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!
Editor’s note: I’m so sorry for having to delay our May edition and consolidate it with a smaller sampling from June! There was quite a crunch between my day job, a huge backlog of interviews, going to shows, travelling, and being a human over the last few months. I feel like things are progressing towards sustainable balance (though work is still to be done).
That said, there is some awesome music below and we’ll be back to our usual monthly cadence with our July recap!
[Pst! Get included in a future issue!]
Top Selections
Long Relief – Win Some, Lose Some [Raleigh indie rock]
Paul Blest spent years as a political reporter before he was a full-time frontman, and Win Some, Lose Some sounds like it. The debut LP from this Raleigh four-piece trades the band’s scrappier 2023 EP No Growth for something fuller and more considered, recorded over two years with veteran engineer Greg Elkins. Blest worked with a vocal coach to open up his delivery beyond the straining punk yelp of the earlier material, and it pays off: songs like “False Spring” pair Fucked Up-style riffing with a Bruce Springsteen-sized chorus, horns and all.
What holds the record together is the same thing that made “Moore Square” the standout of the band’s EP: Blest can’t separate the personal from the political, and he’s stopped trying. Win Some, Lose Some was written in the shadow of the 2024 election, and the disillusionment is right there in the lyrics, but it never curdles into slogan-writing. Contributions from Franny Starlight on trumpet, Joshua Duncan killing it on sax (god I love sax), and Kaitlin Grady on cello add so much instrumental complexity to a lyrically raw, teetering on full-on nihilist listen.
Top Tracks: “False Spring”, “Bad Faith”, “Perfect Thing”
Moving Boxes – Nothing So Certain [Raleigh pop punk/emo]
Moving Boxes have never hidden the fact that their live shows are a lot more fun than their lyrics deserve, and Nothing So Certain leans hard into that contrast again. The Raleigh band’s second full-length keeps the “Midwesty pop-punky 5th wave emo” sound intact, all moshy breakdowns and hooks built for basement singalongs, but the record is explicitly framed around loss, and it shows in songs that hit harder the more you sit with them.
That gap between the sound and the subject matter has been the band’s calling card since 2024’s The Things We Leave Behind, which put the band’s uptempoed existential angst on the map. Since then, it seems like the band is only trending up with tremendous potential. Nothing So Certain doesn’t reinvent that formula so much as sharpen it. With Nick Steinborn back on production and Will Yip mastering, the band sounds bigger and more confident without losing the scrappiness that made them a local favorite in the first place.
If you haven’t filed Moving Boxes next to Pool Kids or Origami Angel on a “bands to catch live” list, this record politely asks, “Why the hell not?!”
Top Tracks: “Post Traumatic Swag Disorder”, “Hot Brennan Lee Mulligan”, “Bering Strait”
Skull Servant – Seven Trumpets [Chapel Hill doom/stoner metal]
Officially, Seven Trumpets is Skull Servant’s full-length debut. But calling it a first effort undersells the catalog of singles and EPs the Chapel Hill band has amassed since 2022. In the years since their first EP, Skull Servant have carved a unique space for themselves within a saturated stoner-doom scene.
Cofounders Calvin Bauer and Noah Terrell offer a compelling duality with Bauer favoring a smooth, melodic vocal, while Terrell leans into a harsher croaking vocal skin to Celtic Frost’s Tom G. Warrior. In the past this juxtaposition has felt at odds with itself, like two disparate bands might emerge from those early experiments. Instead, Bauer and Terrell have adapted their songwriting to accentuate both approaches — notably on the album standout “The Tapping on The Wainscot.” Here, Bauer introduces a slithering guitar riff and swinging groove that lends his softer vocal a dynamic backing that evokes everything from Uncle Acid to Danzig’s more elegant tunes. Later in the song, Terrell adds his growl to great dynamic effect.
More than just showcase the cohesion Bauer and Terrell have developed as co-leads, Seven Trumpets excels as a showcase of Skull Servant’s songwriting. Where many bands are content just to ride a solid riff into stoned oblivion, Skull Servant aspires to more adventurous ends, well suited to their high-fantasy themes and storytelling bent. “Sepulchre of Barbarians” might sound at first like a stoner-rock standard, but the melodic motifs extend beyond the guitars and set the framework for a big, bold chorus. “The Lizard’s Wand” eschews rote heaviness in favor of a moodier and more melodic approach that casts heavier outings like “Erecting Ziggurats Beneath the Dark Sun” in thrilling relief.
Indeed, the musicality of Seven Trumpets surpasses what ought to be expected of any band’s debut. The years of evolution leading to its release have paid off for Skull Servant.
Top Tracks: “The Tapping on the Wainscot”, “Erecting Ziggurats Beneath the Dark Sun”, “Sepulchre of Barbarians”
We Follow The Earth – Foamdrinker [Winston-Salem doom/sludge metal]
Just calling it heavy doesn’t do justice to the massive, titanic — even oceanic — heft that Winston-Salem’s We Follow The Earth deliver on their third album, Foamdrinker. Songs like “Maelstrom,” “On Violent Waves” and “The Still Blue,” as just the tip of the iceberg in the album’s maritime inspirations, but give a quick view at the way the infinite expanse and voidlike depths of the ocean become natural descriptors for the band’s deliberate and expansive doom metal. (Naturally, the albums’ eight tracks stretch across more than 50 minutes.)
Even as they thrillingly evoke genre luminaries like Conan and early Monolord in the tidal crush of the title track, We Follow The Earth proves just as adept at opening space for Neurosis- worthy dynamics on tracks like “Sirens” and “The Still Blue.” Here, heaviness has as much to do with reflection on the infinite as it does with crushing volume and meaty riffs.
True, these inspirations have all been well explored before, but like the ocean itself, there remains much to be discovered. With Foamdrinker, We Follow The Earth have found new contours to explore within the deep and expansive realms of doom, sludge, and post-metal.
Top Tracks: “Foamdrinker”, “The Still Blue”, “Maelstrom”
Mountains to Sea Vol. 2
June also saw the release of our second annual benefit compilation, Mountains to Sea Vol. 2, in support of the Flat Iron in Greensboro. This one is stuffed with 70 songs submitted by artists from across the state, and a couple from out-of-state musicians with Greensboro connections. I’m thrilled to say we raised (and sent over) $1,017 by the end of the month/our first 15 days of sales!
If you haven’t checked it out yet, it’s linked above and embedded below. The compilation has also been featured by Greensboro Thread and Queen City Nerve. Thanks to everyone who has purchased it so far!
Monthly Round-up
Rock, alternative, and punk
Banff – Flood [Raleigh prog rock]
Such a well-produced batch of groovy songs that alternate between moody indie rock and pure proggy showmanship.
Blimps – Over the Moon [Charleston, SC power pop]
This is some raw power pop that sounds like it was recorded on an 8-track in a Charleston storage unit (because it was), but don’t let that distract you from its exceptional Superchunk meets The Lemonheads vibe.
Charlie Paso – Pray Until Something Happens [Raleigh alternative rock]
A hypnotic trip through grief that hits like the latest Great Grandpa record (IYKYK) but with vocals bridge the gap between Jake Ewald of Slaughter Beach, Dog and Matt Shultz of Cage the Elephant.
DIT – All That’s Faded [NC skate punk/emo/easycore]
DIT (or Dit?) has been getting a lot of love in interviews lately, and this debut LP finally gives the band space to really flesh out their sound. These songs ping-pong across this NOFX punk spectrum, but with impressive guitar riffs and pounding drums to mosh (or skank) along to.
Georgia Moon – Linger Longer [Durham southern rock/Americana]
Georgia channels Joni Mitchell like no one else around, and this latest EP gives her ‘60s/‘70s rock-and-rollin’ foundation to bop right aloing to.
Jack the Songman – Places [Durham funk rock]
On the second of three EPs (culminating in his next LP), Jack’s smooth voice and swagger on the keys feel like Jack Johnson but danceable and generally groovier. Lots of fun to be had with these songs.
Knockout Artist – Ramshackle Deluxe [Chapel Hill rock]
Knockout Artist‘s debut LP turns road-tested songcraft into a controlled chaos of garage rock, rebel country, psychedelia, and Motown.
(Check out Pamir Kiciman’s full review for The Carrborean!)
Larry. – Changing Size [Carrboro bubblegrunge]
What a whopper of a follow-up to Larry.’s 2024 EP, Puddles!. Pairs of slow, shoegazy grunge tracks bookend the experience, lulling you into thinking that you’re in for a chill ride. But then the middle quartet ramp up the tempo with straight rock bangers.
Patois Counselors – Protection Racket [Charlotte new wave/post-punk]
Bo White’s decade-old post-punk vehicle continues needling the terminally online world with the same sneering wit of Fall and Pere Ubu. “Cop City” might be the sharpest Devo-meets-“Paint It Black” protest song you can find.
Pox-Eclipse – Fable [Myrtle Beach, SC post-rock]
This EP chaotically shifts between insanely mathy acoustic guitarwork to gritty post-rock with ease. It’s like a series of grand movements packed into two songs.
Scivic Rivers – Ghosts of My Life [Durham rock/singer-songwriter]
Randy Bickford’s voice strikes such a fine balance between raspy and buttery-smooth as he charts the first half of this concept album on road trips, memory, and grief. With a stacked crew of musicians (John Pfiffner, Jimmy Thompson, Charles Cleaver, and Daniel Faust), he’s pulled off a delicate yet at-times danceable set of country-tinged rock tunes with Father John Misty-esque precision.
Square One – Square One EP [Raleigh indie punk/Midwestern emo]
On a mellower note, Square One’s four-song debut is an impressive testament to their first year together as a group. They aren’t afraid to get super technical in their guitarwork or soak everything in ‘80s new wave reverb, landing in an fascinating intersection between acts like American Football and Home Front.
Suns – World Eater [Raleigh shoegaze/grunge]
Old Suns become Suns and very much pick up where last year’s PERMANENT BLUR left off. This new EP almost tricked me into thinking it was the second half of an LP, but then it feels like the band evolves in real-time across the latter three songs – in the soft, heavy yet groovy directions. (They’re also awesome live!)
Tongues of Fire – Tongues of Fire [Asheville post-punk/indie rock]
This self-titled effort finds a band still sharpening the same raw nerve that made 2021’s grief-soaked Burn My Body Clean such a gut punch.
The Vulture Company – “Dead and Gone” [Eastern NC southern jam]
It’s hard to imagine this song without getting transported to a packed bar on a summer night. Highly recommended for fans of Tom Petty and/or Lynyrd Skynard.
Worthington’s Law – Funnier! Punkier! Bandier! [Durham punk rock]
One of the best bands out there mixing silly dad-jokes and hardcore/ska-adjacent punk. Who else can get you to two step to a song about getting overcharged by an electrician?
Folk, Americana, and country
A Different Thread – Over Again [Charlotte alt country/Americana]
Big Gillian Welch and David Rawlings-esque harmonies, set over a quilt of old-timey country blues, gospel and Appalachian folk. Gillian Welch and David Rawlings while still finding room for a Southern gothic detour on standout track “Columbine.”
American Aquarium – New Ways to Lose [Raleigh alt-country/Americana]
Twenty years and eleven albums in, what a testament to longevity. This one leans harder into E-Street bombast, thanks to a horn section that turns “Twin Flames” into a borderline ode to Clarence Clemons, without losing their country roots.
Andy Squyres – Praise Songs [Charlotte folk/singer-songwriter]
In just four songs, Andy flexes his ability to split the difference between John Prine plainspokenness and indie-pop sensibilities.
Jess Klein – Dreaming Aloud [Hillsborough Americana/roots rock]
Ten albums in, the Hillsborough songwriter doesn’t need to prove anything. Her crooning vocals are a real showcase on this one, backed up by a baritone guitar and mostly light percussion.
Jorjie Pie – “I Guess” [Raleigh folk-pop]
A hypnotic and intimate debut. Perfect for this indie pop/folk moment and fans of a mellowed out Waxahatchee or Wednesday.
Nawal – Appetite [Asheville indie folk/art pop]
Asheville’s Nawal Elhajoui bills her debut as music “for anyone who likes both going to the carnival, and driving through the night weeping.” Her art-pop hooks are dressed up in genuine emotional wreckage, yet I keep coming back.
Ravary – Bargain Bin: Studio Recordings 2015-2025 [Durham indie folk/pop]
When it feels like Justin Ellis has stretched his reach far enough with Slow Teeth, One After 919, Crazy Chester, and so much more, he puts out a collection of solo bangers across his varied set of genres. (With a little help from his friends, of course.)
Metal and hardcore
And I Become Death – DIES IRAE II [High point death metal]
User michaelgallant on Bandcamp says, “Oh fuck YEAH! This is some KILLER shit!! 🔥🔥🔥 🤘😍” and I really have to agree.
Ego Death Machine – TAR [Charlotte garage metal]
TAR channels the band’s indie-punk/noise-rock lineage into a tight batch of menacing tracks.
MAKE – Exegesis at the End of Time [Durham drone/post-metal]
After a decade of silence, MAKE returns as a four-piece for the first time since 2010, trading three-piece minimalism for Neurosis-scale grandeur and Scott Endres’s fury at “a perverted ruling class.” Perfect for the times.
Pale Blood – I Don’t Want To Be Here [Iredell County metalcore]
Y’all, this is a genuinely mind-blowing debut. Pale Blood arrives fully formed with bone-crushing breakdowns, and a genuine banger in “Doctor Sleep” that would’ve been all over alt-metal radio in the late 2000s.
Electronic, ambient, experimental, and more
Pale Catherine – “I’m Howling” [Huntersville/Charlotte alternative pop]
Such a very catchy tune, like Sidney Gish meets Lady Gaga over borderline pop-punk instrumentals and swirling synth layers.
Sugar Snap Peas – Connections [Raleigh jazz fusion]
OOH! This is just too smooth for me. Every performer is at the top of their game, with a sound that feels like Bruno Mars with The Reign of Kindo as his backing band.
Hip-hop/rap, soul, jazz, and funk
ILLPO – GRAND THEM AUDIO VOL. 1 [Greensboro hip-hop/rap]
This new release from ILLPO keeps his productive streak going with the same dense wordplay and boom-bap chemistry that’s made past collaborations with Nowaah The Flood local favorites.
James Vader, MIKEY WANG LAVISH, & K.FISHA – Out The Truck All Stars [Fayetteville hip-hop/rap]
From the first bar, you know you’re in for a loud, bass-heavy time. Perfect for blasting in this awful summer heat. Subwoofers everywhere, you have been warned.
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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