By: Music Journalism Club

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

Exiter, Temporary Empty

HIGHLIGHT TRACKS: “Option Shift Drag”, “Dolphins Make A Heart”, “Flood”

GENRE: Indietronica, Punk

RIYL: Bug Teeth, Miynt, Full Body 2

If you’re looking for a short but jam-packed LP filled to the brim with interesting electronic synths reminiscent of C418’s Volume Alpha and Beta and contemporary Indietronica acts, hardcore and IDM drums that serve as the basis of expertly articulated crescendos, punk and hardcore-inspired guitar intensity, and soft, comforting shoegaze-like vocals, look no further than Exiter’s debut album, Temporary Empty. The Seattle-based trio (formerly of Shimmertraps) demonstrates their ability to effortlessly move across genres on this project, making every song an interesting listen where you don’t know what they’ll do next, and therefore demanding your attention.

— Harrison Arnold

A Place To Bury Strangers, Rare and Deadly

HIGHLIGHT TRACKS: “Everyone’s The Same”, “Where Are We Now”, “Song For Girl From Macedonia”

GENRE: Noise Rock, Shoegaze, Punk

RIYL: The Serfs, Liars, Sonic Youth

For the diehard fans of A Place to Bury Strangers, this album is for you. Released April 3rd, Rare and Deadly is a compilation of deep cuts, rare demos, and unheard tracks from the Brooklyn group. While these are songs that did not necessarily make their albums, like 2024’s Synthesizer, they are worth hearing. Calling themselves “punk shoegaze” would be fitting, especially for tracks like “Crash” and “Dead Inside”. Track “Out of Place” surfaces the same emotions as when listening to The Cure’s early tracks and could easily be placed between two Bauhaus songs. APTBS notes their music is meant to be loud, and it would not be out of place at a club’s goth night. While currently available on streaming services, APTBS gives even more to their fans as every format released (CD, vinyl, cassette, digital) offers its own version of the album, resulting in a disjointed release style that is rarely seen. 

— Mazie Willgrubs

Thundercat, Distracted

HIGHLIGHT TRACKS: “No More Lies”, “Funny Friends”, “I Wish I Didn’t Waste Your Time”

GENRE: R&B, Soul, Funk

RIYL: The Internet, Lil Yachty

Thundercat’s Distracted is a beautiful body of work. Thundercat, who is typically known for his production on others’ work, kept some songs for himself and made a very cohesive sonically pleasant piece of work. The production is so light and funky, with the lyrics detailing multiple pleas for forgiveness from a scorned lover. The common theme being patience and growth, giving someone time to be better and to allow them to grow as a human. From front to back there’s not a single bad song, with several standing out; From “No More Lies” with Tame Impala, to “Funny Friends” with A$AP Rocky, and even “ThunderWave” with Willow every song is wonderful.  The way he’s able to get every feature to step into his zone, and they’re able to make something so delightful is commendable. The use of vocal distortion to make the vocals have an airy delivery, and create an ambiance with the album makes you ascend sonically while listening. Thundercat’s notoriety in the industry is what makes you tune in, but his beautiful production and the ambiance of the album is what makes you stay.

— Nadiri Morgan-Thompson

BONUS 3/24 Add

Otracami, Runoff 

HIGHLIGHT TRACKS: “Can’t Go Back,” “Perfect Reach”

GENRE: Indie Folk

RIYL: Billie Marten, Searows

Otracami’s Runoff explores fairytale elements with a sweet indie sound. The first track, “Headphones,” brings listeners into a world of nature motifs and delicate sensation, via the lyrics “soft spun, cool air, fading” and “you’re clear as the water/runs down my throat.” These components evolve into a more haunting form: “the night you were lost to the cold air” and “the great sea, before me/was shimmering then gone,” in the next song from Runoff, “Sirens.” These two initial songs encompass the feeling of all that follows in the album: enchanting strumming and a sorrowful melody surrounding lyrics that seem to belong in a book–perhaps one that might begin with “once upon a time.” While most of the album is filled with a more delicately layered indie rendering, Otracami also plays with a more energetic rock sound in “Lose You” and “Perfect Reach.” Otracami, aka Camila Ortiz, manages to both create an album that can be enjoyed at a rudimentary level of listening, as the synth and drums to wash over oneself like a wave, and also invites the listener to take time to truly comprehend the depth of the lyrics and Ortiz’s sincere musings on relationships. 

— Evelyn Krohn