Bachelor, Doomin’ Sun

Bachelor is the new duo composed of Palehound’s Ellen Kempner and Jay Som’s Melina Duterte. Their debut album together, Doomin’ Sun, combines the best of both their strengths; opener “Back Of My Hand” feels in line with Kempner’s slacker-rock sensibilities, while the sprawling “Aurora” matches Duterte’s knack for dream pop.

black midi, Cavalcade

After rising to indie fame with 2019’s polarizing Schlagenheim, U.K. black midi release their sophomore album Cavalcade, another collection of their transfixing post-punk. While it’s difficult to imagine the band taking any more risks than they did on their first record, they manage to do just that: “Slow” features a jazzy build-up, while the climax of “Hogwash and Balderdash” feels fit for a symphony.

Mustafa, When Smoke Rises

When Smoke Rises is the debut album from Mustafa (FKA Mustafa the Poet), who weaves his wistful lyricism with stunning folk-pop. Understated and delicate, the music of When Smoke Rises still ensures Mustafa’s prose is at the forefront, emphasizing his laments on grief, gentrification, forgiveness, and life after death.

Sweet Trip: A Tiny House, In Secret Speeches, Polar Equals

After a twelve-year hiatus, San Francisco duo Sweet Trip return with their fourth album, A Tiny House, In Secret Speeches, Polar Equals. Backed with lush production and full of unexpected twists, the record is classic Sweet Trip, bringing their off-kilter electro-shoegaze into the current decade.

Gulfer/Charmer, Split

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Montreal’s Gulfer and Michigan’s Charmer have never met in real life, thanks to the ongoing U.S.-Canadian border closure. Still, after they both released solid LPs last year, the two up-and-coming emo bands decided to put out a split single together that accentuates both of their tenacities even amid a pandemic.