New Releases We Can't Wait to Dig Into

There is no shortage of excellent music coming out this week. No records out of Chicago, but that is set to change in the coming weeks as the early spring releases will start pouring in. This is an incredible international week, with some great releases coming out of Australia, England, Nigeria, and Canada.  

As we scan upcoming release lists, singles and endlessly scroll through Instagram, we are still very much interested in hearing from you about Chicago music on the horizon. 

It’s Bandcamp Friday this week so head to Bandcamp tomorrow to purchase all your music needs, while all the cash goes straight to artists! The links on album titles will take you straight there. Revisit some of our previous weeks lists and go buy your favorites!

Tele Novella (Austin)
Merlynn Belle
Kill Rock Stars

An alt-country folk act that has been kicking around Austin for years. With this second full length, and Kill Rock Stars debut, they channel the feels of their hometown of Lockhart into full fledged oddness, overflowing with the kind of weird we adore.

TV Priest (London)
Uppers
Sub Pop

The UK has birthed a post-punk revival that has its own panache and a special kind of radical machismo. This London quartet of childhood friends comes together to storm out of the gates with the four singles from this debut full-length that brings the frenzy of Idles, the immediacy of Fontaines D.C., and the lyrical inventiveness of shame together to create a full fledged senses onslaught. 

Sarah Mary Chadwick (Melbourne)
Me & Ennui Are Friends, Baby
Ba Da Bing!

Finishing a connected trio of solo records, singer/songwriter Sarah Mary Chadwick takes a turn at the piano once again. She lets go of the band from Please Daddy to return to spare and devastating tunes that analyze the times leading up to and during an attempt on her own life. With self deprecating titles like “Every Loser Needs A Mother” and “I Was Much Better at Being Young Than You Are” Chadwick is sure to bring her special brand of humor and heart to this collection.

The Weather Station (Toronto)
Ignorance
Fat Possum

On her fourth effort Toronto based singer/songwriter Tamara Lindeman is channeling all of the powerful women performers before her from Amiee Mann and Tori Amos, to Neko Case and Jenny Lewis on down. With her affecting alto, Lindeman rides the waves of the orchestral arrangements in such a wonderfully unique way. This one may end up being our favorite of the week.

Femi Kuti and Made Kuti (Lagos, Nigeria)
Legacy +: Stop The Hate
Partisan

Carrying on his father’s legacy has been a mission for Femi Kuti. Joined by his son Made, this double album, multi-generational political and social outcry celebrates the roots of afrobeat while driving the genre forward. Literally, as Made’s portion is titled For(e)ward. Get your feet moving and your brain generating with the Kuti family.

That’s it for this week, but some honorable mentions go to our favorite house DJ that doesn’t have a Chicago address, Octo Octa is dropping a new EP. Paris jazz legend Archie Shepp and Jason Moran are sure to impress with their duet record Let My People Go, filled with their interpretations of some indelible classics. Indie bubblegum duo Melting Mallows out of Belgium have a debut full-length dropping. And Sydney’s Odette has a long anticipated release on the way this week. Told you it was an international week! We’ll see you next Thursday with more outstanding picks. 

 It bears repeating, we want to cover Chicago music, so if you have something coming out, please submit it!