Writing about music in lieu of human interaction
Urns creates metal that must be listened to with fingers waggling and mouth going "oOoOoOo." The songs on Urns' latest release, Empyre, use sludgy, roiling guitars, hammering drums, spooky synths, and incantatory moans to tell tales of apocalyptic worlds and bizarre creatures. "King of the Ashes" leans especially heavily into the warlocky drama, opening with … Continue reading Daily Yinz – Urns – King of the Ashes
Oliver Hufford released his debut single, Blisters/Staying Up Late (Wake Up On Fire), in December. There's something about a slide guitar--the way its gliding tone mimics the swoop of a keening human voice or the curl of a lonely smoke ring dissipating into the air--that raises the emotional stakes of a song. Oliver Hufford uses … Continue reading Daily Yinz – Oliver Hufford – Blisters
"Escalator," released along with B-side "She Lives Upstairs," is a single from the psychedelic group's upcoming Cool Water Broadcast Control EP. Unlike some of Sober Clones' burners, "Escalator"--a patchwork of synths, samples, and hazy vocals--doesn't so much rock as it does float. The track's head-bopping percussion, grooving bass, glittering bells, and shivering organ give it … Continue reading Daily Yinz – Sober Clones – Escalator
The sludgy industrial project from Dave 8cylinder and Nick Breinich unveiled its debut, A Futile Stream of Commands (Darkfloor Sound), in October. Over the course of six tracks (and five remixes, including takes from Luke Lund and Napalm Death's Mick Harris), modular synths crawl all over each other like giant centipedes, while a drum machine … Continue reading Daily Yinz – Gnarled Horse Throat – Melting Mammoth
The self-described breakup pop duo follows 2018's Vodkawine with a new single called "Plastic & Pearl." The woozy, dazed quality that underpinned Sad Girls Aquatics Club's debut lingers after five years; surprisingly, a global pandemic, the enervating creep of consumer capitalism, and the continued collapse of our environment are not great for a person's mental … Continue reading Daily Yinz – Sad Girls Aquatics Club – Plastic & Pearl
Experimental trio I4A specializes in winding vamps that traverse peaks and valleys. "Fence of Pearls," the longest track from the group's new release, I4A 2--which is saying something when the shortest one clocks in at 7:26--is a radiant musical monolith. It takes its time to build up from a base of gentle strums, cycling through … Continue reading Daily Yinz – I4A – Fence of Pearls
New collaboration between producer Ozilate and singer/songwriter Indigo Rae traverses a post-breakup wasteland. Last time we checked in on Indigo Rae, they were singing melancholic ballads over spare ukulele. On "Hazy," the melancholy lingers ("When I breathe in/My bed still smells like you/Baby, now I'm faded/Self medicated"), but its soundtrack takes a different tack. Producer … Continue reading Daily Yinz – Ozilate – Hazy (feat. Indigo Rae)
Benji. returns with a languid dance track called "Jorja." Rather than coast off the success of 2021's Smile, You're Alive!, Benji. pulls a switch-up on his latest single, forgoing his previous album's soulful rave-ups and meditative ballads in favor of a "Passionfruit"-style toe-tapper (produced by Nice Rec, Gianni Carter, and Damon Steele) built around flickering … Continue reading Daily Yinz – Benji. – Jorja
Metal quintet follow up their 2020 debut with the blistering Siege of Cruelty EP. If the guitar guy from Mad Max: Fury Road had been joined by an entire band's worth of chemical-scarred miscreants, their music may have resembled the scorching thrash contained on Siege of Cruelty. It's like punks worked themselves into napalm-fueled overdrive, … Continue reading Daily Yinz – Vicious Blade – Scavengers
Every so often, you come across an album that truly confuses you. Stabscotch's PRISON JAR is one of those albums. Prison Jar sounds like the narrator from Naked Lunch holding court on Instagram Live, ranting into the mic and noodling on a keyboard while a grindcore band plays behind him. On the album, the four … Continue reading Daily Yinz – Stabscotch – XALLELUJAH DÆMON
Bored In Pittsburgh 