Tigers Jaw – I Won’t Care How You Remember Me

★★★☆

Released March 5th, 2021 on Hopeless Records

Smooth, winsome indie/emo pop from a group whose lineup seems to have stabilized for the time being. A dorm album if there ever was one.

Fruit Bats – The Pet Parade

★★★

Released March 5th, 2021 on Merge Records

Breezy Americana with modern production touches that doesn’t take many chances but, let’s be serious, doesn’t really need to, either. Would make for great afternoon doldrum filler on indie stations.

Ian Sweet – Show Me How You Disappear

★★★☆

Released March 5th, 2021 on Polyvinyl Records

The mixture of hyperpop production tropes with indie rock tropes was really only a matter of time, and we as a species can rest assured that Jilian Medford was on it and not, say, some faux English folk band run by narcs.

Genesis Owusu – Smiling With No Teeth

★★★☆

Released March 5th, 2021 on OURNESS Records

The Aussie R&B singer recently called himself “Prince, if Prince was an Australian rapper in 2021” which, like, come on man. Still, there is a definite horny Prince vibe going on in this record, even if it lacks Prince’s sharp personality, sense of melody, and instrumental brilliance. Maybe like B-tier Anderson .Paak, or something along those lines. That said, “Waitin’ On Ya” and the title track are well worth the price of admission.

Jane Weaver – Flock

★★★★

Released March 5th, 2021 on Fire Records

Artful indie-pop that takes several pages from Bowie to craft a collection that brings the funk in a quiet, scattered, hazy way. Looks to soar into the stratosphere but remains anchored with earthy bass and drums.

Tobacco – Fucked Up Friends 3

★★★★

Released March 5th, 2021 on Rad Cult Records

Tobacco’s biggest release to date was his collaboration with wordy motherfucker Aesop Rock on 2019’s Malibu Ken; here the producer shows off his glitzy, warbly side on 40 minutes of instrumentals that shudder, shake, and pop to great effect.

Adult Mom – Driver

★★★☆

Released March 5th, 2021 on Epitaph Records

Stevie Knipe’s third album as Adult Mom is confessional, honest, relatable, and at times incredibly awkward, but also comes across musically as warmed-over Waxahatchee or Big Thief. Which is fine; they all have the same influences, after all, but there are times throughout Driver where you wish they would stretch themselves out just a little bit further.

Home Is Where – i became birds

★★★★

Released March 5th, 2021 on Knifepunch Records

It starts off as a sort of dressed-up folk-punk record and then about halfway through “Sewn Together from the Membrane of the Great Sea Cucumber” it turns into a more brittle The World Is A Beautiful Place And I Am No Longer Afraid To Die. After that it goes for a more second-wave midwest sound. So it’s, uh, disjointed. Still pretty good though.

Blood Wizard – Western Spaghetti

★★

Released March 5th, 2021 on Moshi Moshi Records

I guess if you wanted a more commercial-sounding Mac DeMarco, here it is.

Painted Shrines – Heaven And Holy

★★★

Released March 5th, 2021 on Woodist Records

Lightly psychedelic folk-rock that doesn’t take many chances but also doesn’t make many mistakes.

The Night Game – Dog Years

★☆

Released March 5th, 2021 on Real Johnson Records

I survived the Eighties one time already, and I don’t recall them all that fondly.

Leon III – Antlers In Velvet

★★★☆

Released March 5th, 2021 on Monosonic Records

I feel like if you’re going to trade in this sort of acid-tinged raw psychedelic rock you should at least have some long incomprehensible yet seemingly profound screed on your Bandcamp. Leon III doesn’t and that’s fine. I guess.

Mere Women – Romantic Notions

★★★

Released March 5th, 2021 on Poison City Records

Savages, if they were secretly Screaming Females.

AZITA – Glen Echo

★★★☆

Released March 5th, 2021 on Drag City Records

The former Chicago no wave scenester deadpans her way through a surprisingly straightforward but emotionally effective set of guitar pop songs.