For this week’s Five Songs You Must Hear list, at least one track manages to rhyme “nostalgia” with “chlamydia.”
1. Vox Rea, One Kiss
The Art Oracles Songbook (Independent)
RIYL: Sister duos
Vancouver sisters Kate and Lauren Kurdyak were once known as The Katharines (there was a 2917 album on 604 called To Bring You My Heart) but pivoted to this new name in 2020. Since then, they’ve found love at festivals through North America and Europe. If noir-pop is your thing, do check this out. It will only take 135 seconds.
2, Purity Ring, Many Lives and Part ii
Single (Better Noise)
Recommended If You Like: Video games
Edmonton’s Purity Ring (Corin Roddick and Megan James) were formed about 15 years ago and were soon snapped up by the UK’s prestigious 4AD. They’re now independent and have returned with a couple of songs—they call it a two-part single—that comes with a video that may have been inspired by video games like Final Fantasy X.
3. Ax and the Hatchetman, Blurry Lights
Single (Arista)
RIYL: Smooth alt-pop with a horn section
Coming from Chicago (est. 2018), this six-piece band expanded to seven for this song with the guest appearance of Albert Hammond Jr. from The Strokes. The group’s lineup includes a trumpet player and saxophonist, rare for a non-ska band.
4. Viagra Boys, Waterboy
Viagr Aboys (Shrimptech Enterprises)
RIYL: NSFW Swedish punk
How can you not want to hear a song with lines like “You get high on nostalgia/You should get checked for chlamydia”? This album, their fourth studio record, is a lot less political than their last few, preferring to “juxtapose real live with high art.”
5. Black Moth Super Rainbow, Open the F**king Fantasy
Soft New Magic Dream (Rad Cult)
RIYL: NSFW song titles
Black Moth Super Rainbow isn’t for everyone and hasn’t been since they were formed about twenty years ago. But if you’re looking for something different, then you might want to dip a toe into this Pennsylvania band’s latest opus—which, I must admit, is more accessible than some of their other material. Besides, what a cool name for a band, right?
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