In the unlikely event you don’t already know the drill: for most of the past year, Bandcamp has passed along its usual cut of sales revenue on the first Friday of the month. This practice began as a one-off to help independent artists and labels make up for income lost to pandemic concert cancellations, but it’s evolved into a dependable monthly shopping spree that’s generated a decent chunk of change. The total sales on 2020’s nine Bandcamp days were $40 million.
I’ve developed my own habit of celebrating Bandcamp Fridays by compiling recent Reader coverage of artists whose music you can buy on Bandcamp. The next one arrives on Friday, April 2, so I combed through our features, reviews, columns, blog posts, and “Best of Chicago” items to make this list. Add this one to the roundups from February and March, plus the nine from 2020—March, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, and December. As always, I hope you find a song or artist that excites you.
Adrasteia / Lehman, Split MMXXI
Alkilith, The Shores of Evermeet
Altin Gün, Yol
Autarkh, Form in Motion
Julien Baker, Little Oblivions
Cafe Racer, Shadow Talk
Josh Caterer, The Hideout Sessions
Cherry Cordial, Cherry Cordial
Date Stuff, Date Stuff EP
Deeper, Auto-Pain and “This Heat (Working Men’s Club Remix)”
Floatie, Voyage Out
Folie, 123!
ÉSSO, Xicago
A Flor de Piel, Mental Lockdown
Ezra Furman, Sex Education OST
Gabacho, Gabacho EP
Genghis Tron, Dream Weapon
Terence Hannum, Dissolving the Bonds
Serena Isioma, Sensitive
Valerie June, The Moon and Stars: Prescriptions for Dreamers
Vince Kaichan, Lost in Time
Mazen Kerbaj, The Corona Diaries
Kevin and Hell, Wilty Pleasures
The Knees, Posture
Kuzu, The Glass Delusion
The Los Sundowns, The Los Sundowns EP
Minor Moon, Tethers
Hafez Modirzadeh, Facets
Nonagon, They Birds
OK Cool, Anomia and “Divers”
Armando Pérez, Raza
Porcupine, The Sibyl
Lester Rey & Moondoctor, CCFX
Hedra Rowan, Nothing’s Wrong, Now You’re Beside Me Again
Senyawa, Alkisah
Leanne Betasamosake Simpson, Theory of Ice
Spooky Action Space Captain, Wet Bread
Spread Joy, Spread Joy
Pauline Anna Strom, Angel Tears in Sunlight
Stuck, Change Is Bad
Sunburned Hand of the Man, Pick a Day to Die
Tree, Soul Trap
Various artists, Warm Violet: A Compilation for Chicago Community Jail Support
Ric Wilson, “Fight Like Ida B and Marsha P” v