Aster Tracks

  So recently I did a thread on my twitter of my top 4 albums, EPs and singles from the year so far despite my purists beliefs of the six month mark not being over. I went through a little too much work to pick those twelve releases so I decided to talk about them in a bit more depth here. Albums and EPs are self-explanatory but for singles I should clarify that I did not include remixes, covers, anything to that extent. With that rule in mind, let’s actually start there. Singles #4: Stand Atlantic / nothing,nowhere. - deathwish Last year, StAt was huge for me. They made my number one album (which, if I’m to be honest, I still wonder if I should have switched the one and two slots there) and captivated me to fall back in love with the pop punk genre. Their music is everything the genre should be, fun and bouncy without taking itself too seriously. Even when it did take itself seriously it was with some element of fun and never letting it go. These days Machine Gun Kelly has divided...

  This week was probably the lowest we’ve had in the full throttle year in terms of releases. Only mere tracks to talk to you about. We still found the gems though so stick around. A reminder of what we do: Each week I listen to tons of music from various artists, cached from a variety of sources. I compile things I think are worth mentioning, things I have enough of a comment on and present them to you here. I always encourage you to check out these releases for yourself to get your own feel for how you'll enjoy them and I want to know what you are listening to. First though, check out some of the releases from last week and my takes on them. Rebecca Black - Rebecca Black was Here The only release I was looking forward to this week and the only one that made it out. Only three new songs. Not really the hyperpop stylings that everyone associates Rebecca Black with right now but good softer pop songs. Bullet for My Valentine - Knives (Universal Music Group) Bullet is back, they’re ...

I Met a Yeti are set to drop “Opulence” featuring pulses. ( who may have been covered here before ) the first single from a currently untitled EP on June 25th. (The Friday after this post) I’m here to tell you about the track, but first, who is IMAY? IMAY is a five-piece progressive post-hardcore band from Orlando, FL. They’ve already made their fair share of waves in the scene sharing the stage with Adventurer, Strawberry Girls and more and have accumulated 800K+ Spotify streams. The band had this to say about the track: “Opulence is a song based on a quote from YouTuber Contrapoints, “It's not that I'm ashamed of what I did, it's not that I'm ashamed of how I feel, it's that I'm ashamed of who and what I am.” Opulence seeks to personify this sensation of pure distilled shame. We began writing Opulence in Sacramento, California while staying in a motel for a couple of nights between tour dates. Opulence quickly evolved into the foundation for the upcoming EP. I...

  Albums AFI - Bodies (Rise Records) AFI’s Rise Records debut has landed but only really with three new tracks as there were eight singles. I feel like I’ve been listening to this all year already with double singles left and right. The new tracks are fine though short at under three minutes each. It’s an AFI record, it has the natural progression they do on all their records. No two are ever truly going to sound the same and I think it’s a fine addition to the catalogue. King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard - Butterfly 3000 They finally did it, they finally released a non-microtonal album and it’s good! The first half is a little slow and I’ll never understand the classic Gizz move on burying the vocals to the point that they’re nearly unintelligible but the second half immediately won me back. MARINA - Ancient Dreams in a Modern Land (Atlantic Recordings) Obviously an artist that’s been big for years now. I’ve always appreciated a single here and there but this is the first album I...

Hello and welcome to this week in music! Each week I listen to tons of music from various artists, cached from a variety of sources. I compile things I think are worth mentioning, things I have enough of a comment on and present them to you here. I always encourage you to check out these releases for yourself to get your own feel for how you'll enjoy them and I want to know what you are listening to. First though, check out some of the releases from last week and my takes on them. Albums Atreyu - Baptize (Universal Music) First Atreyu album without Alex Varkatzas. I have to say that Alex was right about the “fake heavy” thing when he departed. I think we all expected that to mean radio friendly rock songs (which there are plenty of, “Warrior” featuring Travis Barker should speak 100% for itself) but it’s more so taking what Atreyu is known for and making it sound like a parody of that. It sounds like a band whose only known top 40s success is attempting to write a metalcore record ...

  We had a massive week for albums last week across all sorts of genres. If you missed that post, go check it out. I promise you you will find something you like within. This week we come to the end of our two month streak of anticipated releases. That being said, this week turned out pretty nice so check that and our final anticipated release until the fall. Hot Mulligan - I Won’t Reach Out to You Our final release in the string of huge releases! Hot Mulligan released a great record last year and I was very much looking forward to what they did next. We talked about “Featuring Mark Hoppus” when it dropped and it might be one of my favorite tracks of the year. Of Mice & Men - Bloom (SHARPTONE) The second in this series of EPs Of Mice has planned this year has dropped. It’s another 3 track festivalcore sounding one, which I think is just the point. Feels weird to release these as EPs as they’ll likely just be long enough to be a full length with the same vibe. Four Year Strong -...