This week’s list of recommended songs reaches as far as New Zealand and for the first time features a band with roots in Hawaii.
1. The Moss, Insomnia
Bryology (S-Curve/Hollywood)
Recommend If You Like: Er, Hawaiian alt-rock?
I can’t ever recall featuring an alt-rock band that was born in Hawaii because—well, that’s not exactly a breeding ground for this kind of music. Yet here we are with the four-piece The Moss began in Oahu as a duo who earned tips by singing for the lines outside of taco trucks. When they evolved into a full band, everyone decided to relocate to somewhere more alt-friendly and chose…Utah. Strangely, that strategy seems to be working as this song is gaining some momentum. We shall see.
2. Jimmy Eat World, Place Your Debts
Single (Independent)
RIYL: Hypnotic keyboards
If you’ve been following Jimmy Eat World over the last couple of decades, this new track may come as something of a surprise in tone and tempo. It’s a rather lovely bit of contemplation about the need for self-awareness. The video must have been shooting, framing, and editing nightmare—the individual bits were shot in the US, UK, and Europe while the band was on tour—but the final result is excellent.
3. Gamblers, Pet Semetary
Single (Independent)
RIYL: Halloween songs
Coming from Long Island, Gamblers are looking to create an annual bit of Halloween royalties by covering two classics. The first is their smooth version of The Ramones classic while the B-side which actually works well. The B-side is their 2019 recording of the semi-insufferable The Monster Mash, the old Bobby “Boris” Pickett track from 1962. They tried to imagine how Mark Ronson might cover it.
4. Blinker the Star, Walk Through the Park
Love Oblast (Independent)
RIYL: Dreaminess
Jordon Zadorozny and his band Blinker the Star has been part of the Canadian indie scene for many years, always churning out some very singable/hummable songs for both himself and Courtney Love and Chris Cornell. After going through a breakup, Jordon gathered himself by plunging into a project with love as the central theme. Made in his rural Ontario home—he has 50 acres to himself—the record’s title also references the atrocities in Ukraine (that’s his heritage).
5. The Beths, Expert in a Dying Field
Expert in a Dying Field (Carpark)
Recommended If You Like: Kiwi music
There’s actually only one “Beth” in this four-piece New Zealand band and she stylizes her name as “Elizabth” just to confuse things a little bit. Three albums deep into a career, they’ve developed a sweet indie-rock sound with loads of harmonies featuring the voices of everyone in the band. Listen for when the guitars kick in about two-and-a-half minutes into the song. Lovely.
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