I love how much discourse Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl performance has caused. I see a lot of folks online calling it the “worst halftime show ever” and I think most of those folks are either:
Too removed from rap and/or black culture to even understand Kendrick (like literally comprehending the words he’s saying without subtitles or a lyric sheet).
Too caught up in the Drake vs Kendrick beef to pick up on all the other imagery and symbolism that make Kendrick the bast kind of hater.
Amaya Lim’s breakdown of the performance explains some of the anti-colonialist and anti-white supremcist themes hidden throughout.
It’s a relief seeing massive corpoartions and celebrities leave New Orleans now that the Superb Owl is all over. No long opener this week, just felt like mentioning all that to preface some cool new(ish) music y’all should check out! Or don’t! Live your life.
Sidenote: If you live in New Orleans, a local magazine I work with called Antigravity just started a listings section. Check that out if you want to find cool stuff to do in the city.
Orbiting Punk Picks
M(h)aol - “Pursuit”
An eerie, frantic track from Dublin-based punk band M(h)aol, vocalist Constance Keane recalls being followed home by a strange man at 12 years old and the influence that fear has held on her life. Keane describes it as, “something most women have experienced, and something that makes you change your behavior on a very practical level.”
She sings about standing straight to look more like a man and how she picked the shoes she’s wearing to help her run away in a situation like this. It’s a poignant track with cool production choices and a stellar hook condensing down the frustrations of “being a woman in public.”
Garage Sale - “Sink In Yr Ship”
Australian shoegaze band Garage Sale fixes its gaze on nocturnal scenes illustrated by gleaming crescendos and heavy lows as stars fall.
Ekko Astral - “baethoven”
Self-described as “mascara moshpit” and “gender rock,” this track stood out to me with its meaty bassline, Jael Holzman’s raucous chorus and the organ and guitar splitting everything apart. Queer punk with a Frank Ocean reference, what’s not to love?
Her New Knife - “purepurepure”
Like empty glass bottles clashing, little chimes dot this grungy shoegaze track as a filthy bass tone lays out a gothic backdrop for Edgar Atencio’s hush vocals. It’s an expansive track full of tension that slowly unfurls into a chaotic release.
Friko - “Pride Trials”
I recently gave Friko’s debut album Where we’ve been, Where we go from here a full listen and it’s a beautiful record capturing a spectrum of emotions and genres ranging from power-pop to post-punk to emo and indie. This track definitely falls more on the latter as a gorgeous acoustic ballad with lush production sounding like a mix of Sufjan Stevens and Conor Oberst.
I interpret it to be about masculinity and how intergenerational parenting mistakes as well as toxic societal standards lead dysfunctional relationships between fathers and sons. Stubbornness and arrogance lead both parties to feel alienated, trapped and unable to mend themselves.
Vocalist Niko Kapetan pleads to make amends and break the cycle before it’s too late. It’s poetic and moving.
Maruja - “Aon”
British band post-punk Maruja looks towards Celtic folklore as inspiration for their forthcoming EP Tir na nÓg releasing February 21. It’s an instrumental improvisational record and this track “Aon,” the Gaelic word for “one” or “oneness” is of course the first track (or rather movement?) of the EP.
I’m a big fan of their initial EP “Knocknarea” with its grand instrumentals, dire lyrics and of course that crooning saxophone. The upcoming EP seems to take those instrumental elements a bit further to inspire an ambient and mythical experience for the listener by blending elements of jazz with more Eastern influences like Sufi music.
Check out that first EP and if you like it, then I recommend giving this more psychedelic, instrumental track a shot.
Heartworms - “Jacked”
More rad basslines, more feelings of being chased and more tension building but this time a bit more goth.