Release Radar: November 2023

The finals season won't stop us from finding great music! Here are all the best albums, EPs, and mixtapes of November.

Turntablism, synths that sound like fax machines, a computer thicker than my microwave on the album cover, Integrated Tech Solutions’ retro angle on technology is refreshing compared to the sea of futuristic, alien-like, ultra-polished aesthetics in 2023. The production, which is largely done by Aesop himself, feels like a spiritual continuation of how 90s Hip Hop approached Sci-Fi by artists like Dr. Octagon and Deltron 3030: experimental beep-booping beats that sample from unexpected places, all the while retaining a boom-bap core.

One of ITS’s best aspects is undeniably Aesop Rock’s lyricism, which is lovably quirky while being thought-provoking. The most explicit discussion of the album’s themes comes from the first track after the intro, “Mindful Solutionism”, on which Aesop tells the full story of humanity’s relation to technology since the stone ages. Rather than fear-mongering about hypothetical technologies, Aesop led us through technological developments that have already led to mass deaths and oppression such as Agent Orange and surveillance cameras.

With a career spanning over two decades and 13 solo albums, there is a serious argument for ITS being Aesop’s strongest work. As always, he manages to be clever and poetic without OVER-reliance on references or cryptic language, and his flows are consistently satisfying across the 18-song long tracklist. The production on ITS is also among his peak. For fans of Hip Hop, ITS is a must-listen in 2023. - J.L.

Notes -

• Genre: Abstract Hip Hop, Conscious Hip Hop
• Recommend if you like: Deltron 3030, Atmosphere, Lupe Fiasco
• Favorite Track:Mindful Solutionism, Living Curfew

Rating: 9

Hotline TNT, led by the talented Will Anderson, has delivered a remarkable album with Cartwheel. This release showcases Anderson's ability to craft an approachable yet unique sound, incorporating influences from his previous projects while venturing into uncharted sonic territories. With his singspeak delivery, Anderson empowers aspiring guitarists, proving that anyone with passion and skill can make their mark in the music industry.

Cartwheel is a captivating journey that effortlessly blends elements of shoegaze with a refreshing hi-fi twist, exploring production further than before. From the opening track to the closing notes, Hotline TNT explores a wide array of guitar tones, pushing boundaries without succumbing to the temptation of pandering (as most shoegaze projects do). This ability to strike the perfect balance is a testament to Anderson’s enduring presence and his commitment to creating an authentic listening experience. - C.S.

Notes -

• Genre: Shoegaze/Alt-Rock
• Recommend if you like: Weed, Glare,Trauma Ray
• Favorite Tracks: I Thought You’d Change, I Know You, BMX

Rating: 8

PinkPantheress’ debut studio album Heaven Knows is a good distillation of a lot of the sounds she’s put out on her other singles or EPs, but loses some of the personality present in those other songs along the way. Ever since her first song, “Break It Off”, blew up on tiktok, PinkPantheress has been making waves with seemingly hit after hit. Her next few songs all accrued either close to 100 million streams or well over, with “Pain” currently sitting at over 400 million plays on Spotify. All these earlier songs had pretty strong influences from different EDM subgenres, such as drum and bass or UK garage, making them sound pretty distinct to people not intimately familiar with these relatively niche genres. Although these influences can still be heard on her latest album, they take a backseat to an overall much pop-ier vibe. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it is a shift from earlier works. Additionally there were a lot more producers involved in this album when compared to her earlier works, and although having more hands didn’t compromise quality, the shift away from her previous style is somewhat audible. Despite the change, Heaven Knows is still an enjoyable listen that everyone can get along with. - F. B.

Notes -

• Genre: Alt-pop
• Recommend if you like: Steve Lacy, beabadoobee
• Favorite Tracks: Feel Complete, True Romance

Rating: 7.5

Welcome Strawberry, the criminally underrated band hailing from Oakland, California, returns with their latest EP release, Scared to Look. Following their impressive debut self-titled album last year, the band continues to showcase their prowess in resurrecting the quintessential 90s shoegaze sounds that made waves in the alternative music scene. Drawing influences from iconic bands like Swervedriver, Lush, and Smashing Pumpkins (gish-era), Welcome Strawberry crafts a mesmerizing sonic journey that demands attention and should firmly establish their place in the limelight.

Scared to Look is a testament to Welcome Strawberry's ability to capture the essence of the 90s shoegaze era while adding their own unique touch. From the opening track, the listener is transported back in time, surrounded by swirling guitars, ethereal vocals, and a wall of sound that immerses them in a nostalgic haze. The band's dedication to recreating the classic shoegaze atmosphere is evident throughout the EP, and their attention to detail is commendable. - C.S.

Notes -

• Genre: Shoegaze/Dream Pop
• Recommend if you like: Swervedriver, Lush, Smashing Pumpkins
• Favorite Tracks: Scared To Look, Smudge

Rating:7.5

Snow Strippers adds another release to their extensive discography with the EP Night Killaz Vol. 1. While it doesn't necessarily bring anything groundbreaking to the table, it serves as a testament to their ability to consistently produce a solid and engaging sound. Considering the frequency at which they release music, coupled with their relatively short life in the industry (since the onset of COVID) the redundancy in their sound is understandable. However, it is important to acknowledge the subtle changes and influences that can be heard on this project.

Night Killaz Vol. 1 sees Snow Strippers drawing inspiration from early 2000s pop and infusing slight tinges of hardstyle techno into their synth-driven sound. The result is an EP that explores various cold yet gaudy tones, creating a captivating listening experience. The duo's ability to keep the listener engaged throughout the project is commendable, as they expertly navigate the intricacies of their chosen genre. - C.S.

Notes -

• Genre: Darkwave/Hyperpop
• Recommend if you like: Alice Glass, Charli XCX, HorsegiirL
• Favorite Tracks: Cautious, Touching Yours, Just A Hint

Rating: 7.5

Hi-C's latest studio album, L3ft 4 D3ad, showcases his established mastery in cloud rap, yet its vision leaves a lot to be desired.  As a veteran in the scene, having dropped his first project Munnie Fetish Renegade Demon back in 2013, Hi-C has left a deep and profound impact on cloud rap as a genre, and without him it’s likely we wouldn’t have gotten many recent trends in some areas of mainstream rap, such as the Opium aesthetic. Production wise, L4D is Hi-C's most Rage-beat-adjacent album. However, for someone so influential, you would hope that their new album would also be genre-defining or push the boundaries a bit further, but it simply did not do either.

The beginning was very strong, with songs like “GupP1” featuring xaviersobased, a rising star in the underground scene, reflecting both of their styles and sounds beautifully. Other songs contain that familiar and fun Hi-C production style, such as “D3uS 3x” or “S1d V1c10Us”. Hi-C crafts a consistently dark and moody soundscape, but after the first half, the album just starts to melt together without much differentiating each song. I think that this project would’ve seriously benefited from being halved in length, but the actual biggest problem is that there’s nothing really new here. The sound Hi-C is trying to explore with this album is tested and true but boring and unimaginative compared to his earlier projects. Overall, L3ft 4 D3ad is a decent album for fans of the genre but is mostly a playlist filler with the exception of a few standout songs. - F. B.

Notes -

• Genre: Cloud rap
• Recommend if you like: Odetari, Lil Shine, POLO PERKS <3 <3 <3
• Favorite Tracks: GupP1, D3uS 3x

Rating: 7.5

Imagine the high-energy intensity of PSX racing lobby music as a JRPG is on the loading screen on your very broken emulator way too late at night. That can only capture a shred of the aura of this record.

GAIAFUGUE CHRONICLE by WMUC alum phosphorrgirl released on the infamous Sextrance label GZ999 doesn’t quite fit into the mold set by label veterans. Unlike Type R or purity://filter, Gaifugue is closer to an ethereal freeform hardcore or “gaiapunk chiptranser” in phosphorrgirl’s own words. Featuring artists like Kiitzuna and WiREWiTCH cements the project further as a post-sextrance masterpiece, and its short length presents a perfect sampling of the genre without being too intimidating of a listen. Bask in their bitcrushed glory and in the words of phosphorrgirl, a prayer for hope drowns in the waves, but this is not the end. -D.D.

Notes -

• Genre: Freeform Hardcore
• Recommend if you like: Virtual Self, Purity Filter, Sienna Sleep
• Favorite Tracks:  Cloudrite (Aeterna’s Lullaby), [Aether-Reload], [Onyx Constellation] mk.3 (feat. WiREWiTCH)

Rating: 7

Jonny Pierce expands on the poppier sound he’s been culminating with The Danny Brown has never shied away from rapping about personal struggles, but something feels different about Quaranta, which is perhaps hinted at by the album cover. Atrocity Exhibition’s cover’s deep distortion and disfigurement mirrors the turboil of making art in the midst of overwhelming pain. On Quaranta, we see Danny Brown candidly looking into you, his eyebrows slightly furrowed in concern, perhaps for himself and for you. If Atrocity’s “Ain’t It Funny” captures addiction through the sound of manic depression, Quaranta’s “Down Wit It” and “Celibate” see Brown accepting responsibilities to heal from heartbreaks and drug dealing lifestyle. Combined with a decrease of his distinctively off-kilter and high-pitched rapping voice, much of Quaranta feels like a therapy session. For long term fans of Danny Brown, it’s hard not to have warm feelings in your heart as you hear Brown finally coming to terms with himself at 40 and becoming healthy. Part of the downside of an album about being forty, however, is that it does sound like a normal 40-year-old rapping. Danny Brown’s maturity is a double-edged sword that could lose fans that enjoyed his youthful quotable vulgarities.

In line with the shift in perspective, Quaranta is also Brown’s most sonically mellow album, his staple industrial production replaced with a prevalence of earthy organic drum samples. The Alchemist-produced “Tantor” seems like an outlier through its bombastic flow and erratic production, but even still, it is limited to the intensity of a jazz-rock sample.

Quaranta is a unique and meaningful venture that will divide fans by its nature, and is likely not to be advocated as an entry-point for new fans. - J.L.

Notes -

• Genre: Conscious Hip Hop
• Recommend if you like: MIKE, Earl Sweatshirt, Little Simz
• Favorite Tracks: Tantor, Quaranta, Down Wit It

Rating:7

Kevin Abstract’s newest album does not feature a single rap bar. It could be his best album to date.

Blanket is Abstract’s venture into indie, guitar-oriented music, and the new genre provides the backdrop for the artist’s most clean and detailed production yet. The vocal production is a standout for the album, with Abstract’s expressive vocals expertly modulated to adapt to each song’s texture. What seems like growth in technical skills, however, also feels like a loss of identity. For many, his earlier album American Boyfriend was loved for its unique continuation of Brockhampton’s youthful eclecticism, ridden with beat switches and changing flows and deliveries. Rather than being a trailblazer in his own culturally defining sound, Blanket opens up less-than-favorable comparisons to other artists who have released recent work in electronic influenced indie rock projects such as Yeule, Yves Tumor, and Underscores - J.L.

Notes -

• Genre: Indie Rock, Indie Pop
• Recommend if you like: Roy Blair, Yves Tumor, Yeule
• Favorite Tracks: When the Rope Post 2 Break, Madonna, Voyager

Rating:7

The London-based duo O.’s first EP, Slice, is a set of four psychedelic punk tunes that are created with nothing but a saxophone, a drumset, and a ton of effect pedals. Having previously played in Jazz groups, O. 's song structures are unconventional and refreshing, reflective of their improvisational writing process. Much of the weakness of the project seems to be originating from the natural limitation of a sax and drums duo, lacking in attention-drawing vocal hooks and perhaps sounding same-y to lay people. At worst, Slice would be some people’s stereotype for “music by music students”. Nonetheless, O.’ constraints have led to focused experimentation and there are no bands that sound like them right now, which is what makes them a promising rising star to look out for. - J.L.

Notes -

• Genre: Art Punk, Jazz
• Recommend if you like: Parquet Courts, Frank Zappa, black midi
• Favorite Tracks: Slice, Moon

Rating: 6.5

Kurt Vile’s new “EP” feels like anything but. With a runtime of just over 52 minutes, the project is much longer than what most would expect from a“album”. After listening, however, the label starts to make a bit more sense. Vile, known for collaborations with Courtney Barnett and his founding role in The War on Drugs, consistently creates projects with a distinct vibe and atmosphere. “Back to Moon Beach” feels much more carefree and loose in its approach than the usual Vile affair, and not always in a good way. This project does feel like what it was originally described as by Vile during the project’s announcement: a “KV comp”. The EP was originally only meant to be the first six tracks, which can be heard in the meandering, long, and spacey sound they share.

Members of the WMUC music team especially liked “Tom Petty’s gone (but tell him I asked for him)”, saying it felt like it was “golden hour driving through farmland”, and “background music for a coming of age road trip”. Vile’s knack for catchy repeating melodies does create a sense of driving through countryside, and just getting lost and enjoying the drive, something I’ve always loved Kurt Vile’s music for. “Another good year for the roses'' also has this same classic Kurt Vile appeal, and is my favorite track on the record. But compared to his usual work, this record seems to lack a sense of identity, making it come across like what it is: outtakes from Vile’s recent projects that he wanted to get out into the world in another way. It’s not helping its case that one of the songs is pulled right off Vile’s last record “(watch my moves)”, as well as featuring a random cover of Bob Dylan’s “Must be Santa” (which, to its credit, features a very catchy looping synth and endearing vocals from Vile and his daughter that legitimately makes me smile). The track also features sparse guitar loops, which sound like Vile figuring out the melody for a track from his previous record titled “Mount Airy Hill (Way Gone)”, a comparison that’s honestly hard for me to ignore.

All things considered, “Back to Moon Beach'' is not nearly the most essential release in Vile’s catalog, as lots of its appeals can be found on his previous work due to the record’s overall lack of identity, but it’s still a welcome addition for previous fans. For everyone else, maybe take the opportunity to experience some other of Vile’s releases, but afterwards, I’m sure you’ll find something you like here. Vile sums it up best on the title track, “These recycled riffs ain’t going anywhere, anytime soon”. - P.G.

Notes -

• Genre: Folk Rock, Singer-Songwriter
• Recommend if you like: Courtney Barnett, The War on Drugs, Neil Young
• Favorite Track: Another good year for the roses, Back to Moon Beach, Like a wounded bird trying to fly

Rating: 6.5

Empty Suit - ian: A beautiful experimental cloud rap EP, listen for the mind-blowing sound design rather than their flow. -J.L.

Hometown to Come - Minhwi Lee: Calming Korean chamber folk with subdued instrumentation, not something you’ll pay much mind to but amazing for filling space. -F.B.

New Blue Sun - André 3000: André 3000 surprises listeners with his new ambient album New Blue Sun. This highly anticipated project showcases a different side of Andre, as he delves into the realm of ambient music. With New Blue Sun, Andre 3000 creates a mesmerizing sonic landscape that is both intimate and creative. - C.S.

This newsletter produced by Justin Li (Music Director), Chris Savani (Ass. Music Director), Freddie Briden (Ass. Music Director), with additional contributions from Dennis Dayan and Paul Gracie