The Side A:
Honeyjar – Hot Nights (Local)
The new single from the newly-formed local band Honeyjar meets at the intersection of Fleetwood Mac & The Killers (with some War On Drugs-y tones in there). Images of “shotgun eyes” and the “shoreline meeting the sky.” Highlight “Hot Nights,” a burning desert night-time drive of a song that points to a bright future for this band. –Tyler
Honeyjar seemingly came out of nowhere with their short, but sweet Hot Nights EP. There is a hopefulness to the title track. They are longing for more than just the pines and shore lines of Medford Lakes. –Kevin
Miley Cyrus – “Midnight Sky”
Miley Cyrus is back with a disco-inspired groove that instantly reminded me of the soundtrack from Drive. You know the one, where Ryan Gosling stomp’s a dude’s head in an elevator. –Tyler
Not even fuckin’ Micky Mouse can hold Miley Cyrus down anymore. She can’t be tamed. Major Meg Myers “Running Up That Hill,” vibes on this. I LOVE Ryan Gosling. –Kevin
Hemline Theory – “Stuck” (Local)
Local folk band Hemline Theory just released their new EP, Lessons In Hunger Part 1, and the opening track, “Stuck,” is a jaunty gospel vamp that features a gang of locals such as Archpalatine and Steven Singer on harmony vocal and piano, respectively. –Tyler
Nick Perri & the Underground Thieves – Sun Via (Local)
My Aunt Terri introduced me to Nick Perri a few years back at their Mt. Holly home. All I remember is choking on a block of cheese in mid conversation with him. Humiliating…since then, the guitar slinger has been touring with Dorothy, becoming the new face of Gibson guitars, and recording the Underground Thieves’ Sun Via. The record pays homage to classic rock ‘n’ roll with psychedelic harmonies, screeching Hammond organs and funky blues riffs like opener, “Feeling Good.” Nick Perri and the Underground Thieves supported the Struts this past week at the Live In, Drive In concert series at Citizens Bank Park. Check out other focus tracks,“I Want You” and “Excess.”
Local Rock Guy Nick Perri’s new record, Sun Via, with his band The Underground Thieves kicks off with this funky bag on wheels. Don’t miss the interview he just did with Lauren Silvestri for The Philadelphia Globe. –Tyler
Resilient – Take Two (Local)
Erin Fox and Jace Miller are my favorite Philly power couple. So much rock under one roof! I miss watching them perform live. Resilient’s Take Two following Alright Junior’s Battle Scars EP has been the closest thing to seeing them share the same bill. Take Two dropped as a bit of a surprise. This is how Resilient have been working in recent years, secretly popping up now and then for bombshell shows and releases. The ambiguity of the Take Two title is rooted in live tracking the record in “one or two takes,” as well as redemption for the group’s original line up. Finally, some music with guts. –Kevin
Resilient is BACK! The Philly grunge-punk act fronted by singer-songwriter Erin Fox returns with a punchy six song record called Take Two (named after the fact that most of these songs were recorded completely live in one or two takes). A highlight for me is, funnily, “Highlights,” an off-kilter slice of surf-influenced punk. –Tyler
The B-SIDE:
Party Muscles – INTERNaLaFFaIRS (Local)
To tell the truth, I’d been putting off checking out this new Party Muscles LP. It was mostly out of jealousy because I’m always blown away by how GOOD their records sound (my favorite album of all time is Is This It). And, well, fuck: they’ve done it again. Internal Affairs (sorry guys, I’m not typing it out the fancy way) channels early aught’s post-punk perfectly, with every hook and riff in the right place. From the way singer Colin McCarry throws in a “yeah” after a line, to a melody-riffing guitar solo played by Tyler Purcel, this shit rules. (Highlight: “Error 35,” “Kensington Delegate”) –Tyler
Beau Gordon lookalikes are everywhere and they’re multiplying. I might just be one of them. HEAVY Strokes vibes on this. Happy to see a fellow Uarts MBET pal making waves. Party Muscles rule! Focus tracks: “Error 35” and “Pxssion.” –Kevin
Bruce Hornsby – Non-Secure Connection
Two older artists I’ve been getting into during quarantine have been Huey Lewis & Bruce Hornsby. Something about Hornsby’s choice of weirdness and jam-adjacent-ness has resonated with me during this time. His new record, Non-Secure Connection, leans into the post-rock experimental work he’s done on recent records and features guests such as James Mercer (of The Shins) and Jamila Woods. (Highlight: “My Resolve,” “Bright Star Cast”)
A rat king occurs when a group of rodent’s tails become mangled together by sticky adhesives and burrowing. The rats then have to travel as a unit because they can’t untangle themselves. While this is essentially folklore, I find it curious that lyricists like Bruce Hornsby‘s (and Charlie Kelly) have re-coined the term. Is it a sentiment about self worth or being the last man standing? Hornsby and Rob Moose plant these notions with the piano ballad interlude, “The Rat King.” –Kevin
Biffy Clyro – A Celebration of Endings
Philly is hype on Dave Grohl right now. I LOVE the Foo Fighters so much that I have the FF logo tattooed on me, but from a critical standpoint, their best work was from 1994 to 2006. The outlier being 2010’s Wasting Light. Somewhere along the way, Grohl reached Rock God status and thus began their dad rock decline. Biffy Clyro are often described as Scotland’s Foo Fighters, but Biffy Clyro never fell out of touch. 9-studio albums deep, the shirtless trio continue to release catchy alt-rock jams with lyrics that still feel relatable. A Celebration of Endings nods to more poppy, prog riffs. “The Champ” and “Worst Type of Best Possible” are stand out focus tracks.
Eric Slick – Wiseacre
Philly’s Eric Slick has been behind the kit for Dr. Dog since 2010. Along the way, he released music with bestie, Dominic Angelella as Lithuania and cut loose again with his sophomore LP, Wiseacre. Slick is a bit of a wiseacre himself in the silly, lighthearted sense – he’s constantly looking for the punchline. Just look at his Twitter! This record blends elements of psychedelic indie rock with hints of Philly soul, particularly on “Closer To Heaven,” a duet with wife Natalie Prass. Wiseacre has all the makings to be Slick’s first taste of independent commercial success. Focus tracks include “Kind of Person” and “Natalie” because who doesn’t love an on-the-nose love song? –Kevin
Part-time drummer/part-time singer-songwriter Eric Slick’s new record Wiseacre is a bright and warm collection of indie rock with a slight soul influence. Natalie Prass makes an appearance on the lovely “Closer To Heaven” and there’s even a “Quarantine” song on here! What?! Good stuff. (Highlights: “Closer To Heaven,” “Kind Of Person”) –Tyler
Young Jesus – Welcome to Conceptual Beach
Conceptual Beach. Glad to be here, thanks for having me. Remember when I just waxed poetic about Bruce Hornsby up there? ^^^ This record is if Bruce Hornsby was 27 right now and did a shit ton of DMT. (Highlights: “Pattern Doubt,” “(un)knowing”) –Tyler
Kathleen Edwards – Total Freedom
I was listening to Total Freedom (the first new Kathleen Edwards record in Nine Years!!), and I was like, “Damn. This sounds so good, who the fuck produced this??” I looked it up and was unsurprised it was the same dude who did Golden Hour by Kacey Musgraves. Tracks. Anyways, this new Kathleen Edwards record sounds really, really good and her songwriting is in top form. Who knew you could take nine years off, open a coffee shop, and come back with your best record yet? Kathleen Edwards knew. (Highlights: “Options Open,” “Ashes To Ashes”) –Tyler
Every week, Kevin & Tyler will take a look at 5 singles (The A-Side) and 5 albums (The B-Side) and report back on Kev & Ty's Record Club! - Reviewing last week's records today!
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