Here are 5 artists that are worth your time.
As always, I’ll include this month’s Spotify and Apple Music playlists at the bottom.
M’Grasker
Toronto
Instagram | Website | YouTube
First time I heard this band was this song, which I listened to about four times in a row. Play it loud:
I don’t know what to make of them — they sound like a real band, but they don’t exist like a real band. They have two prior albums, one that’s all dog-themed songs, and another one with 69 tracks on it that’s 3.5 hours long. They just announced their new album is being released on 4/20, and of course it is.
Their newest track is also fun as hell:
This piece says their favourite musician growing up was Ween, which somehow makes things a little more clear.
Other than that, I don’t know what to say. Those two tracks are great, they seem to be playing around Toronto pretty regularly.
The bizarre band photo was by Toronto weirdo/genius Kate Dockeray who runs a fantastic instagram account.
LODEF
Toronto
I discovered this band through blog fave Warburton. They have a show together coming up in Toronto April 26. The name is appropriate, as their recorded songs sound almost like they were recorded straight from the board during a live set.
Their EP came on right after a Neko Case album while I was on a long drive through rural Ontario and it was perfect. The only letdown was that there are only three songs:
It came out almost a year ago. There are a couple of other tracks on the Bandcamp page labeled as demos, but they sound great too. Their Instagram suggests that they’ve had a bit of a hiatus but that we can expect more new music soon.
Porridge Radio
London, UK
Instagram | Website | Bandcamp | YouTube
Their big album dropped just after my dad died and the lockdowns started. Dark days for me, and I was in no state to go looking for new music, so I missed it.
So then, earlier this year a post from Suffragette Records (which, follow this record store for really unique recommendations) put me onto their most recent album. Singer Dana Margolin has a distinctive style and sound, and also a pretty interesting substack where she sometimes shares playlists.
It’s a great record, full of arresting lyrics. Obviously I listened to it all day and then put on the big record, and there was more. Karla Chubb from SPRINTS must be a fan, there’s so much shared between the two singers’ styles.
Lip Filler
London, UK
Instagram | Website | Bandcamp | YouTube
This indie band has popped up in my feed from a couple different sources recently, but the new single followup was the one that hooked me. Check it out:
This leads their second EP due out May 24, with this track:
Multiple vocalists, unexpected kinda hip-hop interludes, electronic sounds that would be at home in a video game. There’s a lot going on with these guys but it all just works.
They’ve got a weird website that feels like evidence in a police investigation in 2004 or so, with random audio and video bits in a long scroll with the occasional bit of text or song lyrics. Gloriously weird.
Their first EP came out last year, and it’s definitely worth your time.
Hinds
Madrid
Instagram | Website | YouTube
Another band I missed the first time around. This song found me recently and I hated it:
Then 3 hours later I was looking through my browser history like “where the hell is that annoying song from earlier? I have to hear it again to pinpoint the source of my rage.” Then I played it four times in a row and spent a couple days listening to the rest of their music.
Can’t stay mad at that. Their most recent album, The Prettiest Curse is the one that had the highest batting average for me, but the two songs above are the most memorable in style.