I remember when I first listened to Boyscott when Goosebumps lead single “Nova Scotia 500” popped up on my Discover Weekly playlist. As a 14 year old boy still getting into indie music, this track helped me begin my journey into the scene. Nearly a decade later, the band has returned to drop their Sophomore LP, a worthy successor to Goosebumps. Filled with tracks from deep in the vault,, Spellbound offers an experience similar to getting a group of old friends together to go on a pleasant road trip down the coast.
Opener “Rocky Road”, sees the band quickly hit their stride. With their ability to quickly recapture the whimsical nature of their sound, Boyscott transports the listener to a nice scenic drive down the mountainside. “Rocky Road” manages to deliver in the same vein as “Nova Scotia 500” with its upbeat percussion and stunning vocal harmonies.
Folk rock has become a mainstay within the indie scene and it’s become bittersweet in a way. The fact that there are so many people enjoying the genre and looking for artists within this field of music makes me so happy. However the overabundance of artists working in the genre has led to a lower standard of quality within the genre of music. Many acts feel paper thin and can feel lifeless within their music. But Hovvdy proves that the standard we should be striving for is higher than I could have anticipated.
While I was originally introduced to Hovvdy on their album Heavy Weight, it took me till their record True Love to begin to fall in love with the folk group. The lush vocals, soothing guitars, and steady drumming made the music from this band reverberate inside of me. It’s this feeling of resonance that is something unique I believe in the folk genre and this album proves that my experience with the band wasn’t a fluke.
The Angies, a local Philly alternative band, released yet another amazing EP this year, titled “Body Farm.” This is their second EP, following 2021’s “Civil Dusk.” At only fourteen minutes, it’s a quick yet potent listen that leaves you with a strong desire to seek out more of their work. It’s unknown when they’ll release their first album, but their current catalog of music makes it a highly anticipated announcement. However, we’re not there yet, so let’s get into “Body Farm.”
The EP starts off with their single “Killing is a Bore” that gives a punchy intro to “Body Farm.” The singing style reminded me of some of the heavier Mannequin Pussy songs, and the constant and fast drums give you a rush as you listen. There’s also a sick guitar solo in the middle with fast shreds that match the quick pace of the song. The next song, “Squeal,” follows with a similar sound and features cathartic yelling reminiscent of 90’s riot grrrl and classic punk acts, which act as clear influences on the band.
Photo by Michael Schmelling, Instagram @Michael_Schmelling
It’s been five years since NYC indie golden boys Vampire Weekend released their fourth album, Father of The Bride. FOTB deviated a bit in the sound and atmosphere fans and critics were used to and wound up being received with the most mixed reception of their careers so far. While it was mostly positive, part of me thinks Ezra Koenig and Co. missed the near-unanimous praise their original trilogy was lauded with when making their fifth record, Only God Was Above Us.
It’s remarkable how Vampire Weekend has managed to recapture the sound of their best work. They even find the time to make call backs to the classics (catch the “Mansard Roof” groove on “Connect”). They’ve always had one of the more unconventional and creative combinations of pop genres and elements from across music so I’m glad to see them return to and continue to expand upon it here. Cycling, busy drum grooves, winding guitar riffs and intricate layers of pianos and strings underscore pristine pop melodies in a display that shows the band’s understanding and mastery over their unique sound.
Hello everyone! After a 2 year hiatus, we’re finally bringing Communiqué back. YAY!!! For our first entry, we’ve asked a few of our DJs to share their favorite albums of Q1 of 2024. Keep reading to see what DJs Noah, Leah, and Lukas have been loving 🙂
Noah’s Picks
100% Prod I.V. by Lucy (Cooper B. Handy)
Massachusetts-based artist Lucy drunkenly delivers consistently catchy hooks over quirky, minimal and unconventional plugg and trap style beats. His very matter-of-fact lyrical style ranges from cutesy to achingly honest. Some might be thrown off by the whiny, mumbled vocals but if you can appreciate their uniqueness, you’ll be rewarded by a record that shines in its simplicity and boyish charm.
This is WKDU interviewing glaive, aldn, and midwxst at The Foundry. Thank you for having us.
Max: How are you guys today?
glaive (Ash): Cold.
aldn (Alden): Good.
midwxst (Edgar): Cold as f*ck.
Max: Have you guys eaten today?
Ash: I ate a little bit but not much.
Alden: I drank coffee.
Edgar: I ate a slice of pizza.
Ryce: So is this your first time in Philly?
Alden: Second time.
Ash: First time.
Edgar: Second time.
Ryce: Did you guys do any sightseeing?
Alden: No, sadly.
Ash: No.
Edgar: None, at all.
Alden, Ash, Edgar: *laughs*
Ryce: Have you guys tried any authentic Philly cheesesteaks while you were here?
Alden: I wish.
Ash: We had Starbucks.
Edgar: I had a burger.
Ryce: Well if you guys do, my personal favorite is Steve’s. It’s in Center City.
Ash: Oh, we’re here tomorrow!
Alden: Yeah, we are.
Ryce: Oh! Okay, so there’s two locations. There’s one in Center City but there’s also one in Northeast Philly. If you guys are willing to drive that far, you should check it out.
Ash: We’ll just get an Uber regardless.
Max: D’Alessandro’s is also fire.
Ryce [to Max]: But I’m from Philly, you’re not. (I’m sorry Max *crying emoji*)
Max: Do you guys have any pre-show rituals?
Alden: Um, we hum.
Ash: I get so nervous I almost throw up every time.
Alden: We fight each other.
Edgar: We fight each other to the death.
Ash: We fight each other and then sometimes on rare occasions, we kiss.
*Laughter*
Alden: Butt-naked.
Edgar: And we cuddle.
Ash: Yup!
Edgar: A lot.
Max: So how has the tour been so far?
Edgar: It’s been good.
Ash: Dope!
Alden: So fun.
Edgar: Very fun.
Alden: I don’t wanna go home.
Ash: Yeah, I have to go home after this. It’s gonna be very depressing.
Ryce: What has been your favorite city? Are there any cities you guys are looking forward to playing?
Alden: Boston, because I know people there.
Ash: I’m really excited to go back to Chicago. I think it’s, like, a good city. It’s gonna be fun.
Alden: I’ve never been there.
Edgar: I’m excited for Detroit and Chicago. Both because I’m from the midwest so those are both states that I have like- my sister goes to school in Michigan so it’s gonna be fun.
Max: You guys have been together for the past month or so. How has working with each other and essentially living with each other been?
Edgar: Chaos.
Ash: Fun. It’s been really fun. *laughs*
Alden: Fun. Really fun, yeah.
Ash: We’ve had some good times.
Edgar: I’ve had some very good times.
Alden: I feel like most of the time it’s Ash and I because Edgar has a different bus-
Edgar: Yeah, I have my own travel-
Alden: -But we are together most of the time
Edgar: But we are together a lot.
Alden: Yeah, and we have a lot of fun.
Ash: *laughs*
Ryce: I know you guys are really young, so in high school, during Covid times, did you feel outcasted? Like did you feel like you missed out on being a normal teenager? Not just with Covid getting in the way of making those social connections but also blowing up at such a young age and going on tour?
Alden: I feel like that’s more for Ash.
Edgar: Ash, and me.
Ash: I haven’t been to in-person school since freshman year so I don’t really know. I went for a few months and it was really weird but right now I just do online school. So I can’t really say tbh.
Edgar: I was in physical school and then it went online like junior year and it was kinda like a rough patch for me because junior and senior year were both supposed to be like “the best years of high school” for me and I didn’t get to experience them fully and I had to wear masks inside. It kinda sucked but it was decent because I was able to pass my classes.
Alden: Yeah, I mean, I feel like when school went online I just cheated so I kinda liked it.
*Laughter*
Ryce: *Laughs* I think we all did.
Edgar: Real as f*ck. I think we all did.
Alden and Ryce: Yeah.
Alden: And then I dropped out.
Max: It’s hard not to.
Ash: Amazing!
Max: I know you guys have done some work with Overcast. I work with Tom The Mailman (@tomthemailman), if you know him.
Ash: Yeah, I f*ck with him
Edgar: Shout out Tom.
Do you guys have any strong connections over there at Overcast?
Edgar: Tommy (@fixedfortommy) is on my team for my label. And also this man right here, Hasan, he’s been filming everything on tour.
Alden: Tommy is also on my team.
Ash: Yeah, we all love Tommy.
Edgar: Yeah, we all love Tommy. We all love them.
Alden: And we f*ck with Hasan.
Ash: We f*ck with Hasan more than life itself.
Edgar: We f*ck with Hasan more than life.
(Editorial Note: Tom the Mail Man is an artist affiliated with Overcast, and @fixedfortommy or Tommy Bauer is with Overcast Arizona)
Max: Why should people pay attention to you?
Edgar: Because we’re ourselves. Like we know who we are, we have an identity, and we make good music at the end of the day.
Ash: There’s literally no reason. It literally doesn’t matter. If you like my music, listen to it but if you don’t I literally don’t care.
Alden: Yeah, I don’t care but I produce all my own stuff so I work a lot on my sh*t. So thank you.
Check out glaive’s old dog, new tricks if you haven’t already! You can catch glaive, aldn, and midwxst on all streaming platforms <3
