5 new releases we love: Tennis’ simmering piano pop, Beach Bunny’s explosive debut, and more
Beach Bunny, Honeymoon
[Mom + Pop Music, February 14]
It seems all too fitting that Beach Bunny’s debut full-length is named Honeymoon and comes out on Valentine’s Day. On every track of the Chicago band’s positively explosive record, singer-guitarist Lili Trifilio sounds like she’s vibrating with so many feelings that she’s bubbling over. Bliss, pain, jealousy, love, it doesn’t matter—it’s all messy and it’s all glorious, the tunes propelled in wild fashion by punchy, rocket-fueled guitars and Trifilio’s delivery, recalling the reckless abandon of Hop Along’s Frances Quinlan. The abundance of righteous riffs (“Ms. California”) and swooning, wordless melodies (“Dream Boy”) never get old, and they make the sparse solitude of a song like runner-up lament “Racetrack” all the more heartbreaking. Besides being deliriously fun, Honeymoon is a power-pop reminder that, in a time when it’s easy to get defeated by our feelings, it can still feel really goddamned good to rage against or alongside them. [Matt Williams]
Iyla, Other Ways To Vent
[3T Entertainment/Astra Velum/EMPIRE, February 7]
Iyla’s 2018 EP War + Raindrops was both a velvety-toned revelation and a tough act to follow: Tunes like the lo-fi wonder “Juice” and the whimsical “Flowers” left little room for error. Follow-up Other Ways To Vent complements her previous, tightly curated collection of anthemic cries with something that is somehow even more emotionally raw. There is less playfulness here, leaving plenty of room for growth by way of soul-baring confessions and unpredictable beats. While War + Raindrops bore the lessons she’s learned from romance gone wrong, this new seven-track EP actively wades through the messier aspects of love and relationships. “Bad Side” strips away most of the slick production, leaving behind nothing more than a gently strummed guitar and Iyla’s syrupy vocals to broach the end of a precarious relationship. Other Ways To Vent balances anguish with clean melodies, turning heartbreak and frustration into vibrant catharsis. [Shannon Miller]