by Dan Goldin (@post_trash_)

Welcome to FUZZY MEADOWS, our weekly recap of this week's new music. We're sharing our favorite releases of the week in the form of albums, singles, and music videos along with the "further listening" section of new and notable releases from around the web. It's generally written in the early hours of the morning and semi-unedited... but full of love and heart. The list is in alphabetical order and we sincerely recommend checking out all the music we've included. There's a lot of great new music being released. Support the bands you love. Spread the word and buy some new music.

*Disclaimer: We are making a conscious effort not to include any artist in our countdown on back-to-back weeks in order to diversify the feature, so be sure to check the "further listening" as well because it's often of top-notch quality too.

ALIEN NOSEJOB | “I Still Call This Punk Scene My Home”

If you hear a great punk band in Australia, there’s a good chance Jake Robertson is in it. The extremely prolific musician plays in Ausmuteants, School Damage, Drug Sweat, and Hierophants, but still finds time to record solo as Alien Nosejob, his synth-embracing disco pop project that has managed to release four records in the past two years. Having already released the new-wave inspired Buffet of Love back in March (via Aarght! Records), the project has announced a very different EP, HC45, due out November 22nd via Iron Lung Records. Shifting away from pop altogether, this one is a furious hardcore song, one that spews a bit closer to Ausmuteants, but more aggressive and built on blast-beats galore. First single “I Still Call This Punk Scene My Home” is a walloping good time, furiously darting from one section to another at the speed of sound, a colossal flood of fills and shredding lo-fi hardcore catharsis.

EXHALANTS | “Crucifix”

Austin noise rock perfectionists Exhalants are heading out on an extended tour again (heading to the East Coast, don’t miss them) and that means they’ve got another tape ready to go. ...and draws a crucifix down his arm... is a collection of demos from the band’s upcoming sophomore album capped off with a cover of My Bloody Valentine’s “I Can See It (But I Can’t Feel It),” the original’s shoegaze hum replaced by a blown out crunch, toeing the line between shoegaze and noise rock with one foot on either side. “Crucifix,” the only demo available for streaming (a purchase will get you the rest of the tape), takes an enormous riff and just blasts it out over a stuttered rhythm, the filthy groove bitting and corroding away at melodic decency with primal low-end and harsh barked vocals.

LAKE RUTH | “Strange Interiors”

Set to release a new single on Slumberland Records’ “SLR30 Singles Series” in honor of the long-running label’s 30th anniversary, New York City’s Lake Ruth shared the a-side “Extended Leave” earlier this month and now we’ve been graced with it’s majestic b-side, “Strange Interiors.” Their baroque pop and retro futuristic psych influences are glistening on their latest, with jazzy skittering drums and a warped synth permeation that transports you to another time and place (of your choosing). As each note echoes in space, the tightly wound space boogie gets deeper, it’s hypnotic charm both light and captivating. Lake Ruth have released a slew of increasingly promising singles since their last full length and the band’s next LP will be highly anticipated.

MISTER GOBLIN | “Calendar Dogs”

Maryland’s Mister Goblin have managed to create knotted post-hardcore pop, with a big ol’ emphasis on the pop end of that fusion. It’s complex and brilliant, and Sam Goblin’s (formerly of Two Inch Astronaut) melodies are bright and inescapable. It’s that kind of power-pop and folk songwriting that feels timeless tangled into a more artistic punk approach; earnest, sincere, and still muscular. Set to release the full length debut, Is Path Warm?, in mid November, Mister Goblin has doubled down on the big harmonies and swooning pop of their EP, opting for songs that sound something like delicately mangled AM gold. Lead single “Calendar Dogs” (which features guest vocals from Sadie Dupuis of Speedy Ortiz/Sad13), is a snaking example of the “post-hardcore pop” sound, one that’s aggressive but easily digestible and full of infectious melodies that get better with every repeated listen.

SINEAD O’BRIEN | “Limbo”

Following recent single “A Thing You Call Joy” (one of our favorite songs so far this fall), Irish singer/poet Sinead O’Brien is sharing the record’s b-side, “Limbo.” The song feels very much like the companion to the LP’s flip side, another contemplative and well spoken post-punk song that uses enunciation as the backbone for tonality. As a poet, O’Brien’s lyrics are delivered with massive impact, each strung web of words carefully chosen (“I’ve been here so long looking, or living, or sitting, that the furniture starts to breath, and what question is there, when we are here losing it, drifting between the flowers, the rose, and the rubble”) and introspective as we’re reminded “heavy is the head that wants to get lighter.” There’s a perfect marriage between the vocal delivery and the stark rumble of bass and shadowy rhythms, pulsating as we try to piece it all together.

WATER FROM YOUR EYES | “Somebody Else’s Song” LP

From the very first time I heard Water From Your Eyes’ latest album Somebody Else’s Song unfold, I’ve been in awe. It’s as much about the songs themselves as it is the journey, the evolution, and the metamorphosis that Nate Amos and Rachel Brown are exploring throughout what they consider to be their first true “New York” record (having relocated a few years back from Chicago). From the album’s bedroom pop introduction (and deceptive prelude to “Bad In The Sun”) until the last note of the warped and eerie “Look Again,” the band manage to skip between warm acoustics to glitchy electronics and the boiling point in between with a natural ease, their syrupy melodic senses adding the glue between it all. As Amos’ guitars and programmed drums veer in new directions with every passing block of repetition and subtle shifts, Brown offers a delicate and human immediacy that simply stuns on every track. There’s truly nothing quite like it, and I will say it again and again, this one is a masterpiece.

Further Listening: