Philly’s thriving underground scene has had as much of an impact on Steven Perez’s productions as salsa and merengue. On his latest effort, Dun Dun, he swaps colorful confidence for shy neurosis. Written over the course of 2020’s social upheaval, Pedazo De Carne Con Ojo’s newfound fixation with anxiety feels fitting for our times.
On Soft Blue Shimmer’s debut album, Heaven Inches Away, the band crank up the fuzz, becoming less coltish and more stoic. Where their early work felt like a forgotten cut from the soundtrack to 10 Things I Hate About You, their latest plays more like a diegetic sound drifting in the background of a Greg Araki-directed scene.
With their compact arrangements, short run times, and impressive musicianship, the tracks on Tower Of Age offer a refreshing return to form for post-punk. While the record may harken bands like Gang Of Four and Wire, the music they make never feels like a rehash of the acts that came half a century before them.