Songs You Need To Hear Now #34
It's the Bo Jackson of playlists - we're talking about some new Slumberland Records releases, and Crosses, the excellent electronic side project for the Deftones' Chino Marino.
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Since this may be the first mid-week playlist for many of you, welcome to the space I typically reserve for quick picks. Whether it’s looking at a few songs I’m especially digging on the playlist or album reviews that may not justify their own post, I’m here to share some nuggets and find out what you’re listening to!
“Songs You Need To Hear Now” is typically full of tunes from the past month of releases, and all of them are added to the “Good Ass Songs 2023” playlist that you will find further down the page. We also have “Earwormz,” which is a genre-bending, time-travelin’ collection that has only two requirements: it’s full of songs that will stick in your brain for the rest of the day, and hopefully, you haven’t heard most of these gems a million times. Want “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” “Cruel Summer,” or “Hotel California?” This ain’t it.
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I sound like a skipping record, but since the beginning of September, it’s been borderline overwhelming how much excellent new music we’re hearing, and last week was predictably stacked! Besides yesterday’s Uni Boys review, I’m still ruminating on new albums from old friends like Damien Jurado and Spencer Krug (Wolf Parade/Moonface/Sunset Rubdown). Here are a few more songs from the playlist that I think the album is worth digging into:
Slumberland Records is somehow one of the most legendary indie labels while still being slept on almost twenty-five years after its formation. The Oakland label was responsible for a few of my favorites from last year, like Artsick or Kids on a Crime Spree, and they’ve dropped a few recent late contenders. The title track from Fertile State, the newest album from Blue Ocean, is a must-hear for those who love noisy shoegaze bliss. This past Friday also saw the release of Good Good Great!, the good, good, GREAT debut EP from New Jersey’s Lightheaded, which is one for the jangle pop lovers. I’d assume there is much crossover on the Venn diagram for these genres.
Deftones will always be my one exception to the late nineties nu-metal scene; otherwise, I have a hard time drumming up nostalgia. That’s thanks to leader Chino Mareno, who, from their earliest records, pushed the band into more experimental territory. The lineups may change, but Deftones continues to release new albums that never fail to surprise, and I often find myself loving them more with each one.
Mareno has a few other outlets for his more electronic work, like the self-titled classic one-off from Team Sleep in 2005. ††† (Crosses) is Marino’s other project with Far’s Shaun Lopez, and they dropped Goodnight, God Bless, I Love U, Delete., their first album in nine years last week. While I wasn’t wild about their debut (which I may need to revisit), this new one is an electronic beauty that flirts with industrial and includes features from El-P and The Cure’s Robert Smith. Neat!
It’s worth dropping all of your Deftones pre-conceptions and giving it a listen - “Runner” is an excellent example of Mareno’s diversity!
What song or album is making you get out of bed in the morning this week? Let me know in the comments!
These songs are also included in the ever-popular Good Ass Songs 2023 playlist. At over three hundred songs and counting, it’s the best way to catch up on another excellent year of music!
Listen on Apple Music 🎧
Can’t pick something to listen to? Throw on Earwormz!
Thanks for this week’s great playlist! I’d already been listening to the latest Squirrel Flower album and am really enjoying it.
I’ve been working my way through some of these new albums by the new (to me) artists on your post and there are a couple standouts for me. I’d never heard of Blue Ocean and I’m really enjoying what I’ve heard of Fertile State. Likewise for Crosses - I think I’m really gonna enjoy this album based on what I’ve heard so far!
And I’m really glad you posted CMAT. I heard the album in passing the other day and it kinda passed me by. For whatever reason, after listening to the EP and going back to the album, it’s grabbing me much more this morning.
Not sure whether you’ve listened to Coyote by Dylan LeBlanc, but if not I highly recommend giving it a spin. I’ve spent some time with it every day over the last week and it’s already very likely earned a place on my top 50 for 2023.