Release Radar: March 2021
At the end of each month, Afterglow presents a staff-picked list of new albums and singles that left an impression on our ears.
Written by Afterglow Staffers
Here are our favorite albums and singles released during March 2021. For more reviews of recent releases, check out our album review page.
Shiny Singles We Loved This Month:
"Hit Like A Girl" by Meet Me @ the Altar
Meet Me @ the Altar's latest single is a nostalgic pop-punk anthem for women's empowerment and sisterhood. Channeling the essence of Warped Tour favorites, the track is loaded with bubbly vocals, chugging guitars, and a positively entropic breakdown. If these four minutes are an indicator of what MMATA has in store for listeners, then no one's ready to grapple with this girl band.
“Freaks” by ATARASHII GAKKO! & Warren Hue
The latest release from the Japanese girl group sees the quirky, anti-idol foursome picking up mainstream steam. Serving as their second track under the 88rising label, “Freaks” is a chaotic mix of erratic and delightful with its high energy production and apt sampling of Claude VonSroke’s “Freaks Don’t Fail Me Now.” Its music video finds the group clad in their signature high school uniforms while campily battling sumo wrestlers — and if their highly stylized personas have anything to say about it, ATARASHII GAKKO! surely has more to offer in the J-pop scene.
“Be Sweet” by Japanese Breakfast
The debut single for the Korean musician’s upcoming album Jubilee is her most explicitly sunny yet, radiating through its addictive ‘80s synth-pop power chords and Michelle Zauner’s harmoniously steadfast vocals. “After spending the last five years writing about grief, I wanted our follow-up to be about joy,” Zauner said of her latest project. The taste tester for Jubilee exudes just that.
“SNAPDRAGON” by Ianu feat. Dog with Gun
Following the success of his 2020 single “Dreamer,” future bass-pop producer Ianu started March off with the release of “SNAPDRAGON,” a collaboration with up-and-coming musician Dog with Gun. Combining their powers of addictive melodies and euphoric sound design, the duo came together to produce an uplifting electronic anthem. Self-titled as the “banger of the century,” this adorable track is sure to keep you coming back, back, back for more.
Littleroot by Nautilus vs. Pangolin
Image courtesy of Nautilus vs. Pangolin
After months of interference due to quarantines and pandemic pandemonium, the Rio Grande Valley’s melodic prog-metal-jazz-fusion band Nautilus vs. Pangolin released its highly anticipated EP, Littleroot, on March 19. The album cover (hand drawn by @FlorenceLupin on Twitter) perfectly complements the innate badassery of the band and the deliberate intricacy of the music its members make together — but it also speaks to the brilliance of the instrumental four-piece as they seamlessly combine their many influences into a sound that is organic and all their own. The EP opens up with the energetic and groovy “Siberia” before unwrapping the emotional, yet playful track “BRAINS.” Standing out on this project is the audibly titillating single, aptly named “Burnga,” that features a collaborative guitar solo from producer Joshua Lopez. The onomatopoeic masterpiece is beautifully produced, unveiling some incredibly technical work by guitarists Adrian Vitela and Otoniel Leal throughout the entire song. A series of nasty drum fills by Thomas Alviar mesmerize listeners during the last minute, just before band member Nick Cañas funkily drives the song home with his unbelievable bass tone. Mixing things up, the band launches into “Cartel,” an intricately crafted musical puzzle with soulful guitar work and some djenty mischief that leaves a lingering vibrational touch on your eardrums. Also joining the band on this EP release was Daven Martinez, who can be heard on the final track titled “Yin Yang.” It’s a five-minute-long adventure that goes from relaxed to robust in a perfect fusion, just like the song’s title suggests. Twenty-two minutes is not enough time to appreciate the effort and heart that went into the creation of this EP, so your best bet to truly appreciate the music is to just stream it again (and again, and again).
— Micaela Garza
As Days Get Dark by Arab Strap
Image courtesy of Rock Action Records
Fans of Molchat Doma, rejoice! Like the cult-favorite Belarusian group, Scottish band Arab Strap creates brooding slowcore bangers that feel perfect for dancing in a dystopian club. Formed in 1995 by vocalist Aidan Moffat and multi-instrumentalist Malcolm Middleton, the duo was one of Scotland’s foremost alternative bands in the ‘90s and ‘00s. Aptly named after a sex toy, the Glasgow group showcases its unflinching discussion of taboo topics and characteristic rock-electronica sound in its latest record, As Days Get Dark. Opening track “The Turning of Our Bones” starts as a somber guitar ballad before a disco beat kicks in, complete with wailing saxophones and a conga drum intermission. In his thick Glaswegian drawl, Moffat contemplates the end of the duo’s glory days, incorporating morbid imagery and allusions to Roman mythology: “Let’s squeeze the maggots from our flesh like tiny poison pustules / (..) So if Bacchus is a friend to Love, then take this cup of kindness.” Like the opener, the rest of the album explores new sonic dimensions in the band’s genre-bending sound. Solemn harmonicas accompany the barely-sung vocals in “Another Clockwork Day,” while violins make a brief appearance in “Kebabylon” before the track explodes into a disarrayed wall of saxophones. To complement these unique instrumentals, Moffat flaunts his lyrical versatility with anecdotes that are at once profound and heartbreaking. In the aforementioned “Another Clockwork Day,” he tells a story about a disaffected man who escapes his uneventful present by reminiscing about the past as he clicks through images in a flash drive. Another standout, “Tears on Tour,” recalls events that have made the frontman cry: “I cried the day my grandfather no longer knew my face / I wept by the window when he died / And when my mother called long distance / To say her mother passed away.” Though As Days Get Dark isn’t exactly a crowd-pleaser, its complex production and bleak lyrics have much to offer for slowcore fans.
— C.S. Harper
Fake Fruit by Fake Fruit
Image courtesy of Rocks In Your Head Records
Fake Fruit’s sound is as colorful and complex as its album art. The Bay Area post-punk band recounts the ludicrosity of human existence through musical snapshots teeming with layered, buzzing guitars and frontwoman Hannah D'Amato's deadpan vocals. Album opener "No Mutuals" chips at the struggles of attempting to build relationships with inauthentic people. Over a bright, looping guitar, D'Amato sing-talks her frustrations before launching into a series of howls: "Can't you talk to me / Without the smokescreen? / You look like a fool." Beneath the main riff lies a plucky, twangy melody that underscores Fake Fruit's technical precision and the band's ability to write elaborate compositions with a minimalist approach. In "Miscommunication," a discordant guitar and bass riff mimic the offbeat feel of mixed signals and conversational confusion while D'Amato taunts listeners to say what's on their minds. "Old Skin" and "Lying Legal Horror Lawyers," are some of the shortest, most aggressive songs on the record, but made for unexpected listening gems. Although Fake Fruit's discography consists mainly of high octane numbers, the band slows its pace with the spidery scales of "Swing and a Miss" and the subdued fuzz grunge of "Keep You." Fake Fruit concludes with "Milkman," a cryptic, heartbroken track complete with a dancing octave bass line and pensive lactose metaphors. In all its 30-minute glory, Fake Fruit is an artfully moody masterpiece. With its freshman album alone, Fake Fruit has successfully distinguished itself as a tastefully authentic act brimming with creative promise.
— Kriss Conklin
tv cupid by Tv Cupid
Image courtesy of Tv Cupid Spotify
Each DIY track on tv cupid bleeds messy teenhood — with lost romance, mental health struggles, and angst abundant. The 16-year-old musician’s sound is the perfect mash-up of bedroom rock, indie pop, and eerie nostalgia. “6teen,” the punchy first track from the West London product’s debut, is a quintessential tale of teenage rage and escapism. (Think the performance of “Take Me Away” by Lindsay Lohan’s band in “Freaky Friday.)” Despite the singer’s age, the EP manages to have a vintage, ‘90s feel to it. Ultimately, it’s the vulnerability in their music that makes tv cupid worth a listen. “shitty mental health” feels like it was ripped straight from the singer’s tear-stained diary while “somewhere in germany” is a stripped-down love story. The EP ends with a vocally-beautiful, uncanny cover of Mazzy Star's “Fade Into You.” They recreate the same hazy sound as this ‘90s hit in their track “alice.” In their Instagram bio, Tv Cupid explains their music as “mostly rock, but what type of rock is the question we’ll never know the answer to.” Their mash-up of rock genres, imperfect musicality, and vulnerable lyrics blend together to create a unique and addictive EP listening experience. Most of the tv cupid tracks still have less than 1,000 streams on Spotify, so streaming Tv Cupid is the ultimate indie experience. They may be a small, young artist with a sound that hasn’t been completely developed, but Tv Cupid manages to artistically replicate the teen experience in their music. Whether you’re living through your teen years now or you’ve been there before, there’s probably a track on tv cupid that will resonate with you.
– Heather Stewart
Really From by Really From
Image courtesy of Topshelf Records
In its latest self-titled album, Boston band Really From showcases its self-described indie-rock sound with “jazz improvisation, minimalist composition, and [a] punk rock ethos.” Like the multidimensional production of this jazzy, math-rocky release, its themes explore various facets of the immigrant experience. In “Yellow Fever,” vocalist Michi Tassey ruminates on the microaggressions and tokenization she has experienced as a Japanese American woman. “You’re calling my name / Even though you can’t pronounce it / You want those eyes, pale skin, black hair / You called it yellow fever,” she reflects on some of the many ways that people fetishize Asian women. Later on, she laments not clapping back at her tormentor, singing, “If I could, I would say all I left unsaid.” And that’s exactly what Really From does. Throughout the record, lead singers Tassey and Chris Lee-Rodriguez leave nothing unsaid, as they explore their experiences with their respective Japanese and Chinese-Puerto Rican heritage. Over lethargic trombones in the standout “Try Lingual,” the former vocalist tepidly sings about her struggles learning her parents’ language: “I listen hard to what you say / And in my head I will translate / I might respond the wrong way / Forgive me, I’m still learning.” The heart-wrenching “The House” takes on a stripped-back sound as Lee-Rodriguez contemplates the struggles of being biracial. “Mom and Dad / They told me separately / They come from different parts / So what does that make me? / Half trainwreck or half burning sea? / Half Borikén or half Chinese,” he sings in an angst-tinged tone. Despite the turbulence that comes with navigating multicultural and multiracial identities, both singers also express pride in their respective heritages. In “I’m From Here,” they address the dreaded “Where are you from?” question that constantly gets thrown at first and second-generation immigrants. Over ethereal guitar arpeggios, Lee-Rodriguez sings, “If you ask me where I’m from / I’ll say the rage, the lights, thе sea / I’ll say the pain passed down on mе.” With its profound exploration of the complexities of immigrants’ experiences, Really From is a rare gem that continues the conversation about social justice for minority groups in the United States.
— C.S. Harper