One final new music roundup for 2023 to give a shout to some of my late favourites that got lost amongst end of year list season (if you like lists then you can find all that stuff here).
Album Roundup
Frog GROG
Frog are a modern day cult band, who are critically-liked but have never quite been critically-hyped. Their fifth album specialises in the sort of hook and harmony-heavy indie-pop that may have seen them breakout in the mid-00’s. But delivered with a rough-and-ready edge that counter-balances the sweetness; like a garage rock band re-creating a Shins song from memory.
But there’s also a treasure trove of stylistic detours, alongside a rotating cast of characters and swings in mood. There’s desperation, hope, and everything else in between. GROG is chaotic, but chaos is its unifying force; there’s a sense of ramshackle joy which somehow makes sense of all these disparate elements.
Best tunes: Goes w/o Saying, Black on Black on Black, New Ro
THE GOA EXPRESS The Goa Express
The debut album from the young, North-West five-piece harkens back to the mid-00’s post-punk revival, reminiscent of the hook-filled bangers of early Cribs or The Rakes. While, I’m generally a bit too old and cynical to enjoy the sort of modern UK indie fare that recalls that era, this album is elevated by a sense of unpretentious exuberance. Talking About Stuff best encapsulates this, capturing carefree youthful nostalgia without ever having to say too much.
There’s also hints of hazy shoegaze psychedelia, which dreamily cushion the sharp punky riffs. However, there was probably a stronger album in here as the production does it a disservice at times. The haze too often becomes an overly compressed blur; with the jangle or hard-hitting fuzz of guitars being buried and muffled. Regardless, the strength of the tunes on display make this an easily enjoyable album; half hour straight of undeniably catchy indie-pop bangers.
Best tunes: Honey, You’re the Girl, Talking About Stuff
PISS SHIVERS S/T
The debut album from the Australian punk duo of Caleb Stoddart (guitar/vocals) and Gemma Wyer (drums). Not to be confused with Pennsylvania punk band, The Piss Shivers (yes, it’s a highly coveted band name apparently). This is kind of like The White Stripes or Black Keys, but for hardcore punk, as the duo sound much bigger than they really have any right to.
Wyer’s drums thunder and crash, and Stoddart’s guitar pushes itself to the front every time; a buzzsaw cutting straight through to your brain. The whole thing is raucous and urgent, while carrying an underlying air of menace. A song like Eyes off You may have been a cute little tale of love/lust in other hands, but it’s almost threatening here; like a stalker’s anthem (if we assume they’re not stalkers, then it’s ok to enjoy it). And the album doesn’t even last 17 minutes; what you waiting for?
Best tunes: Red Stripe, Aren’t Ever, Rats
A few of the under the radar singles and EPs that caught my ear in late 2023. Check out the playlist, which I’ll be updating regularly with all my favourite new releases from the world of hip-hop this year.
Fatboi Sharif & Bigg Jus Insomniac Missile Launcher EP
Fatboi Sharif sounds like the fucked-up mutant clone of Biggie and ODB. This is ominous, industrial horrorcore-leaning rap, which seems to start from the premise that there’s nothing scarier than reality. With Sharif as a post-apocalyptic harbinger of doom, Queens underground veteran, Jus, plays the slightly less sinister messenger, warning us to correct our ills – “the most gangster-est thing you can do is grow a garden”. Hostile, haunting hip-hop that mightn’t be what we want, but is probably what we deserve.
JuseMC When I Catch You
Still with only a few singles to his name, young Southern California rapper and producer, JuseMC, may well be one to watch. This latest single is like an anthem for the introverted and has a big hint of Earl Sweatshirt, although in just 2 minutes he packs in more hooks than Earl has bothered with in the past decade.
Xavier The Soul Tapes, Vol. 2
The latest EP from Newcastle producer, Xavier (who also uses the prod. By CJG moniker) is a fine collection of smooth soul which gradually gets into slighter murkier, trap-influenced territory as it climaxes. This bodes well for future collaborations as these beats are crying out for some bars on top. But they stand as a cracking little chill-out mix in their own right.
Guitars, drums, bands, singer-songwriters, all that sort of stuff. Let’s not get hung up on the exact genre, it’s all indie-ish. A few of the best late-2023 singles/EPs below, and you can save the playlist to keep up with the best new Indie-ish releases.
BIG SPECIAL TREES
The Birmingham duo capped off a brilliant opening run of singles in 2023, with possibly their strongest yet. Electro soul-punk is my latest attempt at summarising their sound, but they throw something new into the concoction every time. This is poetic and emphatic, swaggering yet agitated; a ball of pent up frustrations which briefly escape in cathartic bursts. Their debut album is lining up to be a belter.
SHITHOUSE by BIG SPECIAL was no. 23 in our Best songs of 2023
Grackles San Antone
With a debut album due in February, the Austin-based band released this mystic blues teaser in November, featuring harmonica from Chicago blues legend, Charlie Musselwhite. Frontman, Noah Lit, is like a cryptic prophet with his low Leonard Cohen-like growl. The kind of tune that should be soundtracking a gritty, critically-acclaimed HBO drama.
We Are Joiners NORA EP
10 minutes straight of scuzzy lo-fi mess. But there’s a pretty good pop-punk band playing catchy as fuck tunes underneath it all. Kind of silly, kind of banging, and even kind of touching by the end.
Read more about We Are Joiners in their Artist’s Choice feature.
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