WIBLT: Spooky Edition
WIBLT: Spooky Edition
What I've Been Listening To, 10/20/21
‘What I’ve Been Listening To’ is a bi-weekly series that highlights 8 projects, 1 song, and 1 video that have been on repeat for me. Be sure to follow the ‘What I’ve Been Listening To’ playlist that is always up to date with the eight standout tracks from all of these posts in 2021.
Narrowing down my two-person halloween costume ideas, dm if you’d like to join. I don’t think any of these will make sense if I do it alone.
Frank Ocean and his freaky baby.
Ben Affleck, contemplating, with Jennifer Lopez.
Something Like This But Not This - Moaning Lisa
12 tracks, 47 minutes
Released: October 8th, 2021
From: Melbourne, Australia
Genres: Rock, Alternative, Punk, Grunge
Recommended For Fans Of: Wolf Alice, The Joy Formidable, Sorry
I give Moaning Lisa credit for being the first band I’ve seen describe their sound in Zodiac terms, with social bios reading, “emo sun/shoegaze moon/punk rising.” Fitting for a band who has influences from Tumblr. “[The title] came from a line in our song “Inadequacy”, which I wrote a long time ago as a solo artist. It’s a line that has always stuck with me – I actually took it from a Tumblr post back when Tumblr was all the rage circa 2015. We chose it for the album title because it perfectly encompasses the overarching sentiment on the record: discovering and accepting that intention doesn’t always equate to impact.” lead vocalist/guitarist Charlie Versegi told Frankie. Following two EPs, and opening sets for Mitski & Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever among others, the band delivers on the promise of that zodiac/Tumblr sound with their debut, Something Like This But Not This. The songs on here show off the band’s unique ability to be both heavy and earnest, sonically and in the lyrics. They’ve earned somewhat of a reputation in Australia for notoriously being on the road, and the album reflects that energy. “The original thought behind the track-list was to capture the dynamics and flow of our live set. We wanted to replicate the energy we have when we play on-stage together, but also experiment and do things we can only achieve with the luxury of recording in a studio,” the band said in a press statement. As exciting and engaging a debut as they come, Something Like This But Not This turns its title on its head, as this album is exactly what we wanted.
Standout Track: Something
Bels - Isa Reyes
4 tracks, 12 minutes
Released: October 14th, 2021
From: New York, NY
Genres: R&B, Indie, Bedroom
Recommended For Fans Of: Ambré, Orion Sun, Sophiethehomie
Isa Reyes has dropped a few singles over the years (2018’s sugary sweet tooth is what first grabbed my attention), and has collaborations with the New York band/collective MICHELLE as well (one of the band’s producers, Julian Kaufman, has a featured production credit on here). But Bels, the debut EP from the Brooklyn songstress, is our first real introduction to her. In a statement on her Instagram, Reyes described the intent of the EP, which took the past two years to complete. “Nothing is meant to be easy about processing our emotions and experiences especially ones of loss, pain, & in that same right, growth. Each song is a location / time I’m reflecting on or paying homage to,” Reyes said. The vocals are the highlight here, and what make that intention come through so clearly. With each track, Reyes uses her delivery on every syllable to pull you into her world, and her emotions. It’s easy to feel captivated, like you’re a part of those times and locations she’s singing about. And in that right, it’s a triumph of a debut. Catch the release show this Friday in Brooklyn with sets from Cleo Reed & Sophiethehomie.
Standout Track: Black Velvet (Feat. Layla Ku)
I GOT BANDZ FOR THE MOONLANDIN' - Semiratruth
14 tracks, 23 minutes
Released: September 30th, 2021
From: Chicago, IL
Genres: Hip-Hop/Rap, Underground
Recommended For Fans Of: KeiyaA, Mike, Liv.e
For as long as I’ve been discovering new music, Chicago has always been a city with exciting young artists that grab my attention, the latest of which being Semiratruth. I Got Bandz For The Moonlandin’ is the 21 year old’s second album, as well as second album of this year. That first project was a collaboration with producer Morgan, while this one features production from Morgan and other beat makers, including many tracks produced by Semiratruth herself. It marks her first time producing on her own project. Glitched out analog guitars and vinyl-like loops provide the soundtrack for Sermiratruth’s moon landing, a concept used to illustrate her own journey. It’s an album that should immediately solidify her amongst the most recognizable names in underground rap. The brevity here (just 23 minutes across 14 songs) helps, as it gives you ample opportunity to run the project back. With each listen I pick up on lines and sounds that previously slipped past me. On this album, Semiratruth has crafted an addicting project that you’ll want to loop through over and over again.
Standout Track: My Gawd!
BPM - V. Cartier
8 tracks, 30 minutes
Released: October 1st, 2021
From: Los Angeles, CA
Genres: R&B, Electronic, Dance, Soul, Pop
Recommended For Fans Of: KAYTRANADA, Duckwrth, Craig David
BPM is the latest EP from LA virtuoso V. Cartier (he’s released one per year dating back to 2018). Music has been engrained in him from a young age as his first forays started with the saxophone back in fifth grade. Other activities like church band, marching band, jazz band, and later teaching all lead to the steady output of funky, dance-floor ready jams he’s been trickling out these last few years. BPM is a suitable title, as every track will have you nodding your head to the beat (if you’re not all out dancing that is). Cartier delivers tracks suitable for any type of evening, with club ready songs such as “What You Want” flowing directly into more sensual ones like “ONS.” And as far as I could find, the entire project was written, produced, and performed by V. Cartier. Don’t miss out on the EP guaranteed to add some groove into your day.
Standout Track: What You Want
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Bug Garden - Nick Wagen
4 tracks, 13 minutes
Released: September 17th, 2021
From: Indiana
Genres: Indie Rock, Bedroom Pop
Recommended For Fans Of: Del Water Gap, Jackie Hayes, The Neighbourhood
Last month, Nick Wagen delivered his debut project with the four song EP, Bug Garden. You may be familiar with Wagen from TikTok where he’s racked up over 35,000 followers. “My first experience with TikTok was when my friend and I had a comedy account, back in freshman year of college. We would make funny skits, and had a couple of videos go viral on that…After we stopped doing that, I thought I should make one for my music and see if I could get it to blow up,” Wagen told Unpublished Zine. Those music TikTok’s paid off as he has had some covers and mashups really take off on there. It’s a fast come up, and all very impressive from the (recently turned) 21-year old who just started producing music in high school. You’d be hard pressed to find songs as infectious as ‘Stay With Me’ and ‘Ladybug’ on any other debut EPs from this year. The last artist I remember getting this excited about making guitar based bedroom pop/indie rock out of Indiana was named Omar Apollo. If this is the starting point, then the sky’s the limit for the young indie songwriter.
Standout Track: Ladybug
SHEESH! - GOON DES GARCONS*
11 tracks, 29 minutes
Released: June 25th, 2021
From: Arkansas → Los Angeles
Genres: Hip-Hop/Rap
Recommended For Fans Of: Angelo Mota, Paris Michael
GOON DES GARCONS* has been releasing music for years, but SHEESH! is his first full length, and first album release under Def Jam. COVID hit last year while GARCONS* was in the midst of making his debut project, which made him decide to scrap it and pivot entirely. “I had been working on a completely different album the entire year leading up to 2020 and when everything started going down I just didn’t feel comfortable giving that project to the world under those conditions…I decided to pivot and make a new one from scratch instead,” he told Unclear Magazine. While the majority of this album showcases his raps over abrasive 808s, it also shows off his unique style and versatility, holding his own over a sporadic mix of sounds and tempos. The project includes collaborations with artists such as Na-Kel Smith, Fredo Bang, Reese LAFLARE, and Cuco on the below linked track, which was recently featured in Apple’s ‘Make It Cinematic’ campaign for the iPhone 13 Pro.
Standout Track: A24 (Feat. Cuco)
Phases - Indie Anthony
10 tracks, 28 minutes
Released: July 23rd, 2021
From: Ocho Rios, Jamaica
Genres: Indie (duh), Post-Punk, Lo-Fi Rock
Recommended For Fans Of: King Krule, Inner Wave
After a few years of sharing music via YouTube, Indie Anthony put out his first official project in 2020 with the EP, Lacuna. Just a year later, he follows that up with his debut album Phases. There isn’t a lot of information out for me to pull from on Anthony right now, but it’s clear that’s because he’s just getting started. His first forays into releasing music started on his Youtube account at 15 years old, and he’s now just 18 as he delivers us this complete album. That YouTube channel is still vibrant with covers and tutorials as well as his music videos and song uploads. Anthony’s vocals have a low register drawl about them that can’t help but bring King Krule to mind, but the lyrics on here aren’t quite as, well, depressing as the King’s can get. This project was another discovery shared by my friend Raf, who was right in telling me ‘Waste’ was the highlight.
Standout Track: Waste
Loudmouth - Vial
12 tracks, 31 minutes
Released: July 30th, 2021
From: Minneapolis, MN
Genres: Punk, Alternative, Indie
Recommended For Fans Of: Gully Boys, L.A. Witch, Pinkshift
The below track starts with has a spoken word intro that hammers home the themes of Vial’s sophomore album Loudmouth. It feels almost like a manifesto, but is delivered like a child playing patty cake as the band sing-talks -
“Bratty, Bitchy, Money Hungry, Ruin the fun for everybody. You’re not punk, you’re not queer, nobody even wants you here.”
While music scenes often have histories of being gatekept by men, Vial is doing their part to create a stark contrast with their music. Both by making things as inclusive as possible, while also raging against anyone that still perpetuate that gate keeping mentality. The rage is quite audible on this track and many others, such as “Piss Punk,” and “Mr. Fuck You.” After a few minutes of listening, you’ll to be ready to rage alongside them, as an infectious energy flavors these tracks from start to finish. If you enjoyed the Gully Boys writeup from my previous post, these fellow Minneapolis rockers will be right up your alley. And if you need any more selling points, how many punk bands do you know with a keytar player?
Standout Track: Planet Drool
A Song
Empty - Janet Jackson
Saw a lot of people posting about this album when it had it’s 24th anniversary last week, so I went and gave it a first listen. Just off that, it’s easy to see the influence this project had. This standout track is 24 years old, and sounds like it could be a reference track for the album pinkpantheress dropped last week.
A Video
Big Persona - Maxo Kream & Tyler, The Creator
Circling back to this video from last month as Maxo’s new album dropped the other day. Think it might be his best yet.
New feature dropping next week, stay tuned