"Help" by Duval Timothy

Duval Timothy pulls inspiration from color and afterimages on his third album Help. Timothy continues his unconventional approach to music as a means to translate the visual on Help through his unique brand of avante garde jazz. Abstraction and Black diaspora, the spread and displacement of Black people following slavery, serve as inspiration for Help, Timothy said. While Timothy takes a high-culture approach to his music, Help is still consumable and avoids some of the more abrasive sonic components of avante garde jazz, having more structure than traditional avante garde jazz as well.

By Emma Chekroun

"A Hero’s Death" by Fontaines D.C

Just a year after the Dublin post punk band Fontaines D.C. 's debut album Dogrel, the group is back with A Hero’s Death. On their sophomore album, Fontaines trade out the indulgent confidence, and sometimes dense sound, of Dogrel for a moodier and more expansive sound. Inspired by The Beach Boys and the ocean, the group reflects on society on this album and uses their new roomier sound to help create a sense of escapism; that escapism was a key element that stood out to them about the Beach Boys’ music. It’s a blink and you’ll miss it comparison, but those familiar with the slow wavy spaced out sounds of the Beach Boys’ “Good Vibrations” will hear a similar spacey landscape on most of A Hero’s Death.

By Emma Chekroun

"Ultimate Success Today" by Protomartyr

Ultimate Success Today, Detroit group Protomartyr’s fifth album, channels serious Black Parade vibes as frontman Joe Casey closes a chapter for the band. Like Black Parade was to My Chemical Romance, this isn’t an outright end to the band but the last album to stay sonically consistent with music previously put out by Protomartyr. This album is both dense and dynamic thanks to Protomartyr’s macabre lyrics like, “A foreign disease washed upon the beach,” and incorporation of sax and woodwind sections which accent the group’s dark rock sound so well it makes you wonder why more rock bands aren’t doing it.

By Emma Chekroun

"FREE I.H: This Is Not The One You've Been Waiting For" by Illuminati Hotties

Through cheeky chaos, FREE I.H: This Is Not The One You've Been Waiting For embraces the intermediate period the Illuminati Hotties find themselves in as they break away from their label, Tiny Engines. By embracing the rough punk side of their tenderpunk sound throughout this mixtape, the Hotties create a more spontaneous sound than that of their debut album Kiss Yr Frenemies, while still providing a core to anchor the project. Frontman Sarah Tudzin says hip hop mixtapes were a major inspiration for the group's latest release. While the overall sound of FREE I.H  feels more cohesive than a typical mixtape, the variety of speed and sound choices help create a “compilation” effect. Nearly every song stands on its own and is undeniably catchy, making FREE I.H more comparable to a greatest hits album. While mixtapes are less common in the indie rock world, FREE I.H. may very well be the prototype for how to make a successful indie mixtape. 

Civilisation EP by Kero Kero Bonito

British trio Kero Kero Bonito, on their return to their 2019 release, CIVILISATION, which focused heavily on natural disasters, turned their attention to another kind of natural disaster: time.The three tracks on the EP are each set in their own tense, with only “vintage” production created using old hardware. The EP is a blend of futuristic hyperpop and retro synthpop, making for another chronological cocktail. The charming nostalgia evoked by CIVILISATION II makes what could be a daunting task of considering difficult topics such as impermanence, presence, and resurrection, as alluded to in the lyrics, a warm and even comforting act of introspection. 

By Emma Chekroun