Lav's Music Corner

2024 is wrapping up and as I start working on year-end content we need to do a few quick round-ups to make sure we're prepared. I've reviewed a few dozen EPs so far this year and I plan on counting down the 10 best in a few weeks. But first, we need to take a look at a few projects with a very strong chance of landing somewhere on the list. Let's do it. Six Desperate Ballads  EP - The Garden After being pretty mixed on California weirdo-punk duo The Garden for a while, I was quite fond of their last record. Combined with some solid entries into their solo projects and the ever-expanding Garden-adjacent universe and I had no reason to think this EP wouldn't be a riot. Even as I was a little mixed on the lead single "Filthy Rabbit Hole" I've warmed up on it especially with how propulsive of a start it is for this EP. I also loved the other single, the short but incredibly memorable "Ballad" which serves as the EPs wonderful closer.  In between ther...

Had 30 songs on the shortlist this week, wish me luck.  5.  Driver - Soccer Mommy While Soccer Mommy has never really consistently dazzled me the way some of her singer-songwriter peers do, she is pretty good at delivering something consistently solid. That's the case with her second single of the year which features a punchy instrumental marked by brash cymbal clashes and a great guitar solo on the bridge. But even more than that, it's her killer vocals on the hook that really sell the song.  Listen 4.  Ballet  - The Garden After loving the most recent Garden album WAY more than anything the eccentric pair had done before I'm glad to see them keeping their momentum up on this new single. They once again combine punk snarl, synthetic drums and dizzying production to serve up a short but incredibly memorable song that's just as punchy as it is catchy at every moment.  Listen 3.  Dancing In The Flames  - The Weeknd While this may not have been the m...

  Puzzle is the solo project of Fletcher Shears, better known as one-half of indie punk duo The Garden. The project dropped an EP in 2020 but has been quiet since then until the lead single for this record dropped. The Rotten Opera  follows The Garden's new album Horseshit On Route 66  from last year. Review by Lav: I've never paid THAT much attention to Puzzle save for a handful of songs here and there but after The Garden released their best record to date last year which grew on me every time I heard it, I was craving anymore of the twins that I could get. That came sooner than I expected with this record, though I'm not complaining. This record is short, but that doesn't mean there's not much going on, in fact more than a few songs here are built specifically around that perceived chaos. The lead single to the album love is a place to hide  took longer than I'd like to connect with me which is unfortunate because as soon as I heard it on this record the extr...

The Garden are a difficult to classify experimental two piece music project from California. The Garden's music has morphed between numerous different genres over the years but have always kept a foot in both electronic music and punk rock, with splashes of hardcore worked in throughout.  Review by Lav: Let me put my cards on the table. I'm a music critic, but I'm also just a girl, and the crush I have on Wyatt and Fletcher when they perform in full clown attire as The Garden, it's embarrassing. Did that cause me to go a little bit too crazy when I saw the duo perform earlier this year? Yes. But it also helped me get excited for this upcoming new record alongside a trio of pretty good singles. All things considered, I think this is at least as good or better than any project the duo has released before even if I can see some avenues for improvement. I still like the first two singles from this record a LOT. Freight Yard  has more reserved vocals than a lot of the other ...

Two weeks of Best New Track being released early/on time, it must be a miracle. Enjoy <3 5.  A Foul Form  - Thee Oh Sees On this brief new Oh Sees track they really only need around a minute and a half to make this crushing distorted haze of a song which somehow also manages to have nearly chant-along refrains. It almost sounds like it's coming from another band with another sound entirely but if this is just a taste, it certainly feels like a worthwhile direction to explore.  Listen 4.  TV  - Billie Eilish Billie dropped a pair of new acoustic cuts this week, the better of which is TV  a gentle meditation on how a romantic relationship can pull you away from your friends. It's honest and raw both sonically and thematically and represents a the climb up a mountain for Billie acoustic songs from being the real duds of her debut album, to some of the highlights on her sophomore album and now some of her best work.  Listen 3.  Orange County Punk R...

Given the sheer volume of highly anticipated material that came out this week, it's hard to not see the final product as slightly disappointing. Regardless these are the best new songs I heard this week and they likely aren't the ones you're anticipating. Enjoy <3 5.  Hideous  - Oliver Sim (Feat. Jimmy Somerville) This is quite an interesting track that I've been digesting upon repeat listens because it moves through some very distinct phases. Ultimately it's when Oliver Sim is at his most intimate that the song hits its emotional highs and when the Jamie xx produced instrumental hits its orchestrated peak that it finds the most impact. Unfortunately, I'm not crazy about Jimmy Somerville's addition to the track where he serves as a HUGE outlier. Honestly having another vocalist on the song at all feels like it takes away from what should be really gripping and raw intimacy.  Listen 4.  Freight Yard  - The Garden This is The Garden alright. From the wacko ...