In No Particular Order: 5 Must-Hear Albums of The Week (10/16/20)
Hey, ho, it’s a new INPO!
Welcome back to another week of kick-ass new album releases – this edition features some gut-punching albums including the latest from alternative rock group Deep Sea Diver, Montreal’s Helena Deland and her insightful debut, the return of math rock/shoegazers Gulfer, North Carolina folk ensemble Mipso, and acclaimed pop-punk producer-turned performer Marigolds+Monsters.
I should also mention there two industry all-stars released new albums today: Sam Roberts and Matt Berninger dropped their latest full-lengths. Definitely worth checking out.
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Gulfer – Gulfer
8.5/10
Indie rock/Shoegaze/Math rock
Montreal math rock group Gulfer have returned with their third album, Gulfer, bringing back their combination of lump-in-the-throat emo-revival, unpredictable math rock, and hazy shoegaze. With writing and lead vocal duties split between Vincent Ford and Joe Therriault, the new record is a quilted patchwork of fuzzy time signatures, effect-laden instrumentation and explosive emotion from the pair as they explore human nature from a somewhat darker place; themes of climate change, heartbreak, and self-doubt find their place on the 13-track release.
The channeling of these more complex and difficult topics come out in their purest form as the band reject the need to fit into a genre-type. Everything on the record feels organic and unforced, propelled forward by their musicianship and cohesiveness as a group and by their ability to leave it all on the table but not without pulling the words out from deep within the diaphragm.
Notable tracks: “Forget (Friendly)” // “Heat Wave” // “Symmetry”
Mipso – Mipso
8/10
Indie folk
Chapel Hill, North Carolina folk quartet Mipso reimagine what it means to be a band. Since their formation in 2013, the group of Wood Robinson, Libby Rodenbough, Jacob Sharp, and Joseph Terrell have always rotated instrumental roles, with no lead singer or main songwriter. Rather, their music is a result of fluid and interchanging inspiration and musical ability. On their fifth full-length, their well-known harmonies and bluegrass influences shine bright as each member takes a turn at the helm, pushing forward into stronger melodies and full-band cohesiveness.
For the most part, it is a soothing and tranquil record. The softness of the guitars, violin, and vocal harmonies move at a steady, but ideal pace as the band sings about love, life, and nostalgia with a raw, richness and natural sensation.
Notable Tracks: “Never Knew You Were Gone” // “Let A Little Light In” // “Wallpaper Baby”
Deep Sea Diver – Impossible Weight
8.5/10
Alternative rock
Following a burnout from recording and touring, Deep Sea Diver frontwoman Jessica Dobson feel into a period of depression and disconnection from music. A wall had been hit and she decided to step away for some time to rediscover her passion. The group’s third album, Impossible Weight, is a collection of narrative-driven tracks that touch on harsh self-reflection, loss of control, and the difficult, yet necessary ability to be vulnerable.
The pent up frustration and pure emotion flies out from the record, as Dobson’s virtuosic guitar playing and alt-rock vocal performance combine for a Foo Fighter level of feistiness. “Shattering the Hourglass” opens up the record with the tenacity of a solid rock album, both in its musicality and lyrical command, as she sings “You don’t have to be strong enough”. The boldness to be fragile contrasts with it’s rock aesthetic throughout the album, most notably on “Wishing” and the 7-minute opus “Eyes Are Red (Don’t Be Afraid)”.
And like many rock stars, Dobson shows off her strength as a songwriter in a more intimate moment on the album closer and sole-acoustic track “Run Away With Me”. It’s a nice change of pace to bring things to an end for a release that, while drenched in fuzzy guitars and barrelling rock hooks, is introspective and cathartic.
Notable tracks: “Shattering the Hourglass” // “Wishing” // “Run Away With Me”
Helena Deland – Someone New
8.5/10
Indie singer-songwriter/Art-pop
After a few years teasing singles and EPs, Montreal indie singer-songwriter Helena Deland has shared her 13-track debut full-length Someone New.
Her new record is an intimate moment between Deland and her guitar, spliced into different clips, and then brought forward into bountiful soundscapes filled with swelling synthesizers, layered effects, and harmonies. Reaching into the pockets of folk, synth-pop, and ambient to make her own bedroom-pop style, her alluring and hypnotic vocal presence is mirrored musically as she chameleons with the production behind her, shifting from soft whispers to effect-dripping distortion, and into rich, sharp jagged delivery. Deland, while on the surface may sound sweet and angelic, digs deep with her lyrical content, as she examines the toxicity of past relationships, gender, and friendship, making for a compelling listen both passively and attentively.
Notable Tracks: “Someone New” // “Pale” // “Lylz”
Marigolds + Monsters – Glow
6.5/10
Alternative pop/Emo-pop
Matt Malpass has spent the better part of his career behind the scenes, receiving numerous production and songwriting credits with bands such as Blink-182, Manchester Orchestra, and Dance Gavin Dance among others. Now it’s his turn to take front and centre, and the Los Angeles-based producer has made his debut as Marigolds+Monsters with the new full-length Glow. Jam-packed with pop-punk infused electro-pop, the 10-track release is an energetic, guilty pleasure of catchy hooks and auto-tuned melodies.
Those of us who were teenagers in 2008 will find this release somewhat nostalgic,; glowing high-pitched vocals and xylophone samples channel the early days of Owl City and Passion Pit, while the heavier bass production ties in more contemporary trap-pop style beats – “Falling Out of Rhythm” and “The Medic” being two perfect examples of that ’00-alt-pop genre influence. While texting ‘xD raWr’ may have gone out of fashion along with the wispy black-died Bieber-bangs, the music is still alive and well on Glow.
Notable tracks: “Falling Out of Rhythm” // “Lose Yourself” // “Broken”
