INSIDE NOISE: Ft. The Front Bottoms & More!

You Are Who You Hang Out With by The Front Bottoms

For me, no other genre of music evokes a sense of nostalgia quite like the wave of pop punk that emerged in the early 2010s. Although it's been a few years since The Front Bottoms' latest release, You Are Who You Hang Out With sticks with the same quirky, punchy sound that reminds me of being a teenager again. However, this album takes some risks, pushing beyond the usual simple riffs and shouty choruses that make up most of The Front Bottoms' power pop-y indie rock discography. Autotuned vocal effects and a slick production style signal a departure from the New Jersey two-piece's previous releases. Unfortunately, these new elements don't really mesh with their folk punk-tinged sound. While I can appreciate the more mature songwriting and sense of artistic growth, You Are Who You Hang Out With includes a few skippable tracks that weigh down the rest of this record. 6/10.

- Kalen

Computerwife by Computerwife

When you peel back the fuzz on Computerwife's new self-titled LP, you find a sort of shoegazey psychadelia that otherwise nests nicely within the album's generally post-punk sound. Lyrics here engage in an emotional tug-of-war, where the speaker sees their feelings as illegitimate and undesirable, no matter how possitive they may be. This one's cool, I'll give it a 6/10.

-Michael

Soft Landing by Art School Girlfriend

As far as soupy indie pop goes, Art School Girlfriend's new LP Soft Landing is far from being the worst that you could get into. A lot of the sounds on this thing generally provoke some thought, and the vocals and synths bring along an icy, Bjork-adjacent that lends an interessting aesthetic direction to the record. However, at the end of the day this one's repetitive, a bit unimaginative, and kind of feels like auditory popcorn. 5/10.

And Southern Star by Mikaela Davis

Did you recently move a great distance, get out of a relationship, or both? Well, so did Mikaela Davis, a New York traditional country artist with influences from across the roots spectrum. Her new record, And Southern Star, skillfully and soulfully depicts Davis's mixed feelings regarding her younger self. Despite the mistakes she's made, she still sees her future in a positive light, and this record shows her growth in accepting these past decisions. Go check this one out, especially if you're into the Musgraves sound. 7/10.