With so many artists and albums to follow, we want to make sure the fantastic jams from here in North Carolina don’t get missed. That goal inspires our new feature, New Music NC: an end-of-the-month recap of the latest music state-wide.
Each month will have a few highlights with some of our particular favorites, followed by several categories to sift through. It’s like a virtual record store, but all the music is new and local!
[Pst! Get included in a future issue!]
Top Selections
ROSARY — ROSARY IS THE NEXT BIG THING [Wilmington emo pop-rock]
Rosary has been one of those bands that just kept popping up in interviews, whether it was blankstate., Tyler Spencer (aka Melodramatic), or a few others still to come. And for good reason, because their new EP is the sort of fantastic release that can put a scene on the map.
The band blends emo, Owl City indietronica, and post-hardcore with a neurosurgeon’s precision. The production is tight and satisfyingly over-the-top in the best ways. Also, their song “IMPROV CLASS!” has a killer sax solo. Need I say more?
Tan and Sober Gentlemen — Live at Haw River Ballroom [Snow Camp celtic punk/folk/bluegrass]
First, I’ve got to shout out Tan and Sober Gentlemen for reaching out with this live album and effectively inspiring this column. Second, I’m so glad they sent it beyond reason #1 because it’s so satisfying rowdy right off the bat.
The band — a “Triangle-adjacent punk/bluegrass/Irish sort of act” — sounds amazing; the mix perfectly balances their on-stage energy and the eager crowd. It’s one of those quality live albums that teleports you through time and space to be in this specific moment. How lucky we are to have this come from our state.
Monthly Round-up
Rock, alternative, and punk
Circa 87 — Toil Over Toil [Iron Station punk revival]
Cor de Lux — Long Face People [Kill Devil Hills post-punk/noise rock]
Little Chair — Ladybug Cat [Durham jangly indie pop]
Low Country Jam Machine — Holy Grail [Wilmington classic rock]
Manic Third Planet — Acceptance [Chapel Hill skate punk]
pilothead — pageflipper [Wilmington dream pop/post-rock]
Saintlogic — Dogs with Jobs [Charlotte alt rock/punk]
Swayz Tape — Album Release Show [Asheville lounge rock]
Thirsty Curses — Music is a Scam [Raleigh rock/alt-punk]
Youth Pastor Vibes — Rehab Hotel [Durham indie rock/punk]
Hip-hop/rap, soul, jazz, and funk
Brian Felix — Level Up [Asheville jazz-funk]
derivative 虚 — Dinner for Two (Mady’s Mix) [NC vaporwave]
Fénix Castro — Notas de voz [Charlotte latin hip-hop/rap]
ImPrinceway — A Tape 4 Tha Wait [NC alt hip-hop/rock]
Khalil Nasim — THE DISAPPEARING ACT [NC hip-hop/rap/neo soul]
Lance Whitley — Utopia [Raleigh lofi hiphop/boombap]
Sinopsis — Still Infinite [Raleigh hip-hop/rap]
SoulTre (Tre-Dot and Eliah Soul) — SoulTre [NC hip-hop/rap]
SSUNNO — Thee Eternal Now [NC alt hip-hop]
Metal and hardcore
From Oceans To Autumn — A Perfect Dawn: Part II [Charlotte post-rock/post-metal]
From Oceans To Autumn — Never Seen The Light | Volume 1 [Charlotte post-rock/post-metal]
I felt it in my sleep — Being and Nothingness [Raleigh alt-metal/electronic]
Lucky Feeling & Super Reg — Super Lucky split EP [Raleigh hardcore punk]
Sub Empty — 1-2-3-5 [Raleigh grunge metal]
Sunsetlake — After Story [Charlotte emo/hardcore/metal]
Voidward — Occult Symmetry [Durham doom metal]
yearsbehind — demo [NC metalcore/skramz]
ythgrp — if I don’t leave, I’ll never leave [Greensboro emo/punk/power violence]
Folk, Americana, and country
A. Lee Edwards — Interpreting Heart Sounds, Vol. 1 [NC Americana/alt-country]
A Man Who Lived — A Man Who Lived [Durham folk/americana]
Cooper Stoulil — if I could have one more clear thought [Asheville alternative folk]
doug sours — morning songs [Raleigh world]
John Woodward — Demos & Therapy [Gastonia americana/folk]
Paradise Motel Lounge — Welcome to the… [Durham alt-country]
The Foxtail Ferns — home, to you [Greensboro gay folk rock]
Electronic, ambient, experimental, and more
andro wants to be human — -23.597346454011237, -46.64377403525542 [Charlotte ambient/drone/noise]
Florian TM Zeisig — Trax Versions [Pisgah Forest ambient/deep listening]
Renai Sainar — self titled [Asheville dark ambient/psychedelic]
SuperJunkoMan20X6 — Try Again!, Part 2 [NC electronic/IDM/techno]
The Affinity — Eternity, And Beyond [NC classical]
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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