By: Jackie Lo   If you like: Glixen, Land of Talk, Chelsea Wolfe, A Perfect Circle Farmer’s Wife, formerly known as “Sludge”, a “dream grunge band” from Austin, Texas, released their Faint Illusions EP today with 5 new songs of swirly guitars, sludge-y sounds, and whimsical lyrics. Their first EP There’s a Monster released in the fall of 2023 and this sophomore EP is grittier and full of darker fantasies. […]

By: Kayleigh Drake I’ve been a Mclusky fan ever since I first heard them on Sirius 26 Left of Center (R.I.P.) way back in high school. For years, their iconic 2002 album “Mclusky Do Dallas” has been one of my go-tos for when I’m craving some Loud Shit™. And in fact, I almost named my Substrate radio show “Collagen Rock” in honor of track three on that very album. (I […]

By: Paul Cordes Wilm Down the Sparrow Hole Holy shit! I just don’t know what to make of the new Deerhoof album I admit, this was my initial reaction to Noble And Godlike In Ruin, Deerhoof’s brilliant brand new record. However, anyone who might be exclaiming the above sentiment may as well be also reacting to any one of Deerhoof’s 21 previous releases! But that’s what’s so incredibly fun about […]

By: Kayleigh Drake  After breadcrumbing us with increasingly catchy singles for the past several months, Wishy has at long last released their latest EP, “Planet Popstar.” As the name indicates, this is a step in a poppier direction than their earlier work, but it still retains the infectious hooks and sugar-sweet vocal harmonies that are characteristic to the rest of their repertoire. Wishy is a band that I’ve been HEAVILY […]

By: Kayleigh Drake If there's one central theme running through Sunflower Bean's catalogue, it's that there isn't really a central theme to any particular album. Not in terms of the music, anyway. Ever since the release of 2016’s “Human Ceremony,” each Sunflower Bean record has been an amalgamation of genres, styles and musical influences that range from neo-psychedelia to post-punk to 80s-era glam rock. And honestly, with a vocalist as […]

By - Paul Cordes Wilm A Road Trip to Rebirth Okay. If you are unfamiliar with the distinctive sounds of DjRum, here is a convenient and informative rundown for you. 1. About the artist : Felix Manuel, aka Djrum (pronounced either “drum” or “dee jay rum”)  is from London, England and produces a highly ambitious form of electronic music which is a clever amalgamation of club styles such as techno, […]

By - Paul Cordes Wilm Out Of This World Wow. I can’t tell you what exactly I was expecting from this release, but it definitely wasn’t this! My first foray into the sounds of Tokyo’s female trio, Kuunatic was a track from this very album that I heard online. It was a song called “Disembodied Ternion” and it sounded more or less like a Rock song with trance-like vocals sung […]

By: Kayleigh Drake   FFO: Hum, Failure, early to mid 90s-era Smashing Pumpkins So, I know we’re only four months into the year, but I can already tell that the new Bedridden LP, “Moths Strapped to Eachother’s Backs,” is going on my Albums of the Year list.  This will be the first full-length album the Brooklyn-based band has released, and only their third release overall. (The first being a six-song […]

By - Jason Hamric Welcome to My Blue Sky is a strange kind of  rock record: not made for playlists or metrics or the soulless fucking algorithm —but for people who need music. For the brokenhearted. For the stoned dreamers. For the ones lying on their backs staring at the ceiling, remembering how it felt to be 17 and doomed. It’s a splattered love letter to all the reasons we […]