WIBLT: Sick New Music
What I've Been Listening To, 5/11/22
‘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 2022.
Nearly two and a half years in, and covid finally caught me, so today’s post is shorter than usual. Certainly not short on quality though!
Best After Percy - FishSkale Rabble
9 tracks, 22 minutes
Released: January 12th, 2022
From: Virginia Beach, VA
Genres: Hip-Hop/Rap
Recommended For Fans Of: Cousin Stizz, Gucci Mane, A$AP Rocky
FishSkale Rabble pleads his case for the Virginia hall of fame with his latest project released at the top of this year, Best After Percy. The title is reference to former NFL player Percy Harvin, a Virginia kid just like Rabble. The cover (designed by Trinity Hughes) pays homage to a few other Virginia legends like Pharrell, Missy Elliot, D’Angelo, and Allen Iverson among others. The music argues that Rabble’s name will soon be in the same conversation. Since being released from prison in 2017, Rabble has doubled down on his rap career with his output since then. As he put it on the outro of the closing track Can’t Complain he, “came home from the penitentiary and made shit shake, the right way, it ain’t never too late.” One thing is clear from listening to this, FishSkale Rabble is really about his city. Even when his numbers aren’t the same as those of others, he has a better following locally than artists that, “don’t have no presence outside of the internet,” as he discussed with GlassxxTv. That comes down to the pride in where he comes from, and being exactly what he raps about. Topics are simple, as Rabble discusses his upbringing, (former) life dealing drugs, making money, and being the man about his city. He raps in a slick way that feels important while also comfortably laidback, that helps his neighborhood bars transcend Virginia Beach with the potential to connect with listeners around the world. I got put onto this project when fellow Virginia artist Simpson shared the below linked banger (complete with the Ozzy Osbourne Crazy Train scream) on Instagram. A song I’ve played (loudly) a ridiculous amount of times in the past two weeks.
Standout Track: Low Life
Superstar - Mall Girl
14 tracks, 35 minutes
Released: April 29th, 2022
From: Oslo, Norway
Genres: Alternative, Indie Rock, Math Pop
Recommended For Fans Of: Pom Poko, NNAMDÏ, Deerhoof, The Beths
Norwegian four piece band Mall Girl erupt here with their beautifully chaotic debut, Superstar. Mall Girl’s music is indie pop at the core, but like a teen loitering around the mall, it has plenty of edge to it as well. Fuzzy guitar/bass tones paired with eclectic arrangements to underline singer Bethany Forseth-Reichberg’s commanding vocals set their sound apart. These tracks feel so lively as they’re constantly changing, speeding up, and slowing down with all the instruments and vocals evolving together across the album. It’s a style they’ve fittingly dubbed ‘math pop.’ The project came together rather abnormally for the group, as they were forced into a different songwriting process prior to studio recording, due to COVID restrictions and the band living in two different cities. “We’ve always been very oriented towards the live performance of the songs, including when we compose them together in our rehearsal space,” the band’s drummer Hannah Veslemøy Narvesen explained. “We actually ended up ‘remote composing’ big parts of the album, with everyone working from their own home studio and bouncing ideas back and forth. This was a very welcome change of workflow for us, and it lead to us making some songs which probably wouldn’t have turned out that way had we been together in the same room." Mall Girl gives you so much to sink your teeth into with this debut, and leaves you wanting more at the same time (it feels criminal that a track as explosive as Slush is only 25 seconds long). Needless to say, they’ve captured my attention.
Standout Track: Close My Eyes
Polyawkward - English Teacher
5 tracks, 16 minutes
Released: April 22nd, 2022
From: Leeds, UK
Genres: Art-Punk, Post-Punk, Alternative
Recommended For Fans Of: Dry Cleaning, Sprints, Eades, Wet Leg
A few weeks back I wrote about the raucous debut from Leeds band Eades, and noted how the record was a side project for Lily Fontaine who fronts the band English Teacher. We’ll now it’s their turn in the spotlight, as the band has come out with their debut EP, Polyawkward. Fontaine sings and talks her way through this project providing peculiar insights behind the scenes, like on A55 when she quips, “I see everything in skits.” It’s a fitting world view for someone who can make you crack a smile while spinning songs about grim realities. Take the playfully detached hook from the closing track Good Grief, “children do the renegade, while the world goes up in flames.” Fontaine questions it all with the poetic grace to make any English teacher proud (her mother was a teaching assistant while her cousin, aunt, and granddad were all English teachers). It’s a background that’s greatly influenced her writing. “To be honest, I like to steal things a lot. I think that’s one of the reasons why English Teacher is called English Teacher,” she said in an interview with Small Distractions Club. “For me, it’s about my method of utilising the poetry that I’ve written ever since I started getting into reading and writing.” The good and the bad, the funny and the horrifying, it all intersects and overlaps within the lyrics. Which is why the band is equipped with a sound that matches as songs will build up into massive cacophonies before pulling back into something smaller on the next track, weaving in and out of ordinary and chaotic throughout the EP that’s a sound to behold. The band has just completed a small tour supporting the project, and is set to open for the Yeah Yeah Yeahs at one of their upcoming comeback shows in June.
Standout Track: A55
Reflex - Personal Trainer
5 tracks, 15 minutes
Released: April 27th, 2022
From: Nashville, TN
Genres: Pop, Alternative
Recommended For Fans Of: Chelsea Jade, Kali, Wallice, The Marías
Don’t let Personal Trainer slip past you. They may have a name that’s shared with at least two other bands, and brings up a plethora of workout videos when searched on Youtube, but when you arrive at the music they have a sound that stands out. The Nashville alt-pop duo is made up of singer/songwriter Kayla Mickelsen and producer George Seay. Together they use vintage sounds to season their sleek and modern indie pop style. Like the opening track’s title Added Sugar, Personal Trainer sings on topics that aren’t good for you (missing an ex, drinking away your feelings, escapism), but in a way that’s so sweet, you keep coming back anyways. Just as she opens that song and the EP alike, “cola on my nightstand, I hate added sugar, but I kind of crave it when I feel a bit under the weather.” The duo’s working chemistry is apparent, as Seay crafts catchy instrumental melodies over thick low end that Mickelsen’s silky vocals compliment perfectly to create their dreamy pop hits. It’s a formula that makes you think any of these songs could be a hit with the right support behind it. A sophisticated sound, that you can still move your body to, possibly why they’ve been called, "Your Mom's Favorite Artist to Workout to in 1985." Wether you want to work out your body, work through your personal problems, or just listen to some beautifully crafted pop tracks, Personal Trainer has you covered. This project follows up their debut EP Tape 1.1 from 2020.
Standout Track: POPSTARB!TCH
Estyland - Esty
7 tracks, 19 minutes
Released: February 25th, 2022
From: Los Angeles, CA
Genres: Pop, Reggaeton, Hip-Hop/Rap
Recommended For Fans Of: Rosalía, Billie Eilish, Bad Bunny
While there’s a chance you may know her through her roller skating TikTok’s (which have earned her almost 100k followers on the platform to date), it’s time to spin and give Etsy’s music its proper flowers. The Dominican-American artist (now based in Los Angeles) blends English with Spanish amidst a sound that blends pop with hard electronics and reageeton, to create the soundtrack of her brand new world. Esty has releases dating as far back as 2013 when her Tyga featuring track Killing Your Ills dropped, but Estyland feels like a comeback and a rebirth at the same time. After her debut EP came out in 2014, Esty felt the producers and people she was working with were molding her into a pop megastar. Hesitant on what the prospective lifestyle could mean for her, she walked away from music all together. Four years later, she picked up a guitar again and returned to making music on her own terms. The results speak for themself, and reflect Esty’s desires to create her own world that refuses to follow the rules or molds of others. “I notice as an adult that I often just step into another place [mentally],” she told for Marcos Hassan for Remezcla. “Sometimes people could be talking to me, and I’m just like somewhere else. I feel like 2020 kind of made me want to escape reality and build my own world [where] everything is good and happy; [with] cartoons, candy, and all the good stuff in life.” Playing by your own rules means you can truly do whatever you want. She could have two songs about hating her phone on the same project, she could make a song combining the sounds of anime with the Latin music she fondly remembers playing with her family growing up, or she could pen a song condemning everything she hates about the music industry (just some of what’s accomplished on Estyland). Along with assistance from producer Kieran Watters, Esty creates a world that fans will be happy to live in for years to come. I got tuned into this project through Pitchfork’s list of great records you may have missed in winter 2022.
Standout Track: pegao!!!
Back to full length next time, stay safe out there