favorites of the year. check out this excellent slice of alt-rock.
karate party – “jar of bees”
this past Saturday, Capital H Booking (run by Sarah Stroh) celebrated their 5-year anniversary with a live stream set of old favorites. Karate Party was there! those of you going into this expecting something like Let’s Get Invisible (Austin’s other band), will be surprised by the mellow and melancholic acoustic jams here. those of you going into this expecting fantastic songwriting, however, will not be surprised.
mercy choir – “pick up every flower”
am i surprised that Mercy Choir has a brand new song out already, just a month after their beautiful Corinthian? no. am i excited that they have a brand new song out already? absolutely. the cover thumbnail features perhaps the only image online of Paul Belbusti smiling, and for good reason: the song is a much-needed, happy antidote for these shitty, shitty times.
burning books – “portmanteau”
droner Burning Books have a new EP out: Ivy & Elm. it is, surprisingly, less dark than their first EP, which is surprising given that this comes out in the midst of a pandemic. both of these noise records are excellent and highly recommended for anyone looking to explore their inner worlds with music.
cinema stare – “hum and the glow”
last week, i joked about including Cinema Stare’s “Never Know” in the roundup so that could also include “Nebraska, 2017” in this week’s Bark List. the band beat me to the punch and released a lyric video for the opening (and title) track of their new record. check out the beautiful dang thing below, and also listen to our interview with Cinema Stare drummer Pasquale Liuzzi!
snowpiler – “tepid” (acoustic)
sometimes, when bands give their songs the “acoustic” treatment, it’s simply an unplugged version of an otherwise electric song. and then other times, you’ll get what Snowpiler has done: entirely reimagined the song to work as an acoustic arrangement. on May Day, Snowpiler released Compiler, which is a summation of all their recorded works so far, including a short live set from West Haven. (that set includes the wonderful “I’m A Whole Damn Town”, which may or may not show up on a future record!)
mildly allergic – “drowning in the waves”
whoever posts stuff as Mildly Allergic veers towards anonymity. you won’t find any names or faces associated with the project. what we do know, however, is that they are based in Connecticut, they like Perennial, and are working towards a full-length album. we will keep you posted on that album once it releases!
greetings – “gemini! gemini!”
did you get a chance to see the Ephemerality experimental documentary? Greetings stars in the film, and they are now making their soundtrack available on streaming! previously, you could hear these tunes on bandcamp, where they are rolled into one long song, but the spotify edition breaks the songs into separate, streamable pieces. check out this EP, which includes some of Danny Fondue’s very best work…
earthwyrmm – “everything goes wrong”
i don’t know much about EarthWyrmm, except that they are based out of Fairfield. their new lofi, minimalist album Heavy is a collection of introspective, incredibly close songs.
semaphora – “snowstorm”
the prodigious Semaphora has new music! well, kinda! this double-single is composed of songs that were written over a decade ago. stashed away on old Cake Walk audio files, these rediscovered jams were remixed/remastered/rearranged. the band has been teasing cuts from LP#2 during live shows, but this is something completely new and separate!
daphne lee martin – “naked as we came”
due to the coronavirus, we will be getting Daphne Lee Martin’s highly-anticipated The Starter Wife a little later than we hoped. to tide us over, she just released a cover of Iron & Wine’s “Naked As We Came”. Martin, who is no stranger to covering and reinterpreting others’ music, cuts to the core of this song, shining light on its spirit.
underwear – “that you need to hide”
hot off the heels of the coronavirus musical they release in March, the new Underwear single is just mouth-sounds. yes, everything you hear on this track is made with Nick Grunerud’s mouth.
