*INTERESTING* NEW MUSIC RELEASES: FRIDAY APRIL 25TH 2025
My life is currently a pile of broken-down and stacked cardboard boxes...
No rest for the weary. so let’s just get to the music…
Just a reminder that each week, we will be adding all the releases highlighted on these pages to Spotify playlists - divided up by each month. We’ve entered April, so the new April 2025 playlist is below. Smash the little ⨁ sign next to the shuffle icon of each playlist if you want to save it to your library (recommended).
January 2025 Spotify Playlist - 2025 - 01
February 2025 Spotify Playlist - 2025 - 02
March 2025 Spotify Playlist - 2025 - 03
April 2025 Spotify Playlist - 2025 - 04
Now, then, let’s get into some select new releases from FRIDAY, APRIL 25th, 2025, and let us know if we missed anything worth hearing!
::THE KNOWNS::
Adrienne Lenker ::LIVE AT REVOLUTION HALL:: The sparse, lo-fi sound of this record got me looking into how this was produced. The following snippet is from the Pitchfork Review (8.0) and will likely please the “Tapers” who spin this record: “On [LIVE], Lenker partnered with her long-time friend and collaborator, Andrew Sarlo, who refracts those three Portland nights through three different recording formats. Operating as a modern-day Alan Lomax, Sarlo used a handheld cassette recorder, a four-channel cassette recorder, and a reel-to-reel tape machine to move listeners around: from soundcheck to live performance, from back of the hall to front, from private moments to public ones.”
Beach Bunny ::TUNNEL VISION:: This record is clean. And it’s making me want to manifest a Beths/Beach Bunny tour/bill.
Broncho ::NATURAL PLEASURE:: This is the Tulsa-based, hypnotic indie rockers first record in five years. Per the band’s spotify bio, they describe this latest effort as “KID A filtered through a haze of pot smoke.” YMMV on that score.
Sunflower Bean ::MORTAL PRIMETIME:: The last few records have been hit or miss from fans. This one sounds good to me so far…
Various Artists ::HEART OF GOLD: THE SONGS OF NEIL YOUNG:: Gotta admit, I was not expecting Steve Earle’s “Long May You Run” and Rodney Crowell’s “Mr. Soul” to crush so hard. Star-studded VA with Brandi Carlisle, Fiona Apple, Eddie Vedder, Sharon Van Etten and others.
Viagra Boys ::VIAGR ABOYS:: Look, this isn’t for everyone, but if you like filthy post-punk, this may be your thing. The opening track (and lead single) taunt’s your mom’s Only Fans page in case you wanted some scene-setting…
Willie Nelson ::OH WHAT A BEAUTIFUL WORLD:: Up-and-coming country artist, William Nelson (who goes by ‘Willie’) is out with his 154th album (and his 77th studio release). He’s already written songs for hitmakers like Patsy Cline and Faron Young. I think this guy has a hell of a career ahead of him.
Wishy ::PLANET POPSTAR [EP]:: Responsible for one of the best alt-rock records of 2024, Wishy is back with six more tracks that don’t seem like much of a departure from last year’s" TRIPLE SEVEN.
::THE NEWS::
Bells Larsen ::BLURRING TIME:: To record his sophomore record, Toronto by way of Montreal artist Bells Larsen tracked the instrumentation and “high” vocals and waited for his voice to drop after testosterone treatments. The soft, lo-fi 90s indie-folk inspired songs also serve as an audio time capsule of an artitst’s transition into their true self. Pretty neat to hear. And the songs are beautiful.
Colin Miller ::LOSIN’:: Colin Miller is the drummer for The Wind (Jake Lenderman's band) - but is a songwriter in his own right (his 2023 record HAW RIVER has occupied my earbuds quite a bit since seeing Miller do a solo set at Hopscotch last year). The aptly-titled record is filled with songs about loss, primarily the loss of a man named Gary King, a retired truck driver who served as Miller's landlord and father figure for about 10 years that recently passed away. Miller rented a house in East Asheville, NC from King and it quickly became a place where his friends and future bandmates spent a considerable amount of time creating music. Three of those friends/roommates, Ethan Baechtold, Xandy Chelmis, and Jake Lenderman, play supporting roles on LOSIN', much like Miller has done on Lenderman's records, and those released by former roommate Karly Hartzman's band Wednesday. In fact, Miller's house was a nucleus of creative energy that shaped several records we've discussed here: Wednesday's TWIN PLAGUES and RAT SAW GOD, MJ Lenderman's entire catalog (the house Miller rented from King dons the cover of Lenderman's solo record; which Miller recorded and produced). Miller also recorded Indigo DeSouza's first record I LOVE MY MOM in the living room of the house on Haw Creek Rd. And now LOSIN' - which sounds more like the lower (but not completely lo)-fi sound that graces the eponymous MJ Lenderman record. This record is sparse and familiar (especially if you've been on a steady diet of music coming out of this Asheville musical enclave). It's rough and raw in all the right ways, but - at least when I am listening to it - I can hear it for what it *could* have been if it were more slickly produced. Over the years, I've found this rough hewn sound is the sweet spot for me. They've since sold the house that Miller rented from King, and the enclave has dispersed across NC; Lenderman to Chapel Hill/Durham, Hartzman to Greensboro, and Miller relocated to Black Mountain - just outside of Asheville - though most of the folks in the Wind have been on the road most days since moving out of the house. Still, the story of a town like Asheville experiencing rapid growth because of its reputation as a cool, artsy town for creatives that then pushes out the artsy creatives who made it cool as they bulldoze creative spaces for new housing hasn't seemed to work out in other places where this has happened. Anyway - This record is an instant classic for me. It's quiet, raw, somber alt-country in the vein of early MJ Lenderman records. If you're into that sort of thing, give it a listen.
Jawdropped ::JUST FANTASY [EP]:: Forever a sucker for neo-90s alt-rock. The only complaint I have with this release, which instantly catapulted me back to watching MTV’s 120 Minutes and Alternative Nation videos, is that it’s only 5 tracks long. Not to throw shade, but I kinda wish this is what the new Momma record would have sounded like.
Slow Leaves ::IN SOLITUDE, FOR COMPANY:: Lonely people’s music…that kinda sounds like a mix of influence from early David Ramirez records as well as Ingrid and Jim Croce’s earliest recordings. Super chill, largely acoustic, strong vocals and harmonies… Right up a lot of folks’ alley.
That’s it for this week!
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