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Hirs Collective: We're Still Here [CD]

Lande Hekt's voice in music is one that's socially aware yet often introspective, drawing awareness to serious issues but at the same time baring her soul. Much of Hekt's compositions act as a personal diary of what's going on in her life at any given time. This is evident in her discography with Muncie Girls, the band which she formed in her hometown of Exeter as a teenager and have released two critically acclaimed albums to date. This knack of combining her own experiences and feelings whilst highlighting larger socio-economic issues has carried through to her more contemplative solo material, which began life in an EP 'Gigantic Disappointment', self-released in 2019.

VIAL is a powerhouse trio, red-hot in DIY scenes after breaking out during unconventional times in 2020. Their sound is a pressure cooker: Indie rock meets punk in soaring melodic hooks ready to sink teeth into all listeners alike. Bite marks burn hotter on the live stage, where they've supported acts such as FIDLAR, HUNNY, and Mal Blum. The jury's in: The insatiable hunger for VIAL's fresh genre blend will be plentifully satisfied with a steaming-hot sophomore record in 2024.

The HIRS Collective's first full length album, "Friends. Lovers. Favorites.", is the product of almost four years of hard work between The Collective and their friends, lovers, and favorites who they have invited to join their intentional, ever growing, and never ending collective of anti-authoritarian freaks, queers, outcasts, & weirdos. There are collaborations with Laura Jane Grace(Against Me), Shirley Manson(Garbage), Martin Crudo(Limp Wrist), Marissa Paternoster(Screaming Females), Erica Freas(RVIVR), Sadie Switchblade(G.L.O.S.S.), Alice Bag and Candace Hansen(Alice Bag & The Sissy Bears), Pierce(Soul Glo), & many more!

Empty Country: Empty Country [CD]

LOUDMOUTH, released in partnership with Get Better Records (Suzie True, Bacchae), establishes VIAL as a force to be reckoned with. Here, they've reworked bits of their own origin story into "Vodka Lemonade," revisiting the anxieties and awkwardness that come from gigs in strangers' basements. Nobody goes it alone this time, with a triple-part vocal harmony cutting through any sense of solitude. Early track "Violet" shimmers as a love song, adding shockwaves of indie-punk grit in the WLW canon. VIAL's punk rock pedigree shines through too, granting listeners "Mr. Fuck You," a slamming kiss-off without any cushion, and "Planet Drool," populated by the band's expert sarcasm and keyboard swirls. For every moment of daring, there's another locked in relatable depth. Look no further than the closer "21," which shoulders adulthood's growing pains with wistful hope.

Alien Boy: Don't Know What I Am [CD]