Every Bandcamp Friday, we get a bunch of new surprise releases, and this past week was no exception. Surprise singles! Surprises albums! This week’s Bark List has some old favorites (hi Glambat, hi Alethea, hi Sketch), but we also have some ctverses first-timers (BRIYO, Paris Ex, Boomdagger), so don’t pretend like you’ve already heard everything on this list. We hope that this Bark List will be your gateway into something new, something that you’ll love. 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 Alethea’s EP Hard to Please, the new Steve Hartlett album Water of Water, and the new Glambat song “Elm City Jesus”.
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:
Alethea – Hard to Please
We love Alethea, and I’m so damn happy this EP is out. Yes, it is very good, but more importantly than that, I can finally point to this EP and be like “yes, this is the band I was telling you about, they do exist.” Aside from catching their great live shows, they have only a few older demos currently available. Every song on it is great, but we recommend the closing track “Back to the Start” especially. Kinda dirty, kinda dancey. Did you know that this EP was originally titled “Music To Shotgun Beers To”?
Arcadia – Hope You Understand
Last year, we premiered Arcadia’s double-single “My Friend // Old Friend”. Those songs were notable not just in how strong they were, but in how much variation there was between the two of them. The band’s new EP, Hope You Understand, takes that idea and applies it to all five songs. Some are hard-hitters (like “Written With Sound”), while others are a little lighter and jangly-ier (the title track or “Give And Go”). Highly recommended for anyone looking to spice up their diet with a little ‘90s rock.
Bleekg1 – The Oklahoma Kid
Bleekg1’s social media describes his work as “just beats really”, and it’s true: the beats and production on this album rule. The cover art depicts a dude bleeding out on a immaculate tile floor. Is there a better metaphor for vulnerable bars played over these perfect soundscapes?
BRIYO – Hikikomori
Hikikomori is BRIYO’s (fka Brian Yoshida) first full instrumental record. Originally created as a pandemic project, the album expanded to include previous recordings in addition to the material created in 2020. The album walks the perfect line between experimentation and feelgood beats. If you’ve followed his expansive bandcamp page, you may know that BRIYO’s styles and approaches vary rapidly from project to project. That means every song on Hikikomori might draw from a new surprise influence.
Chris Antonucci – Circus
Waterbury’s Chris Antonucci released his debut solo album this past week: somebody get this man a birthday cake! Engineered by The Nooch (who also engineered one of our very favs, Sean Henry’s A Jump From The High Dive), this record goes down so easy, paired perfectly with a chilly morning. For fans of Purple Mountains / David Berman.
Drive!Sucker – Car Song Plus
While we were on hiatus, Hamden’s Drive!Sucker (originally from New Zealand!) released an excellent album: Leave the Day Behind. This week, they released the Car Song Plus EP, which is exactly what it sounds like. It’s “Car Song” plus. “Car Song” was one of the bangers from Leave the Day Behind, and the remaining four tracks here are like lo-fi demo versions of other songs on Leave the Day Behind, including “Shades Arcade” and “Minder”. If you’re a fan of the fuzzy Flying Nun Records albums – a bit of distortion and psychedelia – you gotta check this one out.
Paris Ex – Lilith Chronicles 3
Bridgeport’s Paris Ex is a post-genre project. Held up by a trap beat, vocals embedded in the mix with the rest of the instruments, and a delivery that somehow feels like both folk music and hip-hop. Neon, shimmering, and gothic at the same time. For fans of aesthetic-heavy music like carolesdaughter (of which “Violent” is a cover on this EP) or Nicole Dollanganger.
Steve Hartlett – Waste of Water
The mad man! Just a few weeks ago, Hartlett (who you may know from Ovlov and Stove) released a short lo-fi EP, and then a very long single, and then a warning that a new album might be on the way. On Bandcamp Friday, Steve dropped Waste of Water, which might be his best solo album so far. You won’t find this one on other streaming services, so if you’ve liked anything Steve has made before, you should give this album a spin today.
The Defcon 5 – The Defcon 5
We’ll confess that punk is a bit of a blindspot for us. You may have missed out on The Defcon 5’s self-titled EP when it came out a few years ago. It was a physical-release only type of thing. But DieHipster! Records has put together this digital release – six songs, three of which were recorded at Rudy’s in New Haven.
Youth XL – Social Creature
Connecticut’s Funnest Band ™, Youth XL’s new EP has them also vying for the title of Connecticut’s Most Observational Band, with songs ranging from salads, to zoom meetings, alienation in large social gatherings, to heart-destroying break-ups. You know, 2021 in a nutshell basically am I right. Social Creature is a step-up for the band, both in how catchy and elaborate their songs are and in how (sorry I gotta say it) mature their themes are. Produced by Sam Carlson and mastered by (CT ex-pat) Heather Jones.
Singles:
Blessings Divine – “Get the Feeling”
The first single from Blessing Divine’s new album, Volume 2: To See Beyond. The Hartford emcee’s album features guest spots from a host of other Connecticut artists, including Sarah Rose Kareem. “Get the Feeling” is exactly what you’d hope for from Blessings Divine – tight rhymes, strong lyrics, and an old-school approach. The album drops on September 17th.
Boomdagger – “Facts”
Boomdagger is a solo project set to release its second LP, The One Lung Club, recorded at Pharaoh Recording Studios. We get a lot of great songs from Pharaoh, and this one is no exception. Boomdagger runs a music meme page (https://www.instagram.com/perfect.sound.whatever/) AND they make Connecticut music? Damn are they single?? The new album drops on October 2nd, but you can listen to the dance-punk riff “Facts” now.
Chop Chop Chop Chop Chop Chop Chop and Neon Hiss – “Bio-Weapon”
Yo we almost missed this one because it wasn’t released under Chop7x’s usual name. The Chopmaster provides blistered vocals on “Bio-Weapon” over Neon Hiss’s outstanding cybergrind. The single is a taste of what’s to come for Neon Hiss’s album Shame, and Chop7x will be handling vocals for the rest of the album as well. The song is only a minute long, and is best played through a boombox being hurled through a fascist’s window.
Glambat – “Elm City Jesus”
You know Glambat had to do it to em. “Elm City Jesus” is a preview of some of the new songs the band has written and worked on since their excellent split with Snowpiler. “Elm City Jesus” is a shoegazey, dream pop tune that will absolutely get stuck in your head. And like other Glambat songs, the track has biting lyrics that flesh out a history with just a few words. The song is nearly 7 minutes long and it only gets better and better as it goes. This track is a bandcamp exclusive, so you won’t get it anywhere else.
Good Memory Ghost – “Cemetery Visits”
If we’ve learned anything from Good Memory Ghost’s first three songs it’s this: damn Justin Bellucci and Helene Brunæs’s voices sound so good together. The song is another preview of the band’s debut album, which comes out next Tuesday. Yes, THIS Tuesday!
Inertial – “Hydrangea”
Jackson Searfoss’s band has a new single out! A seven-minute odyssey of post-rock extravagance is exactly what my doctor prescribed me with for my ennui, so this is really perfect timing. Inertial has teased that this single is off of a new album coming soon, along with “The Blur” and “False Point” (previous singles released through Bandcamp).
Intercourse – “Flagpole Sitta (Harvey Danger cover)”
Any time I get a notification that Intercourse has released something new, my first thought is “ok they’re back on their bullshit”. Whether it be an awesome piece of merch, an awesome physical release, or an awesome song – you never know if it’s going to be an audio file of somebody throwing up at a party or a cover song of Harvey Danger’s smash hit “Flagpole Sitta”. And this cover is exactly what I wanted from Intercourse: it’s nasty, noisey, loud, and takes the piss out of the original.
Jodonut – “Acrylic”
Last week, we talked about Jodonut’s Keychains EP, and they already have a new single out. “Acrylic” couldn’t be further from Keychains, as it’s a 9-minute glitch-pop wonderland. A lonely ballad is nested in the center of the noisescape, so lay back and enjoy the trip.
Nate Trier – “Pod Pipers (Spider Pop Remix)”
In celebration of Bandcamp Friday, Nate Trier released a vaporwave-style remix of their last single “Spiderpop”. We don’t normally cover remixes on the blog, but this one is such a treat and definitely different enough from the original to stand on its own. Check it out!
Niamh – “One for Leaving”
Dreampop extraordinaire Niamh (Jack Riley, fka Pleasuremad) has a new single! This one comes to us along with the announcement of the Funnybone Records benefit compilation, Liminal Sky (available for pre-order now). The song was recorded / mixed / mastered at Blind Moose Studio, and is just as dazzlingly beautiful as the other pop tunes Jack shares with the world.
Waking Up Now – “Still Sleeping”
Two exciting pieces of news: Waking Up Now has a new song, and it comes with the coy announcement that their next album will be out sometime this year. Tales of Island Brook Park was one of our very favorite releases of last year (Senator Chris Murphy also loved it), and I can tell you this – if “Still Sleeping” was on Tales, it would’ve been one of my favorite tracks on that record (some of which they previewed at the Chousand show last weekend). We can’t wait to hear what else these twinkle-daddies have been cooking up.
The World is a Beautiful Place and I am no Longer Afraid to Die – “Queen Sophie for President”
We had an interesting reaction to The World Is a Beautiful Place’s new single. The first single from the upcoming Illusory Walls was a sharp, jagged prog-rock lightning cloud. And “Queen Sophie for President” is so far away from that – a melody-heaven, post-punk emo masterwork. What the hell do the other 9 tracks sound like?? Chris Teti, I know you’re reading this, email me that album. Leak it to the dog!
Music Videos:
Falconeer – “Jeremiah”
Falconeer is just as much a visual project as it is a musical pop adventure, so you’ll want to watch this one (not just listen to it)! This is the best 16-bit soundtrack from the early 90s that you’re just now discovering. Check out this retro-futuristic video!
Sketch tha Cataclysm – “Prompts” (feat. SB The Moor)
One of our favorite tracks of the year, Sketch tha Cataclysm (of The 50×50’s) and SB The Moor have a new video for their song “Prompts”. Watch Sketcha run on a treadmill as he handles his verse in what appears to be the coolest-lit room in Connecticut.
Sargasso – “Bis (Live)”
We’ve made no secret of how much we love the new Sargasso track “Bis”. The band just announced that they’ll be releasing their new album at the end of the month (September 24th) with another final single this Friday. I’ve heard the album and no cap it is incredible, easily one of the best of the year. So while you wait for that album (and the next single), chill with this live session of “Bis”. And hey, maybe they’ll play it in front of your very ears soon?
