2022 continues to be both weirder and more stressful than anyone could have reasonably anticipated. Though we’ve been forced to slow our pace a bit, we’re still here listening and working to turn you on to new music. Below you’ll find a few favorites from the past month.
Because it is also (final?) Bandcamp Friday, we’ve also prepared a playlist of even more recommended albums; the reality is that we can’t write about everything we enjoy, and we hope this helps you discover something new.
Hey, ily! – Psychokinetic Love Songs
Hey, ily! blew up last year on the strength of their debut EP Internet Breath, which mixed emo hooks with chiptune sounds. Though a lot of chiptune music falls flat to my ears, the way in which Hey, ily! utilized the genre felt both wholly original and deeply nostalgic. Their first album, Psychokinetic Love Songs, fully delivers on the promise of that debut. There’s a fantastical element to its songs that feels like an appropriate match to their musical backing; the band conjure worlds filled with tales of robots and telepathy, not unlike what you might encounter in a typical RPG. But these fantasy elements only help to heighten the very human emotions and desires at the core of each song: anxiety, fear, loneliness, a longing for connection. It’s a shoo in for one of the most original and affecting rock albums of the year.
Oksana Linde – Aquatic and Other Worlds
Oksana Linde grew up in Caracas, Venezuela. Fascinated with both music and science, Linde trained and worked as a chemist in the 60s and 70s before medical issues forced her to leave her job at the age of 33. Her debut collection of music, Aquatic and Other Worlds, collects recordings made after her retirement between 1983 and 1989. Linde’s interests in science and the natural world come through on these recordings; each one conjures up glistening alien landscapes so intricately rendered that you feel transported into some alternate universe. Reminiscent of everything from the early synthesizer compositions of Laurie Spiegel to the world building experiments of Ursula K LeGuin, it’s an essential release for anyone with even a passing interest in the history of electronic music.
My Idea – CRY MFER
Lily Konigsberg and Nate Amos were both part of some of 2021’s best releases; Konigsberg made her solo debut and released a stellar album with her band Palberta, while Amos’ Water From Your Eyes released their own avant-pop magnum opus. The duo began collaborating after Konigsberg tapped Amos as a potential producer for her solo work, but soon found themselves writing and recording songs together. CRY MFER, their debut album, is a beautiful mess. It’s the kind of album that could only be made by two mad geniuses, one that eschews genre boundaries in favor of pure expression. Pulling sounds from folk, indie rock, pop, dance music and more, it’s a chaotic mishmash of musical ideas that mirror the album’s tumultuous emotional core. It’s some of the finest work from both artists to date, high praise given their consistency and prolificness.
Shilpa Ray – Portrait of a Lady
Shilpa Ray has long been one of the best kept secrets in contemporary music; despite releasing consistently excellent albums and getting co-signs from legends like Nick Cave, she inexplicably hasn’t risen to the level of recognition her talent deserves. Though Portrait of a Lady, her fifth album, likely won’t change any of this, it should. Traversing everything from proto-punk freakouts to 80s synth pop, Ray mixes autobiography, humor and sincerity in a set of songs that explore abuse and survivorship. It’s some of her most searing and personal work to date; it’s also some of her best.
jailbird Y – Duality
Hiroshima based noise punks jailbird Y have been making a racket for years, but their discography remains slim. The band’s hotly anticipated second album, Duality, landed last month. Written and recorded over the past few years, its A-side was constructed remotely during COVID lockdowns while the B-side was culled from live recordings taken during a pre-pandemic tour of Taiwan. Though this mix of recordings could easily feel disjointed, it never does. The connective tissue is the band’s madcap energy, which is perfectly captured in both the studio and live recordings. Perhaps the only place where you sense the difference is the closing track, where the energy of the room during the band’s extended nine minute freakout feels palpable; as a closer, it lands like an elegy to a world that may never fully return. Duality deliver on the promise of its title, giving us glimpses of the band that straddles our collective past and present realities.
Maȟpíya Lúta – Wóohitike
Sometimes when I’m bored, I’ll fire up the Bandcamp app and hit play on random tracks to see if anything sticks out. I don’t remember how I ended up on Maȟpíya Lúta’s page, but their music certainly left an impression. I haven’t been able to find much information about them on the internet; all I’ve been able to glean is that they’re an indigenous metal band named after a famed Lakota leader. Luckily their music speaks for itself. Lo-fi black metal that strikes the perfect balance between moody atmospherics and bludgeoning riffs, it’s been scratching an itch for loud, crushing music over the past few weeks.