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.
Lesser Halves – “Private Jest”
Lesser Halves comprises members of the great emo revivalist groups Duck! Little Brother, Duck and Caravels, among others, and their debut LP will be out Friday. In the meantime, though, “Private Jest” is a twisty, rustic slice of dark and atmospheric emo that calls back to those groups’ best moments while pointing toward a bright future.
The Gold, the Rush, the Rot, the Rust by Lesser Halves
Zac Djamoos | @gr8whitebison
Pinky Lemon – Pinky Hell
On Pinky Lemon’s new EP, the DC shoegazers get even weirder. Pinky Hell finds the band flirting with electronica and breakbeat, submerged vocals in autotune, and even some ambient. There are a lot of bands experimenting with shoegaze, but there are honestly none doing what Pinky Lemon is doing on Pinky Hell.
Zac Djamoos | @gr8whitebison
Bad Moves – “Hallelujah”
Bad Moves just announced that their new LP Wearing Out the Refrain, the follow-up to 2020’s Untenable and one of our most anticipated albums of the year, will drop on September 13th. The announcement was accompanied with the new single “Hallelujah,” which injects some heartland punk into the band’s sound.
Zac Djamoos | @gr8whitebison
Boldy James & Conductor Williams – Across the Tracks
Across the Tracks is Boldy James’ third release this year (keeping up with recent output where he’s churned 2-4 records each calendar year this decade) and he sounds as good here as any of the other high points of that run. This time around he’s paired with Conductor Williams as a producer, who masterfully blends soulful vocal samples, driving strings and keys, grimy ‘70s guitar licks, quick-burst saxophones, and luscious horns, creating a chill, welcoming backdrop for Boldy’s endless similes and pop culture references. Across the Tracks is a tight 26 minutes that all hit, with the quieter and more reflective moments like “St. Juliana” working as well as jubilant tunes like “Stamps in the Middle.”
Aaron Eisenreich | @slobboyreject
Looseleaf – Selfsame
Selfsame takes on a darker sound than Looseleaf’s previous work, pushing outside the bounds of emo-pop and towards a more layered, heavier alt rock that should appeal equally to fans of Balance and Composure and Barely Civil.
Zac Djamoos | @gr8whitebison
Common Sage – “Edin”
Common Sage’s last single found them teaming up with Further Seems Forever’s Jason Gleason; on “Edin,” their newest, they’re accompanied by Thursday’s Geoff Rickly and Steve Pedulla. Where “Hiraeth” shared a lot with Further Seems Forever’s driving emo rock, “Edin” is messier post-hardcore along the lines of what a Thursday collaboration would suggest. It’s slated to appear with “Hiraeth” on their upcoming Nostos | Algos EP later this year, which takes the band to another new level.
Zac Djamoos | @gr8whitebison
The Alternative’s ‘New Music Friday’ playlist
Each week we compile a playlist of songs our staff has been jamming. We post it on Fridays on Twitter and then include it in each edition of the Weekly Roundup to make sure you don’t miss any of the great music we’re recommending.
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