League of Distortion, courtesy.

This week we’ve got some quality metal from League of Distortion and Low Flying Hawks, some fantastic ’90s throwback courtesy of Lips Speak Louder, a good but hard to describe gem from St. Lucia and fun jangle pop by Peach Pit, before we we bring it back down with the Bay Area’s Tycho.

St. Lucia, “Falling Asleep” — Every time I pick Tuesday Tracks, there’s one song that makes me look bad at my job. Not the part where I pick, but the part where I’m supposed to coherently write about it. “Falling Asleep” is very hard to describe, is what I’m saying. I love a song that mixes so many sounds and influences it confuses me a little. I seek those songs out, and this fits that description. Plus it helps that the chorus reminds me a little of Majestic’s super catchy remix of Boney M’s “Rasputin.” “Falling Asleep” is the first taste by St. Lucia of what Jean-Philip Grobler and company have coming next, following Utopia.

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Lips Speak Louder, “Hype” — I’m infamously stuck in the ’90s. I’m the sort of guy who’s worn flannel over Nirvana shirts so long that they eventually became trendy again. This means I love “Hype” because it would be a standout of the early ’90s riot grrl movement. The vocal tone, then grungy rhythm guitar lines with the meandering lead guitar; even the drumming evokes the best of that wonderful, too-short moment in time. Here’s hoping Lips Speak Louder are part of a larger trend and riot grrl comes back, along with the Nirvana T-shirts.

Peach Pit, “Magpie” — Let’s jump ahead a decade, from the ’90s to the ’00s. No, Peach Pit’s brand of jangly pop didn’t originate there. It’s been around in various forms since the ’60s. But this song strikes me as more The Shins than, say, Teenage Fanclub, you know? Though, of course, your mileage may vary. Anyway, “Magpie” is really good jangly pop, so if you’re into that sort of thing, I highly recommend it.

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League of Distortion, “Galvanize” — It just wouldn’t be my week for Tuesday Tracks if there wasn’t something from Napalm Records. This time it’s League of Distortion, which mixes grinding industrial metal influences with a smooth, melodic quality that many bands attempt but few get right. It’s right in a sweet spot I always forget I need until I hear it. And I didn’t even realize this when I picked them, but the singer is Anna Brunner of Exit Eden, who I’ve told you about if you read my column REWIND. Which you should. I tell you about bands like Exit Eden.

Low Flying Hawks, “Out For Blood” — Now let’s head down to Mexico City, where the pseudonymous AAL and EHA of Low Flying Hawks recorded their just-announced album, of which “Out For Blood” is our first taste. This time they added Mr. Bungle’s Trevor Dunn and the Melvins’ Dale Crover on bass and drums, respectively. Based on this first listen, it’s going to be heavy. Everyone either loves well-executed heaviness or just doesn’t know they love it yet—so we should all be excited to hear the rest of the album.

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Tycho, “Totem” — We end with Tycho, not the Penny Arcade writer or Danish astronomer, but the Sacramento-born, San-Francisco-based ambient musician and producer. This may seem like a departure from the various flavors of rock and metal so far, but that’s what makes it good. As much as I try, man cannot survive on metal alone. It’s always a good idea to listen to something like “Totem” to lower your blood pressure a bit and Scott Hansen is one of the best at it. He just released a new album, and if you’re a NorCal native, you owe it to yourself to check it out.

Danny’s pick: It was almost a three-way tie, but I’m going with League of Distortion. “Galvanize” is a really rare, really impressive feat, meshing two clashing styles of metal. The band absolutely nailed it.

Follow publisher Daniel J. Willis at @bayareadata.press on BlueSky.