It’s no secret that Motherhood loves surf music – they are Canada’s Evil Beach Boys, after all. But usually by the time they release a song, the original influences have been hidden under layers of subterfuge, with our attraction to play far outweighing our ability to stay put.
“With ‘Kyle Hangs Ten,’ we were trying to write the most surfy song we could without over-complicating a genre that, at it’s core, is just swaggy country music” explains the band. “Adam had a drum beat that we jammed over, eventually falling into a Miserlou-adjacent guitar melody and filling the rest with pastiches.”
When the band were preparing to record their latest LP, Thunder Perfect Mind, the band couldn’t agree on the proper tempo for the song, until Kyle Cunjak (co-producer of the album) suggested both speeding it up AND slowing it down, creating 2 songs with the same bones.
“In the end, the slow version (the spaghetti western “Kyle Hangs at Noon”) made the record and the fast version (“Kyle Hangs Ten”) didn’t,” explains the band, “but we still love the song. Kyle promised us he’d be able to hang 10 by the time this song comes out. If not, he hangs at noon.
March 28 – Boise, ID: Treefort Music Fest // tickets April 18 – Fredericton, NB: The Cap May 14/15 – Paris, FR: Supersonic’s Block Party // tickets May 16 – Strasbourg, FR: Pelpass Festival // tickets May 18 – Skofja Loka, SI: AKC Nama May 19 – Budapest, HU: Szimpla Kert // FREE May 20 – Pilsen, CZ: Mistni Borci May 21 – Hamburg, DE: Deichdiele May 22 – Frankfurt, DE: Dreikönigskeller May 23 – The Hague, NL: Sniester // tickets
Keep your mind open.
[Catch a wave to the subscription box.]
[Thanks to Gabriel at Clandestine Label Services.]
COSMIC SONIC RENDEZVOUS hits North Brooklyn on May 23rd/24th at The Brooklyn Monarch. LIMITED early-bird weekend passes available NOW.
From the dark and menacing riffs of Pentagram and Eyehategod to the sky-gazing grooves of Dead Meadow and Al-Qasar, guitar driven explorations of the best psych and heavy rock will take over an industrial Brooklyn block for one lovely weekend in May.
It’s a Cosmic Sonic Rendezvous.
Teepee Records is thrilled to welcome:
Pentagram Eyehategod Legions of Doom Dead Meadow The Obsessed Al-Qasar Sacri Monti The Atomic Bitchwax Freedom Hawk Satan’s Satyrs Casket Rats Sun Voyager The Golden Grass Worshipper Carousel Mirror Queen Black Moon Cult Mick’s Jaguar Cat’s Eye River Cult Dead Hits and more to be announced
Venues: The Brooklyn Monarch; The Meadows; The Woodshop Website: cosmicsonicfest.com
This was the third performance of a four-night residency at the Aragon Ballroom in Chicago for LCD Soundsystem. They’d done this a couple years ago, and like the last time I saw them here, all four nights were sold out. It was cold and windy, and all the bars and restaurants in the area were packed, so my fiancée and I waited in the sharp wind with everyone else to get a decent spot on the ballroom floor. Much to my delight, I learned from a guy behind us that Automatic was opening the show.
Automatic with their new drummer
I hadn’t seen Automatic since I’d caught them at Levitation France a couple years ago, so I was surprised to see someone other than Lola Dompé on drums. I’ve since learned that she’s left the band, and their new boy drummer’s name is still unknown to me. Regardless, he won me over with his Kraftwerk shirt and precision drumming. Meanwhile, lead singer / synth player Izzy Glaudini and bassist / vocalist Halle Saxon were having a fun time. Saxon’s fretless bass riffs are impressive and the crowd was solidly with them by the end of their set.
LCD Soundsystem came out to a packed house, but thankfully everyone seemed to have room to dance. They started out with “Oh Baby,” which brought the crowd to an early frenzy when spotlights hit their trademark giant disco ball during the song’s big, bright moment.
“You Wanted a Hit” was a nice one. I didn’t expect to hear it, and following it with “Tribulations” was great. I’d forgotten how good “Tonite” is, as it features some of James Murphy’s best lyrics (if you ask me).
Yes, we did want a hit. Thanks, LCDSS.
“I Can Change” always delivers, and “Other Voices” was another surprise. The whole band was clicking, hopping around on various instruments the whole time. LCDSS is a big group, and the amount of gear on stage with them is impressive (and a good chunk of it is vintage synths that are difficult to find or afford). “Losing My Edge” had a fuzzy grit to it that I loved.
The encore included “North American Scum,” which feels more appropriate than ever in 2026, and the classics, “Dance Yrself Clean,” “New York, I Love You but You’re Bringing Me Down,” and “All My Friends.” It was a solid end to a solid show all-around, and a great way for me to kick off my 2026 concert season.
My fiancée, who fell in love with them when we last saw them, said, “They feel like a family.” when they play. That’s accurate. The camaraderie between all of them on stage is splendid and almost pulls the audience up there with them.
Unseen in this photo: At least four other band members manning bass, percussion, and synths.
The cover of VIAL‘s new, raw, angry, fierce album Hellhound features an image that could be three different snarling, savage dogs ready to tear out your throats…or it could be an image of Cerberus – the three-headed dog who guards the underworld. Both are accurate reflections of the power trio, three beings who can each rip you to shreds and a three-in-one force that can stomp you into oblivion.
“Infected,” the album’s opener, even mentions dogs biting and tearing into you. “Scorpio Moon” buzzes more than rare Fuzzbox tracks and kicks trolls squarely in the teeth (“You just talk to hear yourself speak.”). “Creep Smoothie” mixes punk rage vocals with 1990s grunge-metal riffs while eviscerating dickweed dudes. “Idle Hands” is a cry for acceptance (“Why won’t you take me as I am? How can I make you understand?”) amid L7-like chugging bass.
“Sob” has the ladies of VIAL turning the “Fuck your feelings” table on their detractors (“Two thousand dollars for you if you can quit your whining…Send me your tears in a bottle. It’s really not that awful to see you cry for once. I think I’ll drink them with my lunch.”) who are now feeling the effects of stuff they voted for a couple years ago or experiencing sadness over being kicked to the curb. “Never Been Better” reminds me of some of Lunachicks‘ more radio friendly tracks. It’s a solid rock tune that seems primed for college rock radio shows this spring. The title track is under a minute, but it packs in enough power for a song three times as long.
The Be Your Own Pet-like “Undermine Me” is about discovering a relationship has gone south and it’s time to cut it loose. “Blah” has VIAL making fun of boys trying to become big things in the music scene mainly to impress girls and not to do anything meaningful. “Puke” has, oddly enough, a good groove to it. You’d think, with that title, that it would be another punk rager, but it’s more of a snarling groover that’s close to Queens of the Stone Age-like desert rock.
“Don’t watch the TV, and I don’t watch the news,” they sing on “Talktalktalk” – a song about information overload, endless opinions, and people who are “all bark, no bite” with their convictions (“You talk, talk, talk with nothing to say.”). “Boredom / Combustion” has the band tearing down Philadelphia and the entire state of Pennsylvania and comparing it to hell (“Death by boredom or combustion, I’m not sure which is worse.”).
Wrapping up with “Blood Red,” the band leave us exhausted and partially deaf, but ready to take on the world. You’re ready to go after your detractors like a three-headed beast after hearing an album like this. It’s the kind of album we need right now when friends, family, and neighbors are feeling targeted and vulnerable. We need compassionate ferocity, and VIAL inspires it.
Gentilesky, the powerhouse Italian-Turkish punk collective, officially announces the April 3 release of their second full-length album, Dream, via Slovenly Recordings. Accompanying the announcement is the premiere of their latest single, “Chasing The Light,” an aggressive, staccato-driven track that pays homage to the jagged post-punk influence of the late Andy Gill.
Taking their name from the Baroque master Artemisia Gentileschi, the band bridges the gap between 17th-century subversive art and modern radical expression. Just as Gentileschi’s work reclaimed the female narrative through visceral, unflattering physical realities, Gentilesky utilizes a hard-edged sound to navigate the complexities of the current sociopolitical landscape. Three years after their debut on Hozac Records, Gentilesky returns with a sharper sonic profile. The band features veterans of the European underground, boasting members from Rippers, Undisco Kidd, and Sushicorner. While their debut explored broader artistic theories, Dream leans into a more muscular, rhythmic intensity, drawing a direct line from Gentileschi’s impact to contemporary figures with a visceral collection of work such as Nan Goldin, Jennifer Precious Finch & the late Kathy Acker.
Yaprak Kırdök (vocals) says this about the new album.
Dream is a continuation of Ways of Seeing, but taking a year to plan and write the record really highlights its maturity. Recording it with Piff played a big part as well, and listening to both albums shows our growth. I love how similar yet different each one is.
Recorded and mixed by Piff/Frizzer Studio at Smoking Fridge Studio, Cagliari, and mastered by the esteemed Nene Baratto (Movie Star Junkies), Dream will be available on vinyl and all digital platforms on April 3rd. Artwork by Yaprak Kırdök and Gabriele Serrau.
Pre-orders are currently live via the Slovenly Recordings Bandcamp page. In support of the release, Gentilesky will embark on a European tour, with dates to be announced in the coming weeks.
Yayo Trujillo’s Las Cruxes is muscular. The fluid Omaha project doubles as a solo outlet and collective, united by an electric undercurrent. This quality beams bright on Trujillo’s third full-length, Las Cruxes, out April 24 via Conor Oberst’s Million Starslabel. Today, he shares the second single, “El último.” It is anchored by fuzzy propulsion, culminating in a distorted solo. This is timeless rock and roll, tailored to top-down desert drives. Check out the premiere on New Noise Magazine.
On the track, Las Cruxes’ Yayo Trujillo shares:“El Ultimo-(pasajero). ‘Tu luz Enciende, despierta mi alma’ are the opening lines to this song. It’s when love is way too fast and heavy (for my own good). It’s that feeling of meeting someone and realizing you were wrong about everything, then you wake up and remember it shouldn’t be that easy.”
As a native of Los Angeles, music guides Yayo Trujillo. “It all started hanging out with my older brother, who used to play traditional boleros to serenade his girlfriend,” he recalls. “I was lucky enough to tag along.” With a notable following in Mexico and Latin America, his Las Cruxes project has evolved in moves between Mexico City, San Francisco, and Omaha. He also spent years in Pastilla, a Latin rock institution on Aztlan Records and BMG.
As a Nebraska-based artist, it seems inevitable that Trujillo would encounter hometown hero Conor Oberst. After gigging at his bar, Pageturners Lounge, he signed a deal with Million Stars — the label now issuing Las Cruxes’ self-titled third full-length. The album embraces straightforwardness, favoring live performances captured on classic consoles with vintage microphones. The sessions were led by Bright Eyes affiliates Taylor Hollingsworth (Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band) and Adam Roberts at ARC Studios. It bears traces of new wave, shoegaze, and lofi experimentation.
Across 12 cuts, Spanish vocals crest over fuzzy melodies and pounding grooves. “The writing process was the same as everything else — very ‘let’s do this,’” Trujillo reflects. “No thought to it — just very natural, free flowing.” Opener “El último” unfolds with a driving bassline that escalates in a raucous chorus. “No creo que pueda olvidarte / No creo / No creo,” Trujillo repeats atop rickety fretwork. On “Déjà vu,” searing riffs interrupt brooding verses. Closer “By Frank” is the only English language piece, propelled by shakers and woozy organs. “I know it’s a lie they’ll never really tell you / I know it’s lust / I’ll never really tell you,” he proclaims in the refrain. Las Cruxes weaves macabre insistence with themes of mental collapse and romance.
Las Cruxes doubles as a solo practice and fluid collective, both on record and live. “I write everything, but I do it thinking about who is in the band at that moment — who’s wearing the Las Cruxes suit that week,” Trujillo muses. This time around, he tracked the majority of the instruments himself, though a handful of peers were invited to contribute. In addition to a cast of Omaha locals, Californian Ellie English (L.A. Witch) appears on drums. Jeffrey Davies (The Brian Jonestown Massacre) and Jorge Vilchis (La Gusana Ciega) were tapped for guitar. The record channels simplicity at its finest.
It doesn’t feel like Dry Cleaning‘s Stumpwork album came out nearly four years ago because it still sounds as fresh now as it does then.
The first words out of lead singer Florence Shaw on the album are “Should I propose friendship?” on “Anna Calls from the Arctic.” Shaw’s inviting us to go on this journey with her and her bandmates, but she wants to know if we’re willing and our company will be worth her time. “I like it when you can see inside houses from the car,” she says / sings, ever mysterious and intriguing. Most of the lyrics for this album were improvised by Shaw in the studio, taking inspiration from things she saw during walks around London.
Her bandmates, Nick Buxton (drums), Tom Dowse (guitar), and Lewis Maynard (bass), always craft neat post-punk, krautrock, and just…odd soundscapes around her. It’s almost like two different performances happening at the same time, and it always works. “Things are shit, but they’re gonna be okay,” Shaw says on “Kwenchy Kups.” She was right then. She’s right now.
“Gary Ashby” is a rousing, rocking song about a lost turtle the band adopted during the pandemic. Dowse’s guitar sounds a bit drunk on “Driver’s Story.” “If I could live across a Boot Fair, wouldn’t that be something?” Shaw asks on “Hot Penny Day” while Maynard’s bass funks and fuzzes like it walked in from a 1970s disco.
Buxton’s drums on the title track have a bit of a jazz feel while Shaw playfully talks and sings and Dowse’s guitar chords could fit into a Lush song without trouble. “No Decent Shoes for Rain” has an underlying growl to it that I like. The breakdown in the middle is great, with Shaw pausing to say, “It’s so great to meet you, but not here.” The whole tune changes into a new sound. It’s impressive.
The bounce of “Don’t Press Me” is a fun counter-balance to its snarky title and Shaw’s slightly snarled lip delivery. “Conservative Hell” has Shaw dreaming about escaping from reality, at least for a bit…and the end sounds of it seem to reflect a hallucinogenic trip. Maynard’s bass strolls on “Liberty Log” with a simple groove while Buxton shuffles behind him, Dowse’s guitar sounds like a distant leaf blower or a whale or a whale with a leaf blower, and Shaw sing-speaks about how reality shows about isolation became reality during the pandemic (“This seems like a weird premise for a show, but I like it.”). The album ends with “Icebergs,” which might be a metaphor for global warming because Dowse’s guitar strings sound like they’re melting as he plays.
Dry Cleaning is one of those bands that isn’t for everyone, but they’re so damn intriguing that, once you “get it” (if there is indeed anything to “get”), you become fascinated by them. Stumpwork was a weird response to the post-pandemic world, and a lot of it still feels relevant.
The cover of trauma ray‘s new EP, Carnival, pretty much lets you know what you’re heading into when you start playing it.
Starting with the instrumental and slightly creepy “Carousel,” the EP instantly creates a spooky atmosphere. It made me imagine seeing a carnival emerge from fog as you’re out for an early walk or drive and think, “Wait…That wasn’t here yesterday.” It then jumps into “Hannibal,” which hits with hard Helmet-like riffs that roar with fury and also melt your mind with echoing shoegaze vocals.
“Méliès” is named after French filmmaker Georges Méliès and is about making up illusions and alternate realities in your mind to deal with trauma and strife around you. The massive guitars and heavy drum hits also help purge your stress.
“Funhouse” gets heavier, believe it or not, dropping doom riffs on you from behind warped mirrors and twisting passages but then sliding into Slowdive-like sounds that will leave you thinking, “Wait…Is this the same band?” The closer, “Clown,” is about tragedy lurking behind comedy. The powerful guitar chords and snare hits convey suppressed rage and the urge to let it loose upon the world.
You’ll want to let this EP loose upon the world by cranking it so loud the entire neighborhood will hear it. They’ll thank you for it.
Los Angeles-based singer/songwriter zzzahara announces their new album, Distant Lands, out June 5th on Lex Records, and shares its lead single/video, “I Can Be Yours” feat.Winter. The followup to their 2025 album, Spiral Your Way Out, their fourth album Distant Lands came to them in a dream they had of their brother who passed away when they were 12. The album title comes from the sense that they exist, now, in different worlds, touching from a distance. It also references disconnected headspace zzzahara was in when they were taking opiates in their early 20s. “I would often feel like I was off in a different world, a dream world, blacked out and trying to connect to something that’s not there,” they say.
Until now, the lyrical side of zzzahara’s songwriting has been driven by their love life. Their 2022 debut album, Liminal Spaces, chronicles a reckless coming-of-age in Highland Park. Their 2023 follow-up, Tender, marked a period of pause and introspection, which was quickly counterbalanced by 2025’s Spiral Your Way Out, an album written in the aftermath of a breakup, which rejected the pressure to strive towards squeaky-clean personal perfection in favour of embracing themselves.
Distant Lands is a departure from all that. The dream about their brother prompted zzzahara both to dig deeper and zoom out; sit with some old wounds and write songs outside their comfort zone of sex and romance. Rather than focusing on the turbulence of their recent love life, they took influence from long-standing feelings around their family life and experiences with opioid addiction. “I feel like I’ve lived a life filled with lust, having all these rendezvous everywhere – which is really fun, but it can’t be fun forever. I wanted to make something that was personal and authentic… and not about chicks,” they laugh. “It’s kind of a record about growing up, in a non-traditional sense.”
Produced by Casey Lagos, Distant Lands is a tender mix of lo-fi, dream pop and slowcore, displayed on today’s single, “I Can Be Yours,” featuring the indie rock band Winter. Inspired by listening to a lot of early Beach House, Neutral Milk Hotel, and The Microphones, the album takes the same approach of spinning shimmering gold from basic set-ups and old analogue equipment. “I tried to focus more on the music than the lyrics, and making it feel like more of an escape in that way,” zzzahara explains.
Distant Lands takes inspiration from Wong Kar Wai movies—their flawed characters and terminal state of yearning, as well as works of literature that embrace the uncertain and follow the logic that many conflicting things can be true at once (Milan Kundera has made a significant appearance in their reading list). This self-administered cultural education is something they feel has given them a healthy sense of perspective that has led to more stability, without sacrificing their natural wild streak as captured on Spiral Your Way Out.
“With this record I thought, what can I say about my life that’s authentic to me without having to be ‘woe is me’? So that’s how I wrote the songs this time. Let me tell it like the facts,” they say. Staking a flag in the ground for living truthfully—and not necessarily perfectly—Distant Lands is laced with the stoic acceptance of life’s currents, positive and negative. There’s no bullshit to be found here—no solipsism, and certainly no regrets. “As long as you’re young and you still have energy then you should do things you love, because you never know,” they say. “You gotta just put your whip to the sky and fucking crack it.”’
Keep your mind open.
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This reissue of the 1971 concert film Soul to Soul soundtrack (not to mention the Blu-Ray) is a treasure. It’s packed with jams, grooves, and funk.
“Hi, everybody!” says Tina Turner to start off the concert. After the reply, she says, “We’re gonna go to work now,” and, boy, does she, Ike Turner, and their band ever do it. The title track is a flat-out rocker with Ike Turner’s guitar chugging out a steady riff while Tina sings, “This is where it all came from, the rhythm that will turn you on.” to the Ghanaian crowd who were going bonkers from the first note. “River Deep – Mountain High” has Tina belting out fierce proclamations of love while the band almost struggles to keep up. They then drop a blues classic, “I Smell Trouble,” and Tina’s voice becomes a whole different instrument that probably had everyone in the audience spellbound.
Already off to a blazing start, The Voices of East Harlem come on next with “Run, Shaker Life” and keep the fire burning. Their version of the gospel classics “Choose Your Seat and Set Down” and “Walk All Over Heaven” are lively and exciting. Les McCann and Eddie Harris‘ cover of “The Price You Gotta Pay to Be Free” is so damn groovy that it’s difficult to describe. That Hammond B3 organ, the slick bass, the jazz drums, and the psychedelic guitar all combine to give you quite a thrill.
The Staple Singers next take the stage with one of their classics – “When Will We Be Paid?” “Are You Sure?” is another gospel classic that they deliver with power and love before going into the revival-ready “He’s Alright.”
Santana then comes on with a different sound altogether, but no less energy. “Jungle Strut” has the whole place jumping and Carlos Santana shredding. This live version of “Black Magic Woman / Gypsy Queen” blends Latin and African rhythms into a wild psych-rock jam. Santana’s guitar sounds great. The mix of this is well-done.
Wilson Pickett comes out to wrap it up with three of his classics: “In the Midnight Hour,” “Funky Broadway,” and “Land of 1,000 Dances.” His horn section earns their pay right away on the first track, sounding funky and triumphant. Pickett gets the crowd singing with him on the second, and by the third he’s practically leading a gospel revival and has the place almost in a riot.
Again, this is a treasure of good stuff. The full concert event was over fourteen hours long. I don’t know if we’ll ever see or hear all of it, but it must have been a great experience judging from this record.
