As expected, the new year is off to a slow start with not a lot of new releases happening within the first week, but things look like they’ll pick up as the month rolls along.
To kick things off, the debut album from SPRINTS is out today and it features their heavy, rocking tracks that hit with some serious power and a bit of surging angst. Led by some tight singles, the album is sure to be a highlight for guitar-music fans and the urgency here is felt on the first riffs.
This week also sees a new EP from the rock act Pile whose angular guitars and high-velocity drumming makes their approach to indie/punk more enticing than most. In the final days of 2023, the rising shoegaze/metal act Fleshwater also dropped a new EP that takes things to dizzying, loud heights that hits with some sinister force.
On the first of the year, A.G. Cook released a dazzling electro jam that weaves through an odyssey of dance wonder with intriguing pop melodies. It’s a long-burner that relishes in its divine length and gorgeously morphs through hypnotic beats and groovy rhythms.
The legendary Sleater-Kinney have a new album coming out later this month, but this week they dropped the third single, “Untidy Creature,” which goes hard on the big guitar riffs and mighty howls. Basically the things that made them legends in the first place.
Another ‘90s guitar god has a new album on the way and her name is Mary Timony. A top player who led the way for many others to follow, she is back this year with her first solo album in fifteen years and the latest single, “The Guest.” Last year, Youth Lagoon released their first album under that moniker in eight years and today the artist is back with another single, the intimate and inward thinking “Football.”
Jangle-pop act Ducks Ltd. write super catchy earworms that are brimming with bright melodies and “Train Full of Gasoline” is no exception. The band’s knack for shimmering pop tunes that hit with an indie undercut remains firmly intact here and builds the hype for their sophomore album which is due later this year.
If you’ve yet to see The Iron Claw, Sean Durkin’s film on the wrestling dynasty of the Von Erich family, you really need to get to a theatre. In addition to the phenomenal acting performances and heartbreaking story, the film is scored by Arcade Fire’s Richard Reed Parry and features the anthemic original tune “Live That Way Forever.”
Albums:
SPRINTS | Letter to Self
Pile | Hot Air Balloon EP
fleshwater | Sounds of Grieving EP
Songs:
A.G. Cook | “Silver Thread Golden Needle”
Youth Lagoon | “Football”
Sleater-Kinney | “Untidy Creature”
Ducks Ltd. | “Train Full of Gasoline”
Infant Island | “Kindling” (ft Greet Death)
Mary Timony | “The Guest”
Liam Gallager / John Squire | “Just Another Rainbow”
Buck Meek | “Cuero Dudes” / “Beauty Opens Doors”
Richard Reed Parry / Little Scream | “Live That Way Forever”
New year, new link. If you’re a Spotify user, you can listen to these songs here!