Lazlo, founder of BlowUpRadio.com (an online radio station based around New Jersey artists), shines a light on some of the many new releases from NJ based musicians each week with this column. This week Lazlo takes a look at new releases by High., Sunshine Slackers, bronwyn, Happy Joe, The Grip Weeds, Cut The Kids In Half, Jon Caspi & The First Gun, and Rich Lancia. Plus a look back at "Winnebago" by The Wailing Kids.
High. - "Come Back Down". the debut album from High., "Come Back Down", is some mighty fine shoegaze/noisegaze. Lie comfortably with some big headphones, and enjoy.
Sunshine Slackers - "I'll Meet You Down There". Sunshine Slackers' press release states their, "sound is the product of over a decade of musical chemistry between Jack Linden (Karma Gambit), Deirdre Padric (American Stereo), and Chris Dubrow (Karma Gambit), who’ve played in something like five music projects together." It also describes their EP, "I'll Meet You Down There", as having "themes of loneliness, anger, and longing for comfort amidst chaos."
If it were early/mid 90's I have no doubt that their music, self described as, "grungy hooky alternative rock", would be all over mainstream rock radio... but those stations don't really exist anymore... a real shame because this music is outstanding! At least BlowUpRadio.com is here to play it.
bronwyn - "Uno (& friends)". According to the liner notes "Uno (& friends)" was recorded in bronwyn's bedroom, so in that sense it does qualify as "bedroom rock". Yet, calling it that seems incongruous, as this is no lo-fi recording. The 8 songs on this collection (4 regular tracks plus 4 bonus tracks) are fully fleshed out shoegaze indie rock, and engaging ones at that.
Happy Joe - "Primitive". Happy Joe (AKA Joe Canzano) last release, "Big Mouth", came out 15 years ago, so it is not surprising that the new album, "Primitive" is 26 songs. Is a 70 minute album too much of a good thing? Not to my ears. Happy Joe's "rowdy guitar rock" (his perfect description of his music) is a great soundtrack to the crazy times we live in.
The Grip Weeds - "Early Clues EP". The Grip Weeds have been a mainstay in New Jersey for over 35 years, putting out one release after another of killer power-pop. Their latest release, "Early Clues EP", continues the tradition with 3 pieces of ear candy for your enjoyment.
Cut The Kids In Half - "What We Became". "What We Became" is the debut album from Cut The Kids In Half, and it is a fascinating debut. Their alt-rock/indie-rock is hypnotic, with the less rocking songs having an almost Leonard Cohen-esque feel to them.
Jon Caspi & The First Gun - "On The Way Now". Jon Caspi & The First Gun's latest single, "On The Way Now" is my Earworm of the Week! It also may be the most relatable song I've heard this week, described by the band as being about having, "a friend that needs help and then when you try to help, they make it impossible".
Rich Lancia - "Look What I Found". Do like jangly, roots-pop-rock music? Then you need to check out the latest single from Rich Lancia, "Look What I Found", and then you can tell your friends, "hey, look what I found, an awesome song by Rich Lancia".
Not New, But Memorable Corner
The Wailing Kids - "Winnebago". The Wailing Kids were a, "Three piece existential rock/dream punk from Trenton". To my ears, they also dabbled in shoegaze with a hint of psychedelia. I was, and still am, a huge fan of this band. Hard to believe their "I Saved Latin" album, which contained the song "Winnebago", came out a decade ago.
That's all for this week.
Remember BlowUpRadio.com, plays these and many other New Jersey based artists on our internet radio station, so please check us out. #SupportGoodMusic - If you like any of the above artists, please purchase their music from their site. And if you would like to be part of BlowUpRadio.com's New & Notable, please send downloads or contact Lazlo at Lazlo-at-BlowUpRadio-dot-com. We're also on Mastodon at https://gardenstate.social/@BlowUpRadio (and bridged on BlueSky)
