A doubleheader of new music kicks off the second week of September with The Matinee ’22 v. 120 featuring nine songs. There are tunes that assess the insanity of daily routine, the power of money, and the defiance of the human spirit while others celebrate our lovable pets. Weird, quirky, off-kilter, fun, enlightening – that’s Part 1 in a nutshell.
For Part 2, click here. Then save The Songs of September master playlist on Spotify and SoundCloud.
Kid Kapichi – “I.N.V.U.” (Hastings, England)
RIYL: Gang of Four, The Clockworks, Opus Kink
For some reason, we think that Kid Kapichi would fully embrace being called “woke” because they are openly critical of how the world operates. Whether its class division (“Rob the Supermarket”) or how lives revolve around the 9-to-5 working day (“5 Days on (2 Days off)”), Ben Beetham (guitars, vocals), Eddie Lewis (bass), George Macdonald (drums), and Jack Wilson (vocals, guitars) aim to open our eyes to the insanity. The world is governed by the almighty dollar or Pound, which causes ordinary folks to worship people with fancy cars, designer clothes, and good looks. This is the focus of the post-punk quartet’s newest tune, “I.N.V.U.”.
A catchy, funky, off-kilter vibe, which echoes Gang of Four in their heyday, buzzes throughout the track. It’s perfect for the man who struts down Main Street like he’s the king of the neighborhood. But for Kid Kapichi, he’s not what they desire to be. Rather, they poke fun at this playboy and all those like him, who are more concerned about their image and the likes they get on social media than substance. As Beetham cleverly states:
“Fast car, alligator shoes
He’s at the wheel while I’m trapped inside the boot
Cause he’s the top dog, the big caboose
I’m up at dawn whilst he’s spamming on the snooze
I N V U
Is that what you want me to do
I N V U
Is that what I’m supposed to do”
Keep on fighting the good fight Kid Kapichi!
The band’s new album, Here’s What You Have Won, is out September 23rd. Pre-orders available at these links while vinyl packages are available on their website (see below for link).
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King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard – “Ice V” (Melbourne, Australia)
RIYL: The Gizz go Khruangbin
When the term “epic” is used to describe a King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard tune, the immediate assumption is that it would be a wild, wacky, and feverish psychedelic rocker. In Stu Mackenzie, Joe Walker, Ambrose Kenny-Smith, Lucas Skinner, Cook Craig, and Michael Cavanagh’s early years, this was definitely true. Now well into their 2nd decade as a band, however, the Aussie outfit can easily craft an interstellar journey as easily as a groovy, trippy escapade. It is on the latter where we find the sextet with “Ice V”.
The RIYL describes it all – this 10-plus minute extravaganza is The Gizz channeling their inner Khruangbin. “Ice V” is groovy, funky, smooth, and an all-out neo-psychedelic endeavor. The inclusion of the flute, which Mackenzie performs, gives the song an added sensuality as well as a trippier feel. As such, the ten minutes fly right on by because we’re left bedazzled by the band’s masterful orchestration. A song from The Gizz, however, requires a great story, which Mackenzie once again delivers. Despite the sensual grooves, the track concerns a Ganymede princess that seeks revenge and to rule them all. While the lyrics are great fantasy, they also are grounded in our reality.
“Queen of ice
Suffice to say
Engulfing all in crystal dismay
Freezing whims as the sun dims
The pressure tearing limb from limb
Earth born cities stripped away as the ice queen hypnotically sways
Queen of ice
Suffice to say
Engulfing all in crystal dismay”
“Ice V” is the first single from King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard’s forthcoming trilogy – yes three! – of albums. Ice, Death, Planets, Lungs, Mushrooms And Lava will be released October 7th with Laminated Denim out October 12th and Changes revealed on October 28th. Click the album titles to pre-order the LP’s on Bandcamp.
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Freedom Fry – “Sunset Blvd” (Los Angeles, USA)
RIYL: Future Islands, Phoenix, Peter Bjorn and John
Thirty-three and counting. This is how many times married couple Marie Seyrat and Bruce Driscoll’s project Freedom Fry has been featured here. One doesn’t need to be a rocket scientist to understand why we’re fans. Whether it is the alt-folk of their early beginnings to the more pop-oriented songs of their present, the duo make music that get the endorphins firing. “Sunset Blvd” is just another example of Freedom Fry’s feel-good nature.
The band’s latest single is the perfect marriage of Future Islands’ dramatic synth-pop, Phoenix boppy and catchy indie-pop, and Peter Bjorn and John’s shimmering warmth. This combination, consequently, yields a tune perfect for these late-summer / early-autumn days, where the afternoons are warm and sunny while the evenings are refreshingly cool. It’s also the ideal tune to spin on a little joyride. Whether that’s traveling down Sunset Boulevard or the back roads of the countryside, this track will revitalize your soul and rekindle your belief in yourself.
No wonder we’re fans of Seyrat and Driscoll.
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SORRY – “Key To The City” (London, England)
RIYL: Porridge Radio, Lala Lala, Wolf Alice
One of the great indie stories of the past half-decade is the meteoric rise of SORRY. It wasn’t long ago – five years to be precise – when the London-based outfit were playing small venues and opening for other rising indie bands. Fast forward to 2022 and they are quickly approaching Wolf Alice-level popularity and influence, which could happen as soon as this year because their new album, Anywhere but Here, will be released. From the LP, Asha Lorenz (vocals, guitar), Louis O’Bryen (guitar, backing vocals), Campbell Baum (bass), Lincoln Barrett (drums), and Marco Pini (electronics) share “Key To The City”.
The quintet’s newest single is a masterclass in musical drama. Post-punk rhythms collide with a dark-pop approach, creating a very sobering, stark, yet brittle environment. Lorenz’s voice, too, is a combination of vulnerability, anger, jealousy, and disappointment. As the dramatic fireworks explode behind her, she shares the mixed emotions eating away at her as a relationship hangs by a thread. Although Lorenz knows the time has come for it to end, she still has strong feelings for the other person despite his cheating ways.
“If you’re gonna leave, I don’t care
Hope you make a lot of rich friends out there
Bet a lot of those friends turn bad out there, out there, out there
So it’s not me, I don’t care
Go and have another hot girl affair
But a lotta good bitches turn bad out there, out there, out there”
Anywhere but Here is out October 7th via Domino Record Co. Pre-orders available here and on Bandcamp.
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Angélica Garcia – “Y Grito” (El Monte, CA USA)
RIYL: Nine Inch Nails, Ela Minus, Kelly Lee Owens
A lot has happened since Angélica Garcia released Cha Cha Palace in 2020. That record was a breakout in every sense, as Garcia broke out of her shell and proudly embraced her heritage. A track from the record also ended up on Barack Obama’s favorite songs of the year list, and the record ended up on many “favorite” / “Best of” lists. In addition, Garcia hosted a radio station in the video game Forza Horizon 5, where she welcomed listeners into the game’s setting of Mexico in between spinning some great rock tunes. Simply put, Garcia has become a star.
Garcia keeps that momentum rolling with “Y Grito”, the first single off of her yet-to-be-named new LP. Despite being a brief minute and a half long, there’s so much to the song. Garcia’s voice is layered upon itself in a way she has perfected over the years, running through a perfect layer of distortion. Driven by an intense bassy synth and ever-changing percussion, by the end of the track, it feels like quite a ride. The lyrics are all in Spanish, painting some intense religious imagery.
There are no official details about Garcia’s upcoming record, but “Y Grito” is an intriguing first single and a sign that Garcia isn’t stopping anytime soon.
The single is out on Partisan Records.
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Deerhoof – “My Lovely Cat” (San Francisco, USA)
RIYL: Deerhoof (who else?)
As if we needed another reason to adore Deerhoof, the masters of the unpredictable and strange deliver a song about a feline. Now the protagonist is no ordinary feline but is the famed Lil’ Bub, who for nearly eight years entertained ordinary blokes like us on social media (Lil’ Bub passed away in 2019). To be fair to the quartet, the song originally was going to be about any ordinary cat, but they collaborated with Bub’s human slave Mike Bridavsky to fine-tune the lyrics. The end result is “My Lovely Cat!”
The song is quintessential Deerhoof. It’s a little off-kilter, unusually catchy, and pure fun. We don’t even need to know what front-woman Satomi Matsuzaki is saying since the lyrics are entirely in Japanese. We can only assume she is telling little anecdotes about the adventures of the furry, little creatures and how we embrace them as members of our families. They are our furbabies after all.
Deerhoof are Satomi Matsuzaki (vocals, bass), John Dietrich (guitar), Ed Rodriguez (guitar), and Greg Saunier (drums). The single is out on Joyful Noise Recordings.
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Wednesday – “Bull Believer” (Asheville, NC USA)
RIYL: Sonic Youth, Kim Gordon, Swearin’
Wednesday‘s music always has possessed a ’90s-esque angst quality, making them a perfect fit to the Dead Oceans roster. The Karly Hartzman-fronted outfit’s material, however, has largely been of the quick and accessible variety – roughly three to four minutes in length with some awesome guitar solos. To celebrate their signing to the influential indie label, Wednesday unleash the second epic on our list, but this one is an absolute monster.
The first half of the track is ferocious in its intensity. The guitars wail, the rhythms hammer hard, and Hartzman’s voice hollers with unbridled desperation. She is the witness to the fall of a friend, who struggles with addiction and despair. A brief moment of serenity arrives at roughly the 4.5-minute mark, at which point Hartzman’s voice turns tender and intimate like Julia Jacklin. The reprieve, however, is short lived, leading to a tumultuous wall of noise in the song’s final 2.5 minutes. Hartzman’s voice screams over top the scorching soundscape. She is anguish, watching everything come falling apart.
Simply outstanding.
Wednesday includes: Karly Hartzman (guitar, vocals), MJ Lenderman (guitar, backing vocals), Xandy Chelmis (lap steel), Margo Schultz (bass), and Alan Miller (drums). We’re hoping an album is coming early next year.
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Dry Cleaning – “Gary Ashby” (London, England)
RIYL: Yard Act + Joy Division + W.H. Lung
In their short career as Dry Cleaning, the collective of Florence Shaw (vocals), Nicholas Hugh Andrew Buxton (drums), Thomas Paul Dowse (guitar), and Lewis Maynard (bass) have been known to write bizarre tales while ripping off some great post-punk melodies. They are as non-linear as one could get in music. But on “Gary Ashby”, they pull off a couple of surprises without compromising the traits that have made them cult heroes within the indie community.
First, the storyline is quite straightforward – it concerns the travails of the Shaw family’s pet tortoise named Gary Ashby. Shaw’s lyrics remains amusing, as she shares the adventures the little reptile, including how Gary’s stumpy legs would kick in the air when he ends up stuck on his back. Second, instead of the song being a full-out post-punk tune, it is much more jangly and infectious. The guitar work, in particular, is stellar with its gauzy tones. Dry Cleaning as the next great jangle-pop band? Quite possible but they, in our eyes, remain one of the great post-punk grounds of the past decade.
Dry Cleaning’s new album, Stumpwork, is out October 21st on 4AD. Pre-orders available at these links and on Bandcamp.
Slaney Bay – “I Could Love You Better” (London, England)
RIYL: Alvvays, Beach Bunny, Hazel English
When Slaney Bay released “Take Your Time”, we were impressed at how a band with just a handful of tracks seemed to exponentially expand their sound over time. Even just in one song, Caitlin Whitley (vocals, guitar), William Nicola-Thompson (guitar), and Joel Martin (bass) know the perfect way to get listeners hooked and take them for a ride.
The expansion continues with “I Could Love You Better”. A catchy guitar hook kicks things off with a ton of energy. Whitley’s voice comes in and the song’s vibe shifts more into the laid-back and dreamy, thanks to the perfect combination of her reverb-drenched vocals, atmospheric synth, and poppy drumming. The intro’s energy returns for the choruses, as Whitley’s voice pirouettes to extreme heights while everything hits hard underneath it. It’s a dynamic that continues throughout “I Could Love You Better”, and it’s amplified even more by its gorgeous bridge.
The band’s debut’s EP, A Life Worth Living, will be released November 11th.
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