Modern Fiction, their latest release and their first full length, is jangular. Its bread and butter are trebly clean or chorus-pedaled guitar riffs combined with infectiously crafted open chord melodies. However, the attack of these riffs is frantic, and the album’s lyrical themes belie the initial optimism of their tone.
Nastavi, Caliope, the latest from Maya Bon’s Babehoven, is a must listen. Written in the wake of twin upheavals – the death of her dog and the reunion with her estranged father, the EP captures the sadness, anger, isolation, and monotony of these moments, transforming them into a musically and emotionally compelling seven tracks.
Silicone Prairie is the solo outlet for Kansas City artist Ian Teeple (of Warm Bodies and the Natural Man Band). Their first full-length release My Life on the Silicone Prairie is accidentally a perfect record for the lockdown era. Recorded at his home on 4-track over the last couple years, it would have been a solitary effort regardless.