Shorties: Closing Out All of the April Aural Goodness

Don't miss out on some of the month's best records from Triptides, Billy Tibbals, Neggy Gemmy, Limousine, and Indigo de Souza.

May 05, 2023

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On last month’s episode of 5-9’s Album of the Month podcast, I noted that March was a bit of a letdown for new releases after starting the first few months off with a bang, and I still stand by that. Luckily, April was chock-full of excellent stuff that will be in constant rotation for the summer. LIES, Blondshell (also the debut of the year so far), Circles Around the Sun, and Rose City Band are all but sure to make it toward the top of my year-end list - the messages I’ve received from my readers for each of these albums tell me that you’re digging them too.

For some easy breezy Friday reading, here are the rest of the April records I can’t get enough of. Many of these are as great as everything already covered for the month, so don’t miss out!

Triptides - Starlight

From their surf rock beginnings to last year’s laidback Laurel Canyon-leaning So Many Days, Triptides are never one to keep the same sound. With that in mind, it’s still surprising how much the Glenn Brigman and Stephen Burns duo switch things up on their latest for Curation Records, Starlight. No longer wanting to be labeled “psychedelic,” Triptides are now describing their music as “interdimensional,” and I couldn’t agree more with songs like “Lattitudes,” “Broken Lens,” and “Reactor” that operate in their own realm. Pulling from a dream team of influences like Stereolab (“As You Can See”) and Steely Dan (listen to the Donald Fagen tones on “Unwound” or the yacht rockness of “Cassis,” complete with a jazzy Walter Becker-kinda solo), Starlight excels at creating the master template for how a band can grow and change, while still satisfying long haul fans.

Starlight is available on Curation Records.

Billy Tibbals - Stay Teenage EP

Londoner-turned Angeleno Billy Tibbals landed on my radar last year after releasing his excellent debut double a-side of “Onwards and Upwards” and “Lucy.” Now he’s back with Stay Teenage, a six-song outing that is pure whiskey and bubblegum-scented glam rock perfection. “Hollywood Baby” shares some Bowie-esque qualities to draw you in, but it’s the haywire combo of “Best Day I Ever Had” and “Hurt So Bad” that seal the deal. Even when things slow down on the string-drenched “Three In the Morning,” Stay Teenage is soaked in classic rock glory. Freshly out of high school, Tibbals is already well ahead of the game and a rising talent in the retro-dyed Los Angeles scene - I can’t wait to hear what’s next.

Stay Teenage is available on Silver Arrow.

Neggy Gemmy - CBD Reiki Moonbeam

100% Electronic royalty Neggy Gemmy is back with her first full-length record in quite some time, and the wait is well worth it. Whether it’s the hyperpop anthem “California,” the club beats of “Black Ferrari,” or aughts house throwback “Daydream,” CBD Reiki Moonbeam plays out like a damn good mix tape during its breezy fifteen-track run. As fun as these opening songs are, the back half continues to pull me in. “Reiki” swirls around atmospheric beats, while Frost Children joins for would-be nineties chart-topper “Seeing Stars,” and the hazy feedback on “Euphoria” makes it the record’s must-hear song.

CBD Reiki Moonbeam is available on 100% Electronica.

Limousine - Dusty Roads

It’s been a hot minute since I’ve come across an excellent “mallcore” record, but leave it up to Limousine, one of the genre-defining vets, to once again allow you to smell the Wetzel’s Pretzels while cruising for an oversized Taz or Tweety t-shirt. The mallcore branch of chillwave is well-explored, so kudos to Limousine for continuing to grow here. There’s some ambient soft rock funk with “I Still Miss You Baby,” while standouts “Sedona, AZ,” “It’s Not Ova Between You & Me,” and “The Stratosphere Is Reserved For You & I” really commit to the spaghetti western theme of this outing. If it sounds weird, it’s because it is. Now embrace it.

Dusty Roads is available on Business Casual.

Indigo De Souza - All of This Will End

Asheville’s Indigo De Souza burst onto the indie scene with 2018’s I Love My Mom, but her third album, All of This Will End, is the best version of her brand of confessional alternative rock. De Souza is writing for herself after losing her two other band members, and she’s all the better for it. The opener, “Time Back,” indicates where everything is heading on All of This Will End (everywhere), as it bounces between indie pop and a gut punch of second movement that stops everything in its tracks. “Smog” is my favorite, as it packages the record’s themes of bad relationships and existing in a challenging world into irresistible hooks. Combine Indigo De Souza’s All of This Will End with the album mentioned above from Blondshell, and you’ll have the year’s best examples of how fruitful the female-driven alternative scene is at the moment.

All of This Will End is available on Saddle Creek.

Any of these albums hitting the right spot? Let me know in the comments.

Catch up on the excellent April that was:

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