Happy Friday and thanks for checking out AC’s Release Roundup. Several Alt Citizen team members have contributed reviews of their favorite singles and albums that released today as well as this past week. Today’s Roundup includes new music from TVOD, Truman Flyer, Annabel Asher, Spirit Ghost, and Nate Livingston. A Spotify playlist compromised of this Roundup’s mentions is provided at the end of this article for your listening convenience. Enjoy!
TVOD:
The Farm LP via Mothland
Is it a self-fulfilling prophecy, or do the horrors just truly continue? A question NYC punks Television Overdose’s (aka TVOD) newest album The Farm poses throughout each bone-rattling melody. Though released on Montreal-based label Mothland, partially written on a farm in France, and recorded in a studio next to a halfway house in England, the American grit is not lost. Being an American is not easy right now, to say the least; it’s shit over here. You’re punished for not being rich, bankrupt for wanting a family, and starved for being creative. The Farm takes that feeling of hopelessness that the horrors of everyday life here instill in your every being, and reminds you that you will persist. We all will. It might take a village, but at least that village has cool, passionate people making great music in it! “[This album] means the world to me,” says frontman Tyler Wright. “And I’m so happy to share it with everyone. Now, kiss me, Jerry!” Go listen to The Farm today!
—Elena Childers, Alt Citizen
Truman Flyer:
Hanging On The Wire LP
Hey AC readers, shedding my journalistic integrity here to give the most worthy praise to my favorite record of so many amazing ones out today, October 16 … I have little time to write just a bit about how I feel about the debut Truman Flyer record — I’ve been talking with my girl Tru about it for so long, and she’s been creating it for much longer … Hanging On The Wire is finally out to delight the world! I’ve heard these songs performed live for years, and know ’em all in my heart, but even on first listen this morning, barely two minutes into the title track, I started to sob and twirl on the subway platform. It’s whimsical, rockin’, delicate, romantic, tear-jerking (clearly), wild, free, and oh so beautiful – in every sense of the word. Truman Flyer is a generational artist, and it’s a blessing to call her a friend. Kudos to my boys Kevin (Hyland, guitar), Jim (Staple, bass/producer), & Jasper (drums) for beyond-superb playing & innate musical talent on this record. Catch Truman & the full band live at Bowery Ballroom next weekend, October 24, opening up for Telescreens. I love you Truman congratulations mama xx
++ Honorable mentions: Kali Flanagan’s new sophomore record as Superfan, My Piledrive Heart (this kid’s a genius); @’s Autosmile; my girl Anna Shoemaker’s Back to Pennsylvania.
—Marisa Whitaker, Alt Citizen
Annabel Asher:
That Sounds Bad EP
Annabel Asher hits the scene today with their debut EP That Sounds Bad however! It sounds really good! Asher’s long awaited debut comes off a successful release of her newest single and video for “Zero” that premiered on ALT CITIZEN last week. “That Sounds Bad” is an electro/alt pop collection of gut-wrenchingly magical and delicious songs, all produced by the fabulous Miette Hope. “I think I found my voice with this project. I’m a strange and intense and jarring individual and I’m ready to embrace that. It was always there, I just had to will it. It’s like picking at stone until something compelling emerges,” Asher told AC. Her strangeness is utterly addictive. Listen “That Sounds Bad” now and enjoy Annabel’s whimsical neon world draped in vengeance and desire.
—Gianna Dallman, Alt Citizen
Spirit Ghost:
“Dungeon Crawler” via Happen Twice
Is the glass half full or half empty? How about you just chug whatever’s in it and see what happens? Sometimes you just have to ride the wave of whatever shitstorm you’re braving and find the little things to gush over. Like this new track “Dungeon Crawler” by Massachusetts-based band Spirit Ghost. These intricate indie rockers know how to make a party out of spilled milk. “The song is about accepting bleak circumstances and how you kind of sometimes just gotta make the best of shit situations,” frontman Alex Whitelaw says. The melodic trashing is reminiscent of a more optimistic time that you can only reach at the edge of your memory. The “ba ba babas” put you into a trance-like dream state that has you feeling the positive energy, even though you might be surrounded by the darkness of a shrinking dungeon. So, go ahead and blindly descend into your rock bottom, because you can only go up from there. Plus, now you have a catchy song to sing on your way down. Listen to “Dungeon Crawler” here!
—Elena Childers, Alt Citizen
Nate Livingston:
“All I Know”
Nate Livingston released his new single “All I Know” that feels like a walk through a damp, dimly lit forest after heartbreak, it’s just beautiful. The track delves into an emotional state of yearning for the one you can no longer hold. Delicate guitar melodies and soft vocals send listeners into a dream state that pulls on heart strings. Livingston told Alt Citizen, “All I Know” is the first single released from a new set of songs I’ll be putting out later this year. Writing and recording this one led to a lot of inspiration for the others. Once this one came to me, it felt like I had been pointed in a direction I knew I had to go. It really means a lot to me.” Keep an eye on Nate Livingston, he’ll break your heart every time and always keep you coming back for more.
—Gianna Dallman, Alt Citizen