What’s Important

What's Important | bloodsoaked castle | 3hive.com
What's Important | bloodsoaked castle | 3hive.com

Oakland band What’s Important are releasing their latest album, bloodsoaked castle, today. Their PR refers to their sound as “mutant pop,” and their Bandcamp page calls it “castle pop.” I don’t know what either of those genres / sub-genres mean. What I do know is that bloodsoaked castle contains some glitchy, pop punk meets electro pop goodness. Check out “i think about it a lot” (below) for a taste.

bloodsoaked castle is out now via Cherub Dream Records. Get it. Enjoy.

Nightshift

Nightshift | Homosapien | 3hive.com
Nightshift | Homosapien | 3hive.com

Glasgow band Nightshift are back with their latest album, Homosapien. It’s eleven tracks of melodic, slowed-down (to a near slowcore pace) post-punk. The added instrumentation, like accordion, melodica, violin, and trombone, is highly effective and gives Nightshift’s sound a new level of depth. Check out “Sure Look” (below) for a taste.

Homosapien is out on Friday (07/26) via Trouble In Mind Records. Judging from the singles it should be a good one. Enjoy.

Golomb

Golomb | Love | 3hive.com
Golomb | Love | 3hive.com

Golomb is a power trio out of Columbus, Ohio. They are a brother-and-sister, husband-and-wife band. A band I meant to write about back in 2022 when they self-released their incredible self-titled album.

Golomb makes great noise, and it’s evident as ever on their new EP Love (out on Friday). Each track slowly builds into a bit of a frenzied end, a fabulous and effective recipe. Especially on middle track “Dare To Cry”.

You can listen to “Take My Life” from the new EP below; it’s the most upfront and in-your-face track on the EP. I love it.

Love is out tomorrow (06/14). You can get it from their Bandcamp page. Please do. Share Golomb with your friends. Add them to your playlists. Play them on your radio shows. Enjoy.

Prefuse 73

Prefuse 73 | Vast Wildlife Poison | 3hive.com
Prefuse 73 | Vast Wildlife Poison | 3hive.com

Pioneering electronic musician and producer Prefuse 73 — aka Guillermo Scott Herren — is following up his latest album, New Strategies for Modern Crime Vol. 1 (released in March), with New Strategies for Modern Crime Vol. 2, which is set to be released at the end of June via Lex Records.

His latest single, “Vast Wildlife Poison,” (below) is a groovy, bass-heavy, jazz-tinged three-and-a-half minutes that could be plugged into any 1960’s French spy movie. Enjoy.

Christina’s Trip

Christina's Trip | My Friend | 3hive.com
Christina's Trip | My Friend | 3hive.com

Oakland’s Christina’s Trip calls their sound “distortion pop,” which is about as accurate a description as possible. Their latest single “My Friend” (below) is a fuzzy, bedroom-pop-leaning track that would sound at home on an Elephant 6 compilation (I stole the comparison from Joe) and totally drives the “distortion pop” description home.

Their debut LP, Forever After, comes out in July via Cherub Dream Records, and based on their two available singles, this is definitely on the list of albums not to miss. Enjoy.


Aluminum

Aluminum | Fully Beat | 3hive.com
Aluminum | Fully Beat | 3hive.com

San Francisco band Aluminum has finally unleashed its debut LP, Fully Beat, onto the world, and it’s not one to be taken lightly. Mark my words, this album is going to blow up!

Fully Beat is packed with fuzz, incredible male-female vocal harmonies, and an infectious groove held together tightly by Gonsalves (bass) and Natividad (drums), not to mention all the in-your-face guitar work one can handle.

Check out “Behind My Mouth” and “Everything” (below) for a taste.

Fully Beat is out tomorrow (05/24) via Felte. It’s a definite contender for album of the year, and it belongs in your collection. Enjoy.


Seasonal Falls

Saesonal Falls | Happy Days | 3hive.com

Seasonal Falls is the new project from Switzerland-based songwriter Roman Gabriel, with vocal and production help from Andrew Pelletier (Fur Trader).

Their debut album, Happy Days, is nine tracks of warm, sometimes jangly, sometimes twangy guitar work behind Pelletier’s hushed vocals. Joe says they sound a bit like Ultimate Painting, and I agree.

Happy Days is self-released and out now via their Bandcamp page. I highly recommend checking out “Used To Be Fun” and “Girlfriend” below.

Happy Days is a great album to soundtrack your spring and summer evenings while chilling outside with a beverage and watching the sky get dark. Enjoy.

Trash Fiasco

Trash Fiasco | Exist As Instructed |3hive.com
Trash Fiasco | Exist As Instructed |3hive.com

Chicago band Trash Fiasco’s new album Exist As Instructed is my new favorite thing!

The singer sounds like H.R., Jello, Elvis, Ian Curtis, Peter Murphy and Corey Glover. Crazy!

I love the mix–kick and bass to the front–forcing the guitar to fight it’s way through the muck.

I love that the vocals sound like they were recorded in a bathroom.

HELL! Even the album cover is incredible. Put that shit on a t-shirt!

This is magical, sludgy, garage-core punk rock!

Check out “Rat Brains”, “Chimney Smoke”, and “Turned To Prey” below. Do it!

Exist As Instructed is out now and available digitally from Trash Fiasco’s Bandcamp page. Go there and buy this right now.

Houses of Heaven

Houses of Heaven | Within/Without | 3hive.com
Houses of Heaven | Within/Without | 3hive.com

Oakland’s Houses of Heaven are back with their sophomore LP, Within/Without. It’s 10 solid tracks of grimy, pulsating, dark wave, mingled with early industrial elements à la Nitzer Ebb and 80s-era Ministry. Think about your scariest nightmare, this album could soundtrack that nightmare.

Check out “Within/Without” and the album standout (IMO) “Deserve” featuring Ms. Boan Mariana Saldaña on vocals (below) for a tasting.

Within/Without is out on Friday (04/26/2024) via Felte Records. Cop it. Enjoy.

Bermuda Squares

Bermuda Squares | Car Accident | 3hive.com
Bermuda Squares | Car Accident | 3hive.com

Featuring members of Sinks, Neo Neos, Citric Dummies, Color Tv, green/blue, Retainers, Dummy, the Soviettes, IV, and Awesome Snakes, the new single (below) “Car Accident” from Bermuda Squares could only kick ass—and it does!

Their debut LP Outsider hits the streets in May via Feel It Records and judging by the first single it’s going to be a doozy. Enjoy.