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Q's Compilations
Vol #157 – August to
September 2024
01) Teen Jesus and the Jean Teasers – Ahhhh!: I was browsing show listings on OhMyRockness a couple of months ago and noticed this Australian four piece playing Mercury Lounge so I gave their debut album, I Love You (released October 2023) and liked it a lot. Unfortunately it turned out I already had tickets for another show so couldn’t go anyway, but I thought this made for a good opener.
02) Beach Bunny – Clueless: I used Vertigo on the last mix and Beach Bunny have since released this tune as another single and it’s another banger. Sounds like a new album will come out in 2025.
03) Spirit Night - Darker Now: New York’s Spirit Night is the workings of Dylan Balliett, who had a spell in The World Is a Beautiful Place & I Am No Longer Afraid to Die, but give me this power pop delight any day of the week, with a hint of bedroom/lo-fi joy to the whole thing, no doubt some Flying Nun inspiration to boot. This is taken from new record Time Won’t Tell was released on the 4th of October.
04) The Umbrellas – Gone: San Francisco jangle-pop quartet The Umbrellas released Fairweather Friend back in January but I only really just got around to listening to it and bought it on the most recent bandcamp Friday (via Slumberland Records).
05) The Reds, Pinks & Purples - The World Doesn't Need Another Band: What’s a Q-comp these days without a song by the Reds, Pinks & Purples? This is the title track of a collection that Glenn Donaldson notes “some brand new songs and a few remixes of previous singles that felt like they fit with this set.”. Just another great set of songs and I hope he never slows down!
06) Thee Sacred Souls - Live for You: I went solo to see Thee Sacred Souls at a free outdoor show in Prospect Park this summer and it was an incredibly pleasant gig. I played their 2022 self-titled record a good amount when it came out and they just released the follow-up Got a Story to Tell, which obviously this track comes from.
07) Naima Bock – Kaley: If you’re in the mood for some 70s inspired UK folk then Naima Bock’s new record, Below a Massive Dark Land should be up your alley. Even the album cover has a bit of a I Want to see the Bright Lights Tonight vibe to it. The record came out on the 27th of September via Sub Pop.
08) Emily Frembgen - Are You Listening?: Emily Frembgen’s second album, No Hard Feelings was released on the 13th of September via Don Giovanni Records, and it’s a lovely dose of Americana. This track kicks off the record and is probably the most upbeat, not that the album is a bummer!
09) Horse Jumper of Love - Today's Iconoclast: Speaking of bands that excel in downbeat tunes, Horse Jumper of Love released their fifth album, Disaster Trick in August on Run for Cover Records and it’s another perfect addition to their glowing slowcore discography.
10) Wild Pink - The Fences of Stonehenge: I’ve flittered in and out with Wild Pink over the years, I enjoy a song here and there, but it doesn’t seem to stick. However, the group recently signed to Fire Talk who can do little wrong as a label, and this album opener immediately jumped out at me. Something about the production really sings here.
11) Lightheaded - Bright Happy Girls: I think this song popped up on a random Spotify playlist and my ears were immediately drawn to the guitars which have that perfect 80s REM sound, or possibly even lifted from the Meat Puppets Up On The Sun record.
12) Ex-Pilots – Motel: I can’t recall where I heard this track I have to confess. I think it was a bandcamp purchase that then suggested I would like this Pittsburgh sextet. This song appears on their album Motel Cable which was released on the 23rd of August. The record notes it was recorded at home in Pittsburgh and NYC between 2019-2024. The vocals, while relatively buried, remind me of White Reaper.
13) Thus Love - On the Floor: I was a big fan of Thus Love’s Memorial record from 2022 and new record, All Pleasure will be released on the 1st of November (once again via Captured Tracks), this is one of the singles and also opens the record.
14) Louse - Thieves: Sticking with the goth vibe, Louse are from Cincinnati, Ohio whose debut album, Passions Like Tar came out on the 20th of September on Feel it Records. The album leans heavily on the likes of early Comsat Angels
15) Molchat Doma - Ty Zhe Ne Znaesh Kto Ya: This trio are from Minks, Belarus, and their name translates as Houses Are Silent. We’re keeping the goth run going with this track, albeit in a dance-y synth-pop way. This record, Belaya Polosa was released on the 6th of September via Sacred Bones.
16) Parannoul - Lights Off Repentance: South Korea bedroom-shoegaze wizard Parannoul surprise-released his latest album, Sky Hundred on the 3rd of August. He recently announced that he’ll no longer perform live (having only performed a handful of shows in South Korea, one of which is captured on the live album After the Night), but so long as he keeps putting out great music like this, that’s enough of a gift.
17) Pom Pom Squad – Spinning: Mia Berrin’s Pom Pom Squad return with second album Mirror Starts Moving Without Me on the 25th of October, following 2021’s Death of a Cheerleader which is a really great record (2021 also provided both a cover of Nada Surf’s Popular in addition to opening for the band on tour). The new songs released so far sound a bit more produced and I’m curious to hear what the full record sounds like.
18) The Hives - Bogus Operandi: I never really listened to The Hives, but I ended up with a couple of free tickets to see one of their recent shows at Kings Theatre and they put on a hell of a show. Looking at their discography, they released an album in 2023, The Death of Randy Fitzsimmons, which this track opens and is a pretty solid rock and roll album.
19) Leaving Time – Wise: Keen listeners may remember Jacksonville Florida’s Leaving Time from Q#152, at the time they’d released a couple of Eps but they’re soon to release their debut full length, Angel in the Sand will come out on the 1st of November via Sunday Drive Records.
20) Mondaze – Linger: Sticking with Shoegaze, but this time from Faenza, Italy. This band appeared on a couple of mixes in 2021 and will be releasing a new record on November 22 called Linger, of which this is obviously the title track.
21) Yoo Doo Right - Spirit's Heavy But Not Overthrown: Montreal band Yoo Doo Right will release t their third album on the 8th of November and the two songs they’ve released so far sound like it’s going to be another triumph of kraut/space/post-rock.
I’m sure the next one will be late but it’ll also be the last “normal” mix of the year before we round up the best of 2024, where did it go?!
As
always, Peace and Love - Q
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