Synth Duo Charbonneau / Amato Share New Video For “All Roses”

Mar 03, 2022 Caleb Campbell

Tomorrow, synth duo Charbonneau / Amato are set to share their latest LP, Synth Works Vol. 2. Arriving nearly two years after their initial recording sessions at the precipice of the pandemic, Mathieu Charbonneau and Pietro Amato have crafted a world of sumptuous escapism, woven within a dense tapestry of synths, organs, and pedals. Recorded live off the floor, the resulting record is an immersive textured work, yet has the vital organic element of a live performance.

Nilüfer Yanya on “PAINLESS”

Mar 03, 2022 Issue #69 - 20th Anniversary Issue

In the DNA of Nilüfer Yanya’s music you hear the unmistakable guitar strains of mid-aughts bands such as Interpol, The Strokes, and The Libertines. These were the albums that her older sister was listening to when Yanya was in her early teens. Her mother preferred classical music while her Istanbul-born father played a lot of music from his homeland.

Kristine Leschper on “The Opening, or Closing of a Door” and Leaving Mothers Behind

Mar 02, 2022 Web Exclusive

It’s understandable that Kristine Leschper, founder and leader of Philly-by-way-of-Athens, Georgia, indie band Mothers, would need to muster up a little courage to approach ANTI- about dropping her project’s name after just one album with the label. Speaking from her Philadelphia home base, with lots of assistance from her attention loving cat, Hans, Leschper strikes you as someone that would be fully prepped for such a meeting.

Meet L-E and Listen to “An Exposition”

Jan 30, 2022 Web Exclusive

Meet L-E, the new project of London based musicians Bryan Serwatka and Nick Mabey.

Under the Radar’s Top 130 Songs of 2021 Part 1

Jan 25, 2022

It is confounding that so many outlets insist on posting best songs of the year lists in early December (in 2021, December 6 seemed to be a popular date to post such lists, including ones by Pitchfork, Paste, and Rolling Stone, with NME’s list dropping the next day). Not only are there several more weeks left in the year, in which a number of potential great songs could be released, it also takes time to digest all the tracks released in November and earlier in the fall. We’ve obviously taken too much time.

As with our Top 100 Albums of 2021 list, we had other pressing priorities in the fall of 2021 (our 20th Anniversary Issue and Covers of Covers album) that delayed deciding on our favorite songs of 2021. As a base we started a nomination process with all of the songs that landed in the main rankings (usually a Top 10) of our Songs of the Week lists in 2021. We then asked our writers for additional nomination suggestions (they had to be original songs first released in 2021, no covers). Once we had the final nomination list, our writers voted. When everything was calculated it added up to 130 songs we particularly liked. While many of the songs are taken from records that landed on our Top 100 Albums of 2021 list, there are also some standalone singles, songs from 2021 full-lengths that didn’t make the albums list, and advance singles from some anticipated 2022 albums. We limited it to no more than three songs per artist, otherwise half of each album from Japanese Breakfast and Wolf Alice (our #1 and #2 albums of the year) would’ve shown up on this list. By Mark Redfern

Twin Shadow at Thalia Hall in Chicago

Mar 01, 2022 By Candace McDuffie

Reclaiming the stage in the wake of COVID is a daunting task for any artist, regardless of the number of records sold or tours embarked on. But last month at Chicago’s Thalia Hall, Twin Shadow—born George Lewis Jr.—was more than ready for the challenge. He released his fifth studio album, Twin Shadow, last summer and it displayed a musician ferociously hungry for experimentation and growth.

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds — Reflecting on the 25th Anniversary of “The Boatman’s Call”

Mar 03, 2022 By Austin Saalman

Recovering from the blood-spattered mania of 1996’s brilliant Murder Ballads, iconic Austrailian singer/songwriter Nick Cave regathered with The Bad Seeds for their 10th studio outing—a sudden shift in direction from the group’s signature blend of gritty post punk and art rock experimentation.