What the Bandcamp Daily editors are listening to right now.
Couch Slut
You Could Do It Tonight
Vinyl LP, Compact Disc (CD), Cassette, T-Shirt/Shirt, Sweater/Hoodie, Hat
What’s the difference between a punk rock band from New York City and a New York City Punk Rock Band? Simple: the first is an arbitrary geographical classification, while the second is a rare ideal embodied by a select few that reflects the unique (and infamous) character of the Big Apple itself; its serendipity and magic and violence and, of course, the incessant stank. Couch Slut’s fourth album, recorded with Uniform guitarist Ben Greenberg, earns them a place in the latter category. A hulking slab o’ gutter-punk splattered with industrial metal and droning alternative rock, it‘s got the tense, sensationalist thrust you’d expect from a city slasher flick (the lyrics tend to favor violent and sexual imagery; you’ve been warned), elevated by unbridled arrangements and instrumentation (trumpets and flutes? In my metal??) reminiscent of Suicide and Sonic Youth. Authentic New York City shit, right down to a ripper inspired by a Bushwick dive bar (“Ode To Jimbo”).
–Zoe Camp
Jay Royale
The Bea Gaddy Soup Kitchen
More than anyone else, the delivery of Baltimore rapper Jay Royale recalls—in both sound and cadence—the legendary Big L. Though he’s a decade into a formidable career, like the late New York rapper he sounds young and spirited, putting whole bars over on his enthusiasm alone. And like Big L, his writing is complex—every line is packed with a tangle of complicated internal rhymes, but Royale spits them like they’re all occurring to him in real-time, giving every song the sense of endless sudden epiphany. The Bea Gaddy Soup Kitchen, released last month, is his strongest work to date. He gets an assist from a bevy of top-tier production—Mika Dough’s foreign spy movie backdrop for “Szechuan” could stand as a track on its own—as well as high-wattage guests like Estee Nack, RJ Payne, and Vega7 the Ronin. But every time Royale enters a track, he makes it clear why the project is his. Take “Bullion Cube”: Estee Nack has never sounded bad on a track, and he doesn’t here, either; but when Royale shows up at the one-minute mark he tractor-beams all energy toward him in a way that commands attention, breathlessly dishing out a series of dazzling interlocking rhyme patterns. He may recall the sound of voices past, but his deftness and panache are entirely his own.
–J. Edward Keyes
Ronesh
Lead The Orchestra
Vinyl LP, Vinyl, Compact Disc (CD)
The latest from Ronesh is aptly named. Across its 12 tracks, the Oakland-based beatmaker and MC serves as the conductor, providing moody, murky backdrops over which an all-caps cast of guest MCs—among them Open Mike Eagle, Psalm One, Che Noir, Stik Figa, and more—spin up mostly first-person narratives about navigating life as the years advance. Early in the album, NotPo3 offers what may be the album’s theme lyric, “In the real world, people get old,” and even the album’s younger players demonstrate a wisdom that feels hard won. Case in point, Che Noir, who herself is only 30 (and is easily one of today’s best working rappers) sketches out her life in sharp strokes on “Remains Remain Nameless,” rapping: “Tongue is a weapon I often use/ The ghetto only comes with instructions on how to lose/ Kitchen cabinets, crack rocks and food/ That silver fork I had in the road was not a spoon/ Dope lines that I spit don’t come in vain/ Gave you pieces of my life, I’m a product of what remains.” Decay the Llama sounds a similar note in “Psychological Warfare”: “I pledge allegiance to the streets that raised me.” Ronesh is the glue throughout; his big, stately productions give everything a 70mm scope—wide, grim, cinematic—and he layers strings, horns, and rolling pianos in a way that provides ample room for his players to shine. A gripping epic, from start to finish.
–J. Edward Keyes
Reyna Tropical
Malegría
Vinyl LP, Compact Disc (CD)
On her debut LP, L.A.’s Reyna Tropical delivers a gorgeous collection of Latin indie pop brimming with tropical sensuality and heart. Taking its title from a little-used word for “bittersweet”—a combination of mal, meaning “bad,” and alegría, meaning “happy”—Malegría presents an effusive cocktail of Afro-Indigenous polyrhythms; fluid, dreamy guitar riffs; and Reyna’s soft, soothing vocals—all of which belie the album’s more political edge. Formed over the course of two years in deep collaboration with her “musical soulmate” Nectali “Sumohair” Díaz, the joy they took in creating together positively radiates off of every track even as their lyrics address issues like neo-colonialism in the form of spiritual tourists (“La Mamá”) or colorism in Latin America (“Mestizaje”). The sunny grooves and sparkling melodies of songs like “Cartagena” and “Conocerla” are absolutely infectious and the recordings of bird song that are layered throughout (inspired by the duo’s travels through Colombia, Mexico, and Puerto Rico) imbue the record with a humid calm. So it was with great sadness that I learned that Díaz passed away in 2022, making Malegría a tribute to their musical partnership. (Peppered throughout the album are voice-note interludes presumably recorded by the two of them during their studio sessions and on one we can hear Díaz exclaim, “This is one of the few things that make me happy, really!” Great, now I’m crying.) A celebration of culture, identity, and partnership, Malegría is an expression of profound joy even in the face of profound sadness.
–Stephanie Barclay
Various Artists
Rare Soundtracks & Lost Tapes (1973-1984)
Vinyl LP
Paris label Transversales Disques surfaces lost music from French composer and jazz pianist Alain Goraguer, best known for his work as an arranger for Serge Gainsbourg and for composing the fascinating La Planète Sauvage soundtrack (not necessarily in that order). The pieces on Rare Soundtracks & Lost Tapes are, as promised, two underheard scores and some loose change orchestral music found, per the liner notes, “in the vaults of French national radio.” If you count yourself an appreciator of Goraguer’s talent for lacquering commercial textures and baroque sounds over the drippy sentimentality of mid-century orchestral music (i.e. if you like electric harpsichords), you’ll find much to enjoy on this interesting piece of 70s ephemera.
Various Artists
GIANTS
Compact Disc (CD), Vinyl Box Set
This humongous compilation from beloved video game music label Brave Wave Productions ranks among the most anticipated releases on Bandcamp this year so far, as previously reported in The Hotlist, and honestly, how could it not be? Over six years in the making, the 22-song collection assembles 26 of the very best to ever grace the medium, from the minds responsible for Mega Man, Ninja Gaiden, Bayonetta, Sonic the Hedgehog, and Final Fantasy scores to contemporary legends like Raine (Celeste). Unlike most VGM comps, though, Giants’s staying power stems not just from the covers but the unprecedented collaborations showcased on original tracks like “Ultramarine,” a dreamy mind-meld between Takashi Tateishi (Mega Man 2), Harumi Fujita (Mega Man 3), and Tee Lopes (Sonic Mania). It’s 98 minutes of nerdy musical euphoria, and with gorgeous visuals to boot.
