BY: JOEY REAMS
Normally, on Fridays, the world is blessed with new music from a handful of artists. Strangely, not many indie and alternative artists have released new albums this month, but there have been a few. To help you find your next favorite album, we’ve discovered what new alternative and indie albums have been released for the first half of August. A few notable artists include Laura Stevenson and The Killers. Check out the list below:
Ty Segall – Harmonizer
Multi-instrumentalist Ty Segall has released his 13th studio album, Harmonizer. The Laguna Beach native last released First Taste in 2019, so one can assume these songs were produced during the quarantine. This new album was digitally released without much warning, but fans can expect physical copies in October.
“Harmonizer bursts with transcendent energy as Ty glides smoothly into unexpected territory, right where he likes to find himself,” the statement reads. “It’s a synthtastic production redesign that finds Ty dialing up a wealth of tightly controlled beats, thick keyboard textures, guitar, and endless harmonies. This glossy sound makes for some of Ty’s cleanest songs and starkest ideas to date, bracing him as he revisits the lonely days and loathsome nights of the alienated, grown-up-wrong soul.”
Foxing – Draw Down the Moon
St. Louis indie rock band Foxing has released its fourth studio album, Draw Down the Moon, via Hopeless Records and its own Grand Paradise label. The band last released a studio album for their 2018 Nearer My God. The band previously released four singles before releasing the album on Aug. 6.
The album is “about the idea of your cosmic significance,” says frontman Conor Murphy in a statement. “The way you feel like a tiny speck in the grand scheme of the universe, that’s a feeling everybody has. You can get lost thinking about how small you are. Draw Down The Moon explores how our connections to people and places and ideas are what binds us to the universe and reality.”
Laura Stevenson – Laura Stevenson
Laura Stevenson has released her sixth studio album, titled Laura Stevenson, via Don Giovanni Records. Stevenson’s last studio record came in 2019 with The Big Freeze. The album follows several life-changing moments from Stevenson’s life, including having a baby during the pandemic and dealing with a loved one nearly dying. The self-titled album was produced by John Agnello, who has worked with Kurt Vile, Dinosaur Jr., and Hop Along.
“The album was written as a sort of purge and a prayer,” Stevenson said in a statement. “It was a very intense experience to re-live all of the events of the previous year, while tracking these songs, with my daughter growing inside me, reliving all of that fear and pain and just wanting to protect her from the world that much more. It made me very raw.”
The Killers – Pressure Machine
Alternative rock headliners The Killers have released their seventh studio album, Pressure Machine, via Island Records. This marks the return of Dave Kuning, who was absent from the band’s last album, last year’s Imploding the Mirage. Bassist Mark Stoermer had a reduced role in this album main due to difficulties caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The album is based on lead singer Brandon Flowers’ childhood in Nephi, Utah.
“Everything came to this grinding halt,” said Flowers. “And it was the first time in a long time for me that I was faced with silence. And out of that silence this record began to bloom, full of songs that would have otherwise been too quiet and drowned out by the noise of typical Killers records.”
Polish Club – Now We’re Cookin‘
Australian garage rock band Polish Club has released its third studio album, New We’re Cookin’, via its own record label and Island Records Australia and Universal. The band’s last album, 2019’s Iguana, was released exclusively through Universal. Now, due David Novak and John-Henry Pajak are back with another studio album. The band’s debut album, Alright Alrighty, earned a nomination for Best Rock Album in 2017’s AREA Awards.
“We ended up writing about 90 songs,” said frontman Dave Novak of the album writing process, which happened during the 2020 lockdown. “30 the first time, and our manager didn’t go for any. Then we changed tack the second time and got a few more in, and by the last round…”
“We were just writing straight hits,” bandmate JH continued. “Dave would bring something in, and I’d be like ‘It needs more hooks.’ We were ruthless.”
“If we did the same bluesy-soul shit album after album, it would be much harder to take inspiration or satisfaction from that,” Novak said. “Repeating yourself doesn’t somehow mean you’re being more true to yourself. I think it’s the opposite; you’re just being lazy.”