#scuzz rock

Twen, a Nashville based psych-inspired rock band formed from the Boston DIY scene, made a striking debut today with their very first studio recording, Waste. The band has been touring non-stop for the past two years without ever releasing anything more than a live EP from their inaugural performance, so it’s a real treat that they’ve finally decided to drop an official release, especially since some of us have never had the pleasure of seeing them live. After signing to Frenchkiss Records, they’re here to engage us with a song about fighting the relentless voices of self-doubt that play in a loop in your head. The heavy strumming, gazey whirring anthem channels hints of Slothrust and Best Coast, with sumptuous amounts of braided sludginess and a minute sprinkling of sultry Karen O. Waste is a song where catchy punk and dream pop seamlessly blend with heavy psych-rock undertones. Stay tuned for more news from Twen, including details about a debut album. Keep up with them via their website, here. Twen will be supporting White Reaper on tour this summer. 

We were a little late to discover Ellis a few months ago when we came across the video for her last single NYE, but we were quick to hop on the blog to gush emphatic praises for the Ontario-based singer songwriter’s debut EP, The Fuzz. It’s a collection of songs entrenched in raw gripping honesty. A physical release for the EP has now been announced, and with the news comes a new video for Ellis’ All This Time. Linnea Siggelkow, the musician behind the name Ellis, lives up to the EP’s title on All This Time, a scuzzy, gauzy indie rocker whose sludgy guitars and heavy shoegaze drone are a striking contrast to Siggelkow’s melodiously arresting, clarion ringing voice. Nebulous patterns create a murky yet ethereal lens within the song’s beautiful new video. She says, “This song is really special to me and it’s about someone really special to me. It’s about being truly seen at the very core of your being. It’s a scary and beautiful thing, and I wanted to make a visual to match. With the help of my friends Andy Friesen and Ariel Bader-Shamai, a bunch of thrifted lace curtains and brass candlesticks, some mirrors and a prism, we made this video. My favourite thing about it is that I am wearing my aunt’s actual wedding dress that she made herself in the 70s.” Fat Possom will re-issue The Fuzz physically on March 22nd. In the meantime, you can stream/purchase the acclaimed EP digitally, here.

Alex Zarou Levine, the lead singer and songwriter of Brooklyn punk rockers The So So Glos, has kicked off a new solo project entitled Alexander Orange Drink. Having been born with a rare and life-threatening metabolic disorder called homocystinuria, he chose to name his new endeavor after the slang term for the medication he’s had to take since infancy. Debut solo album Babel On arrives September 28th via Kobalt / AWAL. Normalize is our first anthemic taste of the record, a tall drink of fuzzy drawling, scuzzy endearing indie rock. You can pre-save debut album Babel On via Spotify, here.

If you paid attention in science class during grade school, then you probably know your clouds pretty well. And if you’re like me, cumulus clouds are your favorite, too. They’re those puffy, cottony ones that tend to spark our imaginations with their various shapes and structures. Seattle-based musician Alexandra Niedzialkowski, who releases music as Cumulus, ignites our minds and stirs the heart with her new one off, Retreat, a bright eyed, crunchy bounding indie rock treat rife with zestful energy.  Though it seems a light hearted jaunt, Retreat’s lyrics explore much of what is relevant to the #MeToo movement right now. Simply put, it explains the importance of consent. Retreat is out now on Trans-Records.

What’s more perfect for kicking off our summer than some fuzzy shimmering, sweetly longing dream pop and shoegazey rock? And that’s exactly what Oakland’s Hannah Van Loon has blessed us with on Perfect, the talented musician’s latest single as acclaimed new project Tanukichan. Svelte whirring, guitar purring Perfect, which made its premiere via Stereogum, arrives ahead of Tanukichan’s debut album Sundays, produced by Chaz Bear of Toro Y Moi. It’ll be released on July 13th on his label Company Records. Pre-order, here. Tanukichan will be co-headlining the Rickshaw Stop in San Francisco with In The Valley Below on July 25th in celebration of her album release. She’ll also be performing at Starline Social Club in Oakland on June 13th, as well as the Bootleg Theater in LA on July 11th and Union Pool in NY on July 27th.

Our GIrl’s eponymous single may be the first song they ever wrote, but it’s not the first single to capture the fancy of their avid fans. The British trio released their self-titled debut EP in 2016. And they’re off to a glorious start this year with this gazey roiling, scuzzy ripping jam. Sweet and tart, naughty and nice vocals embellish the track, giving it an addictive prickly bite. Saccharine guitar pop and thrashing grunge rock meet halfway on the incredibly contagious track. Our Girl will be making an appearance at SXSW next week. Hopefully we’ll be able to catch them while we’re there. Stream/download Our Girl’s Our Girl via major outlets, here.

We were much enthralled with Blushh when the Los Angeles based indie outfit appeared earlier this year with a debut EP named It’s Fine, whose five lo-fi indie rock and punky pop tracks truly are fine, if not thoroughly charming and infectiously winsome. Blushh’s youthful & scuzzy tunes recall the likes of Diet Cig, Charly Bliss, and many other bands we love. We’ve since realized that we completely missed out on a split EP Blushh put out with Maddie Ross last month. Fortunately for us, a new video’s out for ‘Pink Shirt!’, one of two tracks Shabnam Ferdowsi and her band contributed to the EP, and it’s helped to key us into the split four track release, which you can stream in full on Soundcloud, here. We join Shab as she rocks out in an intimate space in the video for ‘Pink Shirt!’, and we can’t help but tap our feet and nod our heads compulsively to the crunchy bopping tune, too. The Split EP can also be streamed or purchased from Bandcamp, here.

Fremont’s own Sjowgren made quite a resounding splash in the indie scene when they released unforgettable guitar pop anthem Seventeen a couple years back. They’ve since taken their time to release their next songs, despite our hunger for more from the buzz making band and their endearing brand of dulcet wistful music. You could say we’re in Sjowgren heaven all of a sudden, as the band drops two new songs in less than seven days for us to joyously take in. Last week brought us Waiting Room, a scuzzy rocking, rhythmic chugging gem you can stream below, while today also brings us the surprise of High Beam, which you can find above. It’s a mellifluous whirling, woolly wheeling treat that reminds us of Sjowgren’s earlier singles.