Last Week’s Jams (5.8 – 5.12)

Last week kicked off with a bang; we covered a whole bunch of tunes right off the bat, only to kind of fade towards the end of the week. Still, we managed to get up 20 tunes you should listen to, though the Mope City single isn’t out there yet on streaming services. Some Austin love came our way with Tearjerk and Balmorhea getting solid mentions, while we couldn’t help but to continue our fawning over Night Beats and their latest barrage of bangers. Threw in some new Shelflife releases from Lost Tapes and Youth Valley, and in the end, the new stuff from Shrapnel and Special Friend definitely won awards for my faves of the week. You’ve got an hour of legendary streams below!

Shrapnel Share Catch You Out; Ready New LP

Having already covered Mope City this week, it only makes sense that I include another project featuring members: the much loved, Shrapnel. The last time we heard from them was when they dropped Alasitas back in 2021, but it sounds like they’ve got another LP ready to go later this year. “Catch You Out” drops in with this heavy rock riff, working in some of that glam-psychedelia stomping; it soon fades away to allow this steadied cool, something that sounds like it would have come from a post-Elephant 6 act. Sure, there’s an assertive bravado to the way the riffs ring out, but even as they’re reverberating around my room, I can’t help but harp on the natural charm, calling to mind heavy guitar poppers like TFC and the like. I’ll keep you posted as I hear more about their new LP!

What’s Cool in Australian Music, Today

Clearly I’m struggling to not write about all the songs and all the cool things, so why not turn three posts into one, you know, just to cut down on boring you with my mundane thoughts on people’s music. So, below, you’ve got streams to 2 great LPs and a new single.

 

 

Shrapnel – Alasitas

This record’s impossible to describe in the absolute best way possible, though I’ve tried to pigeon-hole the band’s sound in the past. Just imagine bits of indie pop, elements of experimentation, prog and psych, then swirled about like the colors on the album art. This is an LP worth self-immersion.

Quivers – Golden Doubt

They’re going to get Go-Betweens comparisons, based on the band’s line-up alone, and parts of that are unfair, but parts are definitely just. What’s just is that they’re writing the same style of timeless pop tunes you want to share with everyone you love. I’m stuck on “When It Breaks” at the moment.

 

Delivery – Brickwork

I’ve already written about the first single from the band’s forthcoming Yes We Do EP, so, feels like we should continue that support as they offer up another frantic bouncer, an energetic frolic in fast forward. Their new 7″ will drop at the end of the month via Spoilsport!

Shrapnel Annoucne Alasitas

Shrapnel have been toiling around Australia for a hot minute, and now they’ve got a brand new record on the way courtesy of Tenth Court. This time around, the band have expanded their line-up, adding new instruments to flesh out their sound beyond the confines of jangling pop rock. Here you get a subtle nod towards psychedelia, with faint little woodwind nuances layered over the guitars. It almost feels out of place, but in the best way, reinventing the pop of 1970s communes and filling it with this new vibrant nature that makes it magical in its own way; you’re honestly not sure what direction they’re going, or where they’re taking their cues, but your ears are rewarded with every textural note. Alasitas drops on June 11th.