New Music 2.15
Music has been pretty boring so far this year, but a few cool things came out this week, so I figured I’d do another new music post. I’m gonna try and make these a habit again as long as something new is coming out. The beginning of the year is always slow for stuff like this though, so it won’t be every week for a little while.
Alexisonfire – First off, I need to get this out of the way, Alexisonfire is back and that’s just the best news. They have a new single out today called “Familiar Drugs”, it kinda sounds like Old Crows/Young Cardinals era AOF, but with a bit more soul in Dallas’ vocals, which is great. I’m trying to reconcile the excitement of experiencing the first new music from one of my all-time favorite bands in 10 years to be objective about it, but I really do believe that it’s a good track – not their best, but good enough to make me really look forward to more new material (and hopefully a tour?) from them.
Hotel Books – I actually had no idea this album was coming out. I’ve been a big fan of these guys for years and if I’m honest, their last album really disappointed me, so I was pleasantly surprised with this release. Hotel Books is a spoken word post hardcore band, kinda like La Dispute, but more spoken word, and somehow more depressing. They’ve always had this anxious urgency that made things extremely impactful. This album is different though. It’s very ethereal and atmospheric, almost relaxed in its melancholy, yet still very heavy and heartbreaking. This is both a progression and a return to form. I’m a big fan.
Millencolin – I guess skate punk is alive and well in 2019. Honestly, if you told me this album came out in 1998, I would 100% believe you. So really, anyone that is familiar with Millencolin or bands like them (Bad Religion, No Use for a Name, etc) then you know what to expect, but with this sort of album, that’s exactly what you want.
Copeland – This album is pretty hard to explain. It’s like indie, but also emo, but also mixed with some downtempo electronic elements? It’s almost like depressing pop music, but it’s very good. Copeland is a semi-obscure name, but I’m sure it will resonate with some of you, and for those old fans of Copeland, it’s a familiar progression. I lost touch with them after the mid-2000’s so this seemed like a bit of a departure that made sense when you connect the dots.