Art by Enne Goldstein, you can find more of her work here
XYZ – NE-HI
Extremely bittersweet (but a strangely badass move), NE-HI just released what will be their last piece of music as a project while simultaneously announcing their split. They’re going out with a bang, though. Maybe it’s one of those, “you don’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone,” sort of deals, but this might be my favorite release from the Chicago outfit *rides off into the sunset in a delorean*
Pursuit of Momentary Happiness — Yak
This is supposed to be a series on new and notable releases you (and we) may have missed. This is definitely not new, but it’s notable and I fucking missed it. I’m not sure what rock I got trapped under, but I’ve been sleeping on Yak. Their latest release came out this past February and it’s a treat. It’s a genuinely diverse and varied album, encompassing everything from garage to glam. I feel particularly targeted by this album, though. It’s filled with both decadence and despair. It’s as if it’s on the brink of breakdown — like I can see the rope starting to fray and melt and light on fire. That rope is us, we are the rope. I think it’s impressive when this sort of psych influenced garage-rock can punch you like that emotionally outside of the contact high you inescapably get from it. It’s tight at 41 minutes and doesn’t have me skipping a single track until the last seconds of “This House Has No Living Room” (same tbh), so I can start the whole thing over again. Standout tracks could be all of them, but particularly fond of Bellyache, Fried, and White Male Carnivore.
Father of the Bride – Vampire Weekend
I’m still not quite over the fact that in the year 2019 we have a new Vampire Weekend record. Suddenly I have the impulse to go boating in a half-zip and party like it’s 2008. Father of the Bride is distinctively different from their previous records, though. The ivy-leaguers have grown up, smoked a joint, and joined a jam band. It’s 18 tracks of “the world is ending so let’s have peace and love,” with inspiration ranging from the Beatles to Dylan to Springsteen, mixed in with breezy tropicalia. While it’s not as clever, concise, or groundbreaking as their previous work, it’s definitely not unwelcome.