Any dipshit can hip you to new platters by the likes of Lil Wayne, Cynthia Erivo and other topliners. But only a special kind of dipshit is willing to reach above and beyond that low-hanging fruit — and spend hours sampling hundreds of tantalizing releases — to find the tastiest treats in the musical orchard. If you were still wondering, yes, I am that dipshit. And here are your plays of the week:
Ben LaMar Gay
Yowzers
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Yowzers is a new album by Chicago composer, improvisor, instrumentalist and musical folklorist Ben LaMar Gay. The 12-track collection is a leap forward in the lexicon of Gay’s recorded output, and a veritable masterwork of ancient inner-body rhythms and intuitive melodic storytelling. It’s worth mentioning that a leap forward for Gay is no small feat. The musical ground he has covered in the last decade, both as a bandleader and collaborator, is immense, with Yowzers representing the latest redrawing of that ever-expanding creative borderline. Much of the music features his working quartet with Tommaso Moretti (drums, percussion, voice), Matthew Davis (tuba, piano, bells, voice) and Will Faber (guitar, ngoni, bells, voice). But the unlisted feature here is Gay’s own ability to summon and unleash the unique strengths of his collaborators. The quartet material leans into a vocabulary that the group has developed over the course of several years together on the road; and the repertoire delivers an arresting cocktail of pulsing and free rhythms that somehow swing alongside a gathering of melodic phrases that sweep the outer-reaches of harmony with nostalgic echoes of family songs from the living room.”
The Inspector Cluzo
Less Is More
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “We are The Inspector Cluzo, rock-blues guitar/drums duo formed in 2008 in Mont-de-Marsan by Laurent (guitars, vocals) and Mathieu (drums). We met 30 years ago on the benches of the Math Sup. of the Lycée Victor Duruy and studied fundamental physics afterwards. Since then, we have never left each other, either musically or agriculturally. We have been playing together for more than 30 years, are multi-instrumentalists (tenor sax for Laurent an trumpet for Mathieu) and started music at the age of seven. For the past 10 years, we’ve also been farmers and peasants on the Lou Casse farm near Mont-de-Marsan in the Landes de Gascogne. Today, in these times of global warming, this is our main activity, as we are on the front line of environmental change at the farm. Our farm enables us to be food self-sufficient and to produce for others locally. Our music is totally organic, we play 100% live at our concerts, there are no tracks or pre-recorded tapes. Nothing against it, just the desire to be as natural and organic as possible, like the Blues: Our natural musical anchor.”
Lifeguard
Ripped And Torn
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “The youthful trio of Asher Case, Isaac Lowenstein and Kai Slater have been making music together since they were in high school, nearly a quarter of their lives. Noisy and immediate, cryptic but heartfelt, they draw inspiration from punk, dub, power-pop and experimental sounds, and bring them all together in explosive inspiration. Ripped And Torn, the debut album by the Chicago three-piece, may or may not take its title from the legendary Scottish punk fanzine of the same name. Or perhaps it references the torn T-shirts that rock writer Lester Bangs claimed the late Pere Ubu founder Peter Laughner died for “in the battle fires of his ripped emotions.” Or maybe it points to the trio’s ferociously destabilising take on melodic post-punk and high velocity hardcore, signposting their debt to the kind of year zero aesthetics that would reignite wild improvisational songforms with muzzy garage Messthetics in a way rarely extrapolated this side of Dredd Foole & The Din.”
Little Simz
Lotus
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Little Simz is a boundary-breaking musician and cultural curator, recognised as one of the UK’s most captivating and visionary artists. A multi-award winner — collecting Brit Awards, MOBOs and an Ivor Novello — across mixtapes, EPs, and five critically acclaimed albums, Simz’s music documents her story, her journey, her becoming, and in turn, her generation. This summer, Little Simz returns with her sixth full-length Lotus. The record marks an exciting new chapter in her artistic journey, drawing from an expansive palette of musical influences including punk, jazz, afrobeat and more. True to form, Simz continues to push boundaries and defy genre constraints, creating a sound that’s both innovative and distinctly her own.”
Lonesome Shack
In Montargis
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “In Montargis is a career spanning collection of songs , recorded live and unamplified in a hotel room in France. The band reimagined their music with acoustic instrumentation for touring Europe last summer and brought new life to some of their favorite tunes. Like a field recording, In Montargis captures a magic that’s sometimes hard to find in the studio. Guitar, banjo and dobro are playfully interwoven on these tracks and you can hear the musical camaraderie of old friends jamming on the road.”
Mother Mother
Nostalgia
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Mother Mother’s forthcoming album Nostalgia is a record built and buoyed on feelings. The band, comprised of Ryan Guldemond (vocals, guitar), Molly Guldemond (vocals, synths), Jasmin Parkin (vocals, keys), Ali Siadat (drums) and Mike Young (bass), is this year celebrating 20 years together. “In creating Nostalgia, our goal was to embody a childlike creativity which often becomes elusive as we age and gather too many tricks,” Ryan says, noting the importance of their emotional cohesion for this album-making process. “We evaluated every creative choice by its emotional impact — whether that was a lyric, a reverb trail or an EQ curve. If something didn’t evoke a strong emotional reaction — we let it go. This approach led to work we genuinely love and take pride in.” True to form, Nostalgia is a standout entry in a discography filled with standout entries. It fosters both the spirit of creativity and total originality Mother Mother fans have come to know and love about the band, while also pushing the band’s musicality, lyricism, and aesthetics to new peaks. It’s heartfelt and dark, funneling and fractaling themes of alienation, existentialism, self-love and self-hate, gender roles, and spirituality through the vibrant imagery of otherworldly landscapes and mythical creatures.”
North Mississippi Allstars
Still Shakin’
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “North Mississippi Allstars were founded by brothers Luther and Cody Dickinson in 1996 as a loose collective of musicians from North Mississippi and Memphis, inspired by their neighbors, RL Burnside, Junior Kimbrough, Otha Turner and the late Fred McDowell. Over the years the touring lineup has included, Cedric, Duwayne and Garry Burnside, Chris Chew, Berry Oakley Jr, Oteil Burbridge, Ray Ray Hollowman (guitar player for Eminem and Ne-Yo), and currently Joey Williams (of The Blind Boys of Alabama). Since their Grammy-nominated debut album in 2000 they have toured the world, shared the stage with countless legends, Mavis Staples, Robert Plant, John Hiatt, The Allman Brothers, Buddy Guy, Snoop Dogg, and Phil Lesh, to name a few, while earning multiple award nominations for their experimental albums of psychedelic folk and roots-rock. Still Shakin’ is a celebration of their life-changing first album Shake Hands With Shorty, released 25 years ago. They dipped into the North Mississippi repertoire and experience of the ’90s, touring with RL Burnside, recording Turner, hanging at Junior’s juke, filtering new interpretations through their current instincts. The well never runs dry and the cast of characters never fails.”
Pulp
More
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “This is the first Pulp album since We Love Life in 2001,” says frontman Jarvis Cocker. “Yes: the first Pulp album for almost 24 years. How did that happen? Well: When we started touring again in 2023, we practised a new song called Hymn Of The North during soundchecks & eventually played it at the end of our second night at Hammersmith Odeon. This seemed to open the floodgates: We came up with the rest of the songs on this album during the first half of 2024. A couple are revivals of ideas from last century. The music for one song was written by Richard Hawley. The music for another was written by Jason Buckle. The Eno family sing backing vocals on a song. There are string arrangements written by Richard Jones and played by The Elysian Collective. The album was recorded over three weeks by James Ford in Walthamstow, London, starting on Nov. 18, 2024. This is the shortest amount of time a Pulp album has ever taken to record. It was obviously ready to happen. These are the facts.”
Queens Of The Stone Age
Alive In The Catacombs
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “If you’re ever going to be haunted, surrounded by several million dead people is the place. I’ve never felt so welcome in my life,” says Joshua Homme. Queens Of The Stone Age will unveil the cinematic realization of a dream with the premiere of Alive In The Catacombs, an audiovisual document of the band’s long-rumored performance in the tunnels of the famed Catacombs of Paris. Filmed and recorded in July 2024, Alive In The Catacombs captures QOTSA as you’ve never seen or heard them before. This utterly unique once in a lifetime experience features a carefully selected setlist spanning the QOTSA catalog, each song chosen and epically reimagined for the surroundings. The result is an unprecedented incarnation of the band at their most intimate, yet surrounded by literally millions of human remains — “the biggest audience we’ve ever played for,” says Homme.”
Salem 66
Salt
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Formed in Boston’s underground scene in 1982 by Judy Grunwald, Beth Kaplan and Susan Merriam, Salem 66 created a trailblazing blend of post-punk, psychedelic pop, and experimental rock. An unsung influence on later woman-led independent bands, they forged a distinctive sound characterized by haunting vocals, melodic basslines, complex arrangements, and intensely vulnerable lyrics. From 1983 to 1988, the band recorded and toured extensively, sharing stages with Butthole Surfers, Mission of Burma and Dinosaur Jr. The first reissue of Salem 66’s music, Salt collects 10 songs chosen by the songwriters from their cult-classic Homestead EP, singles, and four full-lengths, accompanied by a critical essay by musician Franklin Bruno, and retrospective notes by Grunwald and Kaplan.”
Joanne Shaw Taylor
Black & Gold
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “British blues-rock sensation Joanne Shaw Taylor’s 10th studio album Black & Gold delves into the intricacies of human connection, resilience, and self-discovery, capturing the highs and lows of life with raw authenticity. The album balances deeply personal reflections with universal themes, exploring heartbreak, empowerment, and the bittersweet nature of change. Musically, it pushes the boundaries of blues-rock, blending Taylor’s soulful guitar work and powerhouse vocals with influences ranging from Americana to retro pop. With its rich emotional depth and dynamic soundscapes, Black & Gold is a compelling journey through the complexities of modern life, delivered with the fearless innovation that has become Taylor’s hallmark. This latest work has solidified her place as one of today’s most innovative voices in blues-rock. Praised by legends like Stevie Wonder and Annie Lennox, and bolstered by Kevin Shirley’s masterful production, Black & Gold is poised to be a career-defining release.”
Volbeat
God Of Angels Trust
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “With God Of Angels Trust, the Danish band Volbeat — Michael Poulsen (vocals, guitar), Jon Larsen (drums) and Kaspar Boye Larsen (bass) — throw caution to the wind, ignore comfort zones, and pay little heed to traditional songwriting in the search for something more immediate and surprising. The result will thrill Volbeat‘s dedicated legion of fans. “In the past, I’ve taken a long time to write and obsessed over so many elements of the songs before finishing them,” says Poulsen. “This time, I wanted to make a Volbeat record without thinking too much about it. Instead of following any kind of structure I said, ‘Okay, there are no rules. I can do anything I want. I can start with a chorus or do songs that are just a bunch of verses stacked on top of each other. Anything goes.’ That was freeing for me and made it exciting to write this album.” Poulsen’s excitement to thwart convention is palpable throughout God Of Angels Trust, a punchy, crunchy album that’s undeniably Volbeat, yet marches to a fresh new metallic and melodic energy.”
Wavves
Spun
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Like Nathan Williams and Wavves’ earliest music, this album first took shape in a small shed behind his parents’ house known as the hideaway. It’s the place where Williams made some of his earliest albums, before he became known for his uncanny ability to write songs that sneered at the world while evoking pathos, sympathy, and a deep understanding of how sometimes we’re our own worst enemies, and that can be okay. Over a decade prior to this, Williams released King Of The Beach, an album that delivered on all of the promise that his first two homespun records captured. It’s an album that also catapulted the band to worldwide acclaim as one of the new darlings of indie rock. It was a cocky collection of pop-punk gems that brought fame so rapidly it also, in part, led to a widely publicized onstage meltdown at Primavera Fest. Wavves recovered, as they always do, and eventually entered the major-label system, where the band released two albums before Williams became disillusioned by the lack of creative agency available to him. Fast-forward to 2024, when an older, wiser, and slightly less stoned Williams reunited with longtime bandmates Stephen Pope, Ross Traver and Alex Gates.”
Finn Wolfhard
Happy Birthday
THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Some of you may know Finn Wolfhard’s music from his previous indie bands Calpurnia and The Aubreys. He’s also quite well known for being Mike Wheeler from Stranger Things. For as long as he can remember, Finn Wolfhard has been deeply moved by both listening to and making music. This album is Finn’s first time making music under his name. Happy Birthday is a dizzying rush of nine songs. The album grew out of Wolfhard’s personal challenge to pen 50 songs by the end of 2022. He admits, “I ended up writing a lot of terrible stuff, but a few of those songs I was really proud of went to the Aubreys. I started realizing a general theme in a lot of the other songs involving my identity, anxieties, nostalgia, childhood and loneliness. All of that was a part of a bigger puzzle. I knew I wanted to make a record, but I didn’t know with which songs.”
