Under the Radar's 10 Best Songs of the Week

Apr 17, 2019

This week Drugdealer (the project of Michael Collins) announced a new album, Raw Honey, and shared a video for its first single, the ‘70s rock sounding “Fools.” Raw Honey is due out April 19 via Mexican Summer. The album was engineered by Mac DeMarco and features Natalie Mering (aka Weyes Blood), among others. Check out the album’s tracklist and cover art, as well as Drugdealer’s upcoming tour dates, here.

LISTEN TO THE RAGING NEW METAL ANTHEM FROM ZIG ZAGS “KILLER OF KILLERS”

Apr 16, 2019

Are you fucking ready to experience your new Heavy Metal Anthem? If you are, then the ZIG ZAGS have exactly what you need! To say I am impressed with this band would be an understatement, because their songs make feel like I’m 13 again getting my head bang on to the first Metallica record.

Interview With Ambrose Kenny-Smith of The Murlocs

Apr 15, 2019

The Murlocs are an Australian quintet specializing in bright-eyed, gritty, late-60s-style psychedelia with a dash of soulful garage rock. Their recently released fourth album, Manic Candid Episode is a powerful record, roaring through squealing guitars, blazing harmonica, surging rhythms, and hazy, sun-in-your-eyes grooves. Recently, I caught up with front man Ambrose Kenny-Smith as the group hauled their way up the West Coast. He was kind enough to answer just a few questions about the new material, touring, Captain Beefheart, and more.

A dozen questions with The Murlocs

Apr 12, 2019

Ambrose Kenny Smith, harmonica player and frontman of Melbourne, Australia-based band The Murlocs, answered a dozen questions in advance of the band’s first American headlining tour beginning this week. They stop at the Filling Station in Bozeman on Tuesday. Kenny Smith and Cook Craig of The Murlocs are also members of King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard.

Amyl And The Sniffers Cause An Absolute Riot On 'Got You'

Apr 11, 2019

A kind of bootboy anthem, it’s got a raucous, hooligan take on glam, mixed up with a fondness for the blunter end of second wave UK punk.
Kind of link 999 and Slade stuck in a worn out old tour bus, ‘Got You’ nails that initial thrill of falling in love.
There’s a note from the band, and we’re going to ignore their fondness for Split Enz’ karaoke classic ‘I Got You’...

“Got You” video is a twisted love story

Apr 10, 2019

Asked to describe Amyl and the Sniffers music you could say the Australian band recall the heady days of punk: spiky, wild, provocative, and a little dangerous with a fierce live reputation. You could also tell people that their self-titled debut album, due May 24, includes song titles like “Gacked On Anger” and people would immediately sense their vibe.

The Murlocs branch out with Manic Candid Episode

Apr 10, 2019

Downtime is not something that Ambrose Kenny-Smith gets a lot of, which, weirdly, is exactly why he can’t wait to get on the road and embrace all the insanity it brings with the Murlocs.

Brighton date not to be sniffed at!

Apr 9, 2019

Melbourne based four piece Amyl And The Sniffers deliver short sharp bursts of brash punky pop. Along with The Chats they are spearheading a mullet-wearing, beer-fuelled punk revival which seems to be sweeping the music scenes of the world. Tonight the sweary, sweaty Aussie evangelists roll into Brighton, and The Haunt is packed, and buzzing with anticipation.

Chris Cohen’s Next Experiment: Being Direct

Apr 8, 2019

The musician, known for his experimental verve in the 2000s as a part of Deerhoof and Cryptacize, strips away the some of the tricks on his self-titled third solo album.

KEXP's Review of "Raw Honey"

Apr 8, 2019

The second Drugdealer album from LA artist Michael Collins (FKA Salvia Plath and Run DMT) is a strong set of ‘70s-steeped, psych-tinged folk-pop combining a warm, lush, intricately arranged sound with buoyant melodies juxtaposed with lyrics of loneliness and isolation.

OH SEES: "We're not out there to appease anyone"

Apr 5, 2019

In the current issue of Uncut – in shops now or available to buy online by clicking here – we look back at Oh Sees’ fluid discography and chart their move from acoustic noise experimentation through garage rock and beyond, to the heavier and hairier directions of last year’s hard-grooving Smote Reverser.

“We have been around for 20-something years, so if we haven’t done something that somebody might like at some point…” laughs Oh Sees’ John Dwyer. “Fuck, yeah. We’ve got quite a bit. And there’s more to come, as far as I can tell.

Black Currant Interviews Alex Kilgore and Dani Miller of Surfbort

Apr 2, 2019

If we would be asked to vote new best punks on the block, we’d say Surfbort from Brooklyn, New York for sure. Their 80s, fun, hyped-up punk rock is besides very much visually entertaining, giving an efficient message about our current political climate. It’s shit, and fuck Trump, as Dani will scream during her set. We were wondering about what they would do if they would be the ones ruling the USA, or maybe even the world.

Ty Segall & Freedom Band 'Deforming Lobes' in a Scope

Mar 30, 2019

On his 2018 tour de force, Freedom’s Goblin, Ty Segall provided us with a double-album highlight reel of every aesthetic the restless garage rocker has explored in his first decade as a solo artist, from light-speed hardcore to idyllic psychedelic-folk balladry to 12-minute fretboard-snapping jams. But in an interview conducted on the eve of the album’s release, Segall suggested the album represented the closing of a chapter. “I feel like I’ve barely even tapped anything,” he said, before revealing a desire to experiment with electronic production and make a hip-hop album. It remains to be seen whether Ty actually follows through on the transformation into MC Lil T. But if Segall is indeed laying his rocker id to rest for a while, Deforming Lobes is the blaze of glory in which it’s going out.

Chris Cohen wraps melancholy in agreeable melodies

Mar 29, 2019

Like a vaccine on a sugar cube, Chris Cohen’s third album disguises consequential content with sweet sounds and agreeable melodies.

Considering events framing its creation — like his parents’ divorce after 53 years of marriage and his dad’s coming out — one might expect sadness, brooding and confusion. Cohen, on the other hand, talks about “being relieved of a great burden,” like decades of lies, suspicions and perplexity melting away.

As a result, this self-titled effort doesn’t sound much removed from his earlier records, its gentle brightness and simple, swaying arrangements soothing the ears. While here and there it’s possible to find family references, the lyrics to half the album were written by others.

Billie Eilish's Soft Grunge Showtunes and 12 More Albums for Heavy Rotation

Mar 29, 2019

Whether it’s through his solo albums or his work recording or performing with acts like Deerhoof, Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti, Sam Evian, and Cass McCombs, indie rock lifer Chris Cohen’s painstaking attention to detail has solidified him as one of the genre’s most thoughtful songwriters. With his new album Chris Cohen, he thrives on understatement and simplicity, creating intricate and eclectic arrangements.

Listen to King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard’s New Song “Boogieman Sam”

Mar 28, 2019

Melbourne psych-rock band King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard have shared a new song called “Boogieman Sam.” It’s the latest offering from their forthcoming record Fishing for Fishies.

Ohtis – ‘Curve Of Earth’ review

Mar 28, 2019

15 years in the making, this darkly delicious alt-country album tackles addiction and regret with breathtaking clarity. The result is extraordinary and life-affirming.

CHRIS COHEN’S REVEALING SELF-TITLED RECORD HITS THE RIGHT GROOVE

Mar 28, 2019

There’s an effortless tone to the way Chris Cohen delivers his singing lines. It’s very conversational and light, even when the topic are not in the slightest. His self-titled, 3rd record, Chris Cohen draws from his previous material, but pulls even more weight. It is literally and figuratively about rubbing your eyes trying to see something that may or may not be there.

Hear Drugdealer’s new single “Honey” featuring Weyes Blood

Mar 27, 2019

As Los Angeles-based band Drugdealer gear up to release their latest full length Raw Honey next month, the band offer up a new single today. Stream “Honey” up above. The track features contributions from Natalie Mering a.k.a. Weyes Blood, and follows the band’s newest single “Fools.”

Drugdealer – “Honey” (Feat. Weyes Blood)

Mar 27, 2019

The Los Angeles musician Michael Collins used to work under the names Salvia Plath and Run DMT, and now he’s getting ready to release an album under the honestly-just-as-problematic moniker Drugdealer. This time around, Collins is messing around with sunbaked ’70s California folk-rock, and he’s getting some help from some prominent people. Mac DeMarco mixed the album, and guests include people like Dougie Poole and Harley Hill-Richmond. We’ve already posted the early single “Fools,” and today, Collins has shared another jam, and it’s a collaboration with his old buddy Weyes Blood.

Tinnitist's 11 New Tracks to Improve Your Wednesday

Mar 27, 2019

You know what they say: You can catch more flies with honey than vinegar. And in the case of cosmic country-rock collective Drugdealer’s single Honey — from their April 19 release Raw Honey

Stereogum Premieres Mikal Cronin “Undertow”

Mar 26, 2019

California garage rocker Mikal Cronin has been quiet for a while now. Not counting his contributions to frequent collaborator Ty Segall’s albums, we haven’t heard any new music from Cronin since 2015’s MCIII. Today, that silence has come to an end. Cronin has a new 7″ on the way via Famous Class, and today he’s sharing the A-side.

Mikal Cronin Returns

Mar 26, 2019

Just shy of four years removed from releasing his MCIII album, Mikal Cronin has returned with a new solo track.
Titled “Undertow,” the song comes from a forthcoming 7-inch that also features a second new song titled “Breathe.”

Mikal Cronin shares first solo single in four years “Undertow”

Mar 26, 2019

The 7” marks his first new solo material in four years, after 2015’s MCIII.

“Undertow” is the first of two new tracks from the 7” release, and features William Tyler on guitar, additional vocals from Shannon Lay, alongside a number of other contributing musicians.

Pitchfork Premieres Mikal Cronin's New Song “Undertow”

Mar 26, 2019

Mikal Cronin is back with a new song—the rocker’s first solo track in four years. Check out “Undertow” below. The new track features contributions from William Tyler (guitar) and Shannon Lay (vocals), among others.