Alternative rockers Virgin Ambition have two new singles out this week. “Anti-Fascist” opens with sounds of war before erupting into a song that celebrates love as the only solution to the oppressive structures of racism and patriarchy. “Madoff” was written after notorious fraudster Bernie Madoff’s death last year and touches on sin and redemption. Virgin Ambition are stroking their pen
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Chill on the Hill brought out acts The Breadmen and Ethan Keller this week. The Breadmen are a jazz group that began during quarantine consisting of bandleader and trumpeter Brett Westfahl, guitarist Chris Newlin, bassist Peyton Lencho, drummer Paul Westfahl, saxophonist Nolan Thomas and keyboardist Dave Brady. Westfahl explains, “I decided that with all the down-time it was a good
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Bruiseboy are a new indie pop act to look out for. They’ve got their debut single out and it’s a beach-heated hit about a summertime love affair. You find someone suddenly by your side and can’t help but feel they’re putting spells on you. There’s a playful touch contrasting the anxious lyrics, resulting in a song that’s catchy as hell.
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Emerging artists Skymall and Cyrus Chrome teamed up for a new single. Shrouded in hazy atmosphere and sky-climbing production, this song is about someone running back to you. The two artists trade off on the hook and verses, conjuring a wide-eyed fantasy. It’s the first taste of a collab EP from Skymall and Cyrus Chrome – stay tuned.
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R&B/hip hop artist Apr¡l’s latest single is about being comfortable and unbothered. She invites you to go ball in the G League if you have something to say to her as she takes her time with the come-up and lives into her truth. Her album “Revamp” also dropped in June so it’s definitely been a productive summer for Apr¡l in
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Experimental noise artist Warren Enstrom follows up their 2020 “Acoustics” album with “Electrics” out on FTAM Productions. Shifting from analog to digital, Enstrom synthesizes meticulous soundscapes of zaps, crackles and beeps over five tracks. With precision and intention, they guide the listener through the nuances of computerized noise, combining meditative patience with determined execution. Warren Enstrom creates a texture-rich kaleidoscope
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Alt pop punks Gold Steps are keeping it moving with a new single and video. An Enterprise Films production, the scene finds the band capturing a dude who’s clearly done some fucked up shit, ready to torture and intimidate him. The song is about being over the gaslighting from someone after all the lies aren’t adding up. Gold Steps strike
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Eclectic pop artist Micah Emrich’s got a new EP out. Mixing in elements of R&B and hip hop under a hazy atmosphere, Emrich is determined to stay in motion against all odds here, facing life’s complications as they come. The four songs flow into one another with ease like we’re on a ride in the cosmos and dodging the incoming
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Indie pop-rockers Social Cig have a new album out. Parker Schultz gets playful with his songwriting here while also taking his sound in new directions. Some songs show a mellower side of Social Cig (“Hot Red”, “Eventually”) but others are capable of getting the room moving (“Freezing”, “My Last Cigarette”). The recurring themes of passing time and ambiguous relationships make
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Milwaukee acts LoBi LoBianco and Crawlspace performed along with Chicago rockers Disaster Kid at Bremen Cafe on Thursday night. LoBi LoBianco normally plays with a full band but did a solo set Thursday. Stylistically his music contains elements of folk, rock, indie pop and emo. “I started writing for this project right after leaving Howard Grove,” LoBianco said. “I had
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Slacker rockers North Warren have a new single and video out today. Directed by Spencer Tait, the video finds an old man (played by frontman Luke Esperes) flipping through channels on a vintage TV. He greets who appears to be his grandson and they eat Spam and listen to old records together. Then he gets put to bed – all
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Experimental sound project Illicit Eagle has a new EP. Utilizing samples, field recordings and electronic beeps, these tracks find rhythm through unconventional means. For example, bird and water sounds get turned into musical structures in the last two tracks. It’s a whimsical yet soothing release from Illicit Eagle, conjuring a meditative atmosphere by using the vibrations of nature as raw
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“Deathsludge” metal band It Is Dead have unleashed their debut full-length album. Setting the scene of a cold, dark, treacherous place, “Hell is Now” blends many styles of metal (black, doom, crust) into a cohesive odyssey of vociferous rage. Through the crushing doom of “Violent Winter” to the grinding speed of “Womb,” It Is Dead roar and screech from the
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Hip hop artist Flowers teamed up with indie pop act Bug Moment for a new single. A cosmic one, the song starts with poem that sets the scene for a wintertime dream. Flowers hits the verses while Jas from Bug Moment handles the chorus, establishing the theme of feeling desperate for love and gratification while wary of the pain you
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Milwaukee’s premier ska punks Something to Do have returned with a new album. It’s nine songs where the band tackles social consciousness with the times; “First We Get the Money” goes after greedy capitalists, “Sunny Day” yearns for an equitable future, and “For One Not All” is about our previous asshole president as just a few instances. Huan-Hua Chye of
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Harsh noise project Restraint Malfunction has a new record out this week. Spanning six tracks, this album comprises of the hellish experimentation that the project is known for but with continued unfazed exploration of texture, mood and tone. The first four tracks breathe sizzling heat while the last two tracks get sharply harsher with sensations of cutting into metal. Restraint
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“Dreamcore” singer-songwriter Cloak’s latest single is about powerlessness. With a somber guitar melody and minimal electronic production, the artist sings of revelations he finds as time goes on as the melody gets progressively clangorous. Cloak channels the loneliness of sitting on the edge and waiting for life to make sense.
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Singer-songwriter Bryan Cherry is back with a new EP. It’s three empowering songs of funk, soul and rock; “Yes, We’ve Got It” encourages us all to put our best foot forward and mend our mistakes, “You’ve Got” is about having your eye on someone and being there for them in a heartbeat, and the title track rallies us to come
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Industrial-emo hip hop artist X Harlow dropped a two-song EP this week. Taking things in a punkish electronic direction, these songs reflect the burgeoning anger and paranoia resulting from post-pandemic late-stage individualism. Such material conditions result in many people feeling isolated and barely holding it together, and “Harps” channels those sentiments through cacophonous coldwave.
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Hip hop artist Uptop Pink’s got a new tape out. It’s seven tracks where the rapper tackles the life hardships that are enough to make you want to run away. Pink touches on subjects such as losing people, burning bridges, coping mechanisms, and watching his enemies’ moves over melancholy production that complements his brutal honesty. This tape is earnest about
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Hip hop artist JalenG dropped the video for his song “My Pace” from earlier this year. He’s out and about downtown here, rapping about finding the balance between going at his own rhythm but not falling out of place. He calls out the ones that are on fake shit and not truly supporting his success – you don’t have to
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Garage rockers Duckling have a new single out. Inspired by the recent mass layoffs by CapTel, who have been a major source of employment for Milwaukeeans and are now replacing their workers with AI, the song has a buzzing bass line and jangly riff that rumble underneath the band’s refrain “CapTel saved my life!”. Although the song was written a
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Alternative rockers Doubter have delivered their debut self-titled EP. Covering grounds of pop punk and power pop, these songs channel the anxieties of being hung up on the past and having shit stuck on your mind. The band is wasting no time unleashing excitement and enthusiasm for strong hooks and loud, vigorous riffage. We hope to catch a Doubter show
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Experimental electronic artist Moustache Bride has a new album out. It’s noisy synths and retro-technological textures galore, featuring five tracks that span surrealist computer soundscapes. There’s a plethora of moods here as well, ranging from tense and erratic to pensive and awestruck. Moustache Bride delivers an intricate vaporwave smorgasbord with “Church Lion.”
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Indie folk fixture Dead Horses have returned with a new album. Three years in the making, it’s ten tracks of warm, hopeful Midwestern charm that reflect the well-traveled evolution of Sarah Vos and Dan Wolff’s musical journey. Inspired by the titular Milwaukee strip, these songs intimately recognize the influence that places you’ve either grown up in or lived in leave
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