WE LISTEN TO OTHER THINGS! Yeah, it’s a metal site. We all know this. But clearly we have interests outside the metal realm, and I believe most of our readers do as well. This wasn’t as adventurous a year as we’d hope to have, but that happens. We live in hell. But there were plenty of good records out there that became a part of our musical DNA, and here are 10 of them.
CIRCUIT DES YEUX, “Halo on the Inside” (Matador): A bit of a different, darker, noisier, abrasive record from this project long helmed by Haley Fohr. There are more electronic elements, and the feel is,not necessarily morbid, but certainly dripping with darker, foreboding colors. “I can make a radio break,” she insists on “Canopy of Eden,” one of the standout tracks here, and it sounds like a threat. “Megaloner” zaps through the shadow with synth and Fohr’s husky voice; “Skeleton Key” basks in nighttime skies and fog, feeling earthy; “Truth” is disruptive and terminally dancey, if you can find room amongst the ghouls, especially when she jabs, “Truth is just imagination of the mind.” (March 14)
For more on the band, go here: https://circuitdesyeux.com/
To buy the album, go here: https://matadorrecords.com/pages/store
For more on the label, go here: https://matadorrecords.com/
ETHEL CAIN, “Willoughby Tucker, I’ll Always Love You” (Daughter of Cain): Hayden Silas Anhedönia insists that “Willoughby Tucker, I’ll Always Love You” is the final for her Ethel Cain persona, and if so, it’s one hell of a document with which to end this saga. This record, a prequel to her debut “Preacher’s Daughter,” covers Cain’s teenage years, and the sprawling 74-minute record runs the gamut of emotions as well as composition styles, mixing folk pop with ambiance. “I know she’s your girl now, but she was my girl first,” Cain sings heartbreakingly on opener “Janie,” a total dagger. “Fuck Me Eyes” pulses with synth and lust and frustration and it’s magic. “Dust Bowl” feels like a rustic dream, with the edges feeling misty and strange. What a final chapter this is. (Aug. 8)
For more on the band, go here: https://www.daughtersofcain.com/
To buy the album, go here: https://ethelcain.ffm.to/wtialy
DIE SPITZ, “Something to Consume” (Third Man): I have seen this record on some metal lists, and that’s fine. This Austin power has more punk and grunge in their sound, with “Throw Yourself to the Sword” really the only truly metallic track here (and it is a fucking slayer). The rest? Absolute earworms that bring back thoughts of Hole, just with way less baggage. “Pop Punk Anthem (Sorry for the Delay)” is a great, energy-inducing opener that gets the blood flowing. “American Porn” is catchy as all fuck, with breezier choruses and a blade, especially vocally over the chorus. “RIDING WITH MY GIRLS” (caps on purpose) is a cruncher that leaves you in the dust. All the weirdos keep saying rock is dead? Die Spitz beg to differ. With a sword! (Sept. 12)
For more on the band, go here: https://www.diespitz.com/
To buy the album, go here: https://thirdmanrecords.com/collections/new-releases/products/something-to-consume
For more on the label, go here: https://thirdmanrecords.com/
EXWIFE, “BLOW” (self-released): It was a hard year for me, for some reason, to find new music I liked outside of metal, and it feels largely like a failure. But not totally. Say what you wish about TikTok, but I’ve found some good music there, the latest of which is Oregon’s ExWife, whose “BLOW” is a lot of vintage grunge fun, strong guitar work, and Alexandria Bonanno’s expressive voice that can bristle and soothe in the same line, nailing with acerbic wit. “Shadows” is their calling card, the first track on the record and the stickiest, though what follows is more than worthy. “Meditating” zaps around with power, melodic fuzz spilling from the seams as Bonanno wonders, “Are you listening on the other side of the screen?” The title track is packed with innuendo, punching at you alluringly. “Wild West” is smoky with guitar buzz, feeling like vintage ’90s indie rock, Bonanno demanding, “Tell me I’m funny!” I JUST DID! (March 7)
For more on the band, go here: https://exwifeband.bandcamp.com/
To buy the album, go here: https://exwifeband.bandcamp.com/album/blow
MARISSA NADLER, “New Radiations” (Sacred Bones): “New Radiations” is Marissa Nadler’s 10th record, and it’s another immersive trip into her mind. While a little more folkish than her last couple albums, these 11 tracks will prove she’s right where she usually is, telling tales as old as time that seem to come from somewhere time doesn’t even exist. It’s a warm, haunting, rousing adventure, and every ounce of this goes down easily. “It Hits Harder” opens with stark acoustics, Nadler’s unmistakable voice calling, “Everything dies, it’s just the way.” “You Called Her Camelia” is soft and black, pedal steel glistening; the title track is warm and galactic; “To Be the Moon King” is a sad tale told in sepia tones; and “Sad Satellite” keeps us in space, acoustics dripping as memories from winter days shake you. Everything Nadler does feels both timeless and from the void. (Aug. 15)
For more on the band, go here: https://www.marissanadler.com/
To buy the album, go here: https://www.sacredbonesrecords.com/products/sbr-371-marissa-nadler-new-radiations
For more on the label, go here: https://www.sacredbonesrecords.com/
PILE, “Sunshine and Balance Beams” (Sooper): Pretty much if a Pile record comes out during the calendar year, it’s going to make my list of favorite non-metal records. Or records in general. “Sunshine” is a little more in the band’s tradition of blunt, bloody rock that can agitate as much as soothe, which took a slight break on 2023’s “All Fiction,” which still was a great record. From opener “An Opening” to the aggressive and propulsive “Deep Clay” to the synth-rich and eventually volcanic “Bouncing in Blue,” which is one of my favorite tracks here, Rick Maguire and the band drive hard and earnestly, charring your ears and senses with an album that eschews perfection for heart. (Aug. 15)
For more on the band, go here: https://pilemusic.com/
To buy the album, go here: https://sooperrecords.limitedrun.com/products/867084-sunshine-and-balance-beams
For more on the label, go here: https://sooperrecords.limitedrun.com/
MARGO PRICE, “Hard Headed Woman” (Loma Vista): Margo Price has let all of herself spill out before her audiences, and her latest “Hard Headed Woman” has her going headfirst back into straight-up country. The good stuff. That isn’t tainted by major corporations or fucking AI. Starting with opener “Don’t Let the Bastards Get You Down,” inspired by a Kris Kristofferson line, she burns the idea of selling one’s heart to a businessman because “he’ll sell it back next time around.” “Don’t Wake Me Up” swaggers and steams, with tasty slide guitar burning; “Close to You” is a softer ballad that weeps with pedal steel; and “I Just Don’t Give a Damn” (a George Jones song) actually reminds a bit of 1980s Dolly, which you should know is a huge compliment, and has some goddamn great guitar work. (Aug. 29)
For more on the band, go here: https://www.margoprice.net/
To buy the album, go here: https://bodega.lomavistarecordings.com/collections/margo-price
For more on the label, go here: https://bodega.lomavistarecordings.com/
ANNA VON HAUSSWOLFF, “ICONOCLASTS” (YEAR0001): Anna Von Hausswolff, on her sixth record “ICONOCLASTS,” sees the struggle of taking on too many burdens as well as the drive to salvage our lives and power as we see the world crumbling before us. She took the example of Atlas, with the world on his shoulders, and drove into these 12 songs and 72 minutes. “Facing Atlas” has sax swirls and organs, Von Hausswolff’s singing unfurling as the emotion spills alongside her. “The Whole Woman” features Iggy Pop, sounding more weathered but as charismatic and vulnerable as ever. The song emerges from a dream, two distant lovers pining yet smarting over the wounds. It’s incredible. “Stardust” rouses and reverberates. “Aging Young Women” features Ethel Cain on vocals alongside Von Hausswolff, and their voices meld like honey and heartache. “Unconditional Love,” featuring Anna’s sister Maria, feels like a declaration, the emotion cresting and fading. This is modern day Kate Bush shit. (Oct. 31)
For more on the band, go here: https://www.youtube.com/@AnnavonHausswolff
To buy the album, go here: https://yr1.se/iconoclasts
For more on the label, go here: https://year0001.com/
WEDNESDAY, “Bleeds” (Secretly Canadian): Let’s get this out of the way: “Bleeds” has some of the worst cover art of the year. Sorry. But the music? Another stellar album from this North Carolina band reeling from the breakup of band leader Karly Hartman and MJ Lenderman, and while you might think that leads to some Fleetwood Mac drama, it honestly doesn’t. It’s a great record, a surprising one, and the one likely to paste them to the map. It has a strong 1-2 punch opener of “Reality TV Argument Bleeds” that goes from drunken slurry to rock that tries to navigate the room under the influence, and “Townies,” a folk rocker that is infectious and sticky. “Elderberry Wine” simmers in the aforementioned heartbreak; “Pick Up That Knife” feels like a hot summer afternoon; and “Wasp” is 86 seconds of fuzz, distortion, screaming, and aggression like you’ve never heard or expected from Wednesday. (Sept. 19)
For more on the band, go here: https://www.wednesday.band/
To buy the album, go here: https://secretlystore.com/products/wednesday-bleeds
For more on the label, go here: https://secretlycanadian.com/
WET LEG, “Moisturizer” (Domino Recording Co.): Some people probably thought English pop rock band Wet Leg only had one trick up their sleeves with their debut and songs such as “Chaise Longue” and “Wet Dream,” a foolish thought to begin with. “Moisturizer” should shut those people up. Rhian Teasdale (as charismatic and bitingly funny a singer/lyricist as there is) and Hester Chambers pulled together their touring band and made them permanent and punched out a great record that, yes, still can make you smirk but also proves the chops they possess. Opener “CPR” flexes and slinks, feeling like they’re setting you up for something, especially with the loopy chorus. Yeah, we’ve all heard “catch these fists,” and it never loses its ridiculous appeal. The best cut here is “mangetout,” a goddamn cut-down of a track that contains some of Teasdale’s best lyrics, not the least of which is, “You think I’m pretty, you think I’m pretty cool, you want to fuck me, I know most people do.” Go listen to it and have fun for once. (July 11)
For more on the band, go here: https://wetlegband.com/
To buy the album, go here: https://www.dominomusic.com/releases/wet-leg/moisturizer/lp
For more on the label, go here: https://www.dominomusic.com/us
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