key vs. locket

I haven't been coming up with new releases this year as much as I'd like to, but this is one of the few that have really stood out to me. key vs. locket is a new solo project created by twikipedia (I don't know her actual name I apologize), who recorded, performed, and released this fantastic new album titled i felt like a sketch. Pulling the mathy, midwest emo guitars into tracks that both punch and shimmer, what really sets this apart is in the indelible songwriting, with fantastic hooks and melodies (some of which are in Portuguese) across its entirety. These tracks are dynamic, with the lo-fi only adding to its scrappy charm. The instrumentation is even varied, with acoustic guitars, pianos, and what sounds like digital percussion/synths, all of which comes together beautifully at the end of "symptom". It's 50 minutes but there's a plethora of variety amongst most of these tracks, with frenetic guitar work and unique hooks, tones, and structures within each that make it the whole album a breezy listen. If you're into Car Seat Headrest, Parannoul, Marietta, or Oso Oso, maybe give this a listen. And if there are any other albums from this year that have stuck with you, please let me know as I need to catch up! Enjoy.

i felt like a sketch (2025)

1. tackle

2. half enough

3. mundo

4. rifle

5. hourglass memory

6. symptom

7. conjoined (interlude)

8. nothing for a moment

9. only human / anywhere at all

10. snowman, snowman

11. a play

12. medicine

13. promise

14. carpe diem avem

Bandcamp

Spotify

Apple Music

Instagram

Worst Party Ever

Worst Ever Party are a four-piece indie/emo/punk band from Sarasota, Florida that formed sometime around 2014. They broke up temporarily near the end of 2016, but are now back with a new album in the works. These guys play an incredibly fun, energetic, bedroom-demo style of music. They're catchy as hell, with fantastic lyrics built around personal anecdotes. Some of it's acoustic, some of it is full-band. They bear a striking resemblance to very early The Front Bottoms, which is an absolute compliment, as well as Modern Baseball and Mom Jeans. Fans of those bands absolutely need to check this out, they won't be disappointed. They've released a couple of EP's thus far, as well as Anthology, which contains a good chunk of their recorded material up until now. I'd suggest starting there. Enjoy.

Money. (2014)

1. Sleeping With My Cellphone

2. Wires

3. You Don't Party

Worst Party Ever (2014)

1. Sleeping With My Cellphone

2. I Drive Past A Light Store On The Way To Your House

3. Lakes

Super Soaker (2014)

1. Kicking Myself In The Face

2. Come On, Guys

3. Lakes (Acoustic)

Cheap Haircuts/Worst Party Ever/Junior College/I Am Clark Kent (2015)

1. Cheap Haircuts - Callaway Villas

2. Cheap Haircuts - Paper Cuts

3. Worst Party Ever - Real Sports

4. Worst Party Ever - Dewey

5. Junior College - Deja Vu

6. Junior College - Limescale And Rust

7. I Am Clark Kent - OhLookADonnybrooke

8. I Am Clark Kent - Bronchitis

We Still Love You (2015)

1. Kicking (myself in the face)

2. 1:30

3. Come on, guys

4. Swimming

Trying Soda (2016)

1. Big Wave

2. Trying Soda (I Know You So Well)

3. Brian, In Tampa

4. Creeper (Instrumental)

Anthology (2016)

1. Sub Bean Every Day

2. Did The Cubs Just Win The World Series?

3. Trying Soda (I Know You So Well)

4. Trying Harder

5. Ohmygodicantbelieveiforgothowtoplaythis

6. Big Wave

7. Dewey

8. Real Sports

9. Brian In Tampa

10. Kicking Myself In The Face

11. 1:30

12 Come on, Guys

13. Swimming

14. Wires Demo

15. Sleeping With My Cellphone

16. I Drive By A Light Store On The Way To Your House

17. Sleeping With My Cellphone (Demo)

18. Fault Lines (2014)

19. Wires

20. Come On Guys (Demo)

21. Lakes

Worst Party Ever/Wake Up Spaceboy (2017)

1. Worst Party Ever - Ganon Main (Demo)

2. Wake Up Spaceboy - I'm Never Leaving Florida

The Year Of The Manatee (2018)

1. Ganon Main

2. Camping

Japan (2018)

1. Alright

2. Holy Water

3. Worst Party Ever

4. Sake Bomb

5. 12/11/17

6. Things Change

7. 09/2016

8. Japan

here, online (2020)

1. Cross Country

2. False Teeth

3. what about you?

4. Chofu

5. Road Trip

Worst Party Ever/Dogleg (2020)
1. Worst Party Ever - Star 67 (Dogleg cover)

2. Dogleg - Ganon Main (Worst Party Ever cover)

3. Worst Party Ever - Fos (Dogleg cover)

4. Dogleg - Road Trip (Worst Party Ever cover)

Dartland (2021)

1. Prism On A Window

2. Circle 

3. Provenance

4. Where's Jack?

5. In Chamber

6. Talk

7. Beautiful Out

8. ALYWD

9. 3D Camera

10. New God

11. Natural

12. Into The Pür

Bandcamp

Facebook

Elvis Depressedly

Elvis Depressedly are a two-piece lo-fi/indie rock band from Asheville, North Carolina that formed in 2011. Initially formed by vocalist/guitarist Mathew Lee Cothran (also of Coma Cinema), the project now includes drummer/keyboardist Delaney Mills. As their name suggests, they aren't the sunniest of soundtracks. With a decidedly lo-fi recording aesthetic, their drone-y, atmospheric sound ultimately clouds what are, at their core, indie pop songs. They're rounded off by some lonely chords, light percussion and despondent vocals, which all contribute to creating their distinct landscape.

The band's earliest material was self-released. Following the EP Holo Pleasures released on Birdtapes, they signed to Run For Cover Records and released New Alhambra. This was followed by a RFC re-release of Holo Pleasures, which also included a previously recorded/unreleased EP California Dreamin'. Elvis Depressedly has, without a doubt, been one of the most highly requested bands I have yet to post. Thus, they were an easy pick for one of the last bands to cover before 2018 hits. Enjoy.

save the planet kill yourself (2011)

1. bummer dreams

2. boy satan

3. save the planet kill yourself

4. turn blue

5. life sentence

goner (2011)

1. jesus rots inside his grave

2. mickey yr a fuck up

3. kill me, mickey

4. die in the summertime (r.j.e)

disgraceland (2011)

1. cry babies

2. crazier with you

3. i'm never going to understand

mickey's dead (2012)

1. daughter of a cop

2. prison line (so lovely)

3. my lai (amy's version)

4. waves of bad intention

5. exhaustion prevails

6. a bible in a bath of bleach

7. mickey's dead

8. warm wolves (milking mary)

9. u angel u

10. road side memorial (repeat)

hotter sadness (2012)

1. mcdade

2. hotter sadness

3. bodil

4. madison acid

5. visiting angels

6. i bought a gun

7. hurt everything

8. i can't wait for you to die

holo pleasures (2013)

1. okay

2. pepsi/coke suicide

3. inside you

4. teeth

5. weird honey

6. thinning out

new alhambra (2015)

1. thou shall not murder

2. n.m.s.s.

3. new alhambra

4. bruises (amethyst)

5. rock n' roll

6. big break

7. ease

8. new heaven, new earth

9. wastes of time

california dreamin' (2016)

1. angel cum clean

2. slip

3. cop poet

4. holo pleasures (california dreamin')

5. nakamura

6. up in the air

Bandcamp

Facebook

Starry Cat

Starry Cat was a short-lived project whose sole member was Sam Ray, better known as a member of Teen Suicide, Julia Brown, and Ricky Eat Acid. Initially, their sole album was released as a way to raise money to help with Caroline White's surgeries, who was also a member of Teen Suicide and Julia Brown. Post-surgery, this album still stands as another great piece of work in Sam's large output. Sonically, the lo-fi mopey pop songs will come as no surprise to fans of his other projects. I know this thing is old news by now, but if there's anyone who hasn't heard it yet, I'd highly recommend getting on it. Enjoy.

starry cat (2013)

1. possession (quiet)

2. deserve

3. thanks

4. cool

5. you're the reason i believe in ghosts

6. happiness

7. bye

8. i think you're really beautiful

9. starry cat

Bandcamp

Julia Brown

Julia Brown were an indie/pop/lo-fi band from Baltimore, Maryland that were around between 2013 and 2014. After Teen Suicide broke up, virtually all of their members formed Julia Brown, until Teen Suicide re-formed. The two bands are pretty similar, in that they're both the brainchild of Sam Ray (also of Ricky Eat Acid and Starry Cat), though Julia Brown does away with a lot of the overtly depressing aspects of Teen Suicide in favour of straight-forward pop songs. Albeit, the same lo-fi, tape hiss aesthetic is still omnipresent.

Their discography is interesting, in that it really only contains two albums, though they each were released twice on separate occasions. Their debut, to be close to you was initially released in 2013 by Birdtapes with just 8 songs. In 2015 it was reissued by Joy Void with another side of demos and b-sides, in addition to the original 8 tracks. Their follow-up, An Abundance Of Strawberries was original self-released in 2014, but recently was released by Joy Void (in 2016). They also released a single for "Library", which featured two re-recorded Julia Brown songs, as well as a Teen Suicide cover. These 3 songs are some of the cleanest in terms of production, which makes that single really stand out. They also had a track appear on Topshelf's V-Day split in 2013, which I did not include a download link for because the proceeds for it go to a good cause, just read the blurb in the Bandcamp link. Anyway, here's Julia Brown's small but incredibly solid discography. Enjoy.

4-Way V-Day Split (2013)

1. The Hundred Acre Woods - Base Of My Heart

2. Julia Brown - Nobody

3. Modern Baseball - Phone Tag

4. Old Gray - With Hands Like These

to be close to you (2013/2015)

1. falling in love with you

2. library

3. how i spent my summer

4. i will do this for the rest of my life

5. may 21

6. i was my own favorite tv show the summer my tv broke

7. virginia

8. to be close to you

9. dizzy

10. fall for me

11. 2008 (demo)

12. virginia (demo)

13. to be close to you (demo)

14. i will do this for the rest of my life (demo)

15. tape_collage(dec5)

16. tears

17. theres always xanax

Library / I Wanna Be A Witch (2013)

1. Library

2. I Wanna Be A Witch

3. The Way You Want

An Abundance Of Strawberries (2014/2016)

1. An Abundance Of Strawberries

2. Snow Day

3. All Alone In Bed

4. 25 Days (May 15)

5. Without You (Full)

6. Abby's Song

7. You Can Always Hear Birds

8. The Way You Want

9. Loved

10. The Body Descends

11. Possession (Full)

12. Closing (On A Roof)

13. Bloom

Facebook

Bandcamp

Alex G

Alex G (short for Alexander Giannascoli) is an indie/lo-fi singer-songwriter from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania that got started in 2010. He began posting self-recorded songs on Bandcamp, which is what began gaining him attention. In the past few years he's put out a slew of albums, and earlier this year he released his first major record, Beach Music, following the success of his last album, DSU. Alex G's sound is quite hard to pinpoint, though the Elliott Smith comparisons are a good place to start. The whisper-thin vocals, off-kilter chord voicings, intimate acoustic guitar, and sparse background instrumentation (drums, bass, the occasional keyboard) are the Matthew, Mark, Luke and John of Elliott Smith's first few records. All of these do seep into Alex G's music, thus the comparison, in addition to that very brittle, lo-fi atmosphere that's quite definitive of both artists.

Of course the songwriting, lyrics, vocals, etc. of Smith are superior, but it's no competition, and Alex G is certainly a worthy disciple. Not to say that the similarities are astounding, Alex G certainly has enough to experiment with in his own songs to make himself quite distinct. The similarity is just an easy jumping off point to get a rough idea of what he's all about. Regardless, enough rambling, I'm sure many of you know who Alex G is, since he's been one of the most requested bands I've ever had, so please do enjoy.

RACE (2010)

1. Remember

2. The Same

3. TV

4. Gnaw

5. Trash

6. House

7. Crab

8. Go Away

9. Let It Go

10. Things To Do

11. Time/Space

12. Cross Country

13. Race

Sandy (2011)

1. Sandy

WINNER (2011)

1. Hitting So Hard

2. Freedom

3. Stop

4. Talking

5. Blew

6. Big World

7. Dust

8. Math

9. Sometimes

10. Get Happy

11. Explain

EASY (2011)

1. In My Blood

2. Think

3. My Friend

4. Buttercan

5. Big Problems

6. Oh, Okay

GOOD (2011)

1. GOOD

TRICK (2012)

1. Memory

2. Forever

3. Animals

4. String

5. Advice

6. People

7. Whale

8. Trick

9. Kute

10. So

11. Mary

12. Change

13. Clouds

14. Adam (Bonus Track)

15. Sarah (Bonus Track)

16. 16 Mirrors (Bonus Track)

RULES (2013)

1. Water

2. Come Back

3. Fighting

4. Wicked Boy

5. Candy

6. Mis

7. Master

8. New

9. Know Now

10. Rules

11. Message

LUCY (2013)

1. LUCY

2. The Cutie

Joy (2013)

1. Joy

2. Fishing

PAINT (2013)

1. Sleeping

2. Paint

3. Tripped

4. Amof

5. Untitled

Alex G/R.L. Kelly (2013)

1. Alex G - Magic Mirror

2. Alex G - Adam

3. Alex G - Trade

4. R.L. Kelly - Everyday

5. R.L. Kelly - The Voices

6. R.L. Kelly - Fake Out

DSU (2014)

1. After Ur Gone

2. Serpent Is Lord

3. Harvey

4. Rejoyce

5. Black Hair

6. Skipper

7. Axesteel

8. Sorry

9. Promise

10. Icehead

11. Hollow

12. Tripper

13. Boy

Beach Music (2015)

1. Intro

2. Bug

3. Thorns

4. Kicker

5. Salt

6. Look Out

7. Brite Boy

8. In Love

9. Walk

10. Mud

11. Ready

12. Station

13. Snot

Rocket (2017)

1. Poison Root

2. Proud

3. County

4. Bobby

5. Witch

6. Horse

7. Brick

8. Sportstar

9. Judge

10. Rocket

11. Powerful Man

12. Alina

13. Big Fish

14. Guilty

House Of Sugar (2019)

1. Walk Away

2. Hope

3. Southern Sky

4. Gretel

5. Taking

6. Near

7. Project 2

8. Bad Man

9. Sugar

10. In My Arms

11. Cow

12. Crime

13. SugarHouse (Live)

God Save The Animals (2022)

1. After All

2. Runner

3. Mission

4. S.D.O.S.

5. No Bitterness

6. Ain't It Easy

7. Cross The Sea

8. Blessing

9. Early Morning Waiting

10. Immunity

11. Headroom Piano

12. Miracles

13. Forgive

Bandcamp

Facebook

Michael Cera

Yes, that is George Michael. Yes, that is Scott Pilgrim. Yes, that is none other than Michael Cera. The pathetically awkward but loveable actor who has appeared in every single one of your favourite movies. He dropped an album on his Bandcamp a few days ago. And holy shit, it's actually pretty good. He takes a lo-fi, experimental approach to indie folk music. He makes full use of acoustic guitars, pianos, synths, and numerous samples, plus distant, warbly vocals. Most of these tracks sound like quick demos of ideas (a lot are instrumental), though most are interesting and benefit from their brevity. He delivers quite a few standout songs, which are catchy, melodic, and distinct, showing off his songwriting skills in addition to the experimentation. Overall this thing is fucking great, both as a novelty and a legitimate album. Just listen. He also played in a band called The Long Goodbye, so you might want to go give them a listen as well. Enjoy.

true that (2014)

1. uhohtrouble

2. Moving In

3. Clay Pigeons - Blaze Foley cover

4. What Gives (...I can't live like this)

5. Of A Thursday

6. Too Much

7. Steady now

8. Gershy's Kiss

9. Humdrummin

10. 2048

11. Ruth

12. Old Grey Whistle

13. Brat

14. ohNadine  (you were in my dream)

15. Sexy Danger

16. Kettle

17. Smoke Eyes

18. Those Days

19. Play It Again - Roderick Falconer cover

20. Cher holders

21. silent struggle (I was blind)

Bandcamp