Damn, It Was a Great Weekend For Indie Music in Santa Fe
Plus, recommending new albums by Marika Hackman and glass beach!
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We’re almost to the end of January, and I was planning to have a few new music reviews for you by now. The truth is, this month has been a pretty big dud in my book (I am looking forward to the new album from Super Furry Animal’s Gruff Rhys and NewDad’s much-anticipated LP this week). Usually, this early month has a handful of acts that take advantage of the slow schedule, but there have only been two so far that blow my mind. First, I highly recommend Big Sigh, the latest from Marika Hackman. I’ve somehow missed her over the years, but Hackman’s confessional lyrics set her above the pack on this new record. There isn’t a miss on here, and if you’re an indie folk/rock fan, it’s a must-listen that is always over too quickly.
The other album I’m really digging is glass beach’s plastic death. This dense baby requires endless listening to dissect all the moving pieces, and even after three spins, I’m not sure where to begin to give you a comprehensive review. This Los Angeles-based band has shoved many genres into a blender: prog rock to math rock, jazz fusion to emo, and hardcore. It sounds like a mess on paper, but it works out beautifully. If you’re a label person, plastic death is out on Run For Cover, which typically means good things in my book—feeling adventurous and looking for a little bit of a challenge? Place glass beach at the top of your list!
Back here in Santa Fe, it was a mind-blowingly rad weekend of indie rock! If you’re a new subscriber (welcome!) or missed it, I’m booking music at a newly renovated old Route 66 motel (formerly the Silver Saddle) called The Mystic. It’s been a fantastic opportunity so far to help build up and celebrate the supremely underrated New Mexico scene and bring in touring bands from around the country. It’s also completely different from running the label, which consists of music I absolutely love. However, booking often comes down to bringing in acts I think the locals will dig, even if they aren’t necessarily for me.
This past weekend was one that I was all in on, though, as we featured four Albuquerque-based indie bands over two nights, and the packed houses confirmed that I’m not the only one looking for more great DIY bands around here.
Friday night was an excellent one-two punch with Slow Alchemy and Almost Always Never. Both were so great that I hate using a term like “support band” in this case. Slow Alchemy is relatively new, so I don’t have any streaming music I can share with you, but I will as soon as that changes. They were perfectly loud as the waves of distorted guitars and bass hit you in the gut while the lyrics hit you in the heart - the perfect formula for shoegaze-adjacent music! I can best describe them as Erika Wennerstrom of Heartless Bastards’ solo album Sweet Unknown. I don’t give that praise lightly either, as that is one of my all-time favorite albums (if you haven’t heard it, let’s change that!).
As for Almost Always Never, I was looking forward to having them up, as their debut, Hey, Dissaray, was easily one of my favorite local releases from last year. Everyone at the show was in for a real treat, as Almost Alway Never’s distinctive formula of synth-driven indie pop was even better in a live setting. They’re all really impressive for their young age, as they know how to write a killer hook but also stretch out songs to five minutes plus without overstaying their welcome. Even if the mix is very homemade on Hey, Dissaray, I can’t recommend the album enough to indie pop fans who prefer acts like TOPS, Tennis, Men I Trust, or even Alvvays in some spots. Almost Always Never is just starting, and I can’t wait to hear what’s next.
Saturday night was another killer bill, with two of Albuquerque’s more established bands in Sweet Roll and Strange Magic. My fandom of Javier Romero and his Strange Magic project is no secret, as I included Zugzwang Alakazam, one of his four(!) albums from 2023, on my year-end list. When it came time to kick off this live music residency, Strange Magic was one of my go-to’s to schedule for the opening weekend, and Romero absolutely crushed two solo sets. This time, he had a full band in tow (mainly consisting of Sweet Roll members), and over thirty breezy minutes, Strange Magic showed why they should be better known outside of the state. I can best describe their live sound as a mix between Pinkerton-era Weezer and Tony Molina’s prolific solo career. Uh yeah, sign me up!
To cap off the weekend, it’s got no better than Sweet Roll, who continue to release their music one single at a time and have a dedicated following. When one of the scene kids asked if they could move around the furniture in our cozy space for a dance party, I knew things were about to go off. Sweet Roll’s blend of synthy soul and funk is just such a damn good time, and they had the place going off. Between their original work and a cover of Thundercat’s signature song, “Them Changes,” plenty of groovin’ was going on! All four members are incredibly talented, and Rayna Torres is a capital FRONTWOMAN if I’ve ever seen one. Let’s hope an EP compiling all of their singles is coming.
Has January provided you with a “must-listen” album? Let me know in the comments!
We-hellllll as a matter of fact, there’s this release! It’s the kick off to a “year-long” album project I have underway called “Urte Naturala: 12 in 2024”! That’s quite the long player...it’s a long long LONG player. Here is the first track! https://brittapejic.bandcamp.com/track/shes-wrong