I’m home on a Thursday night trying to finish a story that I need to turn in tomorrow. Since it’s already tomorrow in the U.K., the new Pet Shop Boys album, Nonetheless, is up on Spotify. So, I listen as I write and I listen again after I decide that 700 words is enough words for now and I can finish that article in the morning, when my eyelids aren’t quite as heavy and the chocolate mini Easter eggs I popped into my mouth one after the other aren’t weighing me down.
To recap: I flipped over “Loneliness,” the first single and opening track from Nonetheless, when it was released earlier this year. It’s been doing really well in my sets too. It’s a classic Pet Shop Boys club track, the kind of that reminds you that life is sad, but you’re happy on the dance floor. They followed up “Loneliness” with the single “Dancing Star,” which I haven’t played yet, but I do quite like. It’s slightly reminiscent of “Domino Dancing,” which is probably why I picked up that vintage 12” at Rubycon last weekend.
Needless to say, I have been excited to hear Nonetheless. That I’m listening to it for the second time in one night— not something I ordinarily do— is an endorsement. (And, yes, I’m about to purchase a digital copy. Maybe I’ll pick it up on vinyl too, if I see it at a local record shop.) I love how Pet Shop Boys pulled from such a wide timeline of music history. There are nods to everything from 1960s lounge pop (“The Secret of Happiness”), Kraftwerk (“Feel”) and house (“Bullet for Narcissus”), as well as the duo’s 40+ year existence, on the album, but it’s still very cohesive and contemporary.
I’ve heard some terrific new music this month. You know Pedal Steel Noah from Instagram? His EP, Texas Madness, is delightful. I tried out the over of “Love Will Tear Us Apart” near the end of the night when I played at Bar Franca this month and I really like how it sounds around last call. It’s familiar, but different enough from the original where it makes sense as a closer. I started playing Dildox’s remix of Taleen Kali’s song “Flowers of Life” that night too and it’s a keeper. I love the way it sounds with bands like French Police and Twin Tribes.
Mueran Humanos is an Argentinian duo that’s based in Berlin. They’ve been around for many years, but I wasn’t particularly familiar with them before coming across their latest album, Reemplazante, on Bandcamp earlier this month. It’s a psychedelic-meets-post-punk ride, as if you stuck Neu! and New Order in a blender. It’s become one of my go-to albums for at-home listening, but, although I tried out “Cadenas de la Infancia” at Underground a couple weeks ago, I haven’t settled on a song for club play yet.
Local trio Brainstory released their second album this month. Sounds Good is a smooth, soulful vibe that’s become a go-to for me when I’m working. It’s a little too chill for most of the gigs I play, but I do enjoy hearing it at home.
A Certain Ratio also dropped a new album this month. It All Comes Down to This, out now via Mute, is a wonderful, eclectic album. It’s most likely that I’ll be playing the funky, post-punk jam, “Out From Under,” in my sets soon, but I’m also a fan of the subtle power pop vibe in “God Knows.”
This isn’t an exhaustive list of the new music I heard in April. It’s not even a list of everything I heard and liked, mostly because I’ve been pretty bad about keeping organized notes lately. But, when I wake up on Friday morning with the intent to finish both that I story I had to turn in today (done) and this blog post (just about there), I notice that the new album from Cyril Cyril was now live on Bandcamp and I really need to hear.
Cyril Cyril is a duo from Switzerland— both members are named Cyril, btw— that somehow hit my radar during lockdown. Their latest album, Le Futur Ça Marche Pas, is dark and dirgey (at least, the music is dark and dirgey, I don’t understand the lyrics at all) with an early ‘80s no wave feel. I’ve got it in my Bandcamp cart ready for my next round of purchases, but we’ll still have to wait and see if anything from the album turns up in my sets.
Liz O. is an L.A.-based writer and DJ. Read her recently published work and check out her upcoming gigs.
Related:
SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL RECORD STORE. THEY’RE DOING THE WORK THAT STREAMERS AND SOCIALS DON’T.