We here at Gossip Wolf are on the record as total stans for local slop-pop duo the Funs, and Reader staffer Luca Cimarusti declared Chicago shoegazey two-piece Earring one of the city’s most irresistible young bands of 2013—so it seems pretty dang convenient that they’re dropping a split cassette together this week via Manic Static, the label run by the Funs’ male half, Philip Lesicko. The A side features a song from each band, tracked last August with Anthony Cozzi of Radar Eyes; the B side consists of two covers (the Funs play the Pastels’ “Crawl Babies,” and Earring tackle the Silver Jews’ “Trains Across the Sea”) recorded to a Tascam cassette four-track this month. The tape is limited to 100 copies and comes with a snazzy button; it’ll be available Fri 5/16, when both bands play a free in-store at Permanent Records at 6 PM.
Gossip Wolf has been hooked on ragged local indie-rock band Two Houses for a minute, and we’re excited to hear they’ve got some new music on the way! Let’s Pretend Records and Rad Girlfriend Records are teaming up to release the group’s rough-and-tumble four-song seven-inch, Disappointer, which is due in June; Two Houses celebrate its release on Sat 6/14 at Quenchers. For now you can stream the seven-inch’s lead track, “Geicsman’s Youth,” at Bandcamp: bit.ly/g_youth.
Since 2013, combination blog and record label Chicago Singles Club has highlighted the city’s musical talent—including Gossip Wolf faves such as White Mystery, Psalm One, and Oshwa—with free downloads of tracks recorded specifically for the site, long-form video interviews, and swell photos. On Thu 5/15, they’re marking the end of a productive first year by releasing a compilation of music from a dozen locals, including the three above, My Gold Mask, Panda Riot, and Swimsuit Addition—and that night CSC throws a free DJ party at the Whistler where you can buy a vinyl copy for $10.
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