March 9, 2021 by A.S. Van Dorston

As I begin writing this it’s International Women’s Day. There’s all kinds of worthy tributes and historical pieces floating about today on the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women. I don’t have anything so ambitious, but it’s worth noting that over half of my current top 30 for 2021 are women artists, or bands lead or co-lead by women. I’ll start with two recent releases, then revisit the others.

Mere Women – Romantic Notions (Poison City)

Exactly a decade after releasing their debut single “Sun Rising / Waves” (2011), Sydney, Austrialian post-punkers Mere Women have come out with their fourth and best album. Lead by singer/keyboardist Amy Wilson and guitarist Flyn Mckinnirey, the band’s rough, discordant sound compared favorably to the punk noir of the likes of The Drones/Tropical Fuck Storm and Bambara with trace evidence of Flyn’s goth upbringing. They have gradually expanded their reach to include Kate Bush, Siouxsie & the Banshees, and even some doom and post-rock into the mix. By their third album, Big Skies (2017), they made clear their ambitions, to “actively break barriers and predictable, unimaginative musical structures that reinforce the status quo of male dominated popular music.”

Romantic Notions sees them realize those ambitions more successfully than ever. Inspired by stories from her grandmother about the complicated relationship of her great-grandparents, Wilson examines the dark side of relationship power dynamics. While the band maintains some of their raucous cacophony in the title track and “Time Stands Still” (before it settles into post-rock atmospherics), the band most often locks into a lugubrious groove, such as on the mournful “W.Y.G.” and the haunting “Charms.” “Someone Loves You” starts with a vibraphone that could easily have turned into a big sounding 80s production along the lines of Peter Gabriel or Tears For Fears. If there was an urge to go over the top, it was reigned in, and the poppy hook was merely an accent for another slow, moody burner that is all the more emotionally powerful for it.

Those who have lamented that Savages haven’t released an album since 2016 can take heart in the fact that several other young artists have picked up where they left off, and in the case of Mere Women, arguably surpassed them.

Nightshift – Zöe (Trouble In Mind)

Glasgow’s, Nightshift are on creative overdrive. While some bands take several years to develop, Nightshift has released their second album only five months after their self-titled debut from September. That album has gotten plenty of turns on my playlist thanks to the fat, wobbly bass that comes in at 2:15 on “Flat Earther,” a great way to test the low end of various headphones. Zöe sees the band quickly evolving from clattering post-punk to something more complex and ethereal. It was recorded remotely during quarantine, assembling parts piecemeal. While the patchwork collage style is there, which brings to mind some of the quirky toy instrument experiments of Pram, there’s also a sinewy cohesiveness that reveals an affinity for Can-like jams, and more lush elements of trip jam. The longest track, “Power Cut” threatens to float away like an untethered helium balloon. The wide-ranging creative approaches to sound on each of the tracks reminds me of the giddy time in the early 90s when Pram’s Too Pure labelmates like Moonshake, Stereolab, Th’ Faith Healers and Laika shared a common exploratory spirit rooted in psychedelic post-punk and kosmische. I look forward to hearing what Nightshift comes up with next, possibly in under eight to ten months.

Goat Girl – On All Fours (Rough Trade)

Goat Girl has gone through some changes since their blues punk, garage noir flavored self-titled debut in 2018. The lazy shorthand is they have integrated synths and drawn inspiration from Stereolab. But there’s much more brewing under the surface, like the wobbly toy instrument textures of Stereolab’s Too Pure labelmates Pram and Laika. The languidly expansive performances brush past trip hop and tap into evocatively rich sonic vibes shared more recently by the likes of Groupie, Fassine, Patio, Body Type, Warpaint and Peluché, who described their approach as trip jam. It works for them, as it clearly sounds like the band had spent time playing together in a room, letting the groove take them for a ride. Ellie Rose Davis’ deadpan vocals have grown more nuanced to match the more diverse, gently psychedelic music. The prickly lyrics continue to delve in personal politics and conflicts, but also hint at simmering passion. The fact that Davis would be driven to complete an album while also battling Hodgkin lymphoma underlines her drive. With that spirit, I’m confident she and Goat Girl will be around for a long time.

Groupie – Ephemeral (Groupie)

Brooklyn’s Groupie, lead by Ashley Kossakowski and Johanna Healy, are similarly introspective as Goat Girl, with some shared influences, and a . Their brand of post-punk taps more into surf and dream pop with fluid mid-period Raincoats groove and dubby Bovell-produced Slits bass tones. The propulsive bass really drives tunes like “Poor You,” which ends up with some of the album’s shoutiest punk moments most in line with their Validated EP (2018). The staccato guitar riff in “Critic’s Eye” reminds me of The Rakes’ “Open Book” in a good way. “Daleko” is sung in Polish, while “Lonely Dog” and “No Hands” suggests some of the best quiet-loud dynamics of The Breeders. The most exciting debut of the year so far.

Kabbalah – The Omen (Ripple) Jan 15

Spanish occult psych noir/prog band levels up on their second album enough to compare favorable with peers Purson, Blood Ceremony and Jess and the Ancient Ones.

Still Corners – The Last Exit (Wrecking Light) Jan 22

I noted each of Still Corners’ previous four albums, always under the umbrella of promising bands to keep an eye on. Their psychedelic dream pop hits the right buttons, with a bit of smoky Mazzy Star influence. But on their fifth, they brought their desert noir vibes out front more and it all clicked. This has grown on me quickly, and climbed up the list like a tarantula creeping up from your toes to your head.

Pom Poko – Cheater (Bella Union) Jan 15

Pom Poko is a noise pop band from Trondheim Norway, who came out with the bouncy, herky-jerky debut Birthday in 2019, which incorporated art punk, math rock and zolo. Their approach is slightly more refined and less chaotic on the new album, a fresh sounding, energetic piece of indie pop.

Palberta – Palberta5000 (Wharf Cat) Jan 22

Since 2013, NYC experimental post-punk trio Palberta have explored a prickly mix of art rock, no wave and noise that made for some fascinating, but often difficult listening. For their fifth album, they took inspiration from mainstream pop, and ended up in a pretty great middle ground that mixes well with contemporaries like Pom Poko and Goat Girl.

Yasmin Williams – Urban Driftwood (Spinster) Jan 29

Virginia’s Yasmin Williams’ instrumental guitar picking may partially fit into the American Primitivism bucket, but has DNA in so much more, including even the guitar hero video game. Her second album includes West African instruments kora and djembe, and she explores dreamy atmospheric ambient country. A cosmic, cool development.

Tamar Aphek – All Bets Are Off (Kill Rock Stars)

There’s a new guitar hero on the scene. Already tagged “Israel’s guitar goddess” by Timeout Tel-Aviv, Tamar Aphek has a fresh approach to noisy indie guitar rock, borrowing improvisational techniques from bebop to put a unique spin on classic blues guitar. If she keeps this up she could be as influential as Mary Timony (Autoclave, Helium, Ex Hex) and Annie Clark (St. Vincent). Uri Kutner and Yuval Garin ably complete the power trio as a fluid rhythm section. They can jam (“Nothing Can Surprise Me”) and reign it in for some tautly wound pop (“Russian Winter”). There’s plenty of room for growth, as I imagine the band will venture into a more cohesive approach as they progress. I can’t wait to hear it.

Gloria – Sabbat Matters (Howlin’ Banana)

Gloria of Lyon, France showed lots of potential with their debut of garage psych pop, In Excelsis Stereo (2016) and Oidophon Echorama EP (2018). Their second full-length sees them progressing nicely, with Marie-Louise Bourgeois replacing Béatrice Morel-Journel, sharing vocal duties with Amy Winterbotham and Wendy Martinez. Both the harmonies and solo vocals are enhanced by more engaging songwriting, moving from 60s girl group influences and dipping into some slightly darker, early 70s prog. The increasingly sticky and complex songwriting edges toward the brilliant scale and ambition of Rosalie Cunningham (Purson).

Jane Weaver – Flock (Fire)

Jane Weaver is a true blue musical veteran, having been involved in bands and solo albums for over two decades. She first caught my attention with the gorgeous art pop/psych pop of The Silver Globe (2014). Her dabblings with dream pop, ambient pop and space rock since then have been all worth collecting, but Flock is her strongest batch of pop songs in seven years.

Altin Gün – Yol (Glitterbeat)

Amsterdam’s Altin Gün has specialized in Turkish Anatolian psych rock from the 1970s on their first two albums, On (2018) and Gece (2019). On their third, they introduce synthpop to the mix, and not just the 70s kosmische variety. While there’s certainly analog gear that reference disco and early 80s new wave, there’s also some tunes that sound completely contemporary, though certainly more eclectic with their globalist approach than what you find in the charts. I’m usually disappointed when bands decide to drop their guitars for synths, but this band integrates the changes extremely well, making for a bubbly, even uplifting experience.

Beautify Junkyards – Cosmorama (Ghost Box)

Cobalt Chapel – Orange Synthetic (Klove)

Onceiwasyoung – A Lonely New Year EP

Posted in: Bandcamp, Listicles, New Album(s) of the Week, Rants, Reviews, Videos/Singles

Tagged: Altin Gün, Gloria, Jane Weaver, Mere Women, Mere Women - Romantic Notions, Nightshift, Nightshift - Zöe, post-punk, Tamar Aphek, trip jam, women artists