Last Week in Review -- Week of April 2, 2023

Últimos Nietos - Las últimas

Released: April 3, 2023
Label: Self-Released

Something about this EP grabbed me right away. Últimos Nietos are a four piece powerhouse from Santiago de Cali, Colombia describing themselves as music for "...cheap whiskey and salaried adults." Their sound is warm and biting like bottom shelf whiskey, but within that is a mature, aged story, that is to say, this ain't their first rodeo. The riffs are well-seasoned, the tone is full in a way that allows the guitars to still sound like guitars, and despite my Spanish, let alone Colombian dialect, I was right there with the singer, holding onto every word. Been a long time since I spun an EP 3 times in a row. Unapologetic, familiar yet not saturated by the band's influences, this is definitely a band to look out for.

Check Out: "Última fiesta"

PRIORS - "DAFFODIL" (single)

Released: April 4, 2023
Label: Mothland 

I'd be lying if I said the aesthetics didn't pull me in first. Unfamiliar with this band prior (pun intended), I was immediately intrigued by the bold large white text juxtaposed with the soft daffodils from which the title track and forthcoming album share a name. Reminded me of an old book you'd find in the New Age section of a second-hand bookstore. This first single exudes such an inherent cool. I want to go where these guys party because it sounds like they take no shit but know how to boogie down. Jammed packed full of featured players from the Steve Adamyk band, New Vogue, and Tabarnak, their exciting seventh release is out on Mothland June 2, 2023.

Listen to: "Daffodil"

Holloway - "To Give you the words" (single)

Released: April 2, 2023
Label: Self-Released

Ethereal & edgy, groovy beats with stinging guitars, discover the many depths of Plymouth, UK's Holloway. Reminiscent of a Letters to Cleo B-side combined with the savored noodle-y riffs of modern punk, vocalist Harmony Mitchell's warm voice glides over, around and through the weaves of riffs, her voice not attempting to mimic those who've come before in the genre. I checked out their other releases and was not disappointed to hear they steered more shoegaze & post-punk than bedroom pop. There's something dark that lurks in Holloway, but it's nice to see them do biting & sweet, too. 

Listen to: "To Give You the Words"

Freezeheads - 96 Rats

Released: April 7, 2023
Label: RTF Records

Hub City, NJ punks Freezeheads describe themselves as Ramones-adjacent, but I think they're underselling themselves. While the band hasn't reinvented the pop-punk wheel, the songs stand on their own outside of the genre, that is to say, the riffs and melodies are not necessarily pinned down by the influence of the bubblegum successors of weasel or Ramonesque variety. Quick, punchy, and to the point, 96 Rats packs three songs in under four minutes that feel like a full half hour spent bopping in a crowded basement. Blink and you'll miss it!

Listen to: "Seven Dead Soliders"