“I’m starting to turn into someone else . . . again,” moans Luis Vasquez on “Monster,” from his latest album as the Soft Moon, Exister (Sacred Bones). It’s true that Vasquez, who’d been holed up in Berlin during the pandemic, moved to Joshua Tree to record this effort. But whatever else might’ve changed about him, […]
Tag: postpunk
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Chicago’s Black Cross Hotel hex us with their postpunk- and horror-inspired debut
One of the few silver linings of the pandemic shutting down the entire concert industry for a prolonged stretch was that it occasionally prompted longtime musician friends to collaborate in projects they might not have had time for otherwise. Sometimes the results sound so natural—as they do in local rock powerhouse Black Cross Hotel—that it […]
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Meat Wave make postpunk big enough to swallow you whole on Malign Hex
In March, Meat Wave barreled through a pandemic-era dissection of the American labor market with the sardonic, sawtoothed “Honest Living,” laying bare the corrosive effects of depending for your survival on a morally bankrupt system that treats you like a disposable nobody. It’s an apt first single from their fourth full-length, October’s Malign Hex (Swami), […]
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Rising art-punks Automatic make the most of what they’ve got
The women of Automatic were born to be in an art-punk band, but they’re still finding their footing. Much of the Los Angeles group’s press coverage has treated them like they’re learning their craft in real time while growing an audience through social media and handshakes. While that may be true, they’ve also had more […]
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Ganser find the freedom beyond despair on Nothing You Do Matters
Dread can be suffocating, but Ganser make it work like a spark. On their new EP, Nothing You Do Matters (Felte), the Chicago postpunk four-piece take cues from dance punk for their end-of-the-world party music—they’re trying to build something worth living for in a hellscape that constantly finds boring new ways to make everyone feel […]
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Chicago’s Lilac headline a heavy triple bill with North Carolina’s Wailin Storms and local trio the Poison Arrows
Lilac are essentially a Chicago supergroup of musicians who’ve done time in underrated bands. They include former Cacaw and Coughs front woman Anya Davidson (also an underground comics artist and author and occasional Reader contributor) on guitar and vocals, Kenny Rasmussen (late of Anatomy of Habit) on drums, and two veterans of Baltimore outfit Witch […]
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Chicago’s greatest postpunk obscurity returns from oblivion
Lately it seems like every “lost” recording, no matter how inconsequential, is getting pushed on limited colored vinyl for a crass Record Store Day cash grab. Beneath the hype, “archival releases” are too often just so-so live jams or half-baked outtakes by established artists—and it’s usually clear why they hadn’t been released before. That’s what […]
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Cult emo experimentalist Weatherday arrives in Chicago
In February, teenage Chicago indie rockers Dwaal Troupe contributed a tender, dusty tune called “Everyone Forgot but You” to Porcelain Songs, a 30-track compilation made by fans of enigmatic Swedish indie-rock project Weatherday. The musicians involved in the comp put it together via Discord, a messaging app and social-media platform that allows young fans to […]
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Politically charged postpunks Petrol Girls combine fun and purpose on Baby
Politics are an inherent part of punk and hardcore culture, but not even the most ardent fans like feeling preached to, especially by artists who seem more focused on their messaging than on their music. On their new full-length, Baby, British-Austrian postpunk band Petrol Girls step away from all that (and even poke fun at […]
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Chicago indie sensations Dehd go big-time with Blue Skies
Chicago trio Dehd sound like they’re trying to levitate by fusing the ineffable but often incompatible powers of frigid postpunk and wispy indie rock. Dehd are dedicated minimalists: their lonesome, echoing guitars and sturdy, straightforward rhythms tend to show the seams in their songs, but they don’t reveal too much of the magic that makes […]
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Adult. delve into grief and darkness on their latest album, Becoming Undone
It’s tempting to call Adult. electroclash; the synth duo of Nicola Kuperus and Adam Lee Miller debuted in 1998, coinciding with the style’s peak, and they’ve collaborated with notable groups in the genre such as Fischerspooner and Ladytron. But while the Detroit-based husband-and-wife team share some traits with the genre—particularly the way they pair an […]
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On their first album in seven years, Anatomy of Habit continue turning over new stones
It’s been ten years since Chicago collective Anatomy of Habit released their first record, and a lot has changed since then. Anchored by front man Mark Solotroff, the band came out of the gate with long, complex, layered songs that blend doomy metal, Swans-style noise rock, bleak postpunk, heavy drones, and hypnotic guitar-looping acrobatics. It’s […]
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Chicago art rockers Noir Disco complicate everyday experiences on NOW! 2073
Noir Disco’s new debut album, Now! 2073, belongs to a proud tradition of art-rock. Siblings Nolan and Carter Dickson lead the Chicago group, and their music draws on specific reference points from a lifetime of shared music nerdery. On Now! 2073, the band take inspiration from 70s classic rock, 80s European new-wave pop, and 00s […]
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Chicago’s Stuck find the optimism in punk’s vigor for Content That Makes You Feel Good
Chicago postpunk upstarts Stuck can make tension boil over slowly, and you can feel it all over their 2020 debut, Change Is Bad. In April 2021, they convened at Jamdek Studios to knock out a quick-and-dirty recording, intending its release to renew interest in the band as clubs, promoters, and artists prepared to re-emerge thanks […]
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Four years after sharing a bill, Modern English and Ganser team up for another night of dark postpunk
Update on Tue 8/24: This show has been canceled. I was nine years old when I ordered Modern English’s second album, 1982’s After the Snow, from Columbia House. I bought it for “I Melt With You” and discovered that the rest of the songs sounded nothing like that hit single—the record quickly submerged me in […]