Welcome to our summer edition of Out of Step. Not that any of the releases featured have any seasonal vibes, as such (And to be honest, I’ve not even thought about that until typing this missive.)
The summer has been a little quieter for new releases, and while it would generally a good thing, you know it’s set to change. EPs and long-players, coming thick and fast in the last quarter of the year. They always do, and yet again, it’s a perfect example of an industry that doesn’t seem to learn.
Like January and February, June and July are rather fallow in comparison with the rest of the year. It’s something that’s never made sense to me, as there have never been more bands and so few scrolls to write about them. Wouldn’t things work better all-round if the release schedule was more spread out?
The same argument has been trotted out several times before throughout these pages, because it’s a solid argument, and one that remains to go unchallenged, as the industry continues to constantly bemoan the economics of it all. Well, in this instance, it’s not helping itself. Yes, change is needed, but in this instance, it needs to come from this side of the fence.
While the last couple of months may have been quieter, that’s not to say we’ve been scrapping the bottom of barrel for new extended plays. There’s been a steady flow, and below are some of the best of them. Many of which are self-released without the aid of the ever-growing PR grift. Once again, it proves that this by-product of the industry’ isn’t really necessary. Particularly in the DIY space, where good tunes will always transcend cheap, third party lip service.
Speaking of lip service, here’s what has been dominating the decks over the summer. As always, we hope you find something that resonates.
Bitchin Bajas: Isle Peaks
Drag City
Bitchin Bajas don’t do rest. Following last year’s excellent Inland See LP, and – most recently – Cooper Crain’s wonderful collaboration with Bill MacKay as BCMC (interview below), the Bajas return with Isle Peaks.
With the first cuts released in January via Qobuz, Bitchin Bajas add a third number on Isle Peaks. (All of which were farmed during the Inland See sessions). It’s what you’d come to expect, and more. The three-piece, really zoning in on their craft with some of their most hypnotic passages yet.
It’s beautiful, multi-layered majesty, as Bitchin Bajas guide their listeners to new parts of their ever-evolving sound world. Isle Peaks, one of the finest experimental extended-players of the year, no doubt.
Out August 28. Pre-order from Bandcamp
Judy: Death of a Ladies’ Mutt
Self-released
Alongside Diners’ Blue Broderick, Agriculture’s Leah B. Levinson trades in mind-melting ecstatic black-metal for a bit of A.M.-inspired lo-fi splendour as Judy.
On the duo’s debut release, Death of a Ladies’ Mutt, Broderick and Levinson lean into some Guided By Voices and Big Star for an EP that begs to played on a loop. These songs, in the realm of first thought best thought, and the results are catchy as fuck, where fuzz-laden guitars and choruses light up the room.
Freeing and unvarnished, Death of a Ladies’ Mutt is infectious songcraft that you want more of in your life. Here’s hoping this is just the start of Judy, because the world really does need more of this.
Listen / Purchase from Bandcamp
Lolabelle: Sugarbowl
Moderation Falls Records
West Buxton, Maine four-piece, Lolabelle (Caroline Homer – vocals / guitar; Stephen Bennett – guitar; Kurt Fedora – bass; and Gene Gill – drums) bring their record collections to life on their debut EP, Sugbarbowl.
Lolabelle are purveyors of post-hardcore for jazz clubs. Tugging on same threads that the likes of Karate and Slint have woven throughout the years, the four-piece deliver something with emotional weight and panache, culminating with the epic, eponymous closing song. The kind that will lead to bigger things in the not-too-distant future.
There have been many bands paying homage to American ’90s underground. But on the back of Sugarbowl with Homer leading the line, Lolabelle positively colour outside the lines with a confident set of songs. File under listen now.
Listen / Purchase from Bandcamp
Navā Duo: Rainflower
Ramble Records
Navā Duo is the new project consisting of Naarm (Melbourne)-based Mohan Veena player, Poly Varghese, and Belgian guitarist Alec Ilyine. (The latter featuring in our latest Weirdo Rippers dispatch with his latest solo release, Drift Lines.)
On their debut release, Rainflower, Varghese and Illyine enmesh cultures through the Indian slide guitar and acoustic steel string and Japanese Taishogoto. These improvisations, bursting with gnarly flavours that epitomise the art of collaboration.
Which is why Ramble Records is the perfect refuge for such a release. The Michael Sill-founded label, the place for all your esoteric, primitive guitar needs, and with Rainflower, Varghese and Illyine merge their minds for yet another fine set of recordings.
Listen / Purchase from Bandcamp
BCMC Interview: “The more detailed your plans, the better it often comes out”
Picastro: Double on Time
We Are Busy Bodies
Liz Hysen’s Picastro have spent years chiselling soundscapes in the shadows. And after a good few years remaining in said shadows, the Toronto act re-emerge with Double on Time.
And it’s been worth the wait. The elusive three-piece have spent this century making spooky, off-kilter avant-garde soundscapes that simply stand alone, and it doesn’t change here.
Which, arguably, could be to their detriment. In a world where everything seemingly needs to be pigeonholed or defined by the past, Picastro simply stand on their own. For those unfamiliar with their world, it wouldn’t hurt by starting with Double on Time.
Listen / Purchase from Bandcamp
Rip Space: Silly Bum
Self-released
The last time we heard from Scottish genre-bender, Rip Space, was via his Thank These People EP. A mash-up of ideas that, all told, few have replicated since.
On his latest extended play, Silly Bum, Rip Space get a bit more escapist. A countrified stew with flavours of Texas roadhouses with a bit of ranchin’ and ropin’ in there for good measure. It’s what we’ve come to expect from Rip Space; an artist never comfortable and always looking to forge new paths.
The title track itself, proof that this guy can write a pop song, but it’s the intentional avoidance that it’s almost too easy to accomplish. This attitude, at the very the core of the Rip Space experience. One that is all hairpin turns, and Silly Bum is the latest.
Listen / Purchase from Bandcamp
The Rorts: Big Decisions
Self-released
Beyond the Ford factory and the Cattery (any AFL fans out there?), Geelong has maintained a healthy underground scene over the years.
The Rorts are the latest, and with their debut EP, Big Decisions, the band dispense a gritty form of blues-y garage rock for weather-beaten souls (like myself) to shake the frost to.
It’s all fuzz, riffs and raw noise tailored for flea pits. Music when times were simpler and the beer tasted better. And it’s good to see it still goes on, as The Rorts inject a bit of the old with the new on Big Decisions. Here’s hoping there’s more of it in the future, too.
Listen / Purchase from Bandcamp
Unstoppable Sweeties Show Interview: “No idea is truly off the table”
She’s Green: Swallowtail
Photo Finish Records
If you need something to get you from point A to B then you could do a lot worse than She’s Green, who follow their 2023 EP, Wisteria, with the shimmering Swallowtail.
The Minneapolis, MN collective go in heavy on the Slowdive vibes. And alongside grunge inflections, She’s Green conjure up of a sonic turbulence that has the ability to reach a lot of ears.
Led by Mettle in what is one of the singles of the summer, Swallowtail is a shimmering rush of sound. With their forthcoming U.K tour which includes appearances at Leeds and Reading festivals, mark it in your diaries. Yes, She’s Green are going places, and fast.
Listen / Purchase from Bandcamp
St. Moon: St. Moon
Mediapop Records
St. Moon is a cross-border concern from France and Germany, consisting of Alex Keiling (The Wooden Wolf), Julian Tröndle and Louis Groß (Lambs & Wolves).
On their self-titled EP, the three-piece deliver heartfelt slowcore that’s about as good as anything in this space released this year. Think Bonnie “Prince” Billy sitting it with Low during the early ’90s, and you wouldn’t be far off the mark. (St. Moon even give a nod to the slowcore legends with Things I Lost In the Fire).
All told, St. Moon are architects of an emotional residue that sinks deep into the groove. And finishing with the Josephine Foster cover of Child of God, it’s a fitting end to their first chapter. The next, hopefully not too far away.
Listen / Purchase from Bandcamp
Strange Fruit: Drips
Gentle Tuesday Recordings
Jakarta-based Strange Fruit have been kicking around the traps for almost 15 years, and on the back of their new EP, Drips, the penny might drop for those beyond the devoted few.
From the first note of opening jam, Pouvoir Moteur, everything just pops. Krautrock, dream-pop, shoegaze and baggy colliding in the atmosphere filling the sky with a bright array of colours.
Ultimately this is kosmische through the lens of layered guitars and synths. The U.K. in particular has been filled with so many bands trying to incorporate the ideas that Strange Fruit do on Drips. Most have fallen well short, too, as Strange Fruit are so ahead of the curve, to the point where they are ultimately the only game in town.
Listen / Purchase from Bandcamp
Trial Tapes: 5 Notes
Self-released
…And speaking of games in town, let’s finish up by taking a look at Trial Tapes. The brainchild of Jack McNally, who on 5 Notes stitches together, in their own words, some “queerbaked scuzz”.
While the artwork itself tells a story of these sounds, in truth, there’s more of a lo-fi psychedelic thing going on here. The songcraft is sharp – the wit, only born on Merseyside – and, of course, the tunes hold up. I mean, what more do you want?
If Dennis Wilson and Jason Lytle ever crossed paths, the results may have landed in the same orbit as Trial Tapes’ 5 Notes. The kind of lo-fi where there’s a little bit of something for everyone.
Listen / Purchase from Bandcamp
Previous Out of Step features:
