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ICYMI vol. 1

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5 years ago
In ICYMI

ICYMI is a new series featuring new and notable releases you (and we) may have missed

Distance is a Mirror – Public Practice

“Samantha York and Vince McClelland of WALL have come together with Drew Citron and Scott Rosenthal of Beverly to write some curiously funky post-punk songs under the name Public Practice. Their first EP, Distance is a Mirror, came out 10/26.
On single “Fate/Glory” York doesn’t have to scream or fill the speakers with sand and gravel in order to add heat to the track. The kind of angry bedroom tone in her voice compliments the energy in the drums and the simplicity of the guitars and bassline. These simple components give the “Fate/Glory” a classic early punk feeling to it, reminiscent of The Slits or The Raincoats. Altogether, though, there’s this very modern layer that comes from the band’s technical prowess as musicians. The four of them are so locked in with each other that the song pulls you forward smoothly but forcefully. There’s no need for excessive distortion or heavy mixing – it’s raw and fresh. It’s also pissed at the world, and rightfully so. “We gift our souls to a life left wanting,” York sings towards the end of the song.”
– Grace Eire

“Dying For” – Dehd 

I really fuck with Dehd and I’m angry at myself for not realizing this sooner. Asking my new favorite existential question (Is a dream worth dying for when you’re six feet underground?) “Dying For” invites us to face our own demons and meet our friend’s demons as well.

“Non Stop Fun (All I Wanted)” – The Flavians

“Non Stop Fun (All I Wanted)” is told in the point of view of an office worker. It’s an interesting choice for the Berlin group. Most music focuses on the apex moments of life — the best of the best and the depths of our despair. Instead, The Flavians choose to focus on the more mundane, detailing a laundry list of normal life events like stepping in shit, going to meetings, and drinking away your sorrows when you’ve realized you’ve wasted the majority of your life behind a desk. The track follows suit. Even when shit hits the fan, the narrator and instrumentation remain virtually unaffected. It’s ironically bouncy and catchy with soft girlish la-la-la’s in the background, but it’s not earth shattering. It’s inoffensive, which hopefully is at least on par with your day job.

“Tragic Carpet Ride” – YAASSS

A sexy Aladdin fever dream that unfurls and goes aflame. Long live falafel rock.

“Giver” – Zach Ezzy ft. Stello

I was first introduced to Stello by the music video for “Song for Ueno” which is a cinematic dream. All tinkling pianos and sweeping crescendos, it’s the perfect soundtrack for a great romance. “Giver”, the latest release from the artist, has a distinctly different feel to it — likely due to the collaboration with Zach Ezzy. It’s like an R&B love song mixed with synth jazz (?).

Lotus Eater – Outer Limit Lotus

I studied abroad in Norway and I wish I had been exposed to the likes of Outer Limit Lotus back then. It’s not surprising in the least that an album the leans towards dark, expansive, post-punk instrumentation was crafted in what can be a cold, doom and gloom, kind of place

“Outer Limit Lotus has been compared to Tuxedo Moon and there are shades of Pearl Jam and a little bit of Joy Division in there too, but truthfully, Outer Limit Lotus doesn’t sound like anyone. It’s haunting and ghostly, as the band sings about lost memories and opportunities, futures that will never happen.”

 – Amanda Lang

 


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