We were late for the last Bark List music round-up, and we’re late again. But only like a couple of days late. And you know what? I’d rather be late than miss out on some of these songs yall released. It was a big week too, thanks in part to Bandcamp Friday (everyone likes to have something new on their page for when that rolls around). 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 nerve-crunching album from Grizzlor, Hammer of Life, the new single from Perennial, “Perennial in a Haunted House”, and Ghostwoods’ surprise single “Let Me In”.
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:
Adam Matlock – Ecophony
The credits list Adam Matlock as “voice, pedal, accordion. Recorded into four track”. But if you have listened to any of Matlock’s music before, you’ll know it’s not nearly that easy, and his music can’t be easily whittled down into such an easy description. His new album, Ecophony is an experimental collage of sounds, tones, and moods. Perfectly abstract, this is 30 minutes worth of music wrapped around two separate tracks, simply titled “A” and “B”.
Blessings Divine – The Bless Tapes Volume 2: To See Beyond
The new album from Hartford’s Blessings Divine features an excellent array of songs and collaborators, including Tomaca Govan, Sincere Luv Da God, and Sarah Rose Kareem (and more!).
Boomdagger – The One Lung Club
Indie dance punk! Or something like that. Not sure what to call this self-reflective, perpetually shifting, guitar-forward project. But we like it. 🙂 This record feels like you have a big loose shirt on, and underneath is a tremendous amount of fuzzy pop-rocks that are tingling you, in a pleasant-but-kinda-anxious way.
Drive!Sucker – Held You Plus
Carl James’ new EP is another lo-fi expansion of his impressive catalog. Like September’s Car Song Plus EP, this release features the song “Held You” from Leave the Day Behind (released April 2021) with four new 4-track editions of Drive!Sucker songs. Self-described as “it’s warm, accessible, and forgiving.” We agree!
Ghost Tones – Live at the Cellar (Bootleg)
Recorded at the Cellar on Treadwell during a gig with Joker’s Republic, Monkey, and Zombii. This six-song live bootleg is the first Ghost Tones release on Graduate Records, the label run by Jackson Donovan and CJ Dioguardi.
Grizzlor – Hammer of Life
New Haven’s gruff-as-fuck premiere noise-rock band has a new album out! We’ve been excited to hear this since they’ve previewed some of the early cuts like “I Don’t Like You” and “Tinnitus”.
Singles:
Blue Park Suites – “World’s Saddest Carousel”
Jake Viramontez’s (formerly of Zebvlon) project Blue Park Suites is one of our secrets “I can’t believe this music is a secret” picks. 2020’s Indefinite Home blew our socks off, and he’s been recording a follow-up to that this year. Featuring Zeb Mrowka on bass and Elizabeth He on backing vocals, the song is a beautifully tragic indie-jangle banger.
BRIYO – “The Video (Adults Only)”
Given the alternate title “my demons seduced me”, this new BRIYO track is perfect for the cold nights of autumn, reaching into the early morning hours. Be sure to listen until the end as it flips on its with a minute left to turn into something new (with a similar mood).
Designated Hitter – “Worse Off”
There’s something to be said about a song that leaves you wanting more. But what about a band that leaves you feeling that way? Designated Hitter (“Loud noise from Connecticut”, as their bandcamp bio describes it) only has like 4 songs on bandcamp since 2019, but they’re all good, they’re all loud, and they’re all exactly what I need when I’m in a kinda shitty mood.
Evelyn Gray – “Empty” live at Deadmoon Audio
Last week, we posted about the Evelyn Gray live set from Deadmoon Audio in our “Music Videos” section. For Bandcamp Friday, Gray officially released a new song from that set, “Empty”. And damn, these lyrics cut so finely: “I’m not really just / some puzzle’s missing piece / I’m the whole me / but don’t you know that it gets lonely feeling / empty”. A perfect song that rides a balance: the rare self-affirming song about heartbreak.
Fast River – “Why You’re Still Single”
When we last covered Fast River, the band was uploading their catalog to streaming services, and we mentioned that they might have new music sooner than you think. And here we are! “Why You’re Still Single” is a preview of the upcoming album Revelry.
Ghostwoods – “Let Me In”
Connecticut is a slept-on state, and Ghostwoods’ Faded Silent Films EP was a slept-on record. A collection of songs that good deserve a wide audience. And not even a year later, the band has a new single: “Let Me In”. Ghostwoods nail that sweet-spot between emo and post-rock, heavy on melody, light on the frills.
Kelly English – “Parked Car”
Every new Kelly English song is a tiny treasure, one that you can sneak away in your pocket and look at when you’re feeling a little hurt, a little heartbroken. “Parked Car” is English’s newest song – we got a few songs from her in 2020, maybe soon we’ll see the long-awaited followup to 2017’s City Limits?
Labara – “Bleeding Out”
The new Labara track is a preview for the project’s upcoming EP, to be released on 10/15. Every Halloween, Labara will release a new EP, so get in the spirit and feel the gloom-n-doom. The convenient instructions left on the bandcamp page are: “listen in headphones, LOUDLY”.
Lit. Major – “I Hear A Voice”
LIT. MAJOR is a songwriter from Middletown, CT, who has been crafting sweetly sad songs in the tune of indie-folk for a few years now. His new album, Nonfiction, will be a sequel to Fiction, which came out earlier this year. For this new album, to be released on 11/19, he is using crowdfunding to get a waxjob. And by “waxjob”, I of course mean having Nonfiction printed on vinyl! You can help out at the following link, and in the meantime, check out the excellent single “I Hear A Voice”.
Perennial – “Perennial In A Haunted House”
If you’ve read this blog before, you may know that we say that every CT band is our very favorite. But of all the very favorites, Perennial has to be our very favorite very favorite. This week, they’ve announced In The Midnight Hour, their follow-up to the classic The Symmetry of Autumn Leaves. Recorded with Chris Teti, you know it’s got that Silver Bullet Bite ™. In The Midnight Hour is set to release in early 2022 (January), but you can pre-order now and enjoy “Perennial in a Haunted House” and “The Skeleton Dance” right now!
Serpentine Skies – “Trinitite”
Steven Belcher’s music as Serpentine Skies moves easily, like a cascading waterfall, through your ears. Abstract, experimental, and steadily unnerving. What words, what sounds, would possibly make do for the final moments of the world?
The Inside Out – “Teeth”
The band’s first song since 2019, “Teeth” has that dance-ready vibe and snap that Modest Mouse’s post-Good News does!
The Moon Shells – “Fall Away”
The Moon Shells have announced not just one but TWO albums coming out before the end of the year (12/3). Earth is a collection of songs written and recorded during the pandemic, featuring the signature melting-pot sound of the band: part Appalachia, part Bayou, part New England forest, part West Africa. Screech Plank II is the other record, a spiritual sequel to the first Screech Plank from 2019, that is a collection of covers from a wide-array of still-living mandolin legends.
Thumpash – “So the Story Goes…”
We’re new to Carlos Spencer’s music as Thumpash. He drifts in and out of jazz samples, setting some of the coolest moods we’ve heard this year. “So The Story Goes…” isn’t even his most recent song — he released one today too! So check him out on social media to stay in the loop.
Zombii – “Captain of the Ship”
The first single from their upcoming album (also titled Fail Harder), this track is crunchy, loud, pop punk. Remember the last time you played in the leaves and your sneakers made the dead leaves crunch louder than you expected? That’s how this song feels.
Music Videos:
Ashley Aisyah Hamel – “Bring Them Home”
Ashley has a new song out, but you can only hear it via the youtube video embedded below. We’re always thrilled to hear more of her music, and this most recent song is a truly beautiful and poetic work of art!
Bonsai Trees – “Hope Ya Do”
One of our favorite songs of the year now has a video! Come check out James dancing by the edge of a lake and alternately wearing a teeny cowboy hat. 🙂
Josie’s Ring – “Spill Your Guts”
Mike Held and Eliza Autumn released a lyric video to accompany their most recent song. Come check it out!
