Meet Good Luck Charm Records, The Midwest's Best-Kept Secret
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In my mind, the midwest is synonymous with good music. From Ska and hip-hop to emo and hardcore, there’s a music scene for every possible genre and taste out there. There’s so much, in fact, sometimes it can feel daunting to jump into. However, with no shows happening for the foreseeable, the best way to discover these acts now shifts to social media, blogs, and labels.
While these three entities can work together to shed light on new acts, we still live in a world dominated by a neverending news cycle and constant shitposts. Sometimes it’s hard to breakthrough, but that’s why repetition is key. I don’t necessarily see myself as a “tastemaker,” but I wanted to use what little platform I have to shine a light on Good Luck Charm Records, a bastion of the Michigan music scene, and a label that symbolizes everything good in DIY.
Created by Jake Rees of No Fun Club, Good Luck Charm Records is a label devoted to elevating the types of bands you never hear about, even within DIY-focused publications. The label has had a hell of a year, helping bring roughly half a dozen Michigan-based bands to wider platforms through small tape releases and light social media promotion. Much like this blog, GLC exists as a side-project, and the fact that Rees has been able to promote such incredible artists on top of his day-to-day obligations is nothing short of inspirational.
Focused almost entirely on the Michigan scene, these are the types of bands you’d find opening and middling at DIY gigs in basements all over the midwest. These are the bands you’d see in a dingy Detroit bar and be blown away by. These are the types of bands you’d fall in love with after one performance and walk away with an armful of merch thinking to yourself, ‘why isn’t everyone talking about these guys?’ Hence this article.
While I’d hope you walk away from this having discovered a new up-and-coming Michigan band, I hope if nothing else, you take away the importance of DIY and how vital it is to support your local artists. Even if you don’t have massive amounts of disposable income (who in this scene really does?), you can still help local acts by sharing them with friends, streaming them online, picking up tapes on Bandcamp, or bringing your friends to a gig once shows are back. Bands like these exist all over the world; it’s up to us, the fans, whether or not they find their audience or not.
Boyfrienders - Scenes of Brooklyn or Meditations on Mid-Twenties Mediocrity
First up, we have Boyfrienders, a synth-pop group from Wyandotte. If you’ve been following the blog closely, you might remember our interview with Benny Morawa earlier this year when we helped premier “The Lower East Side Blues.” Honestly, I don’t even know where to start with Boyfrienders. I could talk about Morawa’s awesome contributions to Mover Shaker’s excellent sophomore album, I could talk about the guest features from Felix Beiderman and Garrett Hunter, I could talk about Morawa’s unique position as a non-binary frontperson and how that impacts their creative process… there are simply too many things to note in this short of a write-up.
A loose concept album, Scenes of Brooklyn or Meditations on Mid-Twenties Mediocrity is exactly what it sounds like: a post-college grappling with one’s place in the world. Blending electronic elements with flashy indie rock, this release is like a hyper-modern DIY evolution of Future Islands as seen through a series of train stops in the most populous city in our nation. If the name alone doesn’t want to make you click play on the record, then I don’t know what will.
It Doesn’t Bother Me - It Doesn’t Bother Me
Put simply, It Doesn’t Bother Me released one of the best EPs of the year. Not only that, they released one of the best debuts of the year. It’s one thing to release a good collection of songs; it’s another for that collection of songs to be this polished, catchy, and playlist-ready.
Featuring jittery guitar tapping, lighthearted self-deprecation, and a hearty helping of group chants, this is a textbook midwest emo release. What separates it from the Mom Jeans of the world is the band’s ability to make these songs sound entirely fresh and approachable to someone outside of the scene. These aren’t just “good emo songs,” these are good songs full-stop. Plus, clocking in at only 12 minutes, this EP offers a low-risk entry point into the world of sad white guys talking about their problems. The band’s self-awareness makes it easy to see the forest through the proverbial trees, allowing anyone to easily see the deeper artistry beneath the familiar emo frameworks.
Bombastic Dream Pussy - BDP
Easily the best band name on this list (and possibly in the world), Bombastic Dream Pussy is a grungy rock act that slithered from the collective depths of DIY venues all across Detroit. Helmed by Hayley McNichol, this EP features instrumental contributions from the likes of Dogleg, Parkway & Columbia, Shortly, and Holy Profane to name a few.
The best way to first experience Bombastic Dream Pussy is to witness Hayley pour their emotions out by playing these songs out on-stage. Since that’s not currently possible, the second-best way to experience BDP is to watch this video of McNichol performing lead single “Blood on My Bike Seat” to a rapt audience at Fauxchella III. This song details the hyper-traumatic experience of sexual assault, as seen directly through McNicol’s eyes, but wraps this story in a simple chord progression paired with a folksy twang that makes the topic feel slightly more digestible. It’s lyrically-heavy, but I can’t think of a single better encapsulation of what makes this project special than that song. The EP itself features 26 minutes of 90s-inspired indie rock that soundtracks Hayley’s experiences and emotions in a shockingly catchy way. It’s powerful, moving, and completely transportive.
Happiness Isn’t Possible / Content. - Split
Last but not least, we have a split between two Ypsilanti bands that bring together disparate styles in a surprisingly effective combination. First on the split is Happiness Isn’t Possible, a hardcore act featuring members of Solemn Judgement, who I’ve also written about. The band comes out swinging with the seasonally appropriate “What’s Your Favorite Scary Movie?” Sounding like a broken nose received in a sweaty Michigan basement, this track is a crushingly-heavy seven-minute odyssey that fluctuates between doomy riffage, hardcore breakdowns, and glitchy Code Orange mayhem. It’s absolute chaos.
Meanwhile, Content. finds Kris Lane (formerly of Hibiscus Bones and Swordfish) embarking on a solo project he describes as “post-whatever.” Leaning heavy into the blurry shoegaze/ambient side of the musical spectrum, Lane’s contributions are dripping in reverb. It’s a wall of sound that’s at once fuzzy and heavy, yet resonant and deeply-felt. The lyrics mesh into the wall of guitar, crashing drums, and a whir of electronics, creating songs that feel more like dreams or distant memories. These songs feel like the soundtrack to a horror film that hasn’t yet been made, and that makes them feel all the more haunting and visceral as you listen waiting for something to go wrong.
There you have it, four excellent releases from a tiny label from a small corner of our country. While I admittedly have a soft spot for Michigan, what’s incredible about DIY is that there are bands just like this all over the country. There are incredible acts just waiting to be discovered and shared by you. Good bands require good fans to survive, and you don’t have to own a label or run a blog to help good music flourish. Whether you want some tappy emo or some fist-balling hardcore, there’s so much incredible art out there just waiting for you. Your support goes further than you know, and luckily for us, there are people out there like Jake helping it make its way into the world.
