GET FAMILIAR: Weeks of May 13 and May 20, 2019
COMING SOON: Amyl and The Sniffers
Release Title: Amyl and The Sniffers (LP)
Release Date: Friday, May 24, 2019
What To Expect: The legend of Australian pub punk outfit Amyl and The Sniffers grows exponentially by the day, and the group enjoys a rapidly growing fanbase thanks to an enticingly raw sound and their notoriously high-octane live sets. Fronted by Amy Taylor and featuring Bryce Wilson on drums, Dec Martens on guitar, and Gus Romer on bass, these four Aussies are sure to be setting the standard for what it truly means to be punk for a new generation of rockers. The founding members of Taylor, Wilson, and Mertens “formed the band, wrote a handful of tunes and released their debut EP, Giddy Up, all in a span of twelve hours,” (Damaged Goods, 2018) and the group has been on a nonstop climb to superstardom ever since.
Fresh off a support slot on King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard’s tour last summer, the intense foursome is back with a yet another rowdy single titled “Got You” that serves as the first glimpse of what to expect from their debut, self-titled studio album, which is set to drop on Friday, May 24. The song starts with a bang as Taylor’s distinctly accented twang pours over her bandmates’ hard-driving instruments, declaring:
“You look nice as all dressed-up, A classy bloke with a half-full cup, but I came out, just for you, I’ve got you
Beer in the cupboard, your eyes to mine You skip my cues, and my lines Buy me a drink and my eyes glaze over (I got you)”
After one listen, it’s easy to see why Amyl and The Sniffers have been pegged as the world’s next great punk group, and judging by the way their upcoming headlining tour has been so well-received to this point, it appears as if people from every corner of the globe have also begun to take notice.
They’re rough, they’re tough, and they know how to get a party started. Catch Amyl and The Sniffers at U Street Music Hall on Tuesday, July 16 - snatch up your tickets now before it’s too late.
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LOCAL LEGENDS: Static Res
Release Title: “Rotary” (Single)
Release Date: Tuesday, May 21, 2019
What To Expect: Ohio-via-Maryland rapper/producer Static Res has been steadily building a name for himself thanks to his willingness to attack any beat that comes his way and his refreshingly vulnerable take on songwriting. His delivery style is calculated and even-keeled, but make no mistake - his bars pack a punch thanks to his uncanny ability to put words to some of life’s most complex situations.
He finished off 2018 with the release of Be Good, a project that saw Res spitting over dreamy beats and reflecting on how much he’s grown from the experiences he’s had, both positive and negative, throughout the years. After remaining relatively quiet since the drop of the LP, he came back in a big way in 2019 with two slowed-down bangers in “Nostalgic” and “Zero.” The latter sees him “[strip] down to the fundamentals of his being over the soothing backdrop provided by [producer] EricDawns,” (Earmilk, 2019) and is another shining example of his personal, self-aware lyricism. Static Res is planning on dropping a new single titled “Purple” on Tuesday, May 21, and we’re planning on having it on repeat all next week. Get hip to one of the DMV’s most exciting up-and-coming MCs.
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WILD CARD: Injury Reserve
Release Title: Injury Reserve (LP)
Release Date: Friday, May 17, 2019
What To Expect: Standing at the forefront of Arizona’s still emerging hip-hop scene is Injury Reserve, a ragtag trio of friends who are laying the foundation for what it means to make rap music using their instincts. There have been virtually no established acts from their part of the country thus far, so the group has had to put their DIY mentality into overdrive time and time again while fine-tuning their brash, in-your-face style over the years. The IR team has always been one to take matters into their own hands when it comes to maintaining control over the artistic expression of their music; from recording their debut work, Live From The Dentist Office, in an actual dentist’s office to creating a slew of high-energy, low-budget videos to accompany all three of the singles they’ve put out in advance of the drop of their next effort, a self-titled album slated to come out this Friday on Loma Vista Recordings.
Each of the three members of Injury Reserve brings something different to the table. There’s Steppa T. Groggs, the elder statesmen who serves as a mentor to his groupmates and uses his mastery of wordplay to expertly tell a new story with each verse. Then there’s the always charismatic Ritchie With A T, the group’s undeniable spiritual leader, whose tight bars flow effortlessly over the trippy, sometimes anxiety-inducing beats of producer Parker Corey. Stereogum may have said it best in a March interview with the group, describing them as “three misfits who looked and sounded nothing like each other, carving out a hodgepodge discography with its own distinct contours.” Injury Reserve serves as a case study of what good can come to artists who stay true to themselves, and the release of the Injury Reserve album should serve as another captivating chapter in the story of the American Southwest’s first great experimental hip-hop collective.
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- Matt Singer