By: Music Journalism Club

Every week our Music Director, Allison, chooses new releases to add to our music library. Here are some recent highlights, presented to you by WSUM’s Music Journalism Club.

Flycatcher, Wrench

HIGHLIGHT TRACKS: “Down”, “Flood”, “Dissolve”, “Super Bowl”

GENRE: Emo Pop, Indie Rock, Alt-Country

RIYL: saturdays at your place, Pool Kids, Slow Joy

The debut album from New Jersey-based Flycatcher is here, and it’s solid as hell. After some lineup changes, they’ve settled comfortably into a full-length sound perfectly suited to the modern alt palette. Condensed into a chic 33 minutes, Wrench takes the listener on somewhat of a journey: in the front half, Greg Pease’s soulful, grungy vocals with overdriven bass evoke Memory Music labelmates like Heart To Gold or Tigers Jaw, whose Brianna Collins is featured on the midpoint “Man on the Run.” But, ironically, that’s where Wrench’s tone morphs—on later songs like “Watergap”, those clean guitar lines start to twang out enough that you could be convinced you’re listening to the latest country-flavored alt-pop efforts from someone like Role Model. By the time the closer, “Super Bowl”, rolls around, they’ve gone full MJ Lenderman, complete with drawly songwriting and a fiddly guitar riff that crashes in and out like waves breaking. It’s safe to say Flycatcher’s influences lean extremely modern (Pease tells Already Heard that Alex G’s God Save the Animals “really clicked”), but they don’t back down from their era of choice—lyrics like “Keep track of time through insurance claims” (“Truth”) and “Robo-callers on the phone I never answer” (“Super Bowl”) remind us of the moment we’re in with (dare I say) pop-punk precision. With such a versatile trajectory, Wrench is an exuberant addition to any of the new emo-rock scene injections.

— Adriana Mathiason

Terrain Vague, TV1

HIGHLIGHT TRACKS: “Passing by”, “Melancolie”, “Le vent le lac”, “Planete”

GENRE: Electronic Dream Pop, Alternative/Indie

RIYL: Air, Broadcast

From Toulouse, France, Terrain Vogue is a French and Australian duo who met while working on a recording session for another artist. They emerged together as Terrain Vague to offer alternative french dream pop with an incredibly compelling sound and feel. One thing that makes Terrain Vague stand out is all of the influences that vividly impact their musical atmosphere. TV1 as a whole is an amazing example of this; we can clearly hear and feel the 70’s esque style along with Brazilian, Italian, and Japanese sonic influences. All of these aspects blend together to round out and capture fresh experimentalism in their music. There is immense care behind each and every one of the tracks on this album, which helps to fabricate the texture of this album and allow it to stick with you. TV1 is unique, fun, dreamy, and a great addition to your winter playlist! 

— Julia Klima

Mei Semones, Kurayami/Get used to it

HIGHLIGHT TRACKS: “Itsumo”, “Kurayami”

GENRE: Jazz Fusion, Indie, Math Rock

RIYL: Phoebe Rings, Yuma Abe

Kurayami/Get used to it, a two song EP by Brooklyn’s Mei Semones, very much feels like a modern adaptation of classic big band jazz suites, using the soundscapes of japanese jazz fusion and math rock. It’s clear Semones has a lot of reverence for mid-century popular music, reflected in her songwriting, with a contemporary comparison being someone like Laufey. However, where a singer songwriter like Laufey seems disconnected from the world of modern jazz, Mei Semones utilizes many of the musical elements, and likely musicians, active within that musical niche. The first track, “Kurayami”, leans into this flavor with some odd time, and virtuosic playing, intertwined with emotional indie rock. Following that, “Get used to it”, a more intimate ballad, uses more repetitive ideas and language, while still maintaining her distinct stylistic flair. Overall, these two tracks make for a thematic listening experience for a listener of any of the genres that inspired it. 

— Nolan Tomesh

Just Mustard, WE WERE JUST HERE

HIGHLIGHT TRACKS: “ENDLESS DEATHS”, “SILVER”, “WE WERE JUST HERE”

GENRE: Alt Rock, Experimental, Post-punk, Shoegaze

RIYL: NewDad, Skinny Puppy, Lölä, Beardyman

We Were Just Here by Just Mustard takes post-punk, rock, alternative-ish music to a new level with the gorgeous vocals that feel like you’re in a dream. So many genres and styles are mixed together. It has vocals similar to a lot of indie pop and lots of noise as well as guitar consuming the overall songs. The most post-punk similar beats are noticeable in “SILVER”, while there are more traditional rock sounding vibes in “POLYANNA” (which also features a very interesting intro) and “THAT I MIGHT SEE”. “OUT OF HEAVEN” also features an interesting intro similar to “POLYANNA”. The overall theme of the album feels dreamy (which goes against the entire story/theme of the album itself) and loud, like reflecting on an old memory or feeling. Lyrics saying ‘I’m seeing, not dreaming’ in the first track, as well as ‘I don’t want to go where I can’t feel a thing’ in track 4, you can see the overall theme of wanting to feel real and not just in a memory. The style of the songs kind of go against this theme, especially because of the ethereal feeling you get from all the songs. The entire album is well put together and reflects the very common feelings of wanting to be seen or real and mixing amazing musical elements together to portray it.

— Jai Crespo

fanclubwallet, Living While Dying

HIGHLIGHT TRACKS: “Cotton Mouth”, “Know You Anymore”, “Guts”

GENRE: Indie Rock / Pop

RIYL: Sea Lemon, Twen

Hannah Judge, better known as fanclubwallet, is musician and singer hailing from Ottawa, Canada. She’s back with Living While Dying, which bounces around a variety of styles of indie-rock and pop. Overall, this is the perfect album not only for Halloween, but for the fall season too. With stand outs like “Cotton Mouth” and “Guts,” this album has a bouncy, yet serene feeling. This is the first album I’ve listened to by fanclubwallet, and I definitely will be checking out their older stuff and can’t wait to see where they go from here.

— Gabriel Salgado