featuring Chat Pile, Picture That, blue smiley, Clairo, & MORE
An overwhelming amount of music is released daily, and we're here to help you weed through it all. Every week, we share select releases we are all looking forward to and personalized picks from a few of our editors.
Welcome to our New Releases to Check Out guide featuring the most notable music released the week of October 11.
And don't forget to check out our YouTube, where DeVán reports on the latest music news every Friday.
BLIGATORY Picks
Chat Pile - Cool World
Noise Rock, Sludge Metal
via The Flenser
write-up by Dominick Baglivo
Chat Pile sink further into the pit on their second record. A carnivorous display of desolation, Cool World is crushing and unforgiving from start to finish.
Delivering a follow-up to their incredible 2022 debut, God’s Country, the Oklahoma City band sounds even louder and harsher. Dissonant guitars and deep grooves twist, turn, and trudge. The band sound tighter than ever—instruments grating together in a fucked-up, crooked lockstep of unnerving noise rock.
Vocalist Raygun Busch taps into many of the darkest recesses of the mind: maniacally homicidal, unimaginably desperate, hopeless and forsaken. Violence sits at the heart of Cool World—not unlike it dominated much of God’s Country. Found within self-anguish, global atrocities, and imagery of a dying planet—among other things—visceral rage and frustration echo out like a reckoning bell.
An absolute must-listen for any fan of metal, noise rock, or anything brutal. Cool World is out now via The Flenser.
Picture That - Strum (EP)
Indie Rock, Indie Pop
via Inscrutable Records
write-up by Peter Doherty
Strum is St. Louis natives and twin sisters Shawn and Allison Durham's debut project under the Picture That moniker. The twinkly-twee fuzz which lead single "Try" floated upon carries on into the EP as Picture That conjure up six sub-three minute pieces. At thirteen-and-a-half minutes in length and housing the lucidity of a fresh Autumnal breath, Picture That capture the crisp crunch of an early morning stroll through bucolic settings.
Feeling down but up for the day, a semi-reclusive shyness emanates.
Strum is out now via Inscrutable Records.
Blue Smiley - "Pond"
Shoegaze, Noise Pop
via Topshelf Records
write-up by Peter Doherty
On October 11, Blue Smiley let loose a previously unreleased track in "Pond" on what would have been Brian Nowell's 34th birthday.
Like being locked in a washing machine of swirling psychedelia, Blue Smiley conjures up rather unrestricted paths into 'other' sonic spaces. Life chaotically splashed with lucid colour, buckets of paint tipped from the clouds. These stains may not come out in the wash.
On the track, Blue Smiley's Instagram account (run by Nowell's bandmates and family( had this to say: "this track was originally intended to be on return, but was pulled at the last minute from the tracklist. Recorded in 2017, 'Pond' was later discovered when Mikey was searching through an old hard drive."
Not everyone receives their flowers while they can still smell them.
Atticus' Pick
Clairo - "Love Songs"
Indie Pop
via Sub Pop Records
A compilation of covers has been recorded for the late Margo Guryan, an American singer-songwriter who existed quietly throughout her years, never truly yearning for stardom despite consistent critical acclaim. Like Someone I Know: A Celebration of Margo Guryan is a track-for-track recreation of Guryan’s 1968 debut Take A Picture, featuring covers by TOPS, Kate Bollinger, Barrie, Margo Price, and more.
Clairo’s take on the album’s third track, “Love Songs,” is in line with the sound of her July comeback album Charm, and was recorded alongside the album’s executive producer Leon Michels. The duo added a more involved drum part to the song, along with a buzzy, quirky synth that takes the place of some of the original’s many guitar layers. Despite switching the palette of the instrumental mostly from guitar to keys, the cover executes the slightly eerie nature of the original composition. It places heavy emphasis on the contemplative hook lyric of “pretty love songs always make me cry.”
The complete cover album is due out on November 8 via Sub Pop. According to the Bandcamp listing, “a portion of proceeds being donated to providing and advocating for affordable reproductive health services.” Take a peek at the stacked, female-fronted lineup for this project, and if you did not know who Margo Guryan was (I did not), now you do.
Dominick's Picks
Famous - Party Album
Post-Punk, Art Rock
via untitled (recs)
Noisier, shakier, and much denser than the title might lead you to believe, Party Album is the debut album from London outfit Famous. Led by singer, songwriter, and the only consistent member of the group, Jack Merrett, Famous bubbled at the surface in 2019 (around the same time contemporaries black midi, BCNR, Squid, and others blew up) with their debut EP England.
For Merrett, Party Album has been in the works for even longer—eight years, he asserts. Describing it as “a long coming-of-age drama that always threatens to end but goes on forever,” Merrett and his bandmates put together a complex and chaotic collection of love songs on their debut.
Party Album is out now via untitled (recs).
Gold Cup - Beyond A Joke (EP)
Egg Punk, Garage Punk
via Chicken Attack Records
Bursting at the seams with buzzy, egg-punk jitters—Beyond A Joke is the second EP from Manchester’s Gold Cup. As the title and the goofy clown adorning the cover suggest, the four-piece don’t take things too seriously. Put simply, this thing rules.
Beyond a Joke is out now via Chicken Attack Records.
22° Halo - "Orioles at Dusk"
Indie Rock, Indie Pop
via Tiny Library Records
“Orioles at Dusk” is the third track taken from 22° Halo’s new album, Lily of the Valley. Led by singer/songwriter/guitarist Will Kennedy, the Philadelphia-based band’s upcoming album is about “life with Kate’s [Kennedy’s wife] brain cancer and holding onto hope.”
About the new single, Kennedy said (via Instagram), “Its about falling in love with kate for the first time and canvassing outside of Baltimore Orioles games.”
Lily of the Valley is out November 8 on Tiny Library Records.
Bruiser Wolf & Zack Fox - "Mountain Lion"
Drumless*
via Fake Shore Drive / Bruiser House
Bruiser Wolf teams up with Zack Fox for a slick collab in “Mountain Lion.” Produced by CONNIE, the near-drumless beat loops a soulful vocal sample and a guitar lick as the two rappers each offer a verse of their own.
Heart to Gold - "Mostly"
Indie Rock, Pop Punk
via Memory Music
About a month out from their new album, Minneapolis band Heart to Gold share the fourth single from Free Help with “Mostly.” Free Help is out November 15 via Memory Music.
Qlowski - "Desire"
Post-Punk, New Wave
via Feel It Records
Following up on previous singles “Surrender” and “Praxis,” London-based twee punks Qlowski share the third and final single from The Wound. Out of the bunch, I’m voting “Desire” and its skittish rhythms 'Most Likely to Incite Interpretive Dance.' The Wound is out November 1 via Feel It Records.
S.C.A.B. - "Caught My Eye"
Slacker Rock, Power Pop
Self-Released
New York’s S.C.A.B. announced a new EP about three weeks ago alongside the springy lead single “IDK New Reality.” Their new track, “Caught My Eye” is a bit more mellowed out.
About the song, the band shared a few notes and reference points of inspiration: “Noticing your own wandering eye. Exploring shame. Asking for a lot with little in return. Sharing a song with you. Non-monogamy. Fear of being seen. Thinking about someone else. FaceTime. Unemployment.”
A self-released project, Rose Colored Glasses is out October 25.
Spiral XP - "Window Room"
Slacker Rock, Shoegaze
via Danger Collective Records
Soak in that reverb and get ready for Spiral XP’s debut album with the third and final single, “Window Room.” The previous single, “Sinner,” was already one of my favorites of the year, but there’s something equally special about the way the guitars bend on “Window Room.” If you played Guitar Hero the same way I did growing up, this is what I would try to make every song sound like by spamming the whammy bar; beautiful.
Spiral XP’s debut album, I Wish I Was a Rat, is out October 18 via Danger Collective Records.
The Serfs - "Paid In Full" / "Regen"
EBM, Synth Punk
via Trouble In Mind Records
A slight deviation from the spacey—and sometimes thrashing—synth punk The Serfs displayed on their 2023 album Half Eaten By Dogs, the band’s two new singles are fully invested in the grooves. Slick and minimal, “Paid In Full” has a sort of vintage feel to it, with the edges of new wave and club music colliding. B-side “Regen” is slightly more in character. There’s a bit more going on with some drum machines and prominent saxophone, but these mainly serve as layers of psychedelic bliss—the track still rides upon waves of elation-inducing grooves.
Thirdface - "Midian"
Hardcore Punk
via Exploding In Sound Records
Last month, the Nashville hardcore group Thirdface announced their sophomore record Ministerial Cafeteria. They led the rollout with the ripper that is “Meander,” and now they’ve got another blast of brutality out in the form of “Midian.”
“Our name references a side of yourself that you keep hidden,” vocalist Kathryn Edwards says. “Sometimes that side is dark, maybe a touch nihilistic. I love Clive Barker’s Nightbreed and its exploration of how one’s fear of the hidden sides of themselves could physically manifest and evolve/mutate is heavily influential on the narrative imagery of this song.”
Ministerial Cafeteria is out November 1 via Exploding In Sound Records.
Peter's Picks
Cardinals - "Get It"
Jangle Pop
via So Young Records
Cork-based band Cardinals, who released their self-titled debut EP back in June, return with their latest single "Get It." "Get It" is a distorted, fuzz-fueled dip into post-punk descended territory. The band’s next project, whenever and wherever it may unfold, will be one to keep an eye on.
Frontman Euan Manning shared this about the track: “To me it's a song about reflection, looking at what went wrong but also at what went right. The worst and the best. Its climax crowns love as an overwhelmingly positive force, whichever type of love that may be. It’s a change of pace for us and definitely feels like a bridging moment for what’s to come next."
Cardinals head on a tour of Europe and the UK across October and November and, spilling into December, the band has a couple of shows in New York. Cardinals support New York's Been Stellar on their tour of the UK. Exciting times are ahead, or are already here, for the Irish five-piece.
"Get It" is out now on So Young Records.
CHALK - "Tell Me"
EBM, Synth-Punk
via Nice Swan Records
Belfast trio Chalk set free "Tell Me", the first single to what will be their upcoming third EP succinctly titled III.
Unforgiving, rubbery, and robust rhythms guide the way as Chalk fall deeper into their often noisy, often agitated state. The industrial/electronic slant that the band traverse oozes a metallic texture of a rusted-clean-sheen.
Chalk frontman Ross Cullen shared this: "'Tell Me’ is the first release of our trilogy-ending third EP Conditions III. For this track, we conjured up a world in which the song’s protagonist is running away from a dark past into unknown territory, encountering an unsuspecting new acquaintance on their journey."
Conditions III is out February 21, 2025 via Nice Swan.
Chalk head on a UK and Europe tour beginning at King Tuts in Glasgow on February 25 and ending in Dublin on April 12.
The Cure - "A Fragile Thing"
Gothic Rock, Alt. Rock
via Polydor Records
The Cure's first album in sixteen years is, as one would expect, going to be met with high expectations, and as the singles released so far have alluded to something rather special, said expectations may just be met.
"A Fragile Thing" is the second of said singles released in the run-up to album number fourteen Songs of a Lost World. The downtrodden and ever-damp spheres of layered grief which The Cure find themselves living within find a present feel that brings the purveyors of Gothic Rock into the music scene which they are, influentially speaking, ever-presently a part of.
Songs of a Lost World is out November 1 via Polydor.
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