current faves (updated monthly)

Donzii - Gladugly EP (2019)

Donzii has yet to release a full album but I'm waiting on pins and needles for one. Their music is gothic and post-punk with the singer's deep voice really pulling it all together. It's catchy because of its weirdness and I get bits stuck in my head often but I can't do them justice because my voice is nowhere near as cool as Jenna Balfe's. I feel like these guys are gonna blow up soon so get in while the getting is good!

check their bandcamp here

TLC - Ooooooohhh...On The TLC Tip (1992)

I bought this on cassette months ago and finally gave it a proper listen. It's SO FUN and amazing just how much creativity went into this album. It's obvious TLC was on another level when they made this and it cemented them as a unique voice in hip hop. Some of the topics discussed are so 90s, like the emphasis on safe sex and some of the convos in the intermissions.

Recommended tracks: Ain't 2 Proud 2 Beg, Hat 2 Da Back, His Story, Bad By Myself

Aluminum - Windowpane (2022)

This album isn't technically out yet, but my cassette came in the mail and I was listening while working on the site so it deserves a spot! This isn't Aluminum's first EP, but it is the first one I ever heard, and I so fell in love with 'Windowpane' that I pre-ordered the cassette without waiting to hear anything else. The title track reminds me of some 90s and 2000s stuff I listened to in my teens like 100 Watt Smile and the Ooh-las. It's nostalgic while being brand new, but isn't so derivative that there's no point in listening. This track is def gonna be on my faves for the end of the year!

check their bandcamp here

Battles - Gloss Drop (2011)

This was being sold for cheap on r/recordcollectors and I nabbed it before I could talk myself out of it. I discovered Battles in high school, back when I used to buy imported music magazines at the Hastings in my hometown and scour indie music blogs. Of course, like any good poseur, I first heard Battles from the Little Big Planet soundtrack. But!!! I knew about the new album because of those snobby mags!!! I even clipped one of the ads from that magazine and hung it up in my room. When the album finally released, high school me was a little disappointed. It didn't overwhelm my brain like their 2007 album Mirrored had and at the time that's most of what I wanted. I knew it was still a good album, but it wasn't one I visited often except to add some of the more twee tracks to OC 8tracks playlists. Now, as a Respectable Adult with a More Refined Palate (ha!) I'm glad I bought the record. It's a good spin, especially when I'm working on tedious junk.

Recommended tracks: this one is a full album listen, but if I must - Inchworm, Wall Street, Rolls Bayce