Lav's Music Corner

Review by Lavender: Chat Pile are a noisy metal outfit from Oklahoma who were building up tons of momentum and acclaim as an underground outfit before releasing their debut album God's Country  in 2022. The album was immediately met with acclaim upon release, and I called it my favorite debut of the year. So as you'd expect I was pretty excited for a follow-up even before I heard standout singles like "Funny Man" and "I Am Dog Now." In one of the least surprising revelations of the year, Chat Pile throttles listeners once again on a follow-up that lives up to its expectations.  Let's get to those singles first, just as the album does with its lead single "I Am A Dog Now" which also serves as the opener. After a short, cloudy introduction you get right into the thumping downtuned guitars and short ripping lyrical refrains. The lyrics are fittingly animalistic and absolutely visceral making for an excellent opener. A few tracks later "Funny ...

I was on vacation last week so this is actyually the best new tracks of the past TWO weeks. *kisses* 5.  Neon Signs  - The Weather Station I loved The Weather Stations last album in 2022, even though many fans seemed to overlook it in the wake of its more instrumentally verbose predecessor. That's why I was nervous that when the project left its gentle acoustic meditation behind I may not enjoy it as much. Thankfully with one single under her belt for the 2025 follow-up, The Weather Station seems fully committed to taking the songwriting I loved about her last record and expanding it with a more versatile sound palette and I like it so far.  Listen 4.  Funny Man  - Chat Pile While I wasn't crazy the previous lighter Chat Pile single, this one sees the band digging directly back down into the depths of their harrowing metal instincts. That includes everything from grinding circular guitar riffs to booming drums to an excellent vocal performance that's captivating...

5.  Kitsune Maison Freestyle  - Porter Robinson This was basically a shoo-in after Porter told me he thought I had a very nice aura and gave me Virtual Self  merch at a pop-up earlier this week. But for the record I also think this is my second favorite of all his new singles so far and the hook has been stuck in my head on a loop since I first heard the original tease of the song.  Listen 4.  CLASSIC THEME - SBTRKT Given how strongly my negative feelings towards the new SBTRKT album last year were it's kind of shocking how much I've enjoyed the run of singles from this year, This new 6-minute cut sneaks onto the list in an admittedly pretty shallow week but the fact that I like yet another one of these leftover cuts is both surprising but honestly refreshing from the veteran dance music outfit.  Listen 3.  Skin On Skin  - Jasmine 4.t The newest member of Phoebe Bridgers' Saddest Factory is off to an extremely hot start with the label. Skin On Ski...

5.  Tenkiller  - Chat Pile The breakout year for Chat Pile continues as they dropped the soundtrack for a film they scored a few years ago, lead off with this double single that contains more insanity from the band whose insanity is already a little difficult to describe. Whatever you think you're getting into with the heavy but well-paced post-hardcore instrumental, you aren't ready for the lyrics on this track. Well, maybe if you heard their full album earlier this year that can take a bit of the edge off.  Listen 4.  Nights In December  - Tkay Maidza So I didn't see this coming. It's an R&B flavored track sure but with a beat that combines some warbled synths with clacky background percussion that feels straight out of Tierra Whack's terminally underrated Peppers and Onions . The icing on the cake is a repetitive but effortlessly smooth hook that is pretty much guaranteed to stick in your head.  Listen 3.  Fingers Of Steel  - Shame While I'...

While there are always a million allegedly great local hardcore records that I get recommended every year, I only really have the time to cover the ones I'm most excited for. That informs this decision which features three albums I went into anticipating being VERY good. These are the results. Enjoy <3 God's Country  - Chat Pila This is the highly anticipated debut album from Oklahoma hardcore act Chat Pile who have released some successful EPs in the past few years to generate a lot of hype going into the album. While I was a bit of a late comer to those EPs I did hear the record's singles as they were released which also helped immensely to get me excited for it. Now that the record is here I can say that it's one of the darkest and most versatile hardcore records you'll hear this year. In fact even just saying "hardcore" feels like a catch-all for a band that interpolates numerous styles of experimental rock and metal into their songs. The record beg...