Amoeba Music

“You and me, together.” The parting lines of Show Me the Body’s overture track set the stage for a rousing album that encourages unity, nourished by the all-inclusive “we,” locked arm in arm, shoving through the BS that life has a penchant to sling our way, together. More

On Shearwater’s new release, The New World , they dial into expansive field recordings and rich instrumentals that float down to soft landings, rebuking the idea that the avant-garde exclusively thrives off chaos and angry noise. You can hear the grass whisper. More

On The Breakdown , Keb’ Mo’ gets personal about the hardships in his life, from soured relationships to having life-saving heart surgery, afflictions that he refuses to succumb to, nursing an inner light brimming with hope, carried over by his thumping blues ballads. More

Helado Negro and Reyna Tropical’s Fabi Reyna soar with their debut collaborative effort, Helado Tropical , suffusing varying genres like electronic, jazz, and pop with a warmth that decompresses the senses and suspends the mind. You’ll find yourself in a state of euphoric bliss. More

With Talk About It , the Isle of Wight boys continue to solidify their reputation as young punk heroes, fists clenched and bruised all over, sounding sharp as they spit out lyrics about the struggles of mundane life. Roll up your sleeves and hurdle into their mosh pit. More

Andrew Sa's American Rough wraps you up in its romance, hearkening to the golden days of dreamy vocals, of Roy Orbison and Chris Isaak, crooning out to the midnight prairies about the fleeting joys of love and the longer longings, the perennial heartbreak of gay courtship. More

On their latest, Mastodon sound aggressively hungry for the future, ready to blow the doors off. That eagerness is infectious. If Crack the Skye signaled the beginning of their second era, then Marrow Deep is the big bang of their third. This is a rebirth. More

Movements' latest is a gutpunch of an album. It's melodic and tense, the type of record that grabs you by the heart from the very first notes and refuses to let go. Yep, Happier Now doesn't sound all that happy, with brutally honest lyrics about emotions, life choices, and relationships. Moody and moving, this is a downbeat yet ultra-catchy pop-punk record from a band that deserves its cult following. More

This is one spectacular punk rock album. Australia's Ecca Vandal writes smart, fierce, chaotic earworms, fusing '77-style punk rock, noise, riot grrrl, pop-punk, trap, and maybe even a bit of grime. LOOKING FOR PEOPLE TO UNFOLLOW moves from genre to genre effortlessly, throwing in creative and surprising elements (concert piano, classic torch songs). A strangely beautiful, brilliantly confrontational album that's one of the most interesting, innovative, and hard-hitting things you'll hear this year. More

It's easy to see why Malcolm Todd is a star on the rise. His new album, Do That Again , is charming, vulnerable, and easy to love. Todd blends indie pop and contemporary R&B, keeping listeners on their toes with self-deprecating lyrics, unexpected musical flourishes, and melodies that pack an emotional punch. While the songs often feel intimate in nature, it's pretty clear that this is the sound of something big. This is the good stuff. More

The Strokes are back, people. On Reality Awaits , the band shows they're lightyears past the gritty garage sleaze of their early work. Working with Rick Rubin once more, they trade in disco-punk of 2000's The New Abnormal for a chilled out, woozy, synthed-up sound. Call it Yacht Strokes, call it weirdo pop...there's simply no categorizing this record. The band gets experimental, Julian Casablancas gets into autotune, the whole record gives listeners the easy-breezy sense of "on vacation with the Strokes." Languid, soulful, and totally unexpected, it's exciting stuff. More

Steve Lacy knows a thing or two about pleasure. His latest, Oh yeah? , just feels good...and yes, hedonism is a theme, but it's certainly not the only, or even the biggest dimension. Lacy jokes around (alternating between the juvenile and the relatable), he gets existential and even sometimes earnest when he's exploring personal or societal issues. It feels good to just sink into this album's blend of indie rock, psychedelia, soul, pop, and electronic, even as Lacy keeps listeners on their toes. Featuring SZA, Erykah Badu and Cecile Believe, Lacy sounds better than ever on this vibey, thoughtful, and sometimes just plain goofy album. More

A whole decade has passed since the release of Tycho's Epoch . The 10 Year Anniversary Edition of the LP comes on gorgeous blue and black marble vinyl and it sounds as immersive and magical as ever. The songs are dreamy and kaleidoscopic, a singular fusion of guitars and synths that's synonymous with the name Tycho. A fantastical, captivating, mood-enhancing album that sounds as fresh now as it did back in 2016. More

Terror sounds better than ever on their excellent new album, Still Suffer . The hardcore legends deliver brutal riffs, fierce and grinding percussion, and vocals that go straight to the heart. Anger and suffering take center stage...but so do change, recovery, and the ability to improve. It's heavy. It's cathartic. It's excellent. In sum, it's everything you want from the mighty Terror. More

Dua Saleh's Of Earth & Wires defies categorization. The LA-based artist blends alt-R&B, indie, electronic pop, baile funk, UK dance genres, and Sudanese funk into a warm, dreamy sound. Billy Lemos (SZA, Tinashe) executive produced the album, with Bon Iver, aja monet, and Gaidaa popping up for guest appearances. You've got to hear this life-affirming, transcendent, dizzyingly beautiful album. More

Upbeat and eclectic, Rostam's American Stories is some of his best work. Rostam's songwriting on the album was informed by his experience as an Iranian-American artist, and as a person living through turbulent times. Persian arrangements interweave with country twang and indie pop. Giddy strings rise to a crescendo before breaking into a plaintive piano melody with a hazy and haunting appearance by Clairo. American Stories feels very timely...yet also surprisingly optimistic. Uplifting, well-crafted, and smart. More

You'll laugh. You'll cry. You'll probably find Open Mike Eagle & Kenny Segal's woozy new album painfully relatable. The longtime pals collaborated on their first ever full-length effort and they're calling it DOOMED! . Rhymesayers refers to it as "the world’s first half-whimsical break-up album." Yeah, that's accurate. The beats are experimental, the lyrics alternately heartbroken and amusing as hell. A wildly creative, entertaining, emotionally affecting record about a relationship that was very wanted, but very much not gonna make it. More

For fans of heavy music, Melvins with Napalm Death is a match made in heaven. (Or hell?) Savage Imperial Death March finds sludge metal pioneers The Melvins partnering up with grindcore legends Napalm Death for a brutally intense outing. The eight tracks feature members of both bands playing together; the album is propulsive, no-holds-barred, and a seriously good time. Songs run the gamut from full-throated metal vocals with frenetic guitars and percussion to a menacing post-punk/sludge fusion. Both will have you shaking in your boots (in the good way, of course). More

Glen Hansard's Don't Settle series was recorded over two days, live in front of an audience in Berlin's Funkhaus studio. If you're a fan of the Irish singer/songwriter, you know that seeing Glen perform is a singular experience. Coinciding with his 55th birthday, these concerts serve as a retrospective of the artist's life and career. Don't Settle (Vol. 1 - Transmissions East) features powerful live reinterpretations of favorites like "Didn't He Ramble" and the slow-building, dramatic title track. It also spans his work as the frontman for The Frames and half of the Oscar-winning duo Swell Season. The setlist closes out with the melancholy, poignant "Wreckless Heart," leaving fans in anticipation for Vol. 2. More

What does the phrase/album title Big Modern conjure up for you? If you instantly think 1980s radio rock, then Goose has just the record for you. The band has expanded their jazzy/jammy sensibilities into sleek urban yuppie pop-rock...in a way that feels entirely natural. Jazz guitar, skittering percussion, yacht rock jamouts, Talking Heads-esque art rock, and Huey Lewis style hooks: it's all fair game here and Goose has concocted something strange, wonderful, and addictive. Recommended for fans of throwback art rock, Goose heads, and characters in early Bret Easton Ellis novels. More