Lav's Music Corner

Review by Lav: Cola are a Canadian indie-rock outfit that emerged from the ashes of Ought, a group that released three albums in the 2010s. I was a huge fan of the band and all three of their albums which is why it was impossible for me to not come into Cola with high expectations. Despite that, I came away with mixed feelings on the band's debut album Deep in View  in 2022. That anticipation returned on this record after a few promising singles. And while The Gloss  may not reach the highest highs of Ought, it's definitely a step in the right direction.  This is a good record, let's get that out of the way. But the 10-song tracklist is split into a mixed bag first half and an absolutely excellent second half. Let's take that first half on, where three of the four singles pop up. Albatross  was a single I loved and still like a lot. The way it slides between a vibrant bright chorus into the more methodical and intense verses is perfect. Those verses really do steal t...

This video is late again and as usual I have a great excuse I just can't hell you <3 Enjoy 5.  Gold River  - Parannoul Let the excitement once again get underway for the RYM king of noisy shoegaze, Parannoul. After dropping a record last year that seemed to reel in some of his harshest ambitions this new single is absolutely blistering, occasionally even to the detriment of some of its most dramatic moments. But for the most part it's a sonic pummeling I'm thrilled to take part in.  Listen 4.  xXidontneedyou_tolovemebackXx  - Happy Birthday Mr. Baskets I've been paying attention to Happy Birthday Mr. Baskets since I heard her on Tamagotchi Massacre's delightful new album last year and this is comfortably my new favorite song of hers. With a surprisingly glistening instrumental palette that shines through its dense hyperpop production the track sounds like a sped-up DJ Sabrina track in a way I find mesmerizing. But it's the irresistible refrains that truly won...

I am in the thick of Rolling Loud weekend and running on absolute fumes right now.  5.  Monaco  - Ride Is it a bizarrely full circle moment to hear Ride sounding like they're trying to be Amusement Parks On Fire? Yes. But that doesn't prevent me from enjoying the results. While Ride's comeback has never inspired the same critical acclaim as some of their classic shoegaze contemporaries they have managed an impressive consistency in both release schedule and quality that I've grown to appreciate a lot.  Listen 4.  Enough for you  - Wisp Once again shoegaze upstart Wisp has impressed me with a track from her upcoming EP. The formula here is far from unheard of but she's dabbling in sounds heavier than some of her contemporaries. With smashing drums and chugging riffs she's wandering her dreamy poise into Hum territory, an influence many of the other new age shoegaze acts probably won't reach for years. What results is an impressive level of sonic intensity th...

Cola is a Canadian post-punk act that follows in the footsteps of one of the most critically acclaimed indie acts of the 2010's, Ought. The band features the lead vocalist and bass player from Ought teaming up with the drummer from indie band U.S Girls. Deep In View  is their debut album under the Cola name and follows five singles dating back to last year.  Review By Lav: I LOVE Ought. Across the 2010's they managed to drop three excellent albums which featured a number of the best indie songs you can find anywhere. I would have been extremely excited for a new Ought project and though they announced the project was no more as of last year, the fact that we got Cola in its place also really excited me. Unfortunately, the mixed bag of singles resulted in an inconsistent record, but I'm also happy to report there are still some excellent tracks here that follow in the footsteps of great Ought tunes. Let's talk highlights first because the record had a few singles that gr...

Oh another week. This time around there were two big headliners in terms of new singles but that didn't stop quite a few of the other new releases from standing out. Enjoy <3 5.  D.M.B  - A$AP Rocky For a while now A$AP Rocky and Rihanna have been a celebrity couple purely in the paparazzi sense. From compelling photographs of two of the most gorgeous people on earth together to a hilarious stream of memes resulting from the great fake cheating scandal, that kind of couple. But now they officially graduate into a bonafide celeb couple through the guise of their work, or Rocky's work at least. With this new single and accompanying video their prescence is cemented, and the song itself isn't half bad either.  Listen 4.  Degree  - Cola From the ashes of Ought, one of the best indie bands of the 2010's, came Cola. While the band hasn't quite blow me completely away yet I have been enjoying what they do more and more as the weeks go by and this is no different. Th...

This was yet another busy week for both new singles and new album alike. While I've been sorting through hours and hours of music I have to say that I'm quite impressed by the collection of singles we got and narrowing it down to this list was actually pretty difficult. Enjoy <3 5.  First Class  - Jack Harlow For the most part up to this point Jack Harlow has impressed mainly with his larger than life bragging, catchy hooks and general ability to avoid doing anything problematic. Not only has this song established him as a force in commercial music but it also set a kind of new bar for his level of creativity with this track being built around a sample of Fergie's  Glamourous . While it still has the scope of a simple pop rap song he pulls it off very well.  Listen 4.  Water Table  - Cola This might be the best single Cola has released yet and it looks back to some of the best Ought songs for its foundation. The steady drums and gentle echoey plucks of g...

This weekend absolutely fucking ruled. I ended up with more then 15 songs just on the list for consideration for the best tracks of this week so please do yourself a favor and look around for all the great stuff that came out this weekend. The best new tracks of the week are below: 5.  Smokin Out The Window  - Silk Sonic This track relies on the one thing that Anderson Paak and Bruno Mars have in spades, charisma. On the surface it's a male music classic story of female money chasing and betrayal that comes from exactly as shallow a perspective as you'd expect. What makes it work is both their voices which can deliver narrative hooks and team up for beautiful harmonies on the hooks. If you can ignore the icky premise that the entire track is built on it's buttery smooth.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GG7fLOmlhYg 4.  This Side Of The Sun  - Shame Shame have never been a gentle band but on This Side Of The Sun  they dig in on some of the best lyricism yet....