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
Between Two Trees — softlock picking [Charlotte emo rock]
I love asking bands which NC-based artists they enjoy in interviews, and Between Two Trees is one of those names that’s kept popping up. And for good reason: they are a talented duo with a unique approach to their live shows. Singer Gabriel Keenan Horn hands out printed lyric sheets and projects visuals on a Nintendo Wii alongside the band’s performances, bringing in fans and newcomers for a nostalgia-driven set. Drummer Seth Brown somehow finds time away from blankstate. to flex his impressive skill behind the kit.
The video game aesthetic carries over this debut album: “softlock” means being unable to progress forward or backward in a game without resetting. It’s one of many reasons the duo reminds me of Origami Angel if they came up in today’s rich Charlotte emo rock scene. The biggest is that they have a clearly defined sound, led by a primary singer/guitarist do-it-all frontman’s catchy songs and backed with a top-notch rhythm section. With production from Anunt Singh at SpiceHouse, this local release demands your attention.
Fust — Big Ugly [Durham folk rock/alt-country]
Aaron Dowdy has made a name for himself with Fust, a musical project that feels like cultural anthropology by committee. The band’s members include guitarist Justin Morris (of Sluice), drummer Avery Sullivan, and fiddler Libby Rodenbough (of Mipso). Together, they turn Dowdy’s reflections into stellar country-folk songs, such as “Spangled” and “Jody”.
Big Ugly explores Dowdy’s visit to his grandmother’s childhood neighborhood in southern West Virginia. The title comes from an area near a Guyandotte River tributary known for the “big ugly” creek that went through it. It’s an apt name for a record that captures the emptiness and tragedy that often accompanies these places that feel ripped out of time. As a whole, Dowdy and company use that inspiration to craft an album that fits comfortably in North Carolina’s history for emotional folk and country music.
Slow Teeth — I [Carrboro post-rock/folk]
When I first heard this EP about a month before its release, I immediately thought, “Wow, this sounds massive!” I’m a sucker for good post-rock, and Slow Teeth are eager to please with their debut EP. Despite having made a reputation as a dynamic live act, I shows that the wait for more studio material was very much worth it.
The production is sharp, amplifying the band’s blend of instrumentation, sonic textures, and folk-inspired vocal passages. Simply listen to the opening track, “Holy Death / Peace on Earth”, to see what I mean; it perfectly transitions between ambient post-rock and experimental folk hymnal vibes. “Sundials” and “Still You Speak” bring in more of Justin Ellis’s hypnotic vocals, pulling you into what feels like musical worlds on each song.
(I can’t wait to celebrate the EP’s release at Cat’s Cradle Back Room on April 26th.)
Monthly Round-up
Rock, alternative, and punk
daysed — daysed [Autryville alt rock/shoegaze]
ENTREZ VOUS — Antenna Legs Hear Everything [Chapel Hill garage rock]
Good Deal — Promiseland EP [Raleigh indie/alt rock]
ibis dream — If I promise to miss you, will you go away? [Wilmington slowcore]
INFINXTY — May Your Heart Be Your Guiding Key [Wilmington emo/post-hardcore]
Knockout Artist — Hit After Hit After Hit [Chapel Hill indie rock]
The Matildas — Noise That Works (Demo) [Durham garage rock]
Monster Wave — Curse of Monster Wave [Asheville surf rock]
Teens in Trouble — Live in Phoenix! [Raleigh indie rock/punk]
Tiny City — How Did You Know [Charlotte power pop/alt rock]
Tractor Beam — Tractor Beam 7” [Durham noise rock]
Metal and hardcore
Chaosmic — Remind Death We Fight [Raleigh doom metal]
DEMONIZE — An End to the Means [Raleigh hardcore/metal]
Killiad — Killiad [Asheville sludge/stoner metal]
Nospūn — Ozai [Charlotte progressive metal]
Process // Sleep — Wherever You Think You Belong, You Probably Don’t [Greenville skramz/emoviolence]
Rale — Spirit Death [Durham progressive death metal]
Refuse To Lose — Refuse To Lose EP [North Carolina hardcore punk]
rotting in dirt — anabiosis [North Carolina death metal]
Hip-hop/rap, soul, jazz, and funk
B Nell — Patience is a Virtue [Durham underground hip-hop]
cosmic collective — LIGHT LANGUAGE [Charlotte jazz fusion]
Cubby Kamikaze — Homecoming! [Rocky Mount hip-hop/rap]
Erectis (Kid Bionic) Kindle — W.O.T.U. (World Of The Underground) [Asheville hip-hop/rap]
ILLPO X KEV KAOUS — WAGYU BRISKET [Greensboro hip-hop/rap]
Electronic, ambient, experimental, and more
Matt Marble — The Mystery of Tenderness [Greensboro devotional]
Tavora Léa — Angels [Raleigh electronic/esoterica]
Tonewulf — The Heavy [North Carolina electronica]
Folk, Americana, and country
Lonnie Rott — Whistling in the Dark [Durham Americana/folk]
m.b. mulkey — songs post blizzard [Durham alt-country/folk punk]
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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