Welcome New Subscribers - Here Are the Latest Songs You Need To Hear Now!

A playlist to catch up on all of the great tracks for the fall.

Happy Tuesday to all my subscribers, both ol’ reliables and new faces!

After almost two years of publishing Check This Out!, Substack featured my humble newsletter this week, which means a wonderful influx of new readers for which I am grateful. Check This Out! is my pride and joy, a small corner of the internet where I talk about all things music on my mind, and I’m thankful to have you join me. Most of all, thank you to all of my regular readers who have been here since the beginning - I couldn’t do it without you!

A long time ago, I started a journalism career in politics. A recession and moves around the country lead me down a different corporate path. While I’m grateful for the experience, writing emails and meeting minutes is not the same as reviewing my favorite new releases. So, like many folks, I decided to take control and get back in the writer’s seat at the beginning of the pandemic. My goal? To help you, dear reader, know what you should give devote your time to out of the endless pile of releases.

I know all of you are busy, so twice a week, I’m here to give you the highlights of the music calendar and do some crate digging together. While the Tuesday edition tends to focus on reviews of new releases, I don’t have any genre or decade boundaries. New or old, if it’s good, I want you to hear it. Most importantly, I tend to shine a light on independent artists that you aren’t going to hear on pop radio, or now I guess, Tik Tok.

Today, I’m procuring a playlist of current songs from the past month or so that gives an excellent introduction to what to expect at Check This Out!. The playlist changes weekly and isn’t always new stuff, so follow me on Spotify and Apple Music (@kilarzleesen) to stay up to date.

Back to the regularly scheduled programming on Friday!

Thank you for being here, and “add some music to your day.”

Kiley ✌️🕶️

P.S. If you’re comfortable, drop me a line below and let me know your favorite song of 2022! I love hearing what my readers are listening to!

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While noteworthy releases stalled during the dog days of summer, things are turning around just in time for you to throw on some headphones and kick some leaves. Here are some highlights from this week’s playlist that will catch you up on the last month - listen to all 12 songs at the links above!

The War on Drugs - “Oceans of Darkness”

Last year’s I Don’t Live Here Anymore still landed on my best-of list, but as a massive fan of The War on Drugs (known as Drugsheads) since the beginning, the album was their first that I think has some misses. Now reissued with a few unreleased songs from the sessions, it’s fair to say that the numbers from the cutting room floor should have made their way onto the record. The highlight is “Oceans of Darkness,” one that bassist Dave Heartley rescued from the bin. Recorded in only a few takes, the song has the raw Americana muscles that would have kicked things up a notch on the album. Along with “Slow Ghost,” I could easily substitute a few of the autopilot ballads for these selections.

The War on Drugs Continues Their Classic Rock-Tinged Era With I Don't Live Here Anymore - read the full review here.

The Beths - “Silence Is Golden”

“With Expert in a Dying Field, The Beths cement their place as one of the more reliable indie acts of the past five years. Hopefully, the deserved global buzz will follow.”

Third Time Is Still the Charm for The Beths - read the full review here.

Hubba - “By Your Side”

Besides running the newsletter, I co-founded an indie record label this summer. At Mama Mañana Records, our motto is “Nourishing the Household Names of Tomorrow,” and we’re here to do that by building a community of artists that fight the Spotify algorithm. Next Tuesday (10/4) sees the release of our first cassette, Empty Dreams, by former New Mexico Music Award winner and label co-founder Jared Garcia, who performs as Hubba. Following at the end of October, we’ll also have the latest EP from the best surf rock band in Santa Fe, Gold Tides, and I’m excited to eventually share our plans for early next year!

Introducing Mama Mañana Records and Our First EP From Hubba! - read more about the Mama Mañana Records story here.

Panda Bear & Sonic Boom - “Edge of the Edge”

“As Panda Bear, Noah Lennox is often compared to The Beach Boys, with the gift of drifting between songbird Carl Wilson and Mike Love, minus the insufferable personality. Take, for example, “Edge of the Edge” or “Danger,” with the former featuring doo-wop harmonies and the latter fitting in perfectly with the comedown comfort of the lo-fi trailblazing Smiley Smile from 1967. Add in the neo-psychedelia brilliance of Pete Kember, aka Sonic Boom, and I am all in on this fun project.”

Panda Bear and Sonic Boom's 'Reset' Is the Dream Collaboration You Didn't Know You Needed in Your Life - read the full review here.

Uni Boys - “Downtown”

“Even though Uni Boys recorded Do It All Next Week at home with some help from Garageband, the production by (Reza) Matin is as rich as anything from the bubblegum era it looks to for inspiration. One of the best opening runs of the year, “You Worry About Me,” “Downtown,” “On Your Lovin’ Mind,” and “Long Time No See,” kick things off with a bang, but Uni Boys never slow down for thirty minutes as “Caroline Kills” and “I Wanna Rock You” are latter album highlights.”

Sometimes You Just Need a Rock n' Roll Record, So Here's Uni Boys' Do It All Next Week - read the full review here.

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You can hear these and more on the extensive Good Ass Songs 2022 playlist. Currently, at 333 songs and over 22 hours of music, this one has everything you need to hear from this year and is updated regularly until the end of the year.

If you enjoy this playlist, why not subscribe to Check This Out!? You’ll receive fresh tunes in your inbox twice weekly. Rad!