featuring Maxo Kream & Tyler, The Creator, Chat Pile, Silverbacks & 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 September 27.
And don't forget to check out our YouTube, where DeVán reports on the latest music news every Friday.
BLIGATORY Picks
Chat Pile - "Funny Man"
Noise Rock, Sludge Metal
via The Flenser
write-up by Dominick Baglivo
Only two weeks out from their hotly-anticipated sophomore record Cool World, Chat Pile share their third single of the year with “Funny Man.” Preceded by “I Am Dog Now” and “Masc," Oklahoma City’s premier sludge metal/noise rock band and general makers of unsettling music haven’t showed any signs of letting up yet.
Continuing the barreling momentum garnered from their 2022 debut full-length, God’s Country—one of the best debut albums ever—“Funny Man” is yet another pummeling and punishing sinkhole of despair. Dissonant guitars juxtaposed with deep grooves combine with visceral rage and frustration from frontman Raygun Busch.
In a statement, Busch said the track is about “being a servant, indentured or otherwise” and boils down to “illusion vs reality in regards to America and war.”
Adding another layer to the fold, “Funny Man” arrives alongside a video from multi-disciplinary artist Matt Rosenbaum. A collection of still images, Chat Pile soundtrack views of decaying houses filled with all sorts of uncanny and distressing imagery. “Matt was able to tap into a very specific uncomfortable feeling that conjures those depressive semi-conscious dream states that we’ve all experienced but can’t quite articulate,” bassist Stin says in a press release.
Cool World is out October 11 via The Flenser. Chat Pile will tour the East Coast and parts of the Midwest starting in OKC on Halloween and ending in Nashville on November 22. They’ll hit the road again in February (starting in Texas) for another stint focused on the West Coast. Find the full tour dates here.
Maxo Kream - "Cracc Era" (ft. Tyler, The Creator)
Experimental Hip Hop, Hardcore Hip Hop
via Persona Money Gang / stomp down
write-up by Atticus Deeny
Houston rapper Maxo Kream has reconnected with hip-hop icon Tyler, The Creator for the fun new single “Cracc Era.” Shortly after the song’s release, Kream also announced that his upcoming album Personification will be released on November 8. These two previously collaborated on 2021’s “BIG PERSONA,” with both singles featuring Neptunes-inspired production and hooks from Tyler himself.
Both rappers display braggadocios wordplay on “Cracc Era,” with Tyler referencing his custom shoes and bikes. At the same time, Maxo focuses on past criminal activity that helped get him to where he is now.
The album art for Maxo’s upcoming album shows him looking at three different versions of himself in a mirror, likely hinting at the different sides of Maxo as a person. From his label imprint Persona Money Gang, to 2016’s The Persona Tape, to “BIG PERSONA” with Tyler, the idea of characters or personas has always been embraced by Maxo’s music.
The 14-track album Personification will also include past singles “Bang the Bus” and “Talkin In Screw,” featuring That Mexican OT.
Silverbacks - "Giving Away An Inch Of"
Indie Rock, Post-Punk
via Central Tones / Cargo
write-up by Peter Doherty
Silverbacks' third single in the run-up to album number three is the first to be led by band's Emma Hanlon. Her sweet, homely tones sit among soothing, sometimes scathing, and jangly backdrops.
Speaking on their upcoming album, Kilian O'Kelly had this to say:
“Now that 'Easy Being A Winner' is coming out, I feel I can more confidently say who we are. We're indie rock. And this album sounds even more like the indie rock I imagined for our band all those years ago.”
The band’s third studio album, Easy Being A Winner, is out October 18 via Central Tones/Cargo.
Silverbacks live dates across October and November see the Irish six-piece hit cities including Dublin, Cork, Manchester, Sheffield, London, Brighton and Huddersfield.
Atticus' Picks
Wet - "Rosy”
Art Pop
via 30SF
Wet has stayed fairly mysterious throughout their decade-long career as a band. Most known for the soft vocals of Kelly Zatrau, the once-parted production / instrumental team of Joe Valle and Marty Sulkow have seemingly stepped aside for “Rosy,” as well as their June single “Double.” Zatrau revealed via Instagram that she and renowned keyboardist Buddy Ross had been extensively recording, influenced by the sudden realization that she had become pregnant.
As to be expected, the mood of the song is serious and very emotional, but the melancholy doesn’t completely overwhelm an underlying catchiness, just as a well-written pop song. Ross’s fluttering outro sounds similar to something Imogen Heap may have written. The overall instrumental palette is incredibly smooth and round.
There is yet to be an official announcement made for Wet’s upcoming album, but now with a direct reference and second cohesive single, it is all but confirmed.
Montell Fish - CHARLOTTE
Neo-Psychedelia, Alt. R&B
via JCM
Mustafa - Dunya
Singer-Songwriter, Cont. Folk
via Jagjaguwar
TSHA - Sad Girl
UK Dance, EDM
via Ninja Tune
The Weeknd & Playboi Carti - "Timeless”
Trap, Pop Rap, Alternative R&B
via Republic Records
Cam's Picks
RiTchie & FearDorian - Quiet Warp Xpress
Cloud Rap, Sample Drill
Self-Released
FearDorian and RiTchie with a T finally join forces on their Quiet Warp Xpress EP, ahead of RiTchie's tour for Triple Digits [112]. Here, we are served with six ecstatic, hazy beats RiTchie and Dorian glide over. There are more lowkey moments, like “Binging,” where RiTchie punches in some sticky, dark croons—while FearDorian practically kisses the microphone on “Broke The Mold.” The Triple Digits cut featuring Niontay, “How?!,” also makes an appearance.
WDFA - YEETDOWN STRIKES BACK! (EP)
Nerdcore Hip-Hop
Self-Released
On paper, and in mainstream viral practice, “Pokémon rap” is slightly corny. This is because, most of the time, it's performed by people capitalising off of the brand's legacy, rather than composed by long-time fans. West Coast (predominantly) hip-hop collective WDFA's Pokémon Cypher 2024 has been long-awaited, and this is the first of theirs to experience a rollout, as if it were a full-length album. The VICTORY ROAD project encompasses a thread of weekly episodic EPs each showcasing two members. The three-track YEETDOWN STRIKES BACK! EP starts with Detroit millennial G. Yee and LA choreographer BeatDown. It's only seven minutes, but not for the faint-of-heart, with in-depth wordplay spanning every generation of the video game's history, and some exceptional, fiery chemistry.
Experimental Rock, Neo-Psychedelia
via Polyvinyl Record Co.
Only eighteen months on from their noisy, gruesome Ignore Grief, Jamie Stewart and co. return with some jagged optimism. 13" Frank Beltrame Italian Stiletto with Bison Horn Grips is equally contemplative and harrowing as the group's sound has always been, but it also touches ethereal (the synthwork on “Arp Omni”) and welcoming (see single “Veneficium”). A tornado of emotions, it is one of the Xiu crew's most rounded projects to date, and a good place to start if you're new here. Just don't get caught in the winds of fluorescent sonic mania.
Dominick's Picks
Feeling Figures - Everything Around You
Post-Punk, Art Punk
via K Records / perennial
Last year, Montreal band Feeling Figures released their incredibly strong debut album, Migration Magic—a worthy recommendation to any fan of guitar-driven rock and/or post-punk. Recorded prior to the sessions for Migration Magic and released this week, Everything Around You is the quasi-sophomore album from the Figs.
Led by the songwriting partnership of Zakary Slax (guitar/vocals) and Kay Moon (guitar/vocals)—and further propelled by the rhythm section of Joe Chamandy (bass) and Thomas M. Celluloid Lunch (drums)—Feeling Figures are one of the most dynamic bands in modern punk. An idiosyncratic testament to the power of DIY, Everything Around You was recorded in a basement and mixed to tape by the band in Montreal. The result is a thrilling, expansive, and decidedly scrappy record.
Out now via K Records and Perennial, Everything Around You is a fully realized and determined collection of 11 tracks that should be a must-listen for any fan of guitar-based bands.
Merce Lemon - Watch Me Drive Them Dogs Wild
Alt-Country, Singer-Songwriter, Cont. Folk
via Darling Recordings
Four years removed from her debut album Moonth, Pittsburgh’s Merce Lemon shares Watch Me Drive Them Dogs Wild. Lemon shines as both a singer and songwriter singer—spinning webs where earnest gratitude, devastating grief, and never-ending restlessness intersect.
Strengthened by a fierce, guitar-heavy Americana backdrop, Watch Me Drive Them Dogs Wild exudes a triumphant resilience despite the deep sadness it harbors. With not only songs you can hear, but songs you can feel, Merce Lemon’s sophomore album is a shining light of contemporary folk/country.
Watch Me Drive Them Dogs Wild is out now via Darling Recordings.
Delivery - "Operating At A Loss"
Post-Punk
via Heavenly Recordings / Play It Again Sam
Melbourne five-piece Delivery share a propulsive new single with “Operating At A Loss,” the first taste of their new album Force Majeure. In addition to the latest single, Delivery’s sophomore album will include the previously released (in July) “Digging The Hole.”
Of the track, the band says:
“I’ve never really worked in a proper office, but ‘Operating At A Loss’ is what I imagine goes on around the professional workplace. Lots of business jargon, dudes in suits climbing the corporate ladder, plenty of sentiments like ‘you’ve got to spend money to make money’ etc. To be fair, I actually do like that phrase although this song is more about the first component than the second one. I also like playing guitar, and on this occasion I made up some chords and told the band to play them on repeat so I could do a big solo. ‘You win some, you lose some’ etc.”
Force Majeure out January 17 via Heavenly Recordings / Play It Again Sam. Delivery have a few shows this October in Australia before they head out to support The Vaccines on their upcoming UK tour, starting October 22 in Bexhill.
Military Genius - "Window to the Soul"
Hypnagogic Pop
via Unheard of Hope
In August, musician Bryce Cloghesy of Crack Cloud and N0V3L—announced his second album under the Military Genius name with lead single, “Darkest Hour.” This week, Cloghesy brings with him a somber haze on the new track “Window To The Soul.” Both tracks are taken from Scarred For Life, the follow-up to 2020’s Deep Web.
In Cloghesy’s own words:
“‘Window To The Soul’ reflects on trauma and its after-effects, exploring how the past can distort and reshape the present…Attempting to explain what has happened takes us further away from understanding. Like looking through curved glass, each perspective reshapes and challenges our notion of objective truth. This life is a house of mirrors, and sometimes getting lost is the point. In that moment of desperation, logic is irrelevant. All that is left is feeling.”
Scarred For Life is out November 1 via Unheard Of Hope. In the week following its release, you can catch Military Genius live in Europe with a string of nine shows between November 3 and November 15.
Fat Earthers - "Even Hitler Had a Girlfriend"
Garage Punk
Self-Released
Brandishing an absurd and cynical take on loneliness, “Even Hitler Had a Girlfriend” is the latest single from garage punks Fat Earthers. This goofy, scrappy punk track from the UK band is a self-release, and it’s out now.
Joyer - "Glluu"
Indie Folk, Indie Rock
via Hit the North Records
Earlier this year, the Brooklyn/Boston duo of brothers Nick and Shane Sullivan shared their third studio album, Night Songs. This week, Joyer announce a new EP alongside the tender and remorseful "Glluu." I See Forward and Back is out October 4 via Hit the North Records.
Qlowski - "Praxis"
Gothic Rock, Post-Punk
via Feel It Records
At the tail-end of August, London-based twee punks Qlowski announced their sophomore album and released the single "Surrender." A haunting, almost liminal, track, "Praxis" is the second single from The Wound--out in full November 1 via Feel It Records.
S.C.A.B. - "IDK New Reality"
Power Pop, Indie Rock, Jangle Pop
Self-Released
Queens-based band S.C.A.B. share their new single “IDK New Reality,” a springy power pop cut. In addition to the track, they announced their upcoming EP, titled Rose Colored Glasses.
In regrard to the EP’s lead single, bandleader Sean Camargo offers the following reference points:
“Losing grip on reality. Clinging to identity. A large crucifix in Bolivia guarded by the police. Sexuality. Don’t forget about me. Dancing in the rain. Accepting the present moment as it is.”
A self-released project, Rose Colored Glasses is out October 25.
SPRINTS - "Feast"
Post-Punk, Noise Rock, Grunge
via City Slang
Dublin garage punks SPRINTS shared their debut album, Letter to Self the first week of 2024. That wasn't all they had for us this year, as they've returned with a ferocious new single titled "Feast."
Peter's Picks
Tropical Fuck Storm - Tropical Fuck Storm's Inflatable Graveyard
Experimental Rock, Noise Rock, Art Punk
via Three Lobed Recordings
Inflatable Graveyard is Tropical Fuck Storm's debut live album. It brings their show at Lincoln Hall, Chicago in October of 2022 on the Fuck the Rain Away tour to maddening life. In the band’s own words, this tour “was no mere rescheduled trek, but a full-on revenge tour.”
Inflatable Graveyard is about as wild and flagrant as the name suggests. Extra wild renditions of already wild studio material set out on unsafe seas as TFS stretch out the insanity through extended cuts.
Anyone lucky enough to have attended a TFS liveshow will understand the wall of absolute insanity that the band emanates. The recording techs have done a super job of capturing said insanity.
I, Peter, have my tickets ready for their gig at The Cluny, Newcastle in November.
Inflatable Graveyard is out now via Three Lobed Recordings.
The Murder Capital - "Can't Pretend To Know"
Post-Punk
via Human Season
Almost a year to the day, The Murder Capital return with their first single since September of 2023. "Can't Pretend to Know" follows-up 2023's sophomore project Gigi's Recovery—a more melancholic and colourful record compared to their debut When I Have Fears—and falls somewhere in between the dim-Gothic of the debut and the electric-blue of the sophomore record.
Stabs of what seem to be distorted saxophone—something mimicking a guttural, soul-twisting splurge—add a sense of urgency to the mix. A sharp, dissonant riff propels the track forward. The Murder Capital's frontman James McGovern describes "Can't Pretend to Know" as "a stained glass hurricane inside your mind."
"Can't Pretend to Know" is out now via Human Season. The Murder Capital head on a tour of Australia and New Zealand in March of 2025 and the UK in April.
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