The Weekend Replay

Here in the Hudson Valley, the current home of Doors At Seven, the heat has been kicking up. Welcome back to the Weekend Replay where you can always find the hottest tracks, regardless of whether it’s 92°F (like it was this week) or below zero (like it was like…a month ago). 

The latest from audiobooks is Gulliver EP, four tracks that are cute, very British sounding, and offer a fun electronic instrumentation to accompany sweet lyricism. Pynch keeps the releases from the UK strong with Howling at a Concrete Moon. There is something very familiar about how tracks like “Maybe” sound, but I cannot put my finger on it (if you figure it out, you know where to find me…please share). Regardless though, this is a super fun indie pop/rock-driven LP that marks the third release from the band this year alone, following two EPs that came out earlier this month and in March. 

Superviolet chimes in this week with “Locket”, a 60s pop-rock-inspired track with a contemporary emo spirit that is really a necessity for this week’s rotation. Origami Angel keeps the 60s inspo going with a hint of beach rock blended with true pop-punk and emo sounds on “Thank You, New Jersey”. I think the best part about this track is that the band isn’t even from NJ—they just love the Garden State that much (and they’re kicking off their tour there later this week). 

Snõõper maintains the energy the previous acts on “Pod”, and there are super fun riffs on this little punk track. Then, the punky, noisy, basement rock crews of The 3 Skins and Free Casino add to this week’s impressive blend with Hot Laundry and Beggar’s Pitch respectively. Both of these releases are so exciting and seeing any of these tracks live would most likely instill a new life in me. Sanitizers just released their self-titled EP with five hardcore emo tracks that keep up the energy that Initiate keeps flowing with their eclectic and refined album Cerebral Circus. Plus, some new New Vision! The band just shared “Forfeit”, a catchy, angsty anthem with a really stunning breakdown. Pinkshift also goes all in on the noisy punk and emo sound with the release of “to me” (they’ll also be tagging along for some dates on Origami Angel’s tour).

Nicole Yun adds a much-needed voice to this week’s releases with Matter, ten songs that I think are essential for this week. Within the world of indie rock, women often get pigeonholed into the sad girl indie trope, which completely diminishes the complexity of such powerful and bold songwriting. And don’t get me wrong, there’s definitely a time and place for the sad girl indie sound, but Yun doesn’t hold back with her powerful alternative/indie sound, and it’s so refreshing. I don’t usually offer comparisons here on the Weekend Replay, but if you enjoy Japanese Breakfast (especially their latest album, Jubilee), you’ll relish the sound of Yun’s new album.

…Anyway, the Aussie quartet Terry shared a really fun album this week called Call Me Terry—it’s a little punky, a little indie-y, a little poppy, but all around a really solid release. And the aptly self-described bubblegrunge Lizzie Dark0 just shared “Off Limits”, a really energetic single that shows the impressive promise of the Brooklyn-based artist. 

Ice Spice made an appearance here on the Weekend Replay back in January when she shared “In Ha Mood”, and this week, she’s back. With a feature from Nicki Minaj, “Princess Diana” blends the up-and-comer’s signature vocals with the iconic sound and lyricism from Nicki Minaj. In a very different genre sphere, the blend of newer and more established artists is exhibited again, with Phoebe Bridgers and The National collaborating on “Your Mind Is Not Your Friend”. The National has been teasing their upcoming album First Two Pages of Frankenstein with four singles since January, and the album will finally be released in just a couple of weeks now. 

And now that we’re in the indieverse, Feist’s indie experimental album Multitudes is here with some lullaby type tracks like “Song For Sad Friends”. Angel Olson’s EP Forever Means shares two previously unshared tracks, four total. There’s some really cool instrumentation on this release, and Olson continues to share her flexibility and diversity in her talents on each of the tracks. Cindy’s Why Not Now is a quintessentially indie LP with some really unique spins on a handful of tracks. Although soft and indie, this is definitely a springtime album. A River Running to Your Heart is Fruit Bats’ newest album with a really fun and groovy indie folk song (it’s got some good roll-your-windows-down-drive-on-deserted-roads-type tracks in the mix). Then, Bonny Doon closes things out for the week with “Let There Be Music”, a very spring song that can be best described as cute. It’s cute!

This past week kept things hot hot hot, but don’t forget to follow the Weekend Replay on the Doors At Seven Spotify—and also stay hydrated because the heat (both literally and musically) is just starting.

Got new music to share? Send it along: ashhausrath@doorsatseven.org