Aster Tracks

Last spring, New Jersey band Wave Break dropped “Spark,” the first single from Ignite//Decay , out today. “Spark,” “Call Me Cynical” and now “Embers” gave us a pretty good taste of how Wave Break has grown in the past couple of years having gone from one woman band to four piece but now we have more of a complete picture. While I did quite enjoy both “Call Me Cynical” and “Spark” individually they stand much stronger in full context. Usually, I don’t really want to hear track one before an official release but “Cynical’s” fade-in opening, and huge instrumentation make it a great intro choice. Whereas “Spark” has a more optimistic outlook on the lyrical themes and is a nice toss up later on. If you had not heard track one and instead came from final single “Embers” then hearing it as track two must really be a treat. At five tracks and only around fifteen minutes I’m quite impressed with how varied Ignite//Decay is as an EP. “Call Me Cynical,” as said above, has large-scale riffs and pr...

MIDI Bunny, the super-duo made up of Seoul’s Cecily Renns and NY’s Biddy Fox have released their debut album on the day you’re reading this. The pair only formed last year but already have quite an expansive discography. We started with the debut EP from last year, which stood at a half an hour and contained a variety of punk-inspired tracks with a lot of promise. From there the MP3 Kitty and home EPs showed different sides of the band but appeared to be released more so as exercises in songwriting. Now, with a full length out, I was excited to see where all of this would lead for the band themselves. The conceptual nature of Songs to Hurt Others is pretty explicitly stated on the record and while I can’t say I totally follow the storyline I can say it feels cinematic all the way through. The opening keys on the album’s intro feel like they’re coming to life on a screen I can almost see.  Even with this new sound aspect, MIDI Bunny don’t shy from their roots, something apparent fro...

I took these notes so long ago but I’m gonna try to just write without starting over. When I listen to country music I more or less expect each song to have its own subject matter, as opposed to a theme in the full length. Or a letter to an individual, as opposed to something I am necessarily supposed to relate to. I, of course, realize there is an enterprise of country where songs are more bought and sold but even from the opening song of this Medium Build project, I can tell it’s a deeply personal record. Before we even get into the meat of it, Nicholas Carpenter is musing about why a label hasn’t picked him up yet, so I know I’m in for something of substance. Be this as it may, “Beach Chair” is also a bit mean spirited and this good grace sort of backfires when the hook is saying things like “you ain’t shit” and “you need work,” even if he also calls them the best. “In My Room” is a bit more tuned to the masses while also serving as a journal entry about the past. This one is a fun ...

Oh my gosh, Claudia AsterTracks got a review out less than four months after the album is out! In all seriousness, I’ve been sitting on this review for a bit. It always feels weird to post long reviews about huge pop albums being an indie blog. Sometimes they’re just too long for MusicBoard though, so this one fit here. In spite of being gay, formerly terminally online and generally a fan of modern-day pop, I have actually never liked an entire Charli xcx project. I remember a very awkward conversation with an ex once after she found out I find it very hard to get to the end of even the twelve and a half minutes of Vroom Vroom. In spite of all of this I still want to stay current and know what albums are coming out, so I gave BRAT a try and I’m sort of blown away, I absolutely love this one. Something I noticed just minutes into BRAT is how the production is so bare and yet also feels so club ready . Opening track “360’ s ” beat is only about seven notes total with barely a drum...

Sister Sleep does and they’ve just put out a brand new single to make you a believer. After 2023’s In Bad Faith the band showed you can make great post-hardcore jams drenched in influence while also sounding so fresh and modern. The track starts loud and aggressive from the first second, it doesn’t give you room to breathe, but it does give you a chance to trudge through the mud. There is a little clapping motif which serves as a pre-chorus and to me its the hook of the song. It took me quite a few listens to pull my attention from the audio trip of this instrumental and it still has its claws in me. It’s overall heavier, sweatier and rawer than ever before. They do throw in a quick second to catch a break, but nothing more. Still, of course, I couldn’t be distracted from Jamie Shelton’s vocals for too long. I feel like on this one they really solidify knowing their voice and using it in a way only they can. On a drum march section, they completely command the booth and earn the attent...