The Faves Playlist - October 2023
New music from Enumclaw, Fraulein, Peter Xan, Coma Girls and more. Check out our faves below:
Dame Area - Buon Cittadino
Post-industrial / synthpop group Dame Area, have released their metallic and pounding single “Buon Cittadino.” The Barcelona duo takes on the complexities around being an upstanding citizen. As the band explains, “It’s about the hypnotic conformism of the masses. In an ironic way, I’m saying that you have to enter the role of being a a good citizen without questioning what that means. A good citizen–seen as a control method, creating a division–a conflict because if there are good, it signifies that there are also bad citizens.” The song is part of a 49-track compilation put together by Curses and is out now on Eskimo Recordings.
Mannequin Pussy - I Don’t Know You
On their latest single, “I Don’t Know You,” Mannequin Pussy gets in their feels. On the track, vocalist Marisa Dabice comments, “This is simply a song about having a crush. About the excitement and playful fantasy that can come from meeting someone unexpectedly at a festival, or on the street, or in line at the grocery store. You don’t know when you’ll see them again but the rush of their possibility lingers, making you yearn to know more about them.” The track is off the band’s upcoming album I Got Heaven out early next year via Epitaph Records.
Wishy - Donut
Wishy, the new project from Nina Pitchkites (Push Pop) and Kevin Krauter, has announced their new EP Paradise. On the dream pop/shoegaze track “Donut,” bandmember Nina Pitchkites comments, “When you’ve got the possibility of the open road plus the limitations of your shitty car–and you’re stuck driving on a donut spare tire– it’s a Catch 22.”
daarling - Out of Greed
Chicago indie band daarling has released their new album The Deep Within. Their emotive track “Out of Greed” builds up slowly, before the band erupts into full catharsis at the chorus. As the band explains, “‘Out of Greed’ is about the struggle of living in late-stage capitalism and the disbelief that those in power would want a world with so much imbalance and, well, greed. It’s a chance for anyone to scream into the void and let out our daily frustrations together.”
Swiims - All I Die For
“All I Die For,” the new single by Toronto-based shoegaze band Swiims, exemplifies the first taste of a new relationship. In the band’s words, “It’s about the beginning stages of a relationship - how you try to make yourself more intriguing or impressive than you are in order to keep that person interested. It also describes the feeling of hopefulness, bliss and loss of control that the start of any new relationship brings.” The band’s full-length album Into The Blue Night is out on 11/1 via Mint 400 Records.
Stupid Son - Dylan’s Brain
Irish lo-fi indie rockers Stupid Son are back with their new single “Dylan’s Brain.” According to the band’s vocalist Andrew Pierce, the song is about “coming to terms with the not-so-slow realization that you’re no longer in control of your own thoughts… facing the reality that these intrusive feelings are splitting apart your character. Like most hypochondriacs, these thoughts usually invade when I’m lying down, struggling to fall asleep. Dylan isn’t real, but his brain is.” The track is off of the band’s upcoming EP Comedy set to be released early 2024.
Aubrey - Monster
On their second single “Monster,” alt-rock London band Aubrey faces their adversaries with a roaring growl. The band explains that the track is “about our personal demons, and how we project them onto others and become slaves to our inner monsters.” Influenced by everything from grunge to trip-hop, Aubrey is a band to keep your eyes on! The track is off the band’s upcoming album Nowhere.
Honeysick - Fall
Honeysick, the solo project of multi-instrumentalist Austin Smith, has released a string of singles over the year. On the latest track “Fall,” the indie rocker dives into relationship woes. As Smith explains, “Fall is about the turning point in a relationship. It’s the moment when things fall apart and you start spinning out of control. It’s also about accepting your situation and who you are and trying to make things right again. It’s kind of a cryptic love song really.”
Marlon Bianco - She Can’t Leave Me Here
London-based psych-pop artist Marlon Bianco has released the atmospheric single “She Can’t Leave Me Here.” Through the ethereal layers of synth and sax, Bianco tells the story of “A relationship that is coming to an end, but with an outro which gives the listener and the story some hope for the main character suffering from loneliness.” Marlon Bianco and the Clones, led by Luca Bianco (former member of the British band Dead Coast), will be heading out on tour across Italy and Switzerland later this month.
Aziya - mars retrograde
London-based songwriter/producer Aziya is back with another one! On the opening track from her latest EP Lonely Castles, Aziya reflects “‘mars retrograde’ is a song about being ghosted, but comparing that feeling to the sensation of being isolated and trapped in space, constantly stuck in a retrograde.” Lonely Castles is available for pre-order on pink vinyl from Lab Records.
PACKS - Honey
Toronto’s indie rock project PACKS has released a new single, “Honey.” The track is a sweet reminder to appreciate the present. As vocalist Madeline Link explains, "I wrote this song while I was living in a tiny beach town in Chile, nestled between two hills. They don’t have maple syrup down there so we’d have honey instead. To keep the honey from burning you have to melt it a special way! As this developed into a habit, I think I was struck by how cute it was." PACKS is currently on tour supporting Geese in the US, before the band heads abroad to the UK/EU. Melt The Honey is out on January 19th via Fire Talk.
On their debut album Ambivert, Houston-based duo Blemishes—comprised of Julienne Ceron and Jessie Huntington—defies easy categorization by blending diverse musical influences and styles. This 50-minute album showcases a spectrum of sounds, from frantic rhythms to gentle instrumentation, reflecting their view of albums as cohesive narratives rather than mere collections of songs. To highlight its various influences, Ceron curated a playlist for us. Read our Q&A with the writer/producer and listen to the playlist.