An itchy, insistent cut from Baltimore’s Crying Laughing puts the band’s new record for Hausu Mountain quickly into the queue of records to watch for 2026. Chopped and snipped, wracked with a sense of rhythm that brings to mind Horse Lords and SML, the band’s new single “Ricemeat” rankles in all the right ways. The…
Hard to believe it, but this marks the 20th year of the site. A big thanks to all those who’ve stuck through it with me. I’m happy to keep independent media alive in a rather treacherous year for outlets. To celebrate I’m heading down to Tubby’s in Kingston, NY for a two-day weekender that features…
Very excited to see the return of Dummy today. The band has long been living in the seams between the baggy dance dynamics of BritPop’s most buoyant characters and the smeared-lens streaks of shoegaze. On their latest single they open up the dance floor even wider, still chewing on the edges of those dynamics but…
A fevered dive into friction from the always entrancing Bill Orcutt. Tackling one of the most covered songs in history, Orcutt doubles his Louies for a new 12″ that takes the ’60s classic as its blueprint, but does far more than just rifle through the song’s memorable riff. A dizzying, blistering rendition that utilizes repetition…
Another hazy, healing bout of pop out of Minneapolis’ Real Numbers hits this week. The band’s been churning the pop wheels over the the last quarter decade, painting through the patterns of Sarah stalwarts like Brighter and Sea Urchins. Flashes of Tallulah Gosh bump against moments spent reclining (much like former labelmates The Reds, Pinks…
There’s never been a lack of love for Steven R. Smith around here. From the long lost Jewelled Antler days through solo works and the many phases of the Ulaan universe, the songwriter has a long lens to his works. The latest proves there’s still more surprises in store. An album largely contained the the…
Love an unlikely pairing around here, and the surprise announcement of a collaboration between RSTB fave Rich Ruth and acclaimed clawhammer banjo player Allison de Groot gets instantly added to the necessary pickup pile for 2026. Born out of a plan to have Ruth produce an album for Allison, the project quickly spun into a…
A thunderous return from longtime faves Flowers Must Die hits the speakers this week. The expansive Swedish collective decamped to Silence Studios, built by the classic Swedish psych label of the same name. The rural environs fed into the fibers of the band’s new record, which arrives today on the storm and scorch of first…
Japanese favorites Maya Ongaku continue to evolve their sound. After a dip through synth cycles on Electronic Phantoms, the band returns to the calm waters of their debut. Here they swap that release’s focus on folk for a sound that balances their fuller production with an emphasis on quietude. The latter is the key to…
Sitting pretty close to the tops of my 2026 rotation has been the new record from Horse Lords. The band’s synthesis of geometric riffs, jazz propulsion, and German Progressive roots has long made them faves around here. The band takes some time out from touring for Demand To Be Taken To Heaven Alive to explore…