The Alternative Weekly Roundup is a column where our staff plugs a variety of new releases in a concise, streamlined format. Albums, singles, videos, and live sets. Check back each Monday to see what we were jamming the week prior.
Kwakisurpiniku – Stillness
Kyle Mindemann’s primary love is emo, as borne out in Green Grass for Miles, but it wasn’t his first love. His newest project pays homage to death metal and mathcore; the songs on his first LP as Kwakisurpiniku, range from the atmospheric and dynamic “River” to the breakneck and bracingly heavy “Camper Stamper.” Stillness is an essential listen for any fans of modern metalcore.
Zac Djamoos | @gr8whitebison
The Goalie’s Anxiety at the Penalty Kick – “Mr. Settled Score”
A deliberate, contemplative, and gorgeous record, The Goalie’s Anxiety at the Penalty Kick’s Ways of Hearing is one of the more enduring emo releases of the past few years. The bright percussion, warm acoustic guitar tones, and carefully crafted lyrics packed with vivid images from that record are all present on “Mr. Settled Score,” the latest from their upcoming The Iliad and the Odyssey and the Goalie’s Anxiety at the Penalty Kick. Like the band name and album title, the track is massive—stretching past six minutes, but never losing its instant charm. Out April 25, The Iliad and the Odyssey and the Goalie’s Anxiety at the Penalty Kick is sure to be a stunner.
Aaron Eisenreich | @slobboyreject
Velvet – Romance
On Velvet’s debut full-length, the New York quartet bring shoegaze back to its roots. Romance pushes Zack Alfasi’s voice as far back in the mix as it’ll go, foregrounding enormous riffs and walls of sound that feel ready to collapse. It feels almost overwhelming at times, just how loud everything is, but that makes it so much easier to get lost in.
Zac Djamoos | @gr8whitebison
dungeon item – minus world
Taking its name from a glitch level in the first Super Mario Bros. game, minus world is like a negative image version of the chiptune that artists like hey, ily and exciting!!excellent!! have been pumping out. The songs on dungeon item’s latest are downcast and dour, lacking the ebullience of those bands’ material. It’s a cool take on the sound, and it’s a great soundtrack to a day spent gaming in bed.
Zac Djamoos | @gr8whitebison
Stars Hollow – “Acne Scars”
It’s been around three years since Stars Hollow’s excellent full-length I Want to Live My Life, and their return is certainly a welcome one in the emo world. Equal parts riffy and anthemic, “Acne Stars” is an instant reminder of how great a band Stars Hollow are. Their new EP In the Flower Bed is out on April 5th with vinyl available through Acrobat Unstable Records.
In The Flower Bed by Stars Hollow
Aaron Eisenreich | @slobboyreject
Whitelands – Night-bound Eyes Are Blind to the Day
Whitelands’ debut LP Night-bound Eyes Are Blind to the Day feels like a real-time catalog of the evolution of alternative rock, clear right from the way the jangling dream-pop opener “Setting Sun” fades into the post-punk duskiness of “The Prophet & I.” These eight songs pull from different threads of the tapestry of ‘80s indie rock, but all in service to a wistful, unfussy vision of shoegaze in 2024.
Night-bound Eyes Are Blind To The Day by Whitelands
Zac Djamoos | @gr8whitebison
So Below – Here and Heaven
Ephyra isn’t just putting out metal. Their latest release features members of bands from the broader Ephyra extended universe—Balmora, God Program, Wreckage—but Here and Heaven is dreamy, washed-out ‘90s alt rock. So Below manage to avoid becoming another Pumpkins clone on their debut, though, leaning into a poppier sound than most of the groups in this style.
4E028: Here and Heaven by So Below
Zac Djamoos | @gr8whitebison
I Swallow Ghosts – “I Think I’m Getting Dementia, Dude”
I Swallow Ghosts’ “I Think I’m Getting Dementia, Dude” speaks to those stretches of time stuck in a rut when nothing sounds as enticing as the offer “we can do nothing.” That being said, the instrumentals here are an absolute blast, with interlaced guitar lines adding a bit of a jagged energy to the repeated pleas at the end of the chorus that flip from “we can do nothing” to “I want to be nothing” on the final pass.
I Think I’m Getting Dementia, Dude by I Swallow Ghosts
Aaron Eisenreich | @slobboyreject
German Error Message – German Error Message
I think it’s entirely possible we’ll look back at Grouper as one of the most influential artists of the 2010s. Like Elizabeth Harris’ best-known project, German Error Message is the work of a solo artist dealing in spectral and sparse indie folk. On the surprise-released German Error Message, Paul Kintzing’s touch is lighter than usual, resulting in songs that are as open and open-hearted as previously but also pair nicely with a fresh coffee on a Sunday morning.
German Error Message by German Error Message
Zac Djamoos | @gr8whitebison
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