UNSLUMP! Volume XII: October 2024
UNSLUMP! Volume XII: October 2024
Wake up your ears with High Vis, Sophie Thatcher, Sampha and more.
What’s cooking? Welcome to UNSLUMP! The Music Recommendation substack. If you’re getting this email, that means you are finding yourself in a music SLUMP (bad), and I am here to give you some recommendations (good)!
I had one week this month where I almost saw a show every single night. If that’s not evidence that music has been rocking lately, I don’t know what is! I’ve been feeling especially invigorated by music this month- maybe it’s the Big Dark Rain Time coming our way here in Seattle, but it’s the perfect excuse to lock in and get to hunting!
Huge thanks to Hannah of
for the shout in her last post, I love reading her blog for tips on cool stuff going on in the city- she has great recommendations for restaurants, museums, and more :-)UNSLUMP! can’t feature em’ all, but here’s this month’s top 7 for you to try!
Wondering what didn’t make the cut this month? Check out the mega-playlist.
+++ don’t forget November’s Show Radar at the bottom of the letter.
Follow along on Spotify. (Sorry, Apple Music users).
7 - Venus - La Femme (Rock Machine) [October 2024]
For fans of: new wave, synthwave, being underwhelmed by Trader Joe’s pumpkin ravioli, Grandaddy’s Under the Western Freeway, The Munsters
Starting out October’s mix with a properly spooky tune a la Kate Bush and walking in the graveyard- La Femme's Rock Machine is the French band’s first ever English release. La Femme is known for their experimentation and variety within genre and language. “Venus” is a great track- the synthesizer is awesome, the song is danceable, the vocals are strong-I have no complaints!
However…
Rock Machine as a completed project feels a little messy. Like a game of darts where half of the darts end up piercing the wall, La Femme does not always hit the target. The production is really tight on some tracks, and a bit more cringe-inducing on others (“Ciao Paris!” in particular sounds like the Wiggles’ rave album).
La Femme takes a lot of cues from new wave- I definitely hear the influence of bands like the Buggles, Sparks and The The. At times, these callbacks really work (see tracks “Love Is Over”, “Sweet Babe”), but the album’s 46 minute runtime feels much longer as the tracks seem to turn into an endless drum machine loop- Is my head pounding, or is the album still going?
But hey! I swear this track rocks!
La Femme is a fully live band- they don’t use any backing tracks, which I’m betting would make for an awesome show. They’re hitting The Showbox here in Seattle November 23rd- check the end of the newsletter for a ticket link!
6 - Routiner - The Convenience (Routiner / Postcard) [September 2024]
For fans of: etch-a-sketching, bouncy basslines, puzzles, french lust, 125 Rue Montmarte, Talking Heads
The Convenience’s Routiner / Postcard is a bassist’s wet dream. The New Orleans-based band, who released their debut, the Prince-adjacent Accelerator in 2021, has been working behind the scenes with Rui Gabriel, Drugdealer, and Maddy Kirgo (XI) in the leadup to this new project, of which Routiner / Postcard is a double single.
Completely different than the pop roots of Accelerator, “Routiner” is skittish post-punk. It reminds me of 90’s Numero Group- bands like Majesty Crush (III), Karate, and Unwound. I’m super excited for this style change- I’m locked in with the Convenience!
Also check out “Postcard”- an awesome track inspired by The Raincoats, featuring a super sick droning fiddle.
5 - Moveable Objects - Whisper Hiss (Split) [October 2024]
For fans of: Le Tigre, Mary Timony, Dancer (VI), cowbell!, art shows, spray paint
This project is so so NEAT! Split is a.. SPLIT LP featuring six songs by Glasglow’s Dancer and six songs from Portland, Oregon’s Whisper Hiss. In November 2023, HHBTM (Happy Happy Birthday To Me - awesome name) Records received a three-song demo from queer post-punk band Whisper Hiss. At the same time, disco-punk Dancer was looking to release their debut album. The label ingeniously pitched a split LP, paired up both bands for a tour, and voila- one of the coolest cross-continental projects of 2024 was born!
From Mike Turner of HHBTM:
I sent Whisper Hiss and Dancer links to each other’s music and both bands became instant fans and friends as we discussed this split release. In my mind, I was basically recreating the Bikini Kill / Huggy Bear split 12” that had opened up a whole new world to me back in the early 90’s and hoping this record could be that for a younger generation.
Both groups are born of similar DIY roots, and both halves of this LP are nothing short of perfection. The LP is part of HHBTM’s yearly handmade packaging release, and the middle labels on the records are hand stamped- pretty cool!
Seriously not a single skip here. Obsessed!
4 - Mind’s A Lie - High Vis (Guided Tour) [October 2024]
For fans of: if Oasis was much cooler, teen movie heartthrob bands, eating legumes, big combat boots
This past month, I won a radio contest (RARE!) through KEXP to go see Special Interest, High Vis, and Show Me The Body at the Showbox. I came in only really knowing Special Interest (I loved their 2022 release, Endure), but you already know I STUDIED UP and fell in love with High Vis’ 2022 album, Blending.
London 5-piece High Vis draw upon roots in the UK hardcore scene, and it’s easy to call back to Oasis/Blur, but High Vis is its own thing. Totally raw and impossible to not pay attention in a live setting. I fell down in the mosh pit and got the biggest bruise somehow literally inside of my butthole (is this too much info for UNSLUMP!?) but despite that, had an amazing time and was healed by the release of Guided Tour (some say the bruise vanished instantly).
High Vis frontman Graham Sayle references his working-class family in his lyrics, lending to a truly scruffy, boots on the ground sound. Guided Tour feels more anthemy and polished, but the increased production isn’t a bad sign: a song like “Mind’s A Lie” is a totally new direction for High Vis, going in the direction of house music with an infectious sample and kick drum balancing Sayle’s vocals perfectly.
3 - Go On - Sophie Thatcher (Pivot and Scrape) [October 2024]
For fans of: Grimes, Yellowjackets, haunted houses, whiskey gingers, Elliott Smith
I first met Sophie Thatcher through her portrayal of young Natalie on the Showtime show, Yellowjackets. It’s a killer show, very creepy- it follows a girls soccer team that gets stranded in the woods. Sophie Thatcher sheds the dreaded actress-turned-musician title with this EP- it’s incredible! From chamber folk to slacker rock, the EP is produced beautifully and is perfect for the fall.
I really like how Thatcher refers to her music as being a “conductor in [a] crazy experiment”, and you can hear the experimental nature in the tracks- she recorded the project over a single week in Asheville with producer Adam McDaniel, who has worked with Angel Olsen and Avey Tare.
2 - Satellite Business 2.0 (Shaman’s Dream) - Sampha, Little Simz (Lahai (Deluxe)) [October 2024]
For fans of: jungle, sound art, comfortable shoes, mini cornbread muffins
This October was the one-year anniversary of Sampha’s album LAHAI. To celebrate, Sampha announced a deluxe version of the album, with four new singles. One of those singles is “Satellite Business 2.0”, with a feature from Little Simz.
Sampha has an insane collaborative history, working with Kendrick Lamar, Drake, Solange, Frank Ocean, Beyoncé, Lil Wayne and more. LAHAI is about the glory of existence and human connection. The production is so crisp and soft like a pillow. It feels like Sampha is singing into your mouth.
1 - Chewing Gum - Amyl and the Sniffers (Cartoon Darkness) [October 2024]
For fans of: Bully, Courtney Barnett, Farrah Fawcett blowouts, pub rock
Amyl and the Sniffers wowed me with their latest release! It’s been on repeat since it came out, and I’m excited to ride out the year with this one, especially as they gear up for a world tour in 2025. Their first album since 2021, the Australian punk band’s Amy Taylor says:
Cartoon Darkness is about climate crisis, war, A.I., tiptoeing on the eggshells of politics, and people feeling like they’re helping by having a voice online when we’re all just feeding the data beast of Big Tech, our modern-day god. It’s about the fact that our generation is spoon-fed information. We look like adults, but we’re children forever cocooned in a shell. We’re all passively gulping up distractions that don’t even cause pleasure, sensation or joy, they just cause numbness.
The album is exciting, visceral, and filled with surprises. Punk as empowerment is how I’d like to describe it- using anger as therapy. “Chewing Gum” is an excellent single that introduces Amyl’s world to a newcomer— welcome to the party!
🎵 Seattle Show Radar: November 🎵:
Artists I’ve mentioned in UNSLUMP! previously are linked to their editions :-)
11.1 & 11.2 - The Magnetic Fields - 69 Love Songs at The Neptune Theatre - Tickets
11.1 - Tanukichan at Tractor Tavern - Tickets
11.2 - THE THE at The Paramount Theatre - Tickets
11.2 - La Luz (VIII) at McMenamins Spanish Ballroom - Tickets
11.2 & 11.3 - Vince Staples, Baby Rose (VI) at Showbox SoDo - Tickets
11.3 - Richard Thompson at the Showbox - Tickets
11.5 - Swirlies at the Vera Project - Tickets
11.7 - 11.10 - FREAKOUT Fest - featuring Martin Rev (of Suicide), The Black Angels, Lydia Lunch and more at various venues - Tickets
11.8 - Washed Out at the Crocodile - Tickets
11.10 - Origami Angel with Arm's Length, Macseal, and Forests at The Showbox - Tickets
11.10 - Caribou with yunè pinku at Showbox SoDo - Tickets
11.11 - Salami Rose Joe Louis at Madame Lou’s - Tickets
11.15 - Duster at The Neptune Theatre - Tickets
11.15 - The Lemon Twigs at Barboza - Tickets
11.16 - @ at The Black Lodge - Tickets
11.17 - Kate Bollinger (VIII), Tchotchke at Tractor Tavern - Tickets
11.22 - Reflections: Laurel Halo at Seattle First Baptist Church - Tickets
11.23 - La Femme at The Showbox - Tickets
11.27 - IAMDDB at Neumos - Tickets
That wraps up Volume XII of UNSLUMP! Happy halloween, stay safe out there!
Question of the month: What song feels tasty to you?
Until November - Stay out of the slump!
Jess