Release Radar: December 2022
At the end of each month, Afterglow presents a staff-picked list of new albums and singles that left a lasting impression on our ears.
Written by Afterglow Staffers
Here are our favorite albums and singles released during December 2022. For more reviews of recent releases, check out our album review page!
Photos courtesy of Jamie Morgan, Lauren Davis, and Nastassia Brückin
Shiny Singles We Loved This Month
“When the Curtain Falls” by Hendrix Knight
Shoegaze with a modern twist, Hendrix Knight brings no shortage of distorted shreds to their debut single, “When the Curtain Falls.” Static guitars and hazy production grow louder with each verse until reaching a sonic crest led by ringing strings.
“Someone2Me” by Softcult
Blending grunge, dreampop, and everything in between, Softcult’s latest single, “Someone2Me,” is nothing less than hypnotic. Lush instrumentals float through the track, with gritty electric guitars bringing the perfect amount of texture to the alternative fever dream.
“Naked at the Feast” by Allie Crow Buckley
Witches and greek-mythology lovers will fawn over the ethereal “Naked at the Feast” and its ability to transport listeners to dreamlike states with its whimsical cadence. Dreamy, soprano keys, slowed drum beats, and ambient electric guitar strums back Buckley’s angelic vocals, creating a chilling yet fantastical sound.
fear mercury by Mercury
Image courtesy of Honeymoon
Twenty-one-year-old rapper Mercury proves on fear mercury that she means business. Leading up to the release of fear mercury, the skater-rapper released two mixtapes this year: tabula rasa and freddie. Whereas before her sound was mainly cloudy-trap, fear mercury levels up those same aesthetics into a more complete and developed sound by taking those individual elements and melding them into trap excellence. On songs like “needalight,” the influences from artists like Playboi Carti and Kid Cudi jump out with banging trap beats and a calm, cool attitude. Mercury gets assistance from fellow underground rapper SALIMATA in “doublecup,” a melodic trap record led by a hazy aura created with hypnotizing, feathery synths. Despite its short tracklist, the record ends with a bang with “wyha.” This closing bop starts off with a sample from the Sega start-up screen before Mercury goes into triplet flows on the crazed breakdown of the instrumental with braggadocious lyrics. All in all, the EP shows potential for a breakout star in the rap scene, with prospects of reaching the ever-emerging rap scene. — Adam Cherian
Support Mercury on Spotify.
Leading Lines by Nakhane
Image courtesy of Bertelsmann Music Group
While most of the world cozies up for the winter season, 31-year-old Nakhane’s recent release Leading Lines is perfect for heating up any dance floor. The project begins with bombastic horns and synths reminiscent of the ‘80s ballroom scene. Paired with heavy drum beats layered over classic electric guitar riffs, Nakhane’s music feels transcendent and uniquely their own. The way this artist blends their poignant lyrics about love with head-bobbing dance beats sets them apart from the usual mellow musings on finding a soulmate. A notable example of this is the second song on the EP, “Do You Well,” featuring Perfume Genius. This dance ballad centers Nakhane’s longing for the love shared with a partner to “stay in the light” or the foreground of their life. There's something so beautiful in the artist’s yearning for this connection to remain layered over a classic club-style rhythm. In their previous works, Nahkane grapples with vulnerability, singing about intimate topics like their Christian faith, queer identity and family. Leading Lines feels like a celebratory answer to Nahkane’s back catalog, in which their harmonic vocal layering and upbeat, high energy dance anthems make the listener feel as if they’re floating over a crowd dancing beneath a disco ball. — Hasina Shah
Support Nakhane on Spotify.
Thunderhead by Paul Spring
Image courtesy of Paul Spring
New York singer and guitarist Paul Spring simultaneously takes inspiration from the past and the present in his latest album, Thunderhead. Influenced by Irish ballads, medieval hymns, and even The Legend of Zelda, Spring experiments with the boundaries of folk music as a reckoning with where he is today and the decisions he's made to get there. In "God Bite," guitar plucks and overbearing synths mimic the looming sense of a greater power that has changed Spring — the question lingers if this change is for the better or for the worse. From guitar strums to synths, 808s and the Irish flute, Spring combines unlikely instrumental pairs to connect classic and modern sounds and thus tie together the traditions of the past with his present personhood. In the album’s standout "How To Love You," Spring reckons with the album’s ever-present themes of time and love. "If I could change more slowly… / I'd know much better how to love you," he sings in the chorus as a recognition of his faults and his powerlessness against them. However, in the album's closer, "Over and Over Again," Spring admits "If I could change anything / Well, I would not change anything," concluding his project with contentment rather than remorse. Thunderhead is a musical feat great for anyone hoping to delve into the electro-folk genre. — Janie Bickerton
Anyhow by Leland Whitty
Image courtesy of Innovative Leisure
Multi-faceted instrumentalist Leland Whitty of BADBADNOTGOOD has combined jazzy influences with wholesome, glimmering woodwinds to create his newest solo album, Anyhow. The album is living proof of Whitty’s penchant for fusing jazz and soft rock to produce the ethereally discordant record. Each track takes listeners on a cinematic journey through the use of sweet strings, synthesizers, and soothing drum beats. “Svalbard,” is otherworldly yet painfully nostalgic, painting swathes of something you didn’t know you missed. The world-building is consistent with each song, letting the listener feel the sense that they’re exploring something wholly untouched. The penultimate track “In Circles,” floats the listener back down to Earth, slowly and smoothly, just in time for “Anyhow” to bring the album to a dreamy close. Whitty’s carefully crafted Anyhow is a vivid and beautiful journey. — Maci Jean
Past Lives by L.S. Dunes
Image courtesy of Fantasy Records
Fans of emo and post-hardcore should rejoice for L.S. Dune’s promising debut album, Past Lives. Consisting of members from the likes of My Chemical Romance, Circa Survive, Thursday, and Coheed & Cambria, the supergroup started performing together in early 2022. Each member’s talent culminates in Past Lives, with a fiery yet personal collection of hard rock. Many of these songs reflect upon their perspectives on modern issues, such as the isolation and disillusionment during the COVID-19 pandemic (“Antibodies”) and the controversy surrounding the Confederate soldier statues (the title track), but they also find artistic inspiration from the hardships they deleted from their own lives that gives all of the songs a firmly personal feel. “Permanent Rebellion” is a serious statement of purpose from veterans finding a new, exciting future within the synergy within their group. Past Lives will be a very enjoyable experience for anyone interested in post-hardcore and emo music in general. — Avirat Thakor
Boundary by Mono Music
Image courtesy of Mono Moon Music
His first solo project, Hippo Campus’s bassist and keyboardist Zach Sutton released the eight-song album Boundary, under the moniker Mono Moon. Sutton takes on a more honest and narrative style of songwriting, addressing mental health and religion in his songs with effortless wit: “Jesus, take the wheel while I slide to the back.” He offers vulnerability with the intimate lines “I’ll get it right for you” along with introspectiveness in “One Liner,” where he sings, “Moonshine, I’m drunk on my musing.” With the musician’s distorted voice, sweet guitar fuzz, and muted drums, indie music fans will rejoice in the familiarity of Boundary. However, the production of the album keeps it entertaining. Just when it seems like Mono Moon is getting repetitive, a new drum beat or a key change is introduced to let the album run with a pleasant pace. Boundary is up to scratch as a modern indie album, yet what takes it further is Sutton’s necessary levity. He’s bare in his thoughts, but he isn’t telling any sob stories. Boundary is funny and fun, all while Sutton lays himself out as best he can. — Anjali Krishna
Soft Action by Other Half
Image courtesy of Other Half
Hailing from Norwich, England, post-hardcore band Other Half’s sophomore album, Soft Action, consists of passionate lyricism and dissonant guitars that create a gritty, yet well-developed sound like no other. Right off the bat, the band starts off strong with their 40-second opening track “Like a Dog,” which embodies the record’s angsty nature, featuring intense vocals paired with a loud and authoritative rhythm section. Since their formation in 2018, the trio has repeatedly demonstrated their raw and pronounced sound to audiences everywhere. By combining strong lyricism and heavy-hitting production, Other Half shows just how cathartic music can be for both the artist and the listener. Tracks like “Every Future” highlight the depressing and cynical qualities of the album and present listeners with perfectly somber winter music with lines like, “Every future looks exactly the same / It always did and it always will / I slip so slowly, a glacial descent / It's hard to find the reasons to give a shit traveling at that pace.” Whether you’re feeling mad at the world or experiencing a state of melancholia, Soft Action will provide you with an outlet to reconnect and feel a sense of belonging. — James Navarro
My Mortal Wound by Lily Talmers
Image courtesy of El Tee Records
Metro-Detroit native Lily Talmers is a rising folk starlet with her fourth full-length album, My Mortal Wound. Talmers credits the likes of Joni Mitchell, Paul Simon, Gillian Welch and Leonard Cohen for her beginnings as a songwriter, and various odds and ends for her development as a musician and instrumentalist. Her sound on this album is rooted in the ‘60s folk revival, with moments that reveal her broad fascination with music as an educator and ethnomusicologist. The album’s opening number and title track starts off with yearning vocals and finger-picking guitar, beginning the narrative of the project. From the start, “My Mortal Wound” sets a heavy, reflective tone about the uncertainties of existence with the lyrics “It’s a strange load to carry” and then asks the listener, “Life is a party, don’t you want to be part of it?” Her unique sound and themes of love and loss stand out on songs, such as “Francis” and “Nearly Lovingly.” With poetic writing and perfectly-timed voice cracks, Lily hopes her voice will lull her listeners into a Midwestern-accent-induced state of peace and comfort. — Nico Grayson