Cory GravesNew Music From Terrence Spectacle, Siamese, Pueblo, Plain Jane Francis, Teleoso, Clayton Smith, Curtis Mayz, Animal Spirit, Loafers and The Rotisserie Chickens.
Welcome to Songs of the Week, where we hip you to all the new local releases you should be caring about. By putting them all together here in one place, our hope is that you can spend less time searching for relevant new releases and more time giving each one of these jams the proper shine they so deserve. OK? OK.
Terence Spectacle – “Lone Dirt Road.”
RIYL: Breaking pitches.
What else you should know: After being shut down by the city for months, the Cinderblock Sessions team is now officially back in business, having got their building up to code with a freshly poured, crowd-funded parking lot. They’ll celebrate that fact along with young Dallas rapper Terrence Spectacle, who’ll be doing some celebrating of his own when he releases his five-track One Summer Night EP due out March 31, and plays Cinderblock that same night. “The first single, ‘Lone Dirt Road,’ is my curveball,” he says via press release. “It’s what nobody ever expected me to create.”
Siamese – “Older Hands Prevail.”
RIYL: Stage makeup.
What else you should know: The second single from Siamese’s upcoming debut premiered on Brooklyn Vegan this week. It features a different vibe — and vocalist — from the first one we shared, while still existing under the shade of the same glammed-up art rock umbrella. As a reminder, this album’s due out March 3, a fact the band will celebrate on March 4 when they’ll play a release show at Texas Theatre along with choreographer Danielle Georgiou, whose “explorations in themes of gender and ritual bring an enigmatic reverence to the production.”
Pueblo – “Cry Etc.”
RIYL: Showing your emotions.
What else you should know: Another fab debut due out in March comes from the young guns in Pueblo — a pair of under-20-year-olds that are more musically mature than most thirtysomethings I know. More emotionally mature, too, turns out. This second single from the upcoming EP is about being open about your feelings — even if you’re (gulp) a boy. “It seems to go against American cultural norms to say it’s healthy to cry or accept defeat,” the band’s Jonah Smith told another publication about the song. “It’s always this ‘get up, brush yourself off and fight the good fight’ rhetoric. It’s good in some ways but numbing in others. I just wanted to sing a song that rejoices in the catharsis that pain can bring, rather than suppressing it entirely.” That! Also, the guitar solo at the end is so tasty.
Plain Jane Francis — send nudes.
RIYL: Sexting.
What else you should know: The four simple tracks on the ever-prolific alt-rapper’s latest project all have a very similar vibe, in that they could just as well all be one long song. That’s an interesting fact considering that, in addition to Plain Jane himself, Cornelius Woods and Ish D contributed production as well. Bonus points for the Willy Wonka interpolation in the final cut!
Teleoso — Sanity.
RIYL: Pic-i-nic baskets.
What else you should know: This Dallas rapper Teleoso sure is a beast on the mic, with a similar flow to Snow tha Product, albeit with fewer verses in Spanish. If I’m being honest, that’s my favorite part about Snow. But that’s not to take anything away from this LP, which is well put together, too.
Clayton Smith – “Got Me Shakin.”
RIYL: Showing them your blue side.
What else you should know: The last material of Smith’s we featured was a raw LP of country-esque tunes performed (mostly) solo acoustic. This new power pop single, then, is quite the sea change. Like we gushed about his last project, he’s quite the wordsmith, which applies regardless of the genre he’s working in.
Curtis Mayz – “Get the Dough.”
RIYL: Making bread.
What else you should know: You may recall how Curtis Mayz’s last single was one of our top 10 favorite songs of 2016. Not the easiest thing to follow up! But he’s sure going to give it a hell of a shot with his upcoming TripleDiziac EP that’s due out at the end of March. You can tell just from this first single.
Animal Spirit — This is Relevant.
RIYL: A ride down Saddle Creek on horseback.
What else you should know: If Conor Oberst hailed from a place like Eugene, Oregon, Animal Spirit’s latest LP would probably sound a lot like something that such a version of him would have put out in the late ‘90s with his hypothetical wife figure. There’s some jangly surf bits, and lots of washy emotive bits in this collection of indie rock.
Loafers – “Bobby.”
RIYL: Walking, not running.
What else you should know: This is the title track from the Waco transplants’ forthcoming EP. Maybe you heard them play it while opening for Surfer Blood earlier this week? Or maybe you’re hearing it now for the first time? Either way, it shows a clear progression since they’ve been in town. It’s no wonder DFW has been so quick to embrace them as its own.
The Rotisserie Chickens – “Smaller From Above.”
RIYL: Ska.
What else you should know: This group plays every show like it’s their last, they sing on this track, because it just might be. Then again, they’re a band that still makes ska, so every day’s a gift, really!