Fresh Tracks: 3/8/24

Music from St. Vincent, Waxahatchee + 6 more

You haven’t seen your Internet farm cat in months, presumed he’d picked a fight with the wrong coyote.

But this tabby’s got a few more lives in the barrel. Here are a few tunes that found their way under my claws in 2024 so far.

M.E. Netzke, “Gave Up Trying to Be Your Friend”

Fraser Valley resident M.E. Netzke is a perfect example of the local gem. His voice and songwriting chops have you placing him next to icons (Nick Cave, Andrew Bird, Hiss Golden Messenger, etc.), but his fanbase is so small, you’d be forgiven for not being in-the-know no matter how close your ear is to the ground.

Chemtrails, “Join Our Death Cult”

This British band sounds like a snot-nosed New Pornographers. Those guitar tones and song structures almost have you looking in the liner notes for Carl Newman’s name. That sound, combined with the sarcastic nihilism expressed in “Join Our Death Cult” offers up a perfect soundtrack to their relocation from London to Manchester.

Would’ve made for an excellent addition to the anarchy playlist.

Bombay Bicycle Club & Liz Lawrence, “Blindfold”

A good sign that a band’s recently release some of their best work: within a year, they follow it up with material that didn’t fit on the LP but was too good to get left on the cutting room floor.

In terms of quality, every song on Fantasies could’ve easily ended up on My Big Day, Bombay Bicycle Club’s excellent album from last year. “Blindfolded” is my personal favourite, but any one of the other three tracks on the EP could just as easily be yours.

DijahSB, “How R U”

Any song that namedrops a national treasure like Nardwaur the Human Serviette deserves a shoutout from me, but there’s a lot more to love about Toronto rapper DijahSB’s new record, The Flower That Knew, than Can-con Easter eggs.

Their self-reflective lyrics cut to the chase especially clear in “How R U,” a song that daringly veers away from the common response to the question posed in its title. It was a perfect intro to an album I’m bound to spend more time with in the coming months.

Adrianne Lenker, “Fool”

Nothing sets a sad song up like unrequited love. And nothing will make you feel more foolish. True to form, Lenker nails that feeling in this new single. At this point, should we expect anything less from the Big Thief singer and songwriter?

Waxahatchee, “Bored”

When it comes to Waxahatchee, I know I’m late to the party. Better late than never, I guess. This one’s the second single from her sixth album, the upcoming Tigers Blood, and it definitely doesn’t evoke its namesake state of mind. The lyrics alone will keep you occupied, deciphering the relationships between one line and another. Whether you find a way in or come up short, I’m betting the song will put you in a good mood.

Mk.gee, “Alesis”

Mk.gee’s debut album, Two Star & the Dream Police, has quickly become my favourite record of the year so far. I’m a sucker for this type of alternative music: the kind that sounds like it was put together using dream logic.

“Alesis” is one of the most straight-forward, stand-alone tracks on Two Star, and there’s just something about this guy’s voice that drills its way to my soul. Think of it as a doorway into this gem of an album.

St. Vincent, “Broken Man”

Annie Clark (aka. St. Vincent) knows how to keep us on our toes. She moved progressively toward pop (or at least her version of it) over the last decade, but just when you thought she was headed toward the mainstream, she puts out a return to form like this.

“Broken Man” reminds me why I fell in love with her music. It explodes with righteous, feminine anger while keeping things catchy. Hopefully her upcoming release, All Born Screaming, arrives with more like this.

---

What about you?

Anything reach your ears this year that you’d like to share?