Needle Drop Friday: 6.19.26
Welcome to another week of fun and frolic. Well, at least another week of new music releases.
So it’s Friday and that means it is time to refresh those playlists! If you need some guidance, this place is as good a start as any. One of the best parts about being a music fan is that there's always something new waiting to be discovered.Every Friday you never know if your new favorite album is going to drop. Here's what caught my attention this week.
First up is an album that I was not aware of but was told about by my friend Justin from Punk Lotto Pod. Thanks Justin!
This one comes from Long Island punk outfit Adult Magic. This is a band that includes Mike from Iron Chic and Jesse from Broadcaster. Are You Even Happy Now? was put out by Mike’s Dead Broke Rekerds. There is a strong Iron Chic vibe to the music on this album and that is absolutely my jam. This album freaking rocks! This one might end up on my end of year favorites list.
I’ve never heard of that band that put this next one out. They showed up on a list because I get stuff from the label quite often. The label is Iodine Recordings. The band is Quiet Fear. They are a post hardcore band from Los Angeles. The album is La Tierra Arriba / El Abismo. There are elements of screamo on this album and the band sings mostly in Spanish so that adds a cool element to the music. This is their 2nd full length album, coming on the heels of the 2024 LP Cuatro Vientos // Cinco Soles.
So here is what I’ve definitely been looking forward to. The mighty Chicago punk band Sludgeworth has released Second Time Around through Red Scare Industries. If you’re not familiar with Sludgeworth, they are a “side” project (sort of) from Dan Schafer (aka Dan Vapid), the singer/guitarist of The Methadones and Noise By Numbers (also the former bass player for Screeching Weasel from back when they were a good band). This album is freaking great. This will probably make my end of year favorites list too.
This next one is another artist that I wasn’t aware of. Somebody on a music server I am a member of on Discord was talking about it. It came out yesterday (June 18). This one comes from Canadian acoustic folk artist BA Johnston. First off, this album title is really freaking long! What was this guy thinking? The album is called I Don't Know Who Needs to Hear This Right Now But They Are Never Coming Back and You Will Die Alone. There are some cool song titles on here. For instance “Let’s Blow Shit Up,” “In The Bath With Hank Williams Again,” “Going to See the Mothman,” and “The Girl With the Souls of Mischief Tattoo.” Musically speaking, I’m really not sure what to say about this. It’s interesting. It’s good don’t get me wrong. I like it. I am really get some early Violent Femmes vibes from this album. If that is your thing, I think you will probalby like it.
What’s next? I’ve got some indie rock for you from Brooklyn, New York. Onesie put out Way Thousand Bump to the Sky via Sell the Heart Records. I get some slight Dinosaur Jr vibes here. I’m also getting some Matthew Sweet vibes.
Canadian punk rock band Belvedere released a new one. Seven Years of Bad Luck was put out by Thousand Island Records. These guys play a blend of skate punk and melodic hardcore. I can’t remember the last time I heard this band. I do enjoy me some good skate punk but I have to admit that this band is not my favorite of the genre. It’s a decent album though that I think a lot of folks might get into. This one is for fans of Strung Out, 88 Fingers Louie, Sum 41, and (maybe a bit) Propagandhi.
That is all of the full length albums that I have for today but I did want to mention a 2-song single that came out today too. It is from Basht, an indie rock band from Dublin, Ireland. The songs are “Keira Knightley” and “Perfume.” It was released by LAB Records. These guys will be releasing their debut full length later this year. It will be called Poor Advice. I’m looking forward to it. They mix elements of grunge and post-punk to present a cool, dynamic sound that fans of UK indie music will enjoy.
So that’s all I’ve got this week. I hope you enjoy these tunes. Let me know what you think of them. I’ll be here all week. LOL! See again, next time.