February 3x3
Three upcoming shows, three new albums, and three pretty good songs
Good morning :) Thanks for opening.
Album Releases
Sharon Van Etten— Sharon Van Etten & The Attachment Theory (2.7)
genre: new wave
The debut album of this new SVE project was enticing before listening, but after listening to its three gothic-sounding singles produced by Marta Salogni, whose resume includes Björk and Bon Iver. You already know Sharon Van Etten, so you know this one is going to be good.
Horsegirl— Phonetics On and On (2.14)
genre: alt rock
Horsegirl has danced around my Spotify recommendations since the release of their 2022 debut LP Versions of Modern Performance. Capturing the allure of a bona fide grab bag of listeners spanning from a former music industry situationship of mine to the 40-year-old journalism professor who threw “Anti-glory” on our classroom playlist. I’ve enjoyed everything I’ve listened to by them, but the three singles released currently, “2468,” “Julie,” and “Switch Over,” have captured my affections recently, bringing a similar energy as fellow horse-themed up-and-comers Feeble Little Horse. Maybe it’s about time I lock in.
Edith Frost— In Space (2.28)
genre: singer-songwriter, alternative folk
Having sporadically released music since 1996, Edith Frost has dipped her toes in the anti-folk and alt country scenes—including a three-track release from 2020 featuring a few covers of folksongs, one of which, “Will You Miss Me When I’m Gone,” was a winter ‘23 staple of mine. Some of her more recent singles didn’t live up to my expectations, so I was apprehensive to listen to the teasers for In Space, but I’ve been pleasantly surprised. It’s reminiscent of the chamber-folk greats of yore, and “Hold On” is a sleeper pick for the Greg Freeman/Burlington indie folk crowd.
Upcoming Shows
Aunt Katrina, Roxy 2, Polarview
Ottobar, 2.5, $15
genre: shoegaze
One of my favorite physical media finds last year was an Aunt Katrina tape hidden in a corner of a record store in DC, possibly tucked away for someone to buy later (sorry if that was you, by the way). Put simply, their record Hot lives up to its name. The project from the minds of Ray Brown (Snail Mail/sweetheart of DMV booking) and Ryan Walchonski (Feeble Little Horse) is a fun little experimental gazey thing, and joining them are Roxy 2 and Polarview, who I’m pretty sure I’ve seen open for They Are Gutting a Body of Water at two separate shows.
All Hat No Cattle ft. Heaven Forbid
Songbyrd, 2.22, $10
genre: country
The self-proclaimed high falutin’ rootin’ tootin’ sons of guns hailing from the District played for free at Union Stage back in December, and I guess did so well that they could start charging for it. Though, $10 seems like a small price to pay for good local country music, which is hard to come by ‘round these parts.
Soft No with Pinky Lemon, Flowerbomb, Swerves
Pie Shop, 2.28, $15
genre: alt rock, shoegaze
I’ll shamelessly promote Pinky Lemon shows until the day I die, I don’t even care. Out of everything coming out of the DMV (even though they’re technically half-Philly), their work has been one of the more creative and unique projects with their two releases, Pinky Heaven (2022) and Pinky Hell (2024). From what I can tell, this is the DC stop on Philly bands Soft No and Swerves’ tour, who seem to lean closer towards a punk-ish sound like DC native Flowerbomb.
Pretty Good Songs
Have my listening habits strayed too much since this last newsletter? Not really. I’ve been on my reminiscing journey of my college-radio-pilled music taste of two-or-so years ago, and among the re-listens has been this one:
A single from Biodiesel (2022) by Brittle Brian, a project by Victoria Rose from . This is the only album from this project to make it to Spotify and it’s an endearing lo-fi record with songwriting that sneaks up on you.
Celebrating the 50th birthday of Ted Lucas’ all-timer self-titled psych folk LP, this outtake from the album was released last month. It’s electric. It’s unlike its mellow counterparts that made the record and more whimsical in a Michael Hurley way, featuring a rogue recorder solo in a couple places.
Another crazy single from January, this time from Chicago alt-country number Tobacco City, who is releasing their third album, Horses, in March. Songs from their previous two records were go-to pedal steel filler tracks for my college radio show. To keep it short, this track rocks. Another album I’m looking forward to locking into.