We’re getting ready for Thanksgiving, so we made this Turducken of a Bark List this week, combining two weeks into one! Normally, I’d apologize for being a week late with this round-up, but you know us. We are artisan bloggers, growing our content free of GMOs on a free range Word document; we’re not some content mill, pumping out music write-ups like some kind of nightmarish factory. Although, that would be sick now that I think about it. Anyways, I hope you are ready to hear some of 2021’s best new music — some of the records and singles released this week truly blew us away, and they’ll show up next month when we compile our “Best of 2021” lists. Many of these bands are also playing live shows now (check out our event calendar for Only Good Gigs [tm]), so if you go, make sure you take a mask and don’t be a weirdo.
Our special picks this week are the new EP from Trey Moore (Boy Next Door), the gorgeous pop collage from Laura Wolf (Artificats), the return of Hellrazor (single and video for “Globbed”), and the debut / revival of Big No (Sabotage).
Check out this Bark List’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. I know that tracking down songs on Bandcamp can be a pain in the ass, so if you discover new music on Spotify, consider throwing your playlists into this tool to quickly track down the Bandcamp page of these artists: https://hypem.com/merch-table/ .
You can follow us on instagram and twitter for more music during the week.
Albums + EPS:
Big No – Sabotage Rock
Dan Osto, who moonlights as both All Riot and the venerable CT Scramble, has been sitting on these songs for years, and he’s just now sharing them with us. I’m not sure if I should be excited that Sabotage Rock is as good as it is, or if I should be mad because Dan, you were holding out on us, man! Big No is his new band: a muscular alt rock outfit that is a stylistic swerve from where All Riot last ended up (the electronic-tinged EP 2). Sabotage Rock is big on melody, punchy grooves, and wonderfully diaristic lyrics.
Big Tuesday – For You
What a treat! Sometimes, bands make a big impression on you, and then they retreat away for a while. We didn’t hear that much from New Haven’s Big Tuesday during the pandemic, and occasionally, I’d relisten to their 2019/2020 singles and think “dang, that was a good band. I hope they release more music.” And this month the band released their debut EP, For You, a quick 5-song adventure through indie alt-rock fist-pumping anthems.
Ceschi – This Guitar Was Stolen Along With Years Of Our Lives
And while we’re on the subject of unexpected releases, Ceschi’s newest album is one of our favorite surprises of 2021. Ceschi called his shot a couple of years ago: his Sad Fat Trilogy would be his final records, and after releasing Sad, Fat Luck and Sans Soleil, it felt like we had one more Ceschi record on the horizon and that would be it. So imagine our surprise when Fake Four Records announced a new Ceschi album that wasn’t the third piece of that trilogy! This Guitar Was Stolen Along With Years Of Our Lives is a stylistic curveball, leaning into the man’s folk punk side, complete with “Consider It A Win” (which fans should recognize!) along with the barnburner epic “2020 BC”. And while it may sound different than other recent Ceschi records, it’s just as essential.
The Future I Dream Of – Self Reflection
The Future I Dream Of has been so busy this year, releasing an EP earlier this year (Times Like These) and just a few months later, now Self Reflection. Premium Connecticut Emo, and it’s filled with some wildly cool choices, like a blistering guitar solo in “Epidemic” or a chugging guitar riff in “Orochimaru”. It’s only six tracks, but they color their music with every color of the emo rainbow.
Inertial – Cloud Beings
Jackson Searfoss’s new album as Inertial brings waves upon waves of instrumental splendor. A sprawling shoegazey, black metal-adjacent, prog rock album, Cloud Beings, is essentially listening for any nutmegger that craves the beautiful, epic post-rock of the mid 2000s. Imaginative and technically proficient (as JS plays every instrument here, records, mixes, and masters himself).
Kevin MF King – Black Ledge Falls (Soundtrack)
If you thought you had Kevin MF King’s number after hearing his excellent recent single “Slow Glass”, think again. Black Ledge Falls is a soundtrack companion piece, both creepy and surreal. It was recorded on a smartphone, and the lo-fi nature of Black Ledge Falls makes it all feel like a half-forgotten, but terrible, nightmare. Each track is less than a minute (except the last song), so it’s a short nightmare. Don’t be scared. 🙂
Laura Wolf – Artifacts
One of our favorite artists making music right now, Laura Wolf’s formal(?) debut, Artifacts, was just as good as we wanted it to be, and just as great as we hoped it would be. Effervescent and angular, the EP is a refinement of everything we’ve heard from Wolf so far. It’s an impossible balance of natural and digital sounds, as Wolf fuses her cello with her sharp production. Be sure to click-through to the bandcamp page for the bonus track “Out of Blue”.
The New Neighbors – The New Neighbors
New Haven’s New Neighbors have a new EP called The New Neighbors. More like The Newbers. 🙂 Scott Criscuolo (Guitars + Vocals), Jimmy Amato (Drums), and Patrick Grimm (Bass) make doomrock, that sweetly gloomy kind of music that is perfect for an overcast afternoon or a car stopped at a red light at 1AM. There are plenty of curveballs the band throws, keeping you on your toes throughout these 7 songs.
The Knife Kickers – Where Does All The Dust Come From?
Seriously though, where the fuck DOES all that dust come from? I think I heard somewhere that a lot of the dust around our house comes from human skin. Pretty gross. Anyways, I’m happy to tell you that the Knife Kickers new EP is excellent. One of the state’s most underrated / underappreciated bands. Asymmetrical songs that are crushing in more ways than one. People sometimes compare them to Pile, and while I think that’s fair (and good), The Knife Kickers are the weed to Pile’s coke. Recorded with Eddie Golden III and mixed/mastered by Ryan from Doom Beach. Hi Ryan.
Michael Slyne – Live At Willimantic Records
Sometimes Michael Slyne records with The Family Stoned. Sometimes Michael Slyne records as Michael Slyne. This live recording (from, you guessed it, Willimantic Records) is live and improvised. The following 20 minutes are a woozy, thick wave of abstract distortion. Run through a number of pedals, but handled gently – and then furiously – Live at Willimantic Records is perfect for anyone looking for something off the beaten path.
Nate Trier – Ritual Trepanation
Nate Trier has had a busy 2021, with a slew of singles released along with a themed instrumental album soundtrack a couple of months ago. Ritual Trepanation is made for a competition to create “the most terrifying drone track”, and… mission accomplished. Broken into separate pieces, the song / EP is a chilling, dark, ambiguous work of music.
Trey Moore – Boy Next Door
Not gonna lie, we were a little bummed when Trey Moore decided to remove his EP Dreams from streaming services. Moore’s pop music sounds like it could be either a transmission from the future or a long lost ‘80s classic. The cover of Boy Next Door features Moore with his head turned completely away from the camera. Look all you want, but you won’t see his face. His music is like that too – listen all you want, but you’ll find Boy Next Door as mysteriously cool as it was the first time you ehard it.
Wow, Okay, Cool – Disproportionate Responses
An EP that feels like a swift kick to the solar plexus, Wow Okay Cool’s Disproportionate Responses uses sarcasm, politics, self-deprecation, and the rotting American dream like their instruments. Tim Fitzpatrick should include “fiery sermons” among his roles on the record (he wrote and recorded the EP with Sans Serif Records handling the mastering). Like an American answer to The Future of the Left.
Singles:
Daniprobably – “Simple Time” (Demo)
The band has been off social media for most of 2021, but don’t let that stop you from reveling in Daniprobably’s new demo. We don’t often share demos in these posts, but when they’re as beautiful and striking as “Simple Time”, then what choice do we have?
Fat Randy – “Laura Palmer’s Theme”
Fat Randy released a new song on streaming platforms to juice the algorithm to promote their new (upcoming) pickles. Yes, Fat Randy are releasing branded pickles. But in the meantime, catch up with this awesome cover of Angelo Badalamenti’s “Laura Palmer’s Theme”, from the hit television show Seinfeld. Next time you see Stephen Friedland, give him a big “OH ANGELO”. He’ll know what you mean.
Foxtails – “Space Orphan”
Screamo-prog (or whatever you’d like to describe them) just announced their new record, Fawn, releasing on January 14th in glorious vinyl. You can catch a preview of the record with “Space Orphan”. If this track is any indication, we’re in for a trippy, wild record.
Gambit – “No Shame”
It’s hard to beat a hook as strong as the chorus of “No Shame”. Middletown’s emcee dropped a new one a couple of week’s ago, and it’s been stuck in our head ever since.
Hellrazor – “Globbed”
Hellrazor is back! Bandcamp tags include “satan”, “cloaks”, and “vhs”, which is perhaps the best way to describe the band’s music. “Globbed” teases what the band has been working on since their *chefs kiss* Satan Smile in 2016. Anyways, their new album, Heaven’s Gate, comes out next spring. The album’s title is a subtle nod to the 90’s cult, Heaven’s Gate, which centered their beliefs on the Hale-Bopp comet, a celestial body whose orbit is approximately 2,533 years which is exactly how long it’s been since Satan Smile came out. Jk we love you Hellrazor. Also, check out our recent interview with the band on the ctverses podcast. If you order the bandcamp single, the band will even throw in a b-side cover of Guided by Voices’ “Hang Up and Try Again”.
KJ – “T’d Up”
KJ has been keeping a single-a-month pace, as we get November’s new song. A two-minute breathless track of vivid imagery, tight rhymes, and shards of bravado.
Lit.Major – “Feel More Love More”
A new sweetly melancholic song from Lit.Major! Nonfiction, Lit.Major’s album that drops in early December, comes after Fiction from earlier in 2021. Stay tuned for other genres, like when Lit.Major tackles the Home Improvement and U.S. History sections. “Feel More Love More” is our favorite track of the three previews of Nonfiction (all of them are good!), and you can check the record out in the bandcamp embed below or through vinyl-crowdsource page https://qrates.com/projects/24971-nonfiction
The//Moon & Polluter – “Baby Dog Amplifier” (Remix) and “Echo in the Ether (ft. shine brida)”
The//Moon has two essential tracks in our round-up this week, both showcasing two different sides of the producer. The first is a remix of Polluter’s “Baby Dog Amplifier”, and The//Moon collaborating with Polluter is just the kind of deep cut Connecticut-on-Connecticut love you love to see. The second track is “Echo in the Ether”, which is technically a Shine Brida track (she’s from Seattle), with T//M providing the production.
Nick Grunerud / Underwear – “If You Put Your Hands Up”
New music from Nick Grunerud! After August’s Politics for President/Mayor concept record, Underwear is already prepping a new album. This is our first taste of it, and as Nick previews it: “This is maybe the heaviest track, politically, mentally and sonically I have made in a year…”
Ovlov – “Eat More”
The third and final single ahead of Ovlov’s upcoming album, Buds. That album releases this week (11/19!), but as you may know, the band almost always sells out of their first press vinyls. You’ll want to cop your pre-order right now. “Eat More” rules (you can hear it below), and it’s just as good as their other songs, which if they are any indication, Buds might be Ovlov’s best record so far.
Perennial – “Tooth Plus Claw”
I didn’t know the name of this song at the time, but I remember exactly where I was standing the first time I heard the wonderful “Tooth Plus Claw”. It’s a track from Perennial’s upcoming record In The Midnight Hour (releases in January), following “Perennial in a Haunted House”. Part TS Eliot, part bold waves of power; part guitar dive bombs, part call-and-response banger.
Pocket Vinyl – “Wish You Were Here”
There’s no other band like Pocket Vinyl. We love the band’s music, but we also love the fun, unique way they present their music and interact with their audience. For instance, their newest song, “Wish You Were Here”, is not on any streaming service. In order to hear it, you have to send a postcard to someone! The link below will take you to their bandcamp page where you can send a postcard to yourself or to a friend, and it comes with (a) truly beautiful artwork and (b) a bandcamp download code to access the new song. You can also grab it from their Patreon, but c’mon, who doesn’t want a postcard?!
https://pocketvinyl.bandcamp.com/merch/for-yourself-wish-you-were-here-postcard
Zaaqqara – “Saturns Rings”
The last formal song we heard from Zaaqqara was “Jigglypuff” (one of our favorites of that year), and “Saturns Rings” couldn’t be a bigger stylistic swerve. Where “Jigglypuff” was slick, electronic, and pop, “Saturns Rings” is a laid-back, acoustic ballad, taking on cosmic imagery. We hope to hear more soon, whether that be as Zaaqqara or as Zygote, but we know these things can’t be rushed. For now, you can’t find this one on other streaming services, so you gotta (and should) check it out on bandcamp.
Music Videos:
Chaser Eight – “The Bell Jar”
“The Bell Jar” was one of our favorite songs from 2019’s Tell Me Lies. Damn, it’s hard to believe it’s been that long because that album still feels like it just came out. The music video for “The Bell Jar” tackles its subject matter directly, and because it deals with suicide, you should know that beforehand (the band provides a disclaimer at the start of the video). But even though the song and video are downbeat by their very nature, it’s such a lovely video!
Dr. Martino – “When You Want It”
Aww, did y’all catch that lil kiss Sim and Amy share midway through the video? 🙂 The pride of Connecticut and all-time Clean Plate Club champions, Dr. Martino have a new album coming out soon! Check out “When You Want It”, the first single from the record, showcasing the band at their very power pop best.
Gambit – “No Shame”
Hey, it’s an animated lyric video for “No Shame”! We got sucked into the incredibly pleasurable way the words transition on and off the screen: it’s hypnotic!
Hellrazor – “Globbed”
Man, I didn’t even know ESPN 2 showed the jump rope championship. The Hellrazor Cultists play in front of some non-sequitur baffling VHS footage, kinda reminding me of the Faith No More video of “Everything’s Ruined”, which is just the kind of ‘90s esoterica that (I think) the band likes. The part of the video that continually cracks me up are the little cameos we get of the film crew, who are all also wearing cloaks.
