By Devon Risner, Contributor [Mac’s Record Label, 2023] Rating 6/10 Key Tracks: “Victoria”, “Crescent City” Whether DeMarco is retiring is still up for debate. Entering 2023 with a new record, Five Easy Hot Dogs, it leaves to question if he will quit at his peak. Moving away from his younger sound of “the laid-back prince…
Tag: indie
Album Review: This Stupid World – Yo La Tengo
By Venus Rittenberg, Editorial Director [Matador; 2023] Rating: 8/10 Key Tracks: “Fallout”, “Aselestine”, “Until it Happens” Yo La Tengo is back with another fantastic record. For a band who appeared to be past their prime (and has appeared that way for a while), this is phenomenal. This Stupid World is the best the band has…
Milku drops new single, “Diamonds xx”, ahead of debut EP
[Photo courtesy of Thomas Davies] By Grace Koennecke, Columns Editor Ahead of his upcoming EP, YOU MAKE ME FEEL BEAUTIFUL, art-pop indie artist Milku dropped the second single for their new project, “Diamonds xx”, along with a music video for the track directed by Thomas Davies. Read more: Quiz Show announces new album, releases new…
Album Review: Samia – Honey
By: Grace Koennecke, Columns Editor Grand Jury Music; 2023 Rating: 6/10 Key tracks: “Kill Her Freak Out,” “Charm You,” “Mad At Me,” “Breathing Song” In 2020, Samia was just getting her start, a budding pop star following the same blueprint as the other young female singers around her. Her debut album The Baby saw her…
Album Review: The Backseat Lovers – Waiting to Spill
By: Grace Koennecke, Columns Editor Capitol Records; 2022 Rating: 5/10 Key tracks: “Close Your Eyes”, “Growing/Dying”, “Snowbank Blues”, “Follow the Sound” The Backseat Lovers rose to fame with their debut album, When We Were Friends, back in 2019 after its lead single, “Kilby Girl”, won over fans of the indie-rock genre. Since then, the band,…
Gramercy Arms collabs with Lloyd Cole on “Yesterday’s Girl”
[Photo Courtesy of YouTube] By Adrian Woods, Contributor New York’s own Gramercy Arms have released “Yesterday Girl”, a song that has a bittersweet remembrance of friendship and lost world. The track was co-written by Lloyd Cole and Dave Derby. Read more: DaBaby Delays Lawsuit That Claims He Sucker-Punched A 64-Year-Old Man Their third LP will…
Album Review: Alvvays – Blue Rev
By Adrian Woods, Contributor [Polyvinyl / Transgressive; 2022] Rating: 8/10 Key tracks: “Easy On Your Own?”, “Many Mirrors”, “Lottery Noises” Indie rock outfit Alvvays is back with their third studio album Blue Rev, and the band’s first studio album release since 2017’s Antisocialities. With the bands last record coming out five years ago, Alvvays has…
Album Review: Surf Curse – Magic Hour
By Devon Risner [Atlantic Records; 2022] Rating: 5/10 Key Tracks: “Sugar”, “Unwell”, “TVI” After the recent rise in popularity of their hit single “Freaks” in 2015 and the success of subsequent single “Disco” in 2019, Surf Curse released something completely different from their early albums. Unfortunately, they fell into the path of the “alt-rock” radio…
ACRN Live Review: Alvvays at Riviera Theatre in Chicago, Oct. 14
[Photo courtesy of Julia Weber] By Julia Weber, Features Editor There aren’t that many bands that I’m willing to trek to Chicago for (on a weekday, nonetheless). The last time I made the trip, it was for Wilco’s Yankee Hotel Foxtrot anniversary tour in which I traveled both to Chicago and back in 24 hours…
Andrew Bird releases new single with Phoebe Bridgers
[Photo courtesy of Andrew Bird via Bandcamp] By Lauren Patterson, Copy Editor Chicago-based multi-instrumentalist and musician Andrew Bird released his new single, “I felt a Funeral, in my Brain” on Wednesday. The track is a duet with Phoebe Bridgers, and was not only inspired by the words of Emily Dickinson’s 1896 poem but also incorporates…
Album Review: The Vacant Lots – Closure
By: Cody Englander, Contributor [Fuzz Club; 2022] Rating: 6.5/10 Key Tracks: “Thank You”, “Burning Bridges”, “Obsession” “Closure” is the first project I’ve heard from The Vacant Lots, and it certainly won’t be the last. This is the most recent album from Jared Artaud and Brian MacFayden, with the alternative and electronic sound they are known…
Battle of the Bands 2022 Q&A: Meat and Cheese Collective
[Photo courtesy of Kyle Schwieger] By Roman Salomone, Contributor The 2022 Battle of the Bands took place at The Union on Thursday, Oct. 6. Among the five incredible acts that played, Meat and Cheese Collective put on an amazing and high energy show. Prior to their set, I sat down with the members to discuss…
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