New Albums From IDLES, Laura Jane Grace, Royel Otis, Middle Kids Give You Lots of Weekend Homework
I'm not sure if some kind of study was done and it turns out that today is a payday for more Americans than any other Friday this year, but there are an impressive number of QUALITY albums that came out today. Unfortunately, the new Jennifer Lopez album did not make the cut. But here are 4 albums that I 1000% guarantee will be worth your time or I'll refund you all the money you paid for my recommendations.
Sucker.
IDLES - TANGK
Tan-gik? Tank? Tahn-guhk? You may not get me referring to this album by name out loud any time soon because I'm still grappling with that (my money is on 'tank'), but what you will hear around me for the next several months is this album cranked up loud. And while 'turn it up to 10' is the standard attitude to bring to any IDLES album, TANGK is a bit mellower of a sound than you might be expecting. Or at least, as mellow as IDLES are able to be. Sure, songs like 'Hall & Oates' bludgeons you over the head with their brutalist stylings of old, tracks like 'Gift Horse' replace the menacing wooden club with a cheap leisure suit, choosing to sleaze their way into your hears rather than punch you in the face. The theme of the album is love (their upcoming tour is the Love Is The Fing Tour), a message delivered as subtly as IDLES is capable of as the outro on 'POP POP POP' - with heavy repetition to the point of insanity. Be a part of that insanity as IDLES tours the world in 2024 with dates and tickets found here.
Laura Jane Grace - Hole in My Head
This isn't exactly a scientific way of measuring such things, but if I had to sum up how I felt inside while listening to this album, the phrase "oh, fuck yes" immediately jumps to mind. From the 1/2 punch of the title track straight into the oft-played and now finally recorded 'I'm Not a Cop' to the specific kind of autobiographical minutiae that Grace has always excelled at on 'Dysphoria Hoodie', this lean collection of 11 songs are the absolute best solo material we've seen and ranks right up there with the best of the best Against Me! songs. Whether they're heart-on-sleeve contemplative or boot-stompingly defiant, each of these songs kicks ass and rocks out, period. I was lucky enough to catch Grace perform at the Metro last year, and I cannot recommend buying tickets to the upcoming Hole In My Head tour enough. If only someone cared enough about you to provide you with those dates and links to buy tickets!
Royel Otis - PRATTS & PAIN
My college years were from 2001 to 2005 and I had a lot of time on my hands to consume everything that indie rock had to offer me. Listening to this album gives me the nostalgic feeling of music from that era, with a fuzzed out, jangly sound that would fit right in on a playlist alongside Interpol and MGMT and Tame Impala. If you loved their recent cover of 'Murder on the Dancefloor', you're going to have this album on repeat for quite a while. Don't miss them when they come to your town.
Middle Kids - Faith Crisis Pt 1
Another band I was lucky enough to catch last year when they came through Chicago in support of Jimmy Eat World and Manchester Orchestra, I was impressed with the live show that Middle Kids put on. After listening to Faith Crisis Pt 1, I'm a little pissed because they were clearly holding out on us last summer. Filled with their absolute best, brightest, and catchiest work yet, the Australian trio's third album lives up to its title, an actual exploration of what having a crisis of faith looks like and what it means to rebuild that faith into something stronger. With warmer weather just around the corner, this album sounds like summertime captured on 13 tracks and would do well getting a few spins in a car with the windows down, killing time until we get Faith Crisis Pt 2. Catch Middle Kids on tour this year with dates and tickets found at this link.