Winter Preview: New Boston Sounds to Keep You Warm in 2016

This post originally appeared on Vanyaland.

The other day a townie saw his shadow out on Boston Common, and so it was settled: We’re in for at least eight more weeks of winter. The temperatures should flirt with the freezing mark, our heating units should fail without hesitation, and the threat of snowstorms should beat us down emotionally and mentally before (they arrive and do so physically). Nothing says “fun” like winter here in New England. Luckily, while the touring bands stay away, there’s plenty to do on the local level, providing a wide variety of live show opportunities just a slushy sidewalk away. Over the next few months, the new release calendar is full of fresh, vibrant sounds, and our 2016 Vanyaland Winter Music Preview showcases a handful of the new homegrown albums, EPs, and singles that should keep us all warm throughout the frigid winter.

The Dazies, L O V E / J O Y [self-released]
Release party: January 7, 14, 21 and 28 at The Plough & Stars in Cambridge.

In just over three songs and eight minutes of your time, Mikey Holland shows the Dazies are more than just the “new project” from a guy in a now-broken-up band we all once loved. The former Mean Creek drummer has mastered the art of garage rock and power pop on the L O V E / J O Y EP, a fuzzy, buzzy ripper of a record that’s just as good on the second, tenth, and hundredth listen. For his monthlong release party residency at the Plough & Stars in Cambridge, Holland has assembled one hell of a lineup: It kicked off this past Thursday with guitar-rock wranglers CreaturoS, then carries on with an all-star racket: The Furniture and Philosophical Zombie (January 14), Dirty Bangs (January 21), and Weakened Friends and Courters (January 28).

Courters, Hissy Fits [MegaHex Records]
Release party: January 13 at Great Scott in Allston.

Back in October, Boston indie trio Courters teased out two new infectious guitar-rock songs, “Silence Service” and “Blood And Guys”, both of which will appear on their new CD/cassette, Hissy Fits. It’s out January 13 via a new-ish local upstart label MegaHex Records, headed up by Gray Bouchard of Salem Wolves. At the release party that night in Allston, they’ll be joined by their label mates, as well as 2015 Rock and Roll Rumble winners Zip-Tie Handcuffs. Bring earplugs.

Thirty Silver, Lost Saints [self-released]
Release party: January 21 at Sammy’s Patio in Revere.

Last month, Vanyaland premiered “Familiar”, one of the standout tracks from Thirty Silver’s debut EP, Lost Saints. Now, the Boston-based freight-train rock duo, which teeters along the rails of punk, grunge and metal with reckless ease, are ready to unleash the full thing to the masses, and will be joined at Sammy’s Patio in Revere on January 21 by Maine’s Triode, Dead Harrison, and Potsy.

No strangers to the Boston scene, Esh & Arc are ready to deliver one of the more anticipated local hip-hop records of 2016. Esh the Monolith is one of the region’s best MCs, named to XXL Magazine’s 15 Boston Rappers You Should Know, while producer the Arcitype made waves recently for his work in Moe Pope project STL GLD. On Death Doesn’t Want You they team with an all-star class of talent: Bad Rabbits frontman Dua Boakye, Radclyffe Hall’s Dhy Berry, Boogie Boy Metal Mouth, Slaine and Reks, the dudes in Tigerman WOAH, and others. The record release party, on the night of the LP’s release, features the aforementioned Boogie Boy Metal Mouth, as well as CHLS (Moe Pope, Lightfoot and Thought Notes), Rite Hook, and Andrew Milicia, and a few other surprises.

Blew, Born To Keep You Out [self-released]
Release date: January 23.

Admittedly, we know very little about Blew, a shoegazy, noise-pop trio who arrived to our attention via Clicky Clicky Music Blog’s Jay Breitling (who else?). But ever since that first reverb guitar drop of lead track “Fearful Symmetry”, we’ve been hooked. There’s only one other song on Blew’s upcoming EP currently available for aural digestion, the wonderfully titled “The Time It Takes To Hit The Ground After Jumping Off A Ten-Story Building”, and it’s a droning ode to the ’90s sound we love the most. We can’t wait to hear the whole thing later this month.  

Nice Guys, WSM [Gnar Tapes]
Release party: January 28 at the Middle East in Cambridge.

Boston’s Nice Guys are one of the more adored bands of the local underground, and after a string of split releases (with the likes of Lil Tits, Miami Doritos, and Free Pizza) and last year’s very appreciated Chips in the Moonlight EP, the noisy garage rock lads get louder with WSM. Illegally Blind presents the release party, and it’s packed: CreaturoS, Kal Marks, and Gravel all chip in to bring enjoyable amounts of hearing loss. We couldn’t find any new WSM tracks online just yet, so revisit some older jams to get properly acquainted. (Nice Guys photo by Molly Adams.)  

CMB, Three Licks [self-released]
Release party: January 29 at the Middle East in Cambridge.

Longtime Boston electro queen Casey Desmond is back with a new project, CMB, and your soul needs no Cosmic Microwave Background to appreciate its darker, more mysterious space-aged sound. Where Desmond’s recent solo output was sharply polished and radio ready, here she gets a bit more experimental, and lets the looser ends run wild and allows for additional collaboration. At the Middle East release party, CMB is joined by Andre Obin, St. Nothing, and W00dy, on one of the best electronic pop bills of the young year.

Fusilier, TBA [Brassland]
Release date: January TBA.

Experimental industrial-rock gents RIBS remain one of the best Boston bands to emerge from scene circles over the past decade. As the band recalibrates with a new lineup, a former member has branched out on his own with an entirely new sound. Blake Fusilier, the former RIBS bassist now operating under the Fusilier moniker, signed last month with Brassland, an artist-operated label started in 2001 by Alec Hanley Bemis and the National’s Aaron Dessner and Bryce Dessner. His debut single is expected this month, though no official date has been set, and an EP later in the year (which we are very excited about). In the meantime, drown in a shirt snippet of Fusilier’s new sound below.

I have this theory that if people knew who we really were in their minds, we probably would all have a lot more respect for one another. This applies to everyone: friends and acquaintances and bandmates. I think it’s our duty to ourselves to make sure that those around us have a chance to allow others to see our glorious, true selves. I finally feel like I’m beginning to live by those words. The songs I’m wrapping up have been floating around for years. I had been anticipating the moment when people could actually hear even 20 seconds of my potential. That said, I’m ecstatic to share that I’ve signed with @brassland for my debut EP. Here’s a first listen. A video posted by @blakeful on Dec 15, 2015 at 5:56am PST

This one’s cheating a bit, in terms of celebrating local releases. Mass Gothic, led by Noel Heroux, may be a New York–based project, but its ringleader has deep ties to Boston, especially through his work in the 2000s and beyond with Hooray For Earth (RIP). In addition to running Killer Wail Records with his partner-in-rhyme Jessica Zambri—which has already yielded the fantastic Philosophical Zombie album—Heroux has been hard at work on some new music of his own lately, and last year signed to Sub Pop. The debut LP, produced by Mass Gothic, mixed Chris Coady (Beach House, TV on the Radio) and mastered by Greg Calbi (Father John Misty, Tame Impala) drops February 5, and Mass Gothic will play Great Scott on February 25.

Art Thieves, For Free [self-released]
Release party: February 13 at O’Brien’s Pub in Allston.

On New Year’s Eve, while you were all out partying and spending billions on Uber, Quincy dudes Art Thieves dropped their debut LP, For Free. And unlike your ride across town, it was available, For Free. The DGAF attitude is an extension of Art Thieves’ previous bands (Dirty Water, The Glow, Foam ’N’ Mesh, Brando), and the DIY ethic is evident, as they recorded the album themselves. On February 13, they’ll be shaking the cages of O’Brien’s alongside Brooklyn’s Warn the Duke and locals The Warning Shots and You Scoundrel. To get properly lubed, check out the track we premiered just as the ball dropped on 2k14, the rousing “Dear Leader,” and all of For Free below.

Quilt, Plaza [Mexican Summer]
Release date: February 26.

This week David Bowie releases Blackstar, an album that, according to early reviews, find the Duke in weirdo jazz territory. Those hoping for a bit of Hunky Dory-era sounds might find their gold in the new Quilt LP, Plaza, out next month on Mexican Summer. Lead single “Eliot St.” balances ’60s pop with a bit of relaxed glam rock atmospherics, and another stellar turn from the psychedelic indie rock band. We hope the rest of the record is this good, and that Quilt, who played Vanyaland’s inaugural Sound Of Our Town party at Lawn On D in 2014, return to their hometown soon.

Boston shows off some national muscle on February 26, as the day finds new albums from both Quilt and Doug Tuttle. On the latter, the one-time MMOSS frontman is back with his second LP for Trouble In Mind, led by a magnetic first single, the gentle ’60s-pop sway of “Falling to Believe.” Tuttle’s 2014 solo debut was hailed by critics and earned the Somerville musician a national following, and It Calls On Me should further cement the man as one of the region’s best songwriters, able to tell tales that weave in and out of dream-pop and psychedelica without losing their folk-born footing. A blissful effort for those who feel at the same time both (Neil) Young and (Kurt) Vile.      

Massachusetts’ hard-partyin’, beer-swiggin’, celebratory-hoistin’ noir-punk trio The Devil’s Twins are back for another round of rock and roll action. This time, they’re dropping some records for new single “Little Sister Let It Run”, released on March 19 on limited edition clear hand-crafted lathe cut vinyl, complete with a cover of Roger Alan Wade’s “If You’re Gonna be dumb (You Gotta Be Tough)” as the b-side. The release is the first of four “special events” the Twins have planned for 2016, and at O’Brien’s for Round 1, they’re joined by Boston/Providence rockabilly punks Diablogato and some hidden surprises. Check out their 2015 record, Consequences, as we await the new jams to come back from the pressing plant.    

Last year, longtime Boston psych-rock scene veterans Guillermo Sexo released an epic space-themed video for “Graffiti Sky”, and it could yield clues for their next record. Titled Eclipse, the new LP (which will include “Graffiti Sky”) is set to drop sometime in March, with the next single arriving in a few weeks. Recorded at 1867 Studio with Chris McLaughlin, it’s the band’s first recording with drummer Pepe Anzalone and guitarist Richard Murillo (ex-Autochrome), and the follow-up to 2013’s Dark Spring. Expect more of what Guillermo Sexo does best: merging various elements like shoegaze, ’90s guitar fuzz, dream pop, and psychedelia into one crisp, tightly-woven sound. It’s also said to be the most cohesive Guillermo Sexo record in their ever-increasing catalog.