The Best of July 2021

Emo and indie rock remain ever-present forces in our monthly roundups, this time flanked by some sweet, sweet pedal steel and slide guitar. 

Jodi - Blue Heron

Sooper Records

Sometimes a single thing can prod you into checking out an artist; a well-written review, a compelling performance on-stage, or maybe the recommendation of a friend. For Jodi, it was this Stereogum article where writer Chris DeVille compared the former Pinegrove member to Wilco, American Football, Phil Elverum, Slaughter Beach Dog, and Lomelda over the course of just a few sentences. Aside from this lovely roster of soft-inspiration, Blue Heron is an album chock-full of slide guitar, and if I’ve learned anything about myself this year, it’s that I can never get enough slide guitar. Armed with little more than that country-indie-rock-bent and a heart full of emotions, Nick Levine explores the complexity of life throughout Blue Heron’s ten breathtaking tracks. There are lovely contributions from a half-dozen other members of Levine’s folk-rock inner circle, but for the most part, these songs center around giving voice to one person’s struggle through life. On a more personal note, I’ve leaned a lot on this record over the past month, and I’m immensely grateful for it appearing in my life when it did. 

Runner - Always Running

Run For Cover Records

Even though half of Runner’s new album is comprised of year-old songs, that doesn’t make the overall package any less enticing. There’s twangy guitar, lush horns, and even a wild Thundercat cover. I’ll admit I’m a sucker for some banjo and slide guitar, but Always Repeating is a half-hour excursion that feels tailor-made for me. This is a record I can throw on at any time, in any mood, and become completely swept up in. It’s as easy and breezy as an afternoon spent lazily floating down a river with friends by your side and a six-pack within arm’s reach. Pure summer bliss. 

Gang of Youths - total serene

Mosy Recordings

Based solely on the internet’s reaction to “the angel of 8th ave.” dropping back in June, it was clear that Gang of Youths fans were starved. This was the first we’d heard from the Australian indie rockers in earnest since 2017’s Go Farther In Lightness, and fans weren’t hiding their near-half-decade of hunger. Despite having never heard of this band, I saw the hype, decided to give the song a listen, and it quickly became one of my favorites of 2021. I might not have a years-long connection with Gang of Youths, but I still recognize “the angel of 8th ave.” as a scientifically perfect heartland rock song. This lead single has a great build, a soaring melody, swaying guitar, and anthemic chorus of “there is heaven in you now!!” which feels primed for shouting out your car window as you fly down some stretch of desert highway at 90 miles an hour. From there, the group hits the listener with a great cover of an Elbow song that sounds downright National-esque. Finally, “unison” wraps things up with a reflective, sax-laden track in the style of classic indie rock. It may only be three songs long, but total serene is allegedly just a prelude to a full album coming out later this year. I may have gotten to Gang of Youths late, but now that I’m on board, I couldn’t be more excited to join the hype train with everybody else. 

Gnawing - You Freak Me Out

Refresh Records

Psst. Hey kid, ya like Dinosaur Jr? Of course you do! Well, I got a record for you, and no, it’s not the new Dinosaur Jr (as good as that album is), it’s this band called Gnawing. Seriously, there were moments in listening to You Freak Me Out that straight-up I forgot I wasn’t listening to Dinosaur Jr. That’s not to say that the Virginia-based rock band is a one-trick pony; it’s just that lead singer John Russel’s voice is so close to the scratchy velcro drawl of the iconic 90s band. There’s plenty of variation on this record, from jaunty country-flavored excursions to high-powered guitar solo freakouts. A joyous debut album that builds off the group’s previous releases and pushes them into exciting new territories that are as comforting as they are exhilarating. 

skirts - Great Big Wild Oak

Double Double Whammy

Remember how I said I liked pedal steel and slide guitar? Well, Great Big Wild Oak has tons of it. At a certain point, the debut from Alex Montenegro feels less like an album and more like an experience. You press play on the first song and watch as the release slowly envelops you. As Great Big Wild Oak unfolds, it begins to transport you. The songs unfurl one at a time resulting in one, long naturalistic 30-minute journey that makes it feel as if you too are in the lush, tree-dotted lake depicted on the cover. The record is adorned with rural Texas imagery and touted as a “convergence of Southwestern folk-rock, contemporary percussion, and piercing guitar licks.” The result is a relaxing and meditative listen that feels like the auditory equivalent of a cold glass of lemonade on a hot summer day.

Lakes - Start Again

Know Hope Records

Lakes feel like a revelation. Even though there’s nothing overtly world-shattering about the UK-based outfit, the group manages to marry tappy and technical emo with a particular blend of powerful, reaching mid-aughts indie rock, and they do so to an impressive effect. While the record’s singles (“Start Again,” “Matches,” and “Retrograde”) prove to be an excellent sample platter for the band’s music, they also managed to save some of the best cuts like “Mirrors” and “Talk!” for the album, which is something that I always appreciate. A marvelous merging of styles that result in a sweeping, emotional LP that will comfort and console.

Bad Luck - Summer Of Pain

Take This To Heart Records

Just as You Freak Me Out made me want to go and listen to Dinosaur Jr, Summer of Pain compelled me to queue up Save Face. I don’t think it’s always accurate or healthy to compare bands to one another like this, but if a Save Face fan is reading this and hungry for similar tunes, there’s no better accolade than evoking the sharp bellows and neat guitar licks of Tyler Povanda. That’s not to say that Bad Luck can’t stand on their own; just one listen to Summer of Pain reveals a wonderfully talented band with a knack for catchy hooks, shreddy instrumentals, and relatable lyrics. A fast, fun, frenetic listen that will charge you up and set you off.

Midwife - Luminol

The Flenser

What does despair sound like to you? To me, it sounds like Midwife. Having first popped up on my radar with last year’s Forever, Midwife became one of those projects like Julien Baker or Mount Eerie that I adore but can only bring myself to listen to every once in a while because they’re just so crushing. Embracing a self-described genre of “Heaven Metal,” Midwife crafts a dense, moody, loopy mix of slowgaze and drone that tackles topics too heavy for everyday life. While Forever eulogized a friend, Luminol is an angrier record that recons with the seismic changes and universal unrest that we’ve all felt over the past year. A cataclismic experience. 

Quick Hits

Sorry, but I couldn’t find the energy to keep a list of one-sentence reviews for everything else I listened to this month. Here’s a playlist of my favorite songs from each new release I heard in July as a replacement.