June tracks
New music from Taylor, Phoebe, Katy, Wishy, Colson, and everyone else
I made this newsletter as a way to force myself to still write about music, but I’ve kinda gotten the music writing ick again. I know I don’t need to look at Twitter all day every day, but that’s just what I do. And I’ve been watching these ranking-brained morons argue about the best music writers and the best indie rock songs and the best American bands, and it’s so irritating to me. I don’t want the best. I don’t want to be a ball knower. I don’t even want to pay attention, and yet here I am.
So, once again and one week late, here’s my round-up of June tracks. Thanks for reading!
Weezer “We Might As Well Be Strangers” (ft. Wednesday)
I’ve always been a staunch defender of “new Weezer” (alongside tons of other things that suck that I want to defend for some reason). But lately I just haven’t found it in me. There are too many things making me side-eye this one: I read a few too many unsavoury (and alleged) rumours about Brian Bell, I’m not a huge Wednesday fan (and find the timing of this weird: they don’t do collaborations often, but their Best Coast track [which I really loved] recently went viral on TikTok), and I can’t bring myself to believe “Kenny Beats” knows what he’s doing. That’s a lot of baggage to bring to a new Weezer song, and it’s kinda weighing me down. The bad lyrics aren’t fun this time (“Nietszche” rhymed with “need ya”), to the point where I don’t even enjoy the clumsy Sid ‘n’ Nancy reference. Wednesday lady still sounds great on the track. I think my main problem is Kenny Beats. He’s mixed the drums way too loud and buried that warm blanket of Weezer rhythm guitars that should be overpowering everything. The chorus is kinda nice but it needs more of that fuzz. I can only hear snare and bass.
Taylor Swift “I Knew It, I Knew You”
Like I said, I’m writing this a little late this time around, so it’s currently the eve of Taylor Swift’s holy matrimony at MSG (and subsequent consummatory coitus — don’t be nervous you two, just take it slow and communicate!), so it feels fitting to finally listen to TayTay’s Toy Story toe-tapper. This just sounds like every Taylor Swift song, though. I almost don’t have anything to say about it. It does feel like they tried to get a tiny bit Randy wit it (Randy as in Newman, not Travis Kelce’s premarital libido!). There’s too much “songwriting” going on, like the entire song is just a prechorus and a bridge. It’s weird that I used to love Toy Story. I have about 15 action figures on my desk right now but at least I’m not a Disney adult.
Phoebe Bridgers “Lost Boys”
Phoebe Bridgers is Taylor Swift for those of us whose Disney is Ghibli. Whose Brandy Melville is Depop. I’m talking heavy metal fonts, enamel pins, broken in Cons… Truthfully I haven’t listened to too much Phoebs (even tho complaining about her smashing her guitar on SNL has become something of a stim for me) but whenever I do it sounds like how I’d expect. I was looking up her tour dates and her website URL is “phoebefuckingbridgers.com” which just about sums it up — one last gasp of millennial excellence. When it comes to folk pop with over enunciated R sounds, I’d prefer Lomelda. I also think it’s kinda funny to build a whole (anticlimactic) chorus around The Lost Boys. It’s the kind of reference that feels like pure nostalgia bait for the 45-year-olds creeping r/indieheads. Then again, I don’t mind the reference when mgk does it so maybe I have some self-analysis to do. Dude why is she singing about “lunch money.” And she just did a horrid “1,2,3,whoa!!!” count-in. I’m glad Skyler Gisondo is here tho, he’s awesome.
Carly Rae Jepsen “On Wires”
Speaking of 45-year-old simps on r/indieheads…. And I do tend to add more years when I make these ageist generalizations — I understand that it feels more natural to say 40, but I’m 40. Nah, who am I kidding. As a professional music writer who has spent plenty of time in Mission, BC, I was obviously so down with E*Mo*Tion. I was excited by the production. I rinsed the vinyl religiously. I probably said some shit about how the hooks were better than anything on the radio. Anywho… I haven’t kept up with too much CRJ, but it seems like she’s still cooking. Not sure I’m into this down-tempo sex jam, but ultimately it’s not for me. (It literally is.)
Katy Perry “Watch It Burn”
I’m so thankful that Katy and Justin found each other. They’re objectively two of the most evil people around, but their joint romance suggests that maybe two wrongs do make a right. So now that she’s dating my Outremont neighbour, I’m listening to the new Katy with an open heart. For starters, I do think they need to chill on music videos. They being everyone. There’s a lot of bullshit going on here that might work with one of her dumbass post-dubstep 2011 pop songs, but it doesn’t really work with this wannabe Kelly Clarkson song. Okay I did just see a sign that said “Read between the headlies” which is a really funny Adbusters-ism. But she should be like rocking out in a stuffy business meeting to this song, not turning into some sort of scorpion woman. Maybe I’ll just never understand the illuminati. Probably why I haven’t been invited.
Brandon Flowers “Plans”
I simply can’t quit this Mormon himbo. If I was a “let’s argue!” type of guy I’d probably “die on the hill” that the Killers have only gotten better with each album, peaking with their fantastic one-two punch of Imploding the Mirage and Pressure Machine. But who gives a shit, you won’t believe me anyway. As a guy who’s basically just living out a Wim Wenders movie, were Wim to see the Latter Day Light of Christ, it’s hard to believe it’s taken Brandon this long to pivot to country. And I was really excited about this one, but the lead single is a bit weak. I think the chorus is a little too small, and the production sounds a little too pristine. Like, I basically feel like I’m lining up for the Cars ride at California Adventure while this is on. Maybe I’m a Disney adult after all.
Belle and Sebastian “It Only Takes One Lion”
Stuart Murdoch is another wimpy lil guy that means a lot to me. But I’m not really fucking with this at all. Belle and Sebastian should not be making music anymore. I guess this is like, some British shit that’s hard to understand — like they’ll make the worst song you’ve ever heard in your life into the “Top of the Pops” or it’ll be playing in all the pubs and whatever 10th rate Love Actually rip off comes out this year will play this in the credits. This is like a tourism Scotland ad, some World Cup slop (which I’ve had enough of) and a sub-par ABBA tribute. I think this actually cured me of my Belle and Sebastian fandom.
Jack White “Dollar Bill”
There’s one thing that no one warned me about re: getting older, but where I once felt disdain towards Jack White’s yelping blues rock I now find it kind of charming. I watch his live performances and think about how soulful and real it is. I visit Third Man Records whenever I can and look at all the fun doohickeys. Speaking of Third Man, Jack recently split up from his third wife, a fact my friend Max keeps talking about:
I haven’t hit play on this song yet, and I’m scared. Okay let’s go. Some nice stinky classic rock guitar to kick it off. The worst album art I’ve ever seen. Nope it turned into a really annoying blues rock stomper. This shit sucks so bad. But no one’s doing it like this anymore. You can really hear the feeling in the music. And it sucks. And I like it. Honestly the guitar solo sounds so cool to me hahaha FML.
The Tubs “Who’s Gonna Love You Now?”
Now this is some British shit I can get behind. Whenever I’m listening to The Tubs, I truly believe I’m listening to the best music I’ve heard in my life. And in the past, with “Narcissist” and “Wretched Lie” and “Freak Mode,” I was being ever so slightly hyperbolic. But when I’m listening to “Who’s Gonna Love You Now?” — which I do every single day — I’m correct. This is the best song I’ve ever heard. The drums are so thick, Owen’s emotional vampire voice feels completely at home, and then the song itself is a perfect lil bit of power pop. I wish I had a jukebox so I could line this song up on repeat. The Tubs are so important.
Wishy “Lovesick”
Gonna be honest, the new Wishy single has been a bit of a grower not a shower for me. I think Planet Popstar was just such a cerebral brain-tickler that it was hard to pivot back to fuzzy ‘90s pop as a listener. But “Lovesick” is full of hooks, interesting lil melodies, and a big ol’ chorus that really does sink in by the end. It’s definitely going to translate really well live compared to some of the glitchy noodly tracks on the last EP. I love Wishy.
Nia Archives “Vertical”
I was pretty obsessed with the last Nia Archives album, but I could never listen to the whole thing because I’d eventually get so sick of the exact same vocal delivery and drums on every song. But now that I’ve had a minute to reset, I’m ready for more of it. Thankfully, “Vertical” shows almost no creative growth. Relentless breakbeats? Check. Half-mumbled British Billie Holiday vocals? Check. Awesome synths and blurry shots of the city at night? You bet your ass. Going to listen to this way too much until I get incredibly sick of it again.
Future “Radio”
It’s weird to see Future with short hair. I dunno if I like it. I didn’t really realize how important his lengthy locks were to his image, but he looks like a totally different guy now. Like an unsigned no name ass guy. Luckily this song is really good. It’s a lot poppier than he’s been doing, ironic since he says it’s not for the radio. Really nice chune tho, and I’m not just saying that because I feel bad for him with his awkward short hair.
Wiki “Right Away”
I can’t remember who Wiki is, I just felt like I needed some artists on here who weren’t indie bands decades-deep into their career. So I’m gonna look that up real quick while this plays. I wonder if there’s a Wiki wiki. Wow that reads like turntablism! I dunno I cannae be arsed to read all this. This is fine. Kind of a cute beep. “Feeling fly today / Woke up on the right side today” and doing that little dance he just did — do you guys realize that a lot of the indie rap you like is so spiritually Canadian? There’s a guy named Classified who has a very similar vibe to this. This would be a great song to play in a store where they sell 10 DEEP hoodies. Keep that in mind if those ever come back into style.
Floating Points “Her Gift”
There was a time in my life where I was gobbling up as much Four Tet and Caribou and other “folktronica” as humanly possible, as was the style back then. Inevitably, that path led me to Floating Points, and I could just never make it connect. I’ve since learned I’m not alone, but that one album that everyone goes crazy over is just so unbelievably annoying. Despite my best efforts, I don’t think I’ve ever made it all the way through. I dunno what the deal is with Floating Points, but it kinda seems like bullshit basically. This is a ballet score, so far it’s just been some sprinkly harp with footage of some kind of science thing happening. There’s basically nothing here to grasp onto, which does make it better than most Floating Points that I’ve heard.
The Avalanches “Every Single Weekend” (feat. Jamie xx)
I think someone somewhere decided that the Avalanches were a pinch underrated, and now we’ve overcorrected as a society. Sure, you could say “Well then don’t put it on your new music roundup that no one reads” but that wouldn’t be any fun. Instead I’ll just bitch and moan while it plays out. This is just annoying bullshit, it doesn’t sound like anything. Not dance music or turntablism or disco or house or anything. It just sounds like shit. You’ll never be The Go! Team. And fuck Jamie XX too.
Bonobo “Distance in Static”
This is a little more like it. Just some nice, clean, generic folktronica. I know when the song’s gonna cut out, I know when the edited vocal sample is gonna mix in, I know when the drop is going to happen. This is music for DILFs in flip flops, cargo shorts, and navy blue Threadless tees to get down in. This is music for the free outdoor street festival, where all the businesses just put their same shitty sales racks on the street for some reason. This is the music your boss likes. And he’s right to do so.
The Album Leaf “Turns” (feat. Nicole Miglis)
I’ve been digging through the ol’ Jos mental archives lately (and truthfully always am) and revisiting some things I kinda forgot about and didn’t go deep on because I didn’t have high-speed internet yet when I first heard them. Among them is The Album Leaf, a band I weirdly remember enjoying when my white belt-wearing ass was checking out anything and everything on Gold Standard Labs. This song features Nicole Miglis from the OWSLA fake-indie band Hundred Waters, and for some reason they decided to put it on Vimeo which is the most aggressive taste posturing. Hard to even describe what this sounds like, thankfully you can listen. It’s very expensive sounding, like it came from one of the more expensive stock music services. I can’t believe this guy used to be in The Locust. Man I wrote this great kicker but the song still won’t end. I’m trapped. If you’re gonna make something like this just make an awesome EDM song instead, then you could at least get a Forza sync.
Sylvan Esso “Hot Slob”
I don’t think I know what Sylvan Esso is but I have heard of it a lot. It’s funny that the “I’ve heard of it but haven’t heard of it” now applies to like Sirius XMU slop. I thought this was going to be more like shimmering post-Beach House background music but instead it’s like, performative dirtbag rock for ppl with the Farrah Fawcett haircut? I hate that I kinda like it. It’s definitely the music that’s playing in the background when your mutuals you barely know write “Pouring shots at Jimmy’s from 2pm to 4pm… come hang!” It’s touch-my-butt-buy-me-pizza rock, but it sounds pretty good to me. The chorus has some swag.
Dan Deacon “Brothers” (feat. Eric André)
I wanted to watch a dumb comedy and tried this new Eric André/John Cena comedy and lasted… actually let me check my Netflix to see exactly how long. We turned it off at the 2 minute mark:
I was a Dan Deacon defender for a minute too — Spiderman of the Rings came out at the perfect time for my exact levels of pop culture irony and poseurdom. But this song sounds like shit. It sounds like, well, like Mark Mothersbaugh doing something for a Netflix original. But it’s Dan Deacon instead. Guys who wear really loud patterned 5-panel hats, your day in the spotlight is over. You had a good run.
Saul Williams “Conspiracy”
I saw this really epic movie about poetry starring Saul Williams when I was a teen, and then yes I was one of those whiteboys listening to Blackalicious and marveling at the amount of syllables. So yeah, I didn’t just learn about him from The College Dropout — I was already well-aware. Not sure I need to include any of these qualifiers, I’m just blabbing because I was kinda excited to revisit Saul Williams and now I don’t know what to say about the track. “Our fossils fuel the enterprise / Our fossils fuel our own demise.” I guess the thing about spoken word is it doesn’t have to be that good, because it’s not song lyrics. It’s spoken word. As long as you say it vibily you can just say stuff. Probably won’t listen again but it’ll be nice to see wherever Saul Williams pops up next.
Actress “Live By You” (feat. CASISDEAD)
I feel like it’s pretty hard to be a casual Actress fan, but I’m doing alright. I don’t know enough to know all of the lore or various releases, although I do know enough to expect some out-there bleep bloop music to turn on every time I press play. This is a very nice middle-of-the-night post-dubstep song that I’ve listened to twice in a row because it sounds so cool. It makes me want to put on all the Actress albums, which I think I’ve already done multiple times and just never remember what they’re like.
Sarah Davachi “Songs of the Smile’s Fig: III. Follies”
Now that’s the kind of song title I want to see from Sarah Davachi. This is a triple LP coming out from the secretly Calgarian composer, and it sounds like it’s going to be the soundtrack of the summa baby. Honestly, she’s so good at making these expansive droning suites, and I don’t possess the language to do it justice, but I recall her previous work being long single note presses on an organ, so it’s interesting to hear how her work translates with a choir. Davachi-heads we eating good!
DJ Cinéma Quartier Latin “June”
How could I not write about the artist named after the Cineplex location where I saw CATS, the mgk concert film, and so many of my other favourites? Quartier Latin is really fun for a change now and again, although they have the most French-language flicks in the city so you really gotta be careful you don’t accidentally buy a ticket to Les Minions et les monstres (although those little guys are practically speaking Quebecois French anyways). This is all a long preamble because I don’t know what to say about this other than it’s an absolutely lovely and totally euphoric dance track that’ll give you the burst of energy you need to march your keester up St. Denis.
FaltyDL “Wild Rice”
I love listening to electronic music because I know so little about it. I don’t know the guy in the band, I haven’t heard the allegations about anyone, I don’t have personal beef with anyone. I feel like a total outsider. (Somewhat ironic since my first-ever paid writing job was for the seminal electronic magazine XLR8R. I’m just that good a bullshitter.) I’m pretty sure I’ve heard FaltyDL before but I don’t remember anything about it. I saw the name and recognized it like a dog recognizes its leash or a cat recognizes the sound of its food bowl. I love the glitched-out elements of it, I’m not sure if this is the right reference but it kind of reminds me of Prefuse 73’s One Word Extinguisher, like IDM but a little cooler and less nerdy.
Daria Lourd “Backburner”
In case it’s not clear yet, I sometimes take a break from scraping Stereogum music announcements and dig into Resident Advisor instead while prepping this post. No clue who this is but I’m really loving it. The drum machine is so simple, at first I thought this was gonna go a Stones Throw route but then it builds to a wonderfully spacious composition, almost aesthetically chillwave but not that self-aware. Just a really nice expansive track that I enjoyed immensely.
EsDeeKid “RockWave”
Maybe I’m projecting but it feels like “rock” being “dead” has become some kind of subtext for producers. It’s not just Charli’s “Rock Music” — I’m noticing the electric guitar is popping up all over the place alongside the omnipresent safety-pinned leather and studs. I really like EsDeeKid, but I’m not sure the “RockWave” is going to last for him. It kinda just sounds like they put some guitars under an EsDeeKid song. It’s not really meshing together.
Kennyhoopla “NEW AMERICA//” (feat. Albert Hammond Jr.)
See what I mean about “rock” as an aesthetic accoutrement? Last we heard from Kennyhoopla, he was working with Travis Barker on some fake blink pop-punk (including a THPS3+4 placement). Now he’s got Albert Hammond Jr. on the track. Which is crazy, because why are you getting Albert on a track that sounds like sub-par Bloc Party ripoff. I dunno, I was gonna say it’s a waste of Albie but the new Strokes songs are too so whatever, do your thing. I don’t think this song’s going to be in our lives very much either way.
FKA twigs & Lil Yachty “On Your Mind”
Crazy that Lil Boat is 10 years old. That was such a wonderful time, and in many ways everything’s been bad since. And it’s been 12 years since my fav FKA song “Two Weeks.” Yet here we are with a song that sounds like neither of those things, and is instead a very self-awarely 2026-sounding post-garage track that’s been run through a bunch of layers of creative direction. I dunno I kinda forgot it was on and got distracted while I was listening to this.
Sean Leon “20,000 STEPS”
I guess this guy is Canadian and has worked on the Kanye albums from Jesus Is King through Vultures, but let’s not hold it against him. A job is a job, especially in this economy. I like all the bullshit going on in here. Tons of stopping and starting and brief asides and weird samples. This is kind of like a Radiohead song but R&B, but somehow a lot better than that horrid description would suggest. And there’s even a sample of a Mississauga yardie accent guy. What more could you really want?
Boy Harsher “Jeans”
I think my labelmate/pod producer/signee/daily chat bestie sparkling Caleb has some tenuous connection to this band. I should probably start listening to my friends when they tell me stuff. (Confirmed: he even did an official remix). I think it’s a cool band name, and I believe I’ve liked what I’ve heard, although truthfully I’ve never remembered any of it. This song had a similar effect TBH. I asked Caleb if he knows them and then the song was suddenly over. I think it was kinda new wave indie pop.
Radiator Hospital “Wall Between Us”
For some reason I thought this was going to sound like the Marked Men. My predictions are way off this month. But that had me ready to write it off as more beating of the dead horse that is garage rock — especially when I saw the Bandcamp artist bio that just says “Kick out the jams motherfuckers.” I was basically frothing at the mouth to tear them a new one, like a rabid dog who loves chewing up choogling garage rocker guys. And then I was greeted with this very pleasant lo-fi indie rock song. You can basically only hear the guitar chords on top of the piano and drum machine, but they’re nice chords. This is a nice lil indie rock ditty. I’m sorry for having band-name bias.
Wild Pink “Box Store”
I keep seeing This One Guy on Twitter talk about this band all the time, even though I don’t follow him, and I think I heard them on Sirius XMU while I was driving to Costco one time (that’s how I discover new bands). But sitting at home with it now on one of my three computers on my desk (where I do my active listening), I’m now catching that this isn’t just more MJ Lenderman carbon copy — there’s some heartland posturing going on in here too. I’m partly charmed by it, and I enjoy the general thickness of the production, but I also can’t help but roll my eyes a little at the obvious piano flourishes. They’re just so on the nose. I bet they’ll play this song in one of the last episodes of The Bear.
Parts & Labor “Arterial Material”
Speaking of people on Twitter, I think this band features a formerly prominent music critic in it. Which means I’m probably playing with fire by mentioning it here. I think this band used to be signed to one of the 50 Jagjaguwar sub-labels, and I remember really liking them for their busy ass drums that still included lots of pop hooks. Interesting that they’re back, and they are making music that straight up still sounds like 2009. I love the busy drums, I can’t help but think about Dan Deacon again, or like HEALTH or the Mae Shi something. I dunno this just sounds like music from a different time. But I like that, what else are we supposed to do as we get old but make the music that sounds right to us? Good lord this song is from a double album. That’s crazy work. I respect the big dramatic break in the middle of the track. Interesting tune that I won’t play again probably. But respect.
PUP “If This Is It”
Hopefully no one’s reading this far into the newsletter so I can finally openly say something that I’ve been too scared to say publicly (and for good reason — I worked at “Canada’s music authority” magazine for a long time, and hosted a Canadian pop-punk podcast). I do not care for the music of PUP. In fact, I find it quite grating. I think I’m washed and just agoraphobic enough that I won’t have to see them in any social settings ever again, so I can finally live my truth. Okay pressing play. What if I suddenly love it. Nope no worry of that here. The guy kinda sings like he’s trying to do post-punk but doing Billy Talent instead. The chorus is obnoxiously huge, the guitars are doing way too much. You guys need to calm down, all of you. This is music for getting the zoomies on a Thursday, which is the new Friday, because you’re at the microbrewery with the boys. Kind of interesting breakdown toward the end where everything starts getting really noisy, but then the guy starts singing again. I can’t do it, but cheers to everyone involved.
honestav & mgk “Crash First”
As promised, so long as there’s a new mgk song I will include it in this newsletter at the end of every month’s round up. This time around he’s found a new hick-loving hip-hopper, some guy named honestav who seems like Kurt Vile doing 2014 emo rap. Sounds like shit and I love it so much. Also when the song comes in, mgk is wearing a vintage NOFX t-shirt. Honestly, his recent Wiz Khalifa songs were so bad that I thought my parasocial mgk crush was waning. But the NOFX shirt and some of his vocal delivery on here is bringing me right back in. This is a great song not gonna lie. Music that sucks is so awesome.
Thank you for speaking truth to power on the Avalanches