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New Music This Week: July 18

recapping the last week of music, with new releases from Alex G, Sunforger, Chemical, They Are Gutting a Body of Water, Water From Your Eyes, Winter, and MORE

Alex G, wearing a blue shirt and light pants, eats a green apple. He stands on a light background.
Alex G by Bowen Fernie (via Pitchfork)

An overwhelming amount of music is released daily, and we're here to help you weed through it all. Every week, we share select releases we recommend and personalized picks from a few of our editors.


Welcome to our new releases guide featuring the most notable music released the week of July 18.


BLIGATORY Picks


Alex G - Headlights

Indie Folk, Singer-Songwriter
via RCA Records

Coming hot off the heels of the original motion picture soundtrack for last year’s existential drama, I Saw The TV Glow, Alex G’s fuzzy singer-songwriting capabilities once again enrapture and soothe on Headlights. This is his first major label debut, through RCA, but with Alex’s extensive discography and developed sound into account, you wouldn’t be able to tell (a good thing, trust me).


There’s a true plurality in genre proclivities across Headlights, but I really appreciate how Alex manages to cohere them all together under one umbrella. “Beam Me Up” fuses jazzy drums with enough other melodic and dreamy oddities that could see it in a Twin Peaks re-score, yet there’s somehow a banjo snuck in there too.


“June Guitar” initially appears pretty simple with thick, dark acoustic strumming and a consistent stream of some hi-hat-tambourine combination—until the djembe kicks in, the accordion starts to swell, and we get these kitschy re-pitched vocals. It’s a gorgeously triumphant opener to an invigorating debut. Don’t be a deer and stare too long. Step to the side and take in the wind as it rushes past. Easiest forty-one minutes of the month.



Sunforger - Auspices (EP)

Indie Rock, Slacker Rock, Post-Punk
via Cooked Raw

write-up by Peter Doherty


It's been two years since we've heard from Montreal's Sunforger, the four-piece consisting of Spencer Curtis, Piper Curtis (knitting), Chris Hauer, and Kier Graham. Their 2023 self-titled album was my introduction to them; in years since, it has been pivotal in my journey into the more gangly side of the already fairly gangly world of post-punk. The Auspices EP is a 7-minute peak behind the curtain we've been waiting for, confirming that the off-centre sphere of goodness is still in spin.


Sunforger has this to say about the title of the EP:

"The name Auspices is twofold. It’s the observation and interpretation of omens, attempting to discern the will of fate and the shape of the future. It also represents the guiding hand one takes in shaping that destiny for themselves and others. With their new EP, Sunforger offers you a sign of things to come, and a guiding light amid the shadow of uncertainty."


Auspices serves as a bit of a teaser, a bridge between one sonic space and another. "It's a monument to the past, and an omen of things to come," says the band (via Instagram). This is like music to my ears. A new full-length Sunforger project should be enough to fill the void of peg-legged post-punk feats for the foreseeable.


Auspices is out now via cooked raw.



Blood Orange - "Mind Loaded" (ft. Caroline Polachek, Lorde, & Mustafa) / "Somewhere In Between"

Art Pop, Alt-Pop
via RCA Records / Domino Recording Co.




Post-Punk, No Wave
via bloody knuckles / Many Hats Distribution

write-up by Dominick Baglivo


Another week, another Philly band with impressive crossover crops up. Featuring members from Halloween and Primal Rat Screw, Chemical is a recently formed trio that just announced their debut project. “Subliminal Arrow” and “Eurotrash” are commanding introductions; described as “paramilitary core,” Chemical’s sound is of a dark and disparate nature. The full six-track self-titled release is out August 15 via bloody knuckles.



Emma Louise & Flume - "Easy Goodbye"

Wonky, Future Bass
Self-Released


They Are Gutting a Body of Water - "trainers"

Shoegaze, Neo-Psychedelia
via ATO Records / Julia's War Recordings / Smoking Room

write-up by Dominick Baglivo


If you’ve ever given even a fraction of your attention to the modern ‘shoegaze’ renaissance, you’re certainly aware of They Are Gutting a Body of Water. The Philly-based project led by Douglas Dulgarian—who also runs Julia’s War Records, the preeminent pushers of the scene’s best—has been shaping the movement for years now. Alongside Dulgarian, the band features bassist Emily Lofing, guitarist PJ Carroll, and drummer Ben Opatut. Behind a steady output of fuzzy, layered, and transcendental rock records, the crew sits at the forefront of experimental rock.


In May, the band shared “american food,” which marked the first partnered release between Julia’s War, the Oakland-based Smoking Room, and ATO Records. As expected, we now learn this partnership was part of something larger, with this week’s “trainers” coming alongside the announcement of a new record, titled LOTTO.


Equal parts intense, crunchy fuzz and hypno-bliss, “trainers” is, simply, great.


About the upcoming record, here’s what Dulgarian had to say:

“In a world of perpetually increasing artifice, this record is my attempt to surface through the sea of false muck. It’s rife with perceivable mistakes, ebbing and flowing with the most humanity I can place on one record. The more I utilized [technology], the softer I got. I return again and again to that world because it’s more comfortable than my physical body. The dopamine flooding my brain. And in moments of clarity, I am often very aware that we’re currently watching the homogenization of art right before our very eyes. I am afraid that technology and convenience will cure the world of life.”


LOTTO is out October 17 via Julia’s War / Smoking Room / ATO Records.



Upchuck - "Forgotten Token" / "Un Momento"

Garage Punk
via Domino Recording Co.

write-up by Dominick Baglivo


Whipping up a firestorm every time they play, Atlanta punks Upchuck—KT (vocals), Mikey Durham (guitar), Hoff (guitar), Ausar Ward (bass), and Chris Salado (drums/vocals)—return with two new singles a month after sharing “Plastic.” “Forgotten Token” and “Un Momento” pave the way for the band’s third album, I’m Nice Now.


During the period Upchuck was recording the LP, vocalist KT endured the sudden loss of her sister. On “Forgotten Token,” KT grapples with this, reflecting on the way lives like hers are undervalued and even commodified. “It’s just like another soft yell/yearn for remaining aware of how you’re treating others and what people mean to you. You can lose things easily and not care, thinking you’ll just get another one. But people aren’t objects,” she says.


“Un Momento” is one of three tracks from I’m Nice Now featuring Salado on vocals. A vicious and timely offering, the refrain of “Dame un momento,” (give me a moment) followed by “para sufrir…para vivir…para pensar…para volar” (to suffer, to live, to think, to fly), feels increasingly pressing as ICE raids continue to rip apart families, neighborhoods, and the fabric of this country.


As was the case with 2023’s Bite The Hand That Feeds, Ty Segall joined forces with Upchuck to produce the band’s new record. I’m Nice Now is Upchuck’s first release on Domino, and it’s out October 3.




Water From Your Eyes - "Playing Classics"

Alternative Dance, Dance-Punk
via Matador Records

write-up by Dominick Baglivo


Following last month’s announcement of It’s A Beautiful Place, experimental duo Water From Your Eyes catch a groove on the record’s second single, “Playing Classics.” A more dance-focused track than the harsher edge of lead single, “Life Signs,” this one’s got a steady, four-on-the-floor beat with some fun synths. Likely the most niche reference I’ve made, but it kinda reminds me of the music in ConSumo—the arcade game within Rockstar’s 2006 video game Bully.


It's a Beautiful Place is out August 22 via Matador Records. From late September to about mid-December, you can catch WFYE on tour in both North America and Europe. Find the full list of dates here.



Winter - "Without You"

Dream Pop
via Winspear

write-up by Dominick Baglivo


Next month, Samira Winter will release her new album, Adult Romantix. This week, she shared “Without You,” the most tender of the three singles yet. The dreamy track follows “Just Like A Flower” and “Misery” (ft. Horse Jumper of Love), and is the first to feature partial lyrics in Portuguese.


In a press release, Winter explains:

"This song is diving into that feeling of longing, of what we call in Portuguese ‘saudades.’ It’s a word that is not translatable to English and describes a deep emotional state of nostalgic longing for something or someone that is absent, lost, or unattainable."


Adult Romantix is out August 22 on Winspear. About a month after the album’s release, Winter will head out on a US tour (plus one stop in Toronto), supported by one of two Philly acts—A Country Western and Hooky—on most dates. Find the full list of dates here.



Wombo - "Spyhopping"

Post-Punk, Indie Rock
via Fire Talk Records

write-up by Dominick Baglivo


Louisville trio Wombo share single number three from album three. Following the title track and “Neon Bog,” the latest preview from Danger In Fives comes in the dark, spindly form of “Spyhopping.”


“Spyhopping is a behavior by marine animals like whales, where they are checking their surroundings by poking one eye out of the water while keeping the rest of their body safely underneath,” vocalist/bassist Sydney Chadwick explains. “The lyrics resemble my broken train of thoughts, going from one direction to the next, and my attempt to ‘reel it in’ and become centered again. Like being underwater, and needing to, every now and then, resurface for clarity.”


Danger In Fives is out August 8 on Fire Talk. Following its release, Wombo will hit the road for a US tour, plus some UK/EU dates. Find the full list of dates here.



Atticus' Pick


Indietronica, Twee Pop
via Takotsubo Records


Cam's Picks


Abstract Mindstate & Young RJ - The Art Project

Conscious Hip-Hop, Abstract Hip-Hop
via Honest Music / Vydia


Pop Rap, Alt-Pop
via XL Recordings


Conscious Hip-Hop, Hardcore Hip-Hop
via Lex Records


FKA twigs - "Perfectly"

Vocal Trance, Dance-Pop
via Young / Atlantic Records


Dominick's Picks


Post-Punk, Art Punk
via Sorry State Records

Following the double single they put out in June, the Cleveland duo of Nathan Ward (Cruelster, Perverts Again, The Carp) and Jayson Gerycz (Cloud Nothings) brings news of a new LP on the horizon. Spurred by the jerky weirdness of “You Climb the Sphinx,” Hypnotic Smack is KNOWSO’s third LP, and it’s out August 1 via Sorry State Records.



Loadcard - "Turn Toward You"

Indie Pop, Progressive Pop
Self-Released

Philly-based musician (and game developer) Cameron Konner typically makes complex, proggy tunes based around drums and synths under the name Loadcard. After releasing More Wings More Latitude in 2023—his first release since 2018—he’s now shared three singles in the past seven months, with “Turn Toward You” being his latest.


Following a rare guitar-driven offering in “Feather,” and the twisted funhouse music of “Revenge,” the new Loadcard single veers away from prog-rock in favor of dazzling, groovy, and upbeat pop. It’s fitting that the opening line is “an earworm inches up my neck.” Read the first two lyrics again—that’s exactly what this track is.


“Turn Toward You” features Duke Greene on bass and additional vocals from Amelia Pitcherella. While we’re still waiting on further details, Konner teased “another batch of tunes coming out this October” through Julia’s War Recordings.



R.M.F.C. - "Ecstatic Strike"

Garage Punk
via Anti Fade Records

R.M.F.C. is the project of Australian musician Buz Clatworthy. 2023 saw the release of Rock Music Fan Club’s (one of many interpretations for the acronym) first full-length, Club Hits, a heavily-replayable collection of semi-eggy, wholly addictive post-punk.


“Ecstatic Strife” is Clatworthy’s first single since Club Hits, and he comes through with an offering of similarly bouncy and moderately dingy punk. Out on August 15 (via Anti Fade Records), “Ecstatic Strife” is the first track from an upcoming 7” alongside the yet-to-be-released “Golden Trick.”


I present to you, a heavily condensed version of the Bandcamp listing, outlining a new chapter in R.M.F.C. history:

“Realise My Full Capacity: The 6 Tenets of the Ritual Music Freedom Corp…

I. Rejoice in mortality, finitude and change

II. Resist misery. Fear is a choice

III. Realise and Master the Freedom of Chaos

IV. Reality is Movement, Flux and Chance.

V. Reject Morality, Fracture your Chains

VI. RELIGION IS MUSIX FUCK THE CHURCH.”



Tummyache - "Fake New"

Post-Hardcore, Noise Rock
via eNtiTy Records

Last month, London’s Tummyache announced FAKE NEW alongside “Happy Birthday.” This week, they share the album’s gritty and highly percussive title track.


Tummyache is a DIY four-piece led by songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Soren Bryce, alongside Linus Fenton (bass), Bianka Baranova (guitar), and Arthur James (drums). FAKE NEW is the band’s third record; in promotional material, it’s said to explore “how social media, technology, and the constant churn of online culture have distorted human connection, eroded truth, and reshaped the way we see ourselves and each other.”


FAKE NEW is out August 8. On the same night, Tummyache will play a release show at the George Tavern in London, with support from Lonnie Gunn and Big Huge New Circle. Keeping in theme with the record, no phones will be allowed at the show.




Max's Picks


Glitch Pop, Progressive Electronic
via Orange Milk Records


Sam Gendel - run club (EP)

Nu Jazz, IDM
via Dorodango


Befriend Strange Creatures - "Snuffed by the Sound"

Post-Punk
via Proto Horse Records


Cowgirl Club - "Hearts That Run"

Alt. R&B
via Vada Vada


Freddie Gibbs & The Alchemist - "1995"

Jazz Rap, Gangsta Rap
via ESGN / ALC


Egg Punk, Synth Punk
via Softail Recordings


Art Rock, Post-Hardcore
via Exploding In Sound Records


postcard nowhere - "Superstar"

Slacker Rock, Bedroom Pop
Self-Released


she's green - "Willow"

Shoegaze
via Photo Finish Records


Peter's Picks


Black Rain - Black Rain

Post-Punk, Gothic Rock
Self-Released

The North East three-piece of Gothic grandeur, Black Rain, have released their debut album from the bell tower. Locked up with anticipation and left to brew in its own darkroom, the album has developed the characteristics of a damp, dingy affair.


The best of both with regards to studio recordings and live recordings, the album is split into two distinct sections, although sonically you may not even notice the shift between "Fear" and "Shadows Cry (Live)."


Black Rain's debut is a well-made piece of gothic rock and post-punk lineage. The intersection of the two states, genres, is as inseparable as cloud and sky. The bells and whistles have been left where they lie. This is a rather pure, bare-knuckle approach to music-making.


As of now, Black Rain are set to support Sanctum Sanctorium on September 26 at Sunderland's Fire Station. They are also set to play Carpe Noctum in Leeds on October 4, and Whitby Goth Weekend on November 1. Find tickets and more info here.



punxsutawney & skimp - you thought shit was fun? (split)

Post-Rock, Slowcore
Self-Released

Los Angeles' punxsutawney and Denton's skimp join forces and converge on the you thought shit was fun? split. The project features one track from Punxsutawney, "Green Hills," and two from skimp, "maybe" and "shasta forever," although the skimp tracks do bleed into one another as if they are one.


skimp show a pretty wild range from the grungy, crunchy caverns of "maybe" to the breezy meanders of "shasta forever." However, the stabs of gritty guitar are never too far for skimp. punxsutawney once again paint pastel pictures of a reminiscent state; the colours burst-and-fade, burst-and-fade. Melancholia sonically manifested is the best way to describe the meeting of punxsutawney and skimp; a complimentary sweep of sombre, heavy sonics.



A Lethal Black Ooze - "Rosie"

Noise Rock, Garage Punk
Self-Released

Waterford-based noise-rocker A Lethal Black Ooze returns with 84 seconds of unadulterated sonics. As you can probably tell by the track length, it a super quick trip into distortion-filled and world-wobbling feats.


Frontman Andy had this to say about the track:

“‘Rosie’ was written during a strange, tough time for a lot of us. It represents finding unexpected comfort and joy in certain situations, and the importance of keeping positive where you can, to make it through.”


A Lethal Black Ooze was recently featured on Minutemen's Mike Watt's Watt From Pedro podcast. You can check it out here.


Ready to rock?



Hotel Lux - "Costermonger"

Indie Rock, Post-Punk Revival
Self-Released

Portsmouth's Hotel Lux supply our ears with a skittery bout of headstrong post-punk etiquette with "Costermonger." Hotel Lux's upcoming 10-track sophomore album, The Bitter Cup, releases October 31.


Hotel Lux plays a range of UK dates this coming November and December in support of The Bitter Cup. Said dates include Newcastle (where you may find me!), Bournemouth, Darwen, Liverpool, and, of course, London. Find the full list of dates here.



Opal Mag - "Kitchen Song"

Dream Pop, Indie Rock
Self-Released

The third single to be released in 2025 for Opal Mag is a rather huge tune. Meaty drums and cascading, swirling shards of guitar create a hazy mish-mash, erring on the verge of shoegaze. The track has pretty run-of-the-mill songwriting, nothing special. Sonically speaking, the sound sphere of "Kitchen Song" is where it comes good.


Speaking on "Kitchen Song," Opal Mag had this to say:

"'Kitchen Song’ is a love letter to quiet, solitary nights spent in the sanctuary of my bedroom. While the world celebrates outside - voices lifted in karaoke, lights flashing through windows - I find a quieter kind of joy. I dance barefoot across the floor, play with makeup like it’s paint on a canvas, try on outfits just for the thrill of transformation. I eat popcorn by the handful, strum my guitar in soft, wandering melodies, lose myself in the dreamy corners of Pinterest and flick through old magazines like they're portals to another time. Nostalgic films and TV shows hum in the background, and the radio plays songs that seem to understand exactly how I feel. It’s not loneliness - it’s magic. A night made just for me."


You can catch Opal Mag live in the UK on July 13 at Sebright Arms in London, July 15 at Folklore Rooms in Brighton, August 2 at Multitude Festival in Milton Keynes, and October 18 at SWN Festival in Cardiff.



SENTRIES - "Program"

Post-Hardcore, Noise Rock
via Eau Claire Records

SENTRIES month is upon us! On July 9, Lethbridge, Alberta's "nose rock" connoisseur Sentries kept up the tradition of releasing material on his birthday and handed over Demos & Rarities Vol. 3 via SENTRIES Bandcamp.


One week later (July 16), we receive "Program," which is set to be part of the Gem of the West (Disc 2) supplementary EP; which is a collection of—in Kim Elliot's words—"leftovers from Gem of the West that I felt were still worth putting out."


We're lucky so-and-so's as SENTRIES month continues on July 25 with the release of said Gem of the West (Disc 2), out via Eau Claire Records.



Tight Collar - "White Noise"

Experimental Rock, Post-Punk
Self-Released

Tight Collar's debut single, "White Noise," brings to life the quirky antics that the band have become known for through their high-octane live shows. The jagged edge that Tight Collar brandishes finds itself sonically sharpened through the frantic performance and lyrics of frontman Rob Maughan.


"I don't know what I have left. I'm losing all of my breath. White noise suffocates strangling my neck."


The track is nicely halved by a quick breather, right before the band dives back into the mania.


Speaking on the track, Tight Collar had this to say:

"This was one of the first songs we wrote together as a band, so it felt right to have it as our debut release. We wanted it to capture the raw energy that comes from the sheer anxiety of living in today’s political climate. Alex at Polestar Studios helped us pull that energy together, giving the track its raw edge and setting us up to record it live. 'White Noise' is an honest portrayal of the inability to think rationally when overwhelmed by a swirling ocean of stress and anxiety. The live performance aims to capture the chaos within the protagonist’s mind."


You've definitely been overwhelmed by the said swirling ocean of stress and anxiety if you've been in attendance for a Tight Collar gig. Hear it on record now.

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