Industrial-emo post-punk artist X Harlow has a new album out on Sweat Equity. It’s a dense, abstract record that contemplates the persevering human spirit through calamitous landscapes. Some pieces serve as meditative interludes of gothic waves juxtaposed with medieval chants (“Lost in Her House”, “Metempsychosis”) while other tunes contain more of a pop structure, finding Schmidt lyrically ruminating on secluded
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Punk rockers Avenues have a new single and video out today. It’s a spooky one; directed by Eric Arsnow and shot in black-and-white, the video finds the band rocking out while zombies and ghosts approaching from outside. The song itself is about the world chewing you up and spitting you out; you had no chance against it. Stay tuned for
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LoBi LoBianco is the solo “folkgaze” project from one of the members of Howard Grove. LoBi’s got his first single out and it’s a solid dose of fall melancholia. With carefully-layered instrumentation of woodsy textures, LoBi blooms lonely sentiment into friendly charm. He’s got a full-length record coming soon; stay tuned for more from LoBi LoBianco in the near future.
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Theatrical punk rockers Billy Dreamer have a new two-piece out this week. The first track finds them really angry about the fact that Snapple is in plastic bottles instead of glass now, while the second track touches on blindly following a faith. It’s rock and roll that comes in blistering hot and right in your face, whether they’re tackling simple
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Hard rockers Amberstein have their first single out in three years. It’s a jam with devilishly melodic riffage, a crashing guitar solo, and lyrics begging to know if you’re living to be a follower or a leader. It’s a song about taking risks and living life on the edge, knowing that there’s so much out waiting for you out there.
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The Oscillator Lounge is a new DIY venue located on Milwaukee’s East Side. This past weekend they hosted their second show, featuring Milwaukee bands Sterling and Man Alive as well as Green Bay-based Radio for Pets. Sterling consists of vocalist/guitarist Rob Deangelis, vocalist/bassist Paul Meitz, and drummer Marc Reyes. Their sound could be described as emo indie rock with a
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Noise rockers Primitive Broadcast Service are out with their sophomore album today. Spells of cacophony channel politically-charged vigor over seven tracks. It’s a nightmarish expedition through Midwestern classism, whether that is expressed through Milwaukee’s racial disparities (“City of Clocks”), losing your sense of identity under capitalism (“Chameleon”), and survival by any means necessary (“Hollis Brown”). The record concludes with “Bobby
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Hard rockers Thick Needles are another new band to look out for; they’ve delivered their debut single recently. The song seems to be about a breakup that went sour; the only thing you can really do is fade away from one another. Utilizing female backing vocals, psychedelic guitar effects and marching synth passages, the song swells into a hell-bound emotional
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Indie rockers Sauce Hound released their debut single at the end of the summer. With strong blues and folk touches, this tune jangles about venomous love along a crunchy melody. It’s got a riding-your-horse-into-the-sunset vibe to it for sure. Sauce Hound land a promising first punch and we hope to hear more from them soon.
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Experimental psychedelic artist Jake Marin released a tape of songs he recorded between 2013 and 2016. It’s seven tracks; Marin plays with electronic effects and scattered percussion that range in structure from ominous ambient to vivacious freak pop. “Make Light” and “Dish Interest” are the only two tracks containing lyrics, while “Stay Outside” appears to be a meticulously layered sample
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