Tuesday Tracks: Your Weekly New Music Discovery – Oct. 6

Candi Carpenter, Josh Doyle, James Tillman, Compass, Plants and Animals, Mr. Bungle, Church of Roswell, The Snuts.

Clockwise from top left: James Tillman, Compass, Plants and Animals, Mr. Bungle, Church of Roswell (Candi Carpenter and Josh Doyle), and The Snuts.

Every week, there’s a plethora of new music at our fingertips.

Artists on platforms like Spotify and Bandcamp are plentiful, and the radio offers a steady deluge of new singles, but who has time to sort through all that? RIFF does!

We pooled our resources to find some of the best new singles from all genres and backgrounds, so you can find your newest earworm without all the drama. Enjoy this week’s hidden gems.

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Church Of Roswell, “The Witcher” — If you’ve ever tried to navigate the YouTube conspiracy theory rabbit hole, you’ll be in good company with Candi Carpenter and Josh Doyle. Their new collaborative project, Church of Roswell, finds the duo playing off of each other’s incredible vocal chops. The main riff bears repeating, but the song’s dynamics and atmosphere prove just as effective. “Our goal is to bring people together on a psychedelic quest through space and time,” Carpenter said about the song. “Is that too much to ask?” Not at all!



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The Snuts, “Always” — With whimsical singing, syncopated riffage and solid four-on-the-floor drumming, these Scotsmen prove that bands still have a place in pop music. Vocalist Jack Cochrane centered this song on finding self-acceptance in a romantic relationship, and that sense of peace and contentment has a profound presence in the music. His singing, while idiosyncratic in timbre, generates a genuinely happy vibe. It’s a song of reassurance… a comforting defense of idealized love.

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James Tillman, “Night Fire” — An aura of down-tempo, depressive soul takes hold on this Brooklyn artist’s latest single. Tillman’s melodic approach almost seems stream-of-consciousness as he glides through the stark, cold beat and quivering keyboard playing. The result is emotionally near, yet sonically in the clouds. It’s the kind of song that seems to end before it starts, but only because it puts you in a daze from which you never want to exit.



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COMPASS, “Hypocrite” — This London artist strikes a compelling balance of vocal and production-based music. Joel Compass layers his voice to flesh out the modulative aspects of “Hypocrite,” while allowing his crisp melodies to cut through the mirky soundscapes. Instruments maintain a natural ebb and flow, locked in with a steady drum loop. With urban grit in addition to its film noir aesthetic, COMPASS is an artist to keep an eye on in the alt-R&B landscape.

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Mr. Bungle, “Eracist” — With ex-Slayer drummer Dave Lombardo and Anthrax guitarist Scott Ian in tow, “Eracist” embodies the essence of rip-roaring thrash metal—while leaving from for the classic Mr. Bungle weirdness of guitarist Trey Spruance and bassist Trevor Dunn. The band’s first album in 20 years comes as a re-recording of its first demo (in 1985), and it has all of the vitality and youthful aggression that made thrash so good in the ’80s, especially in the crazed vocal performance of Mike Patton.



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Plants and Animals, “Love That Boy” — Guitarist-vocalist Warn Spicer sees this song as “a way to connect with my dead parents and with my new life as a dad, and to give everyone a proper hug.” The immersive sound of “Love That Boy” certainly achieves that goal, but the sentiment of reconciliation and unconditional love is needed more than ever as present political and social tensions turn families against each other again. With a lackadaisical beat, dreamy riffs and singalong choruses, “Love That Boy” packs for more depth than the usual feel-good bop.

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Max’s Pick: Remember that interview with Fenriz of Darkthrone where he talks about “boring thrash with great vocalists”? Mike Patton could easily carry the band himself, but the rest of Mr. Bungle and friends are equally skilled. Mr. Bungle’s current M.O. is playing metal very well. It also helps to have one of the most talented vocalists on the planet and some of the best players in the scene lending their chops to one of metal music’s most beloved subgenres. The riffs destroy, the lyrics hit hard and it’s clear every musician involved enjoyed themselves while writing this song.

Follow Max Heilman at Twitter.com/madmaxx1995 and Instagram.com/maxlikessound.

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