Welcome to another installment of our monthly local music feature, New Music NC!
Each month highlights some of our particular favorites, followed by several categories to sift through. Think of it as your virtual record store, except all the music is new and local!
[Pst! Get included in a future issue!]
Top Selections
Bedroom Division — Idle Hands [Greensboro indie/bedroom pop]
Friend of the zine Tyler Spencer put me onto Bedroom Division back in February, so this one has been on my most anticipated list for a little while. It’s a fantastic record filled with low-key and endlessly catchy anthems. The production is practically shimmering in a synthy ’80s pastiche. Each listen brings to mind bands like Acceptance, Dashboard Confessional, Death Cab for Cutie, and The Maine while feeling fresh and distinct.
Don’t miss this one.
Top Tracks: “Obvious Signs”, “Idle Hands”, “Confident”
FoundiT — “Summer Bummer” single [Raleigh country-tinged pop punk]
Y’all, this song is so damn catchy that it leaves me at a loss for words. Simply put, it’s an exceptional pop punk diddy made better by the sprinkles of alt-country the band throws in. Just give it a listen.
Flls — Ill Flava [Charlotte classic hip-hop/rap]
I’m a sucker for 90s hip-hop, which Flls brings in spades on this record. It’s a shorter listen, clearly inspired by New York legends A Tribe Called Quest, The Notorious B.I.G., and Busta Rhymes, but with more modern production. Flls does fantastic work constructing intricate beats behind his nostalgic flows. It’s a great one to blast out of your car on a beautiful late summer/early fall day.
Top Tracks: “Load Up The Mic”, “Catch Wreck”, “90s Boogey Down”
Monthly Round-up
Rock, alternative, and punk
Cameron Stenger — Lighter [Durham folk rock/singer-songwriter]
Chiroptera — Chiroptera EP [Chapel Hill punk]
heartscape landbreak — now that everything is falling apart [Durham experimental rock]
Gentle Junior — Most Heart [Greensboro indie rock/midwest emo]
Horse Island — Grape Cigarette [Charlotte pop punk/rock]
Ian Browning — in a sea of larger men [Greensboro lo-fi/pop rock]
Kerosene Heights — Blame It On The Weather [Asheville emo rock]
Paprika — Splitting At The Seams [Asheville psych rock/art rock]
ruminations — ruminations [Charlotte hardcore punk/emoviolence/skramz]
SNIDE — WILT [Chapel Hill hardcore punk]
Subject To Change — SHINE [Durham alt rock]
Sufferin’ Fools — Bound to Get Burned [Asheville roots rock]
The Long Distance Relationship — When The Walls Come Down [Asheville psych rock]
vernal pools — playground [Asheville indie pop/shoegaze]
Electronic, ambient, experimental, and more
Alex Russo — Nuclear Apes [Raleigh jazz fusion]
Beki — Insects in the Gulch [Charlotte indie pop/electronica]
callmenikkip — chrysalis [Asheville experimental/alt R&B/glitch hop]
Even Still — Yours Truly [Chaper Hill slowcore/lo-fi indie rock]
Infinite Hypnosis — Casting Shadows [High Point electronic/dubstep]
Malone — college music [Chapel Hill dream pop/shoegaze]
Mere Fever — Bright Water [Asheville experimental/dream pop/indie folk]
rachael keplin — mosaics [NC classical/experimental]
Hip-hop/rap, soul, jazz, and funk
Artí — Diary of a Healed Black Man: Ignited [Fayetteville hip-hop/rap]
Ed E. Ruger — Lucky Me [Greensboro southern rap]
ILLPO — THELONIOUS PAPERS [Greensboro hip-hop/rap]
Kueen — “Got Juice?” The Mixtape [NC hip-hop/R&B/neo-soul]
mawpy — HOW TO BE SUBTLE [NC hip-hop]
pat junior — broken evidence: the collection (extended) [Raleigh hip-hop/rap]
Reflective Habitat — Drift Away [Asheville underground hip-hop]
z-la — INTERSTITIAL RECOGNITION [Durham experimental rap]
Metal and hardcore
The Apotheosis — Pale Moon Ebony [Raleigh djent/post-hardcore/progressive metal]
hellir — hollow moon: precursor [Asheville synthwave/black metal]
Megg Jacobs — ego // DEATH [Durham metalcore]
Slug Salter — Filth Born [Raleigh grindcore]
Sunbearer — Uyaga [Asheville stoner metal]
Folk, Americana, and country
Andy Guy Lowe — American Hamlet EP [Charlotte acoustic/folk/bluegrass]
David Wilcox — The Way I Tell the Story [Asheville folk/singer-songwriter]
Era Nash — Wake of Dust [Asheville dream folk/Americana]
Soulular Phone — Yipee [Greensboro queer folk]
The Holland Brothers — Bon Vivant Savants [Carrboro bluegrass/country/folk]
Ready to get featured in our monthly roundup for new music from NC artists? Fill out this short form and we’ll include your latest release in a future issue!
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