Welcome back! April saw a shower of new local tunes – here are five to check out!
Balloon Thief – “Sodium City”
The mad men in Balloon Thief have raised the stakes on their newest single. Not only is it the first of their songs to be available on all streaming services, but it is also the first song to feature the entire band. The crunchy guitars, distorted vocals, melodic bass, and exciting drums all make for a quality garage rock song.
Indelego – “I Will Be Your Ghost”
Known for being a live powerhouse, Indelego has mellowed out a little for their newest song, which starts with breezy ukulele, bird song, and plaintive vocals before the picture fills out with drums, bass, and quietly screaming guitars. A banjo even makes an appearance. The song sounds like an early Bon Iver song mixed with bands like Milky Chance and Vance Joy.
Stubborn Hearts – “Driving With Your Ghost”
A wail of feedback introduces this tune before driving guitars and drums burst forth. The vocals have a snarl embedded in them that harkens back to the ’90s in a way that few singers are able to do. The chorus, “I just wanna play guitar/and ride around in my car/where I can see you in the rearview mirror/what I’ve wanted to do has never been clearer,” is both anthemic and catchy, and you’ll be singing it to yourself for hours afterwards.
Runner – “Greenhouse”
Fuzzy guitars practically bury the drums in waves of lo-fi garage rock on this song from Runner’s debut album. The walls of sound bounce off one another, creating perfect moments of dissonance and harmony. Chugging riffs bring to mind early Ramones recordings, with the sonic barrage bringing to mind even earlier Ramones recordings. It’s punk with just a hint of pop.
Bone Curse – “Windless Nights”
Bone Curse is a cold wave group, which is certainly a rarity in this small state. Icy synths and insistent synth bass meet with a skittering drum group and ominous vocals cloaked in effects. It sounds almost like the brooding cousin of New Order’s “Blue Monday.” Hearing synth-based music coming out of RI is always exciting, and it’ll be interesting to see what Bone Curse does next.
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