We get a lot of records sent to us here at The A.V. Club. Fortunately, we end up liking some of them. That’s why we launched Playlisted, to share our latest recommendations of tracks music fans have to hear.
No Doubt, “Push And Shove”
“Push And Shove,” the title track from No Doubt’s forthcoming comeback record, is a lot of things, but it’s not conventional by any means. Produced by Diplo, the track is both upbeat and a ballad. With peppy verses and a swooning chorus, it’s a little too all over the place to be a guaranteed hit, but it’s worth a listen all the same, if only to check out how a decades-old band like No Doubt manages to grow and evolve while remaining firmly based in its own sound.
Avulse, “Kiss The Bottle”
This track isn’t exactly new, but it’s A.V. Club-worthy all the same: Avulse is a black-metal band from Portland, Maine that apparently has a thing for drinking and ’90s bands. On its last album, I Am The Liquor, the band covered “Kiss The Bottle,” one of Jawbreaker’s most-loved and most well-known songs. Like this week’s A.V. Undercover, in which Liturgy’s Hunter Hunt-Hendrix covers Shellac, Avulse’s cover is definitely a dark departure from the original, but it has a sense of artistry and place that shines through.
Chomp, “Fresh Wounds”
Two members of Cloud Nothings—Joe Boyer and Jayson Gerycz—have spun off to form Chomp, a very electro-tinged side project. Sounding more like The Magnetic Fields than Cloud Nothings, Chomp’s latest single, “Fresh Wounds” combines morbid lyrics about biting and flesh with an almost videogame-like synth beat. It’s a head-trip of a track in the very best way.
Chris E. Pants, “Doggy Style”
Continuing in the side-project vein is Chris E. Pants, the new moniker of Chicago beat master Chrissy Murderbot. “Doggy Style” is part of a single out Sept. 10 on Sleazetone Records, and it’s just about as raunchy as the imprint’s name would suggest. Repeating just one line (“I wanna hit it doggy style”) over hypnotic, Kraftwerk-style beats, the track really drives its message home. For even more sleaze, click over to the single’s B-side, “Pass It Around,” a memorable and equally graphic ode to fellatio.
Agent Ribbons, “Family Haircut”
With press materials advertising Agent Ribbons as “a treehouse club of post-feminist dreamers trying to find their place in the scheme of things,” it’s understandable that the layperson might find the group just a little twee. The Austin, Texas duo certainly doesn’t shy from the notion, bringing a semi-adorable minimalism to its shows. “Family Haircut” is the lead single off the band’s forthcoming EP, Let Them Talk, and while it’s certainly dreamy and quaint, it manages to steer clear of goopy, annoying territory. Instead, it sits on the border of indie-pop and goth-doll culture, more apt to creep out listeners with eerie harmonies than saccharine cuteness.