after a bit of a hiatus, the dog is back! our last music round-up was over a month ago, and while we were gone, you were very busy! we’ve got 40+ songs here, and all of them are great. well, one of them is fine, but the others are really wonderful. we are also changing up the format a little bit. past editions of the Bark List were not ordered in any particular way except what we thought “sounded good”. but that made things a little hard to find, so we are rethinking how to organize music here. you’ll see things categorized into “new albums/eps”, “new singles/music videos”, and “extra goodies”, and all artists listed alphabetically within those groups.
and this list is not exhaustive by any stretch. i can think of at least a half dozen other great songs/releases that we just didn’t get around to making promos for. that’s why you should check us out again next week! (we’re sorry, CJ, Justin, and X!)
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.
New Albums / EPs:
Bajzelle – Enjoy
We had the honor of premiering Bajzelle’s music video for “Trying”, so hopefully by now, you’ve caught up with this one and their excellent new record. If not, it’s never too late! Check out Bajzelle lose their minds in a cabin in Vermont. I’m not trying to victim-blame here, but… that’s what you get for leaving Connecticut. A friend described them as “Crag Mask meets Spirit of the Beehive” – what do you think?
Cardinal Spins – Commuter
Western CT raise up. Cardinal Spins’ dropped Commuter, their great new ramshackle rock-n-roll record (say that five times fast) this week. It’s their first full-length album after a string of delicious Eps. Even if you haven’t caught those yet, you owe it to yourself to dive into Commuter head-first.
Decent News – Split w/ Chrome Corpse
The industrial bad boys are at it again. Within the span of a year, they’ve released a great full-length LP (Monolith), a remix record (Monolith / Remixed), a remix EP (via the Australian band No Names), and now a split with Chrome Corpse. The two songs by Decent News (“I’m Slipping Away” and “Death Row”) are grimy, nasty, and raw. In a good way, of course.
Dust Hat – Come Back
Now you can own the sound of Café Nine in your home! New Haven’s Dust Hat is a loud, down-and-dirty rock-n-roll band, that is equal parts swagger, gumption, and tongue-in-cheekitude. Come Back is their first full-length record, a follow-up to 2018’s self-titled EP. And yes, you can get that shit on vinyl. Be sure to check out their love-letter to New Haven’s music scene: the “Own My Soul” music video.
FIFAC – Suitcase EP 2
Surprise! Fifac released a new EP this past Bandcamp Friday. A follow-up to June’s Suitcase EP, this sequel expands on the plot and themes of the original, with characters developing in surprising and devastating ways. Just kidding, it’s more analog ambient bops! Characterized as “starting in one place and ending in another with as little as possible”, these songs are fantastic experiments.
Goldflame – The Burnout Generation
Jackson Donovan, the drummer for He Was An Artist She Was A Carpenter, takes the mic in Goldflame, and their new album The Burnout Generation is a loud, rambunctious pop-punk record. They’re listed as “Western Mass”, but c’mon, half of the band is from Connecticut and the album was engineered by two nutmeggers too (Pasquale Liuzzi and Ryan Pelegano).
Green Light – The Days
Recorded in isolation, the three members of Green Light pieced together The Days physically separated from one another, although you’d never know it. We especially love the mood on these tracks, which have been perfect for the Stuck Indoors Blues. Anyone craving a little pop music melancholia will serve themselves well to check out The Days.
Jenny Genius – Jenny Genius
You may know Maggie K. as the bass player for New Haven’s Spit-Take, but she takes center-stage on Jenny Genius’s debut cassette. Short-and-sweet, this record is a delightful combination of indie pop hooks and startlingly honest thoughts. Chris Chew’s crystal clear engineering gives Jenny Genius an extra crisp punch. Hmm, it would be interesting to hear more from them, perhaps in a podcast interview soon?
Kevin MF King – Riots Plague Tolls
You know Kevin King from other projects like Peg Bundy and Intercourse; their new EP is a stripped back, mostly-acoustic affair. It’s one of the most soulful recordings we’ve heard from King, which matches the raw Sinead O’Connor cover their submitted for the CT verses compilation earlier this year.
Landing / Headroom – Split LP
The hot-streak from Redscroll Records continues with this album: a split between Landing and Headroom, two wonderful psychedelic bands. You can grab it on vinyl, lay on the floor, and let it take you to another plane.
Raeann Fetcho – Worrywart
This is our first time coming across Raeann Fetcho, the songwriter from Fairfield. Their debut album, Worrywart, was written and recorded in Fetcho’s bedroom, so as you might expect, it’s a quiet, lo-fi record. What sets Worrywart apart, though, is its excellent lyricism and knack for melody. Fetcho has stripped away the production so that it’s just their casual talent. Give it a listen!
Therapy Sunday – Therapy Sunday
Foxtails released a fantastic album, Querida Hija, last year. This week, guitarist Jon Benham released Therapy Sunday, a drastic subversion of what you may have expected from the prog-screamo band. Therapy Sunday is an IDM masterwork – cool, slick, and complex.
New Singles and Music Videos:
1936 – “Reconstruct”
Tim Marzik from Lighthouse and Snowpiler has a new hardcore project! Check out “Reconstruct” and “Reveal”, two new songs to debut the project.
Adversity – “Livin’ It Up”
One of our favorite CT MCs is back with a new single with a collaboration from Aye Fur.
Charter Ghost – “HK-97”
The debut single of Charter Ghost, this new project from Gustavo Colon is exciting and fresh.
Cheem – “Smooth Brain”
Pop polymath weirdos Cheem are back with that smooth, smooth brain. This is their second single (I think) for an upcoming album that will be sure to smooth all of our brains soon.
Gold and Thorns – “Hollywood”
A new synthpop project that puts me in a great mood. A new EP is on the way!
Hamm’s Odyssey – “Odyssea”
Bandmember and filmmaker Matt Meigs cut together this music video with black-and-white film!
Jason Lapierre – “All In My Head”
You may know Jason from Portrait Party or New Amsterdam Nobles – his new song is a change of pace. It’s jazzy, but just as restless and smooth as the music you know him for.
Litvar – “Sertraline”
Rex (from Eel People) and Joe (from Spray Bottle Fever) have teased their third single for Litvar, whose new album is going to have us all changing our AIM away messages with their song lyrics.
Mighty Tortuga – “Soul Searching”
The turtle is back with a new song! Mighty Tortuga have been super busy working on new material and putting together the new Littleroot Collective.
Radio Stevie – “Heartbeat”
We don’t know much about Radio Stevie yet, but geez this new song is fantastic. Catchy hooks and an impossible-to-resist 4-on-the-floor beat.
Raygun Freddy – “Interstellar Interloper”
Chris Manfredi debuted his EP earlier this year, and he’s back already with this genre-defying ballad.
Sarah Golley – “These Days”
One of our favorites, Sarah Golley’s new single captures the spirit of the summer, with its frank and open honesty.
Sargasso – “Sacred Plums”
New Haven’s Sargasso always makes beautiful, honest, catchy music. Their new track, “Sacred Plums”, slows things down a bit, letting us soak in their wonderfully melancholic mood.
Slight Of – “Winter’s Maze”
Jim Hill (of Trace Mountains) has a new album coming out soon, and you can see them with an open head wound ride the rails in New York City.
Sunday Morning – “Burn It Down”
It’s alive! Sunday Morning’s new video is the only Frankenstein adaptation I care about watching this summer. More new music coming soon!
Tasty Bread – “Any Odd Night”
I don’t know much about Tasty Bread, except that this track was produced by Pace Ferro of Pharaoh Recordings. I love a good mystery, especially when it is soundtracked with psychedelic pop.
Tekowa Lakica – “Blue House”
This new song + video from Tekowa Lakica is incredible. The retro synthesizers give “Blue House” a ’90s trip-hop feel. The video ends with “to be continued…”, so here’s to hoping that we get more new music soon!
The Midnight Strangers – “Odyssey”
Following up their Speed of Light LP from just a few months ago, The Midnight Strangers already have a full album’s worth of material. You can check out the first taste of it in this music video for “Odyssey”
The Most – “First Frost”
Southington’s The Most has a new album coming out soon! We were thrilled to hear “First Frost” as their first single for the record, as it has been one of our live favorites.
New Extra Goodies:
Daniprobably – “Halloween”
One of our very favorite artists, Daniprobably donated this stunning track to a Boston-based charity compilation, raising funds to combat police brutality. You can find the compilation embedded below.
Elison Jackson – “Trashman” live
Elison Jackson may technically be a “Philadelphia band” (shudder), but they keep finding their way back to the Constitution State. This time, they’re part of Sans Serif’s great video series. Check out this new song from Elison Jackson!
Keep Me Safe – “Heel Turn”
Keep Me Safe is an emo band from Glastonbury CT. They just released an acoustic version of their song on soundcloud.
Mooncha – “If I Can Make It”
Released shortly after their house burned down in a freak accident, Mooncha’s new song is a powerful blast of creativity in the face of hardship. Mooncha released this one on their IGtv, so it’s not technically part of any streaming services yet, but that shouldn’t stop you from checking it out right now.
Murderous Chanteuse – “We All Fall Down”
Jennifer Hill’s new song is a sharp anthem that captures the anger you’re probably experiencing right now. Political divide, coronavirus, environmental devastation. This song was written and recorded in a burst of creativity – we hope to hear more soon!
Patrick Dalton – “Middle Distance” live
You may know him from his songwriting in The Proud Flesh – Patrick Dalton has teased some fantastic new material lately. First, it was the wonderfully funky “Picking Up After the Lord” on the Free As Birds compilation. Now, it’s a great acoustic set as part of Sans Serif’s live videos.
SG Carlson – “Your Guess”
Having released one of our favorite records this year (Sing the Hits), Sam Carlson has a new song on third volume of the Free As Birds compilation. Outstanding and understated.
Sincera – “Circus”
Finally I get a chance to mention Crag Mask. You may know Quinn Pirie as the drummer in Crag Mask, Bilge Rat, or SHY, but he also has an excellent LP recorded as the front of Sincera. This new track, on the Free As Birds compilation, is inventive, sharp, and subversive. It’s an incredible tease for (hopefully) new Sincera music to come.
Steve Hartlett – “lonelyphonyface”
To tide you over for more Ovlov and Stove music, Steve Hartlett has released a really great solo album (Solitude for Dummies) that went under most people’s radars this summer. “Lonelyphonyface” is a little quieter than you might expect, but it’s just as incredible as you’d want.
Stout – “U” live
Here’s a cover of Kendrick Lamar, and while we rarely feature covers in these weekly round-ups, STOUT’s amazing rendition of “U” just can’t go ignored. Filmed as part of the Sans Serif video series, STOUT’s performance is easily one of our CT music highlights of the year.
Violent Mae – “Momma Where Can”
Holy shit, I was not expecting a new Violent Mae song this summer! Released as part of the Free As Birds compilation, Becky Kessler’s quiet and intense “Momma Where Can” is simply fantastic.
