Electronic project The Vicuna 100 just put a ton of music out on Bandcamp – here’s one such release. It’s two tracks of spacious, glossy soundscapes that send us into a hypnotic, meditative state – each nearly twenty minutes long. The first track incorporates some light techno while the second track favors brightly shining ambient. Be sure to check out
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Aliesa Nicole and JR Scalez teamed up for a new EP. Nicole sings heartfully and Scalez raps masterfully in a solid R&B-hip hop hybrid collaboration. It’s five tracks that explore the chemistry between two people, whether it’s through sex or romance. That said, the two are looking to prove one another, so Nicole and Scalez play the part of the
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Hybrid artist Ernie Z’s latest single finds him hung up on a woman who’s giving him mixed signals. He wants more than anything to be there for her and he’s begging to know if she’d do the same. It’s a song about being kept up late with your thoughts, performed to the melody of raw, vulnerable R&B. Ernie Z seeks
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Death metal band Anomaly are out with a new record this week. Tormented, haunted riffage. Relentless blast beats. Roared lyrics of endless pain. Great terrors lurking in the woods and winds. All these things are features of Anomaly’s forceful odyssey through technical, prog, and melodic brutality. Embedded in the heaviness is an acoustic track about disappearances and curses in the
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Conceptual-performance artist KLEANER released a new EP this past week. It’s four tracks of gothic no-wave, created with ominous bass guitar and drum machine underneath Gnat Bowden’s powerful poeticism. KLEANER channels the pains of abandonment, love and lack thereof, and being haunted by a past lover’s face with “BASEMENT.” KLEANER will be at Cactus Club tonight alongside Primrose, Special Interest
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There will be a powerhouse night of music at Promises in Walker’s Point on Saturday, December 10th that will raise funds for Midwest Access Coalition, an organization that supports folks in need of abortion with access to safe medical procedures as well as food, medicine, transportation and childcare support. Bands playing will be Milwaukee’s RAT BATH, Mortgage Freeman and Pescatarian
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Alt pop artist Sunny Lou dropped a two-piece recently. In less than four minutes, Lou conjures the feeling of being up in the sky looking down at yourself. Both songs are lively, determined, and are truly after what they want, utilizing Auto-tuned vocals and soaring electronic production. It’s an energetic yet emotional release from Sunny Lou – an artist who
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Hip hop artist Hi-Milly dropped her debut EP this week. Incorporating elements of hyperpop and trap, Milly brings six tracks that are peppered with samples to enhance the various moods. Hi-Milly very much says what she means and means what she says as she navigates flexes, dreams, trauma, love and running the bag. The lone feature comes from Sadgirl333 on
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Hip hop artist Gerald Walker returns with a new EP. Teaming up with producer Sledgren, Walker keeps the energy sharp and determined here. He raps about living in luxury with hard work paying off – “Milwaukee raised me, now New York City pays me” from “Not All Who Wander Are Lost” is easily one of the hardest bars on the
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Indie rockers Handmade Wolves are a new act to look out for – they released their debut EP last week. It’s five tracks of emotive, sonorous rock that has the capacity to get the room swaying but also to captivate everyone with cathartic, somber lyrics. For example, “Merry Go Round” kicks up a vigorous tempo while “Sticks and Stones” channels
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Milwaukee collective Meltwater Pulse released an EP of all-original Christmas and holiday music. Brett J.B., Murphy Kaye, Dr Bassie and D Wiz the MC all contribute tunes here, bringing a range of singer-songwriter, reggae, hip hop and indie pop to the mix. Everyone’s got a different mood here; Brett J.B. touches on his lack of cheer as the years go
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Experimental artist and composer Sbowe is out with a new EP. Utilizing electric cello (Rachel Icenogle) and programmed drums (Adrian Harpham), the two tracks here create massive, textural, exquisite movements that feel poetic as they feel intentional. It’s like we’re observing both the gorgeous and tense moments of nature unfold in real time, punctuated by a variety of cello sounds.
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Experimental indie rockers Haunter have returned with a new record. The band continues innovating their atmospheric, dreary sound with seven songs that have a nihilistic sheen. There’s a theme of seeking meaningful moments through the mundanity and chronic emptiness of everyday life, whether it’s interaction with objects or amusement by your friends. Haunter dwell under the gray skies with “Fieldy.”
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Indie pop act Bug Moment have their first new single out since February. The Bugs are known to consistently experiment with their sound; they’ve been grungy, they’ve gotten folky, and now they’re bringing some trap production. The song touches on a toxic relationship and spiting one another. Stay tuned for a new Bug Moment album early next year!
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Singer-songwriter Sarabi released her debut album. Incorporating elements of soft pop, soul and electronica, this album is seven tracks and keeps the recurring theme of love’s games. Artists featured here are Lucretia on “Float Around” and Haley Hubert on “Win Your Love” plus instrumental contributions from Vincent Kircher, Ransom Nyhart and Josh Ehlke. It’s a most fitting mood as we
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Experimental music collective Fundamentals have a new album out. Long space rock soundscapes, group vocals and jazzy meditations create a mesmerizing astronautical odyssey. There’s a keen sense of mystery and determination with each track that fuels us to push through uncertainty and dread. Fundamentals contrast impending doom with the urge to venture the void with “End Times.”
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Midcoast Collective hosted their 19th edition at Cactus Club on Friday night featuring artists Flykiddxoxo, Clare McCullough, Ke1 and Dahlia. They raised money for Reproductive Justice Action Milwaukee, a grassroots organizations with ten demands: the repeal of Wisconsin State Statute 940.04, the complete separation of church and state, that law enforcement not enforce abortion bans, that Wisconsin law enforcement read
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Indie rockers Bunk Bed – who formed from the ashes of Weird Storm – are out with their debut EP. It’s two songs that lean further into noise rock than the fellas did previously while still retaining their math rock roots. “Crowd and Judgement” and “Bum” both get nihilistic with a healthy dose of tongue-in-cheek humor, featuring shoutable choruses and
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As Oak are a group whose sound encompasses elements of folk rock, slowcore, experimental and ambient. Their new EP is out today and it’s full of dense soundscapes that give plenty of room for emotive movement. You can tell that the members really listen to one another with patience and intention, bringing an overall somber demeanor that is both sensitive
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Alt pop artist Day Tvvo dropped a new single at the end of October. It’s a song about wanting so bad to be loved that you’ll look for it wherever you can. When you struggle to feel like you fit in, validation can be a drug – and that’s what’s on the artist’s mind – but he makes it catchy,
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Producer MallBat’s got her debut single out. With a lo-fi piano melody, she gradually introduces electronic touches that gently buzz and hum, forming a deeply introspective cut that clocks in at just under two minutes. It feels like you’re visiting your empty childhood home for the first time in years. We hope to hear more from MallBat soon!
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Electronic artist Lorna Dune released a two-song EP this week. She seeks social consciousness shift with this music; the title track gives the urgent feeling of mass awakening while “Life After Us” takes a more minimal approach to evoke a sense of growth and rebirth. Together the two give an overall sense of hopefulness, compassion and prosperity. Lorna Dune creates
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Singer-songwriter Mike Mangione shared a new video accompanying his latest record “Blood & Water.” He’s found out in the woods walking us through the song with the lyrics displayed in different fonts while backup dancers follow. At one point he stops a couple from arguing and makes them hug it out; Mike Mangione puts an upbeat tune to telling us
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Pop artist Christopher Dallman’s got a video out accompanying his latest EP “Nightpop.” Shot in black and white, the video finds Dallman in the booth singing his heart out while holding a lamp to represent his burning, sensual passion for his lover. He maneuvers the lamp to make his shadows dance, getting more and more vivacious before the song explosively
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Noisy experimental rockers Regal Machines are out with their debut album. Beginning with the title track that spans over ten minutes and brings droning dissonance, these songs contain garage-tinged chugging riffs, imaginatively raw storytelling and punkish attitude. “Appreciate” seeks to make the little moments last, “Get Yourself” breaks us out of the darkness, and “This More” is a total earworm.
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