Liner Notes (June 24th, 2023)

Posted by Jason TateJun 24, 2023

This week’s newsletter looks at new music out this week and has some other random thoughts about music and entertainment. There’s also a playlist of ten songs worth your time, and this week’s supporter Q&A post can be found here.

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A Few Things

Hannah and my sister are heading to the coast today for their yearly joint birthday celebration. So, I’m here at home alone for the day. After finishing up some morning errands, I figured I could sit down for a little while and put together a newsletter before heading outside for a bit. The weather looks perfect, and some record shops and bookstores are calling my name.
We’re working on our best of the year (so far) feature for publication in early July. There have been many great albums released so far this year, and the second half is already stacked. (Still crossing my fingers Jimmy Eat World will put something out too.)

Sponsor

Xyzxyz just released their self-titled debut and it’s available on Bandcamp. They self-describe as a mix between Green Day and the Pixies and to get an idea of their sound, you can check out the video for “Distant Circles.”

Like what you hear? Grab the album on vinyl or digital.

Music Thoughts

Not a bad week for new music; let’s start with the new Valley album. It’s very much in the vein of Lany, Nightly, or Lauv. Synth-dripped pop music that is relatively inoffensive but pleasant to listen to. It doesn’t do anything you haven’t heard before, but if you like this genre, it’s a solid entry for a breezy summer afternoon listen.
I enjoyed the new Maisie Peters album more than I expected. I liked her previous release but had no real expectations here. I love to see how much Olivia Rodrigo has influenced music over the past few years because I think there’s a pretty direct line from that to a lot of the music we listened to growing up. I have it on now as I write and could see this sitting in rotation for the next few months.
The new Trophy Eyes album is good but heavy – subject matter-wise – which makes it an album I’ll need to be in a specific mood to put on. I like the risks they took with many of the songs; vocals sound great.
The new Boys Like Girls song is stupidly good. Like, ask ChatGPT to make a song predestined to be something I love in 2023 good. Everything I love about The Night Game with a little more energy. I need this album. This weather demands it.
The new Carly Rae Jepson single feels very mid-cycle b-side. I love the delivery of the start of the pre-chorus. That reminds me, I need to put her last back into my rotation.
The new Militarie Gun album reminds me a lot of how I thought about the latest White Reaper release — damn fun rock n roll. The kind of album I like to throw on at the gym when I can’t decide what to listen to.
The new Koyo album doesn’t come out until the end of September, but it was my most-played album of the week. It feels almost like an album of out a different era — when Long Island bands ruled the scene. Gives me big A Wilhelm Scream and The Movielife vibes.
When I wake up, sit down at the computer to start my day, and the sun is coming in the window, I can’t think of a better band to reach for than The Starting Line. Their entire discography is perfect for this time of year. And the rumors, we may be getting new music from them? Need it. Please, for the love of all that is holy, don’t sound like it’s recorded thin and bury the vocals. I love those last three songs they released; as songs, they’re as good as anything they’ve ever done. But the production actively hurts my ears.
I’ve been trying to go back and listen to the entire Drive-Thru Records catalog. Not just the albums that have been in constant rotation for years but the bands/albums that have been forgotten over time. That House of Fools EP is underrated (and the full-length released years later, not on DTR, also holds up). Halifax? That EP still sounds like they curbed Taking Back Sunday a little too much, and the LP has some fun songs.

The Stats: Over the past week, I listened to 45 different artists, 64 different albums, and 585 different tracks (668 scrobbles). My most-played artist of the week was The Starting Line (god damn, are they perfect for this sunny weather), with my most-played album being the new one from Koyo. Here is my Top 9 from last week, and you can follow me on Apple Music and/or Last.fm.

Entertainment Thoughts

You Hurt My Feelings was fine. Nothing amazing, not bad, and a little, “Hey, can you jackasses just talk to each other?” at times.
Jury Duty is as good as everyone told me it was. Charming, awkward, and funny.
Blindspotting season two was incredible. If it doesn’t get another season, the ending was perfect.

Random and Personal Stuff

That’s all I got this week. It’s sunny out; the day’s ahead of me; I think I’m going to put on some headphones and wander through the city. I hope everyone had a good week and is enjoying their weekend.

Ten Songs

Here are ten songs that I listened to and loved this week. Some may be new, some may be old, but they all found their way into my life during the past seven days.

Boys Like Girls – Language
Maisie Peters – Body Better
Valley – Have a Good Summer (Without Me)
L.S. Dunes – Benadryl Subreddit
House of Fools – Cover Me
Militarie Gun – Never F****d Up Once
Koyo – Anthem
Bilmuri – All Gas
Trophy Eyes – Runaway, Come Home
Carly Rae Jepsen – Shy Boy

This playlist is available on Spotify and Apple Music.

Community Watch

The trending and popular threads in our community this week include:

The most liked post in our forums last week was this one by AlwaysEvolving21 in the “Q&A and Chat With Jason Tate” thread

Previous editions of Liner Notes can be found here.

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