New Music Monday #1

New Music Monday!

I kept seeing people asking for music recs and I always have so many so I thought I’d do a weekly share of some of my favorite bands/songs/albums that I think more people should listen to! Every Monday i’ll highlight 3 “new” bands/releases. This definition of “new” can range from meaning “small local band” to “a band that’s known but not as widely as other bands in it’s scene,” or just a new album/song by a band no matter their popularity status. So this is pretty much just my weekly music recommendations with an emphasis on smaller/local bands that I think deserve to get more attention.

DAY 1:

Go Outside
If you like: Pop Punk, Power Pop, Indie Rock, Emo, Mom Jeans, Modern Baseball, Remo Drive, Joyce Manor

This is a great little band from Tempe, Arizona! If you love Indie Pop Rock with all the fancy guitars I think you will enjoy Go Outside. I saw them at a house show a while back, gosh I think two years ago now, but it feels like it was just yesterday. You know it’s a good band when no one knows the songs but the energy is still high as if everyone were already diehard fans! Everyone was moshing and crowd surfing in this tiny house on the outskirts of Sacramento, California! Their album, From The Comfort Of My Floor, is an album full of treasures and a bit of genre hopping which always makes for a fun listening experience. I bought their cassette at their show and I’ve listened to it front to back countless times since!
 

Jeff Rosenstock
If you like: Punk Rock, Political Punk, Indie Rock, Ska Punk, Power Pop, The Get Up Kids, Against Me!, PUP, Joyce Manor, The Homeless Gospel Choir, Jimmy Eat World, Mineral, The Taxpayers

I was first introduced to Jeff Rosenstock in 2017 when a friend came up to me and said, “You can’t say you like Emo music until you’ve listened to this guy,” and played Festival Song for me. Now, I’m not sure I would call Jeff’s music “emo,” but it can definitely be emotional and has the classic influences of first- and second-wave emo like Jawbreaker and Mineral. In an interview with AP Magazine I read once, he talked about how the Beach Boys’ “Pet Sounds” album was a huge inspiration for him with all of the music he writes, and honestly that influence shines through strong in his final products with the variety of sounds, with songs that have heavy content but sound like parties, and a dash of sappy love songs. You’ll love Jeff Rosenstock if you love the sound of emo/indie rock but with lyrical content that’s a bit deeper than just, “I hate my girlfriend and my hometown.”
 

Top Songs: Festival Song, Nausea, 9/10
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdl6UCOMMGQFJeEJDMgeCNg
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/0wNZvrIMNUCs24G0wFg2D6?si=AljQWyvISACIM2qMszjtbg
Bandcamp: https://jeffrosenstock.bandcamp.com/album/no-dream

Awakebutstillinbed
If you like: Emo, Indie Rock, Cap’n Jazz, Tigers Jaw, Modern Baseball, Joyce Manor, Mom Jeans, Sunny Day Real Estate

Awakebutstillinbed is a solo project by Shannon Taylor with obvious Midwest Emo influences even though she’s from San Jose, California. She’s only come out with one album, “what people call low self esteem is really just seeing yourself the way other people see you,” (how much more f***ing emo can you get, come on) and it’s 40 minutes of raw emotions and vocals that give me that feeling of being punched in the gut every time I listen. I’ve seen the band twice in concert now, both times being unforgettable and so full of energy. Although they only have one album that came out in 2018, Awakebutstillinbed has already made a name for themselves from what I can tell in the California local Emo scene and with fans of Midwest Emo. If you love classic, gut-wrenching emo, I think it would be more than worth your time to give the album a listen.
 

Let me know if you gave these bands a listen and if you enjoyed them! Maybe even consider buying their album from them off bandcamp to show them some love during these hard times! And recommend me some small/local bands down in the comments for me to listen to, too! I can't promise I'll like them, but I love checking out new music of any and all genres.