It’s Sunday and that means it is time for the weekly hotbox drop! Prepare yourselves for another eclectic mix of music made to infect the airwaves, your eardrums, and your very brain…
Tommy’s Picks:
Trauma Bond – Summer Ends. Some Are Long Gone
Some of the best powerviolence not to come out of California. Mixing slow sludgy riffs with the pure chaos of PV, Trauma Bond makes sure that your relationship with the music is anything but.
Revenge – Violation.Strife.Abominate
Prepare yourselves for battle because war-torn veterans Revenge are back with another ripping LP, featuring all of the blasphemy, strife, and bloodshed of their previous output.
Told Not to Worry – Hands in the Air
An uninviting and disturbing mix of screamo and metal with an emphasis on raw emotion and musical punishment. I would tell you not to worry, but maybe you should.
Cori’s Picks:
SCRAPYARD- Quadeca
Quite remincent of 2018 Brockhampton, in a good way. Quadeca started out uploading music and comedy on YouTube, but his real breakthrough came with a diss track that put him on the map. Now, he’s pushing boundaries with an album that seamlessly blends genres, showcasing his evolution as an artist.
Polyana- Adam Tinkle
Most of you know him as professor Tinkel! If you dont, meet him through his music, which features amazing lyricisms that is great to listen to in your headphones but it’s nothing like listening to him live. The funky guitar plucks, the blusey drums and hopping piano would be perfect to listen on a walk, preferably sunny along a river accompanied by moss and such. Truly enjoy this one!
Valentine’s Day Freestyle 25’- JEPGMAFIA
A raw and hypnotic track that blends his signature unfiltered delivery with a looping sample of SWV’s I’m So Into You. The contrast between Peggy’s aggressive, off-kilter flow and the smooth, nostalgic R&B vocals from the all-female group makes for an unexpected synergy.
Bella’s Picks:
Surface tension – annahstasia
Annahstasia has one of the most unique voices I’ve heard in a minute. Her vocals are breathy yet powerful with a soulful, almost country twang, in her inflection. There is a beautiful deepness to her voice as well. Combined with her heartbreaking lyrics and instrumentals, she is DEFINITELY an artist to keep an eye on. Surface tension is only a taste of her sound. She such a breath of fresh air in the music industry please give this one a listen :))
Small changes – Michael kiwanuka
Michael kiwanuka is a British artist who is highly acclaimed in the contemporary soul scene. He has such a strong grasp on the chemistry between vocals and instrumentals, it is so lovely. The guitar in the bridge on “Small Changes” is so smooth and scratches the most perfect itch in my mind. This record just makes you wanna groove in a dimly lit room. Enjoy y’all!
Bits + bobs from the flower patch – kitty craft
Kitty craft’s newest EP bits + bobs from the flower patch is a classic Pamela valfer project. Her signature fuzzy 90s sound still remains within her newer releases. The EP features songs like Adventure is a short but fun instrumental track and remixes of past releases like If I Knew What I Know Now. This EP is like crawling underneath your favorite blanket to avoid the unwanted Saratoga cold. I hope you guys enjoy this one as much as I do!
Rhea’s Picks:
Old Joy (EP) – Yo La Tengo
This EP from Yo La Tengo is coming to us at the perfect time. I’m finding out that this EP is actually the soundtrack from the 2006 indie road trip movie Old Joy, and they’re just releasing the album for the first time. I’ve been known in the past to listen to soundtracks as background music (big into the Lord of the Rings soundtrack for studying in high school) but this one takes on a new tone. Although I have yet to see the film, this album is the perfect soundtrack to your road trip, your early March afternoon. Sleepy indie guitar and rolling wandering melodies… what’s not to love.
Middle Spoon – Cheekface
Quirky, bouncy, chock full of wry millennial-ish humor… I admit I do enjoy Cheekface even though their affect is a little grating. Hey! It’s fun! It’s cultural criticism (kinda!)
The Music of Tori and the Muses – Tori Amos
If you like Fiona Apple, Kate Bush, Joanna Newsom, or others of that ilk, you probably already know Tori Amos. I was big into Little Earthquakes when I was much younger since my mom was an English major in the early ‘90s, but I wasn’t sure how I’d feel about Tori’s new stuff. I like this! It’s a little odd but super whimsical and orchestral. Apparently this is a companion album to Tori’s new children’s book which was released last week, and listening to it does kinda feel like reading a children’s book.
Varun’s Picks:
Maruja – Tír na nÓg
Maruja are a British jazz-rock quartet whose atmospheric style fuses the restrained dynamics of post-rock bands like Mogwai and Godspeed You! Black Emperor with the spiritual jazz of Sun Ra and Alice Coltrane. Their compositions are triumphant and introspective, anxious and serene, apocalyptic and life-affirming all at once.
SPY – Seen Enough
The San Jose hardcore punk band’s latest EP proves that they’re one of the hardest working and most consistent groups in the scene.
Alright, see you guys in two weeks! Here is the link to the playlist again – feel free to pick away to your heart’s desire.
Peace, Love, and College Radio,
Tommy