Look, we know we throw a lot of new music at you. We also know that not everyone who comes to this site has the time to be as involved with or informed about the local scene as maybe they’d like to be. So for those casual readers who either can’t or have no interest in keeping up with the parade of artists we try to cover, who may not know the difference between Bitter and Biters, we have created our TRIPLE THREAT feature. The premise is simple: every Friday our writers will put their heads together and come up with three tracks that grabbed our attention over that week. Then we tell you why the songs are great and worth listening to. That’s it. Maybe some weeks we’ll have a guest commentator come in and share their favorites, but the format will always remain the same: three songs, some words, and we out. Enjoy.
Uniform – “Crystal World”
From the upcoming LP, No Trending
It took a couple of years for Uniform’s new LP, No Trending, to finally make its way into the world, but it was worth the wait. The 11-track record energizes the muddy attack of the band’s live shows by allowing each sonic layer some room to breathe without diluting the all-encompassing dread for which the group is known. Much like their performances, the record seems designed to be felt as much as heard, and nowhere on the LP is this more apparent than on “Crystal World.” It’s difficult to describe how satisfying the pulverizing whine of the guitars are throughout this track, but they work in tandem with Bobby Michaud’s frenetic drumming to create a haunting and oppressive atmosphere. – Russell Rockwell
No Trending is out Nov. 2.
Uniform will celebrate the release of No Trending on Thu., Nov. 2 at 529 alongside BODYKIT, Floor Model, and Anticipation. Doors open at 9 p.m. Donations encouraged. 21+ to enter.
More Info
Bandcamp: uniformatl.bandcamp.com
Yung Baby Tate – “Cookie Walk”
From the standalone single
Swagger is an elusive thing. You can’t fake it. You can’t claim it or earn it. All the chest-thumping and bragadoccio in the world won’t give it to you. Swagger is an aura, and Yung Baby Tate has it — in buckets as they say. Just listen to her latest single “Cookie Walk,” and you can feel it dripping off each acidic barb and sly turn of phrase (“Your swagger is old, it was rusted / It turned to gold when I touched it” or elsewhere “I’m rocking stilettos, you hopping in Crocs / My booty like jello, you stiff as a rock“). To the listener they may be punchlines but Tate delivers them so casually and cool she may as well be reciting world history. To her these aren’t bold proclamations, they’re merely fact. Embrace them, or get the hell out of her way. – Avery Shepherd
More Info
Bandcamp: yungbabytate.bandcamp.com
Facebook: @yungbabytate
Instagram: @yungbabytate
SoundCloud: @yungbabytate
Twitter: @yungbabytate
Mannequin Lover – “Actor”
From the standalone single
As an outsider looking in, I’m always asking myself: Where does this music fit in the grand web of things? What secret history have I not been privy to for the past two years? With Matthew DeLoach, aka Mannequin Lover, parts of that map have been drawn; namely, that the shadowy beat maestro has been cranking out bleak electro sketches for the better part of the summer. But “Actor” opens up a new void in the territory, an out-of-body B-side experience where we witness DeLoach in his most vulnerable form yet, huddled in a corner and nursing old wounds. Granted, he’s teasing us a bit — just as the song begins to drift into focus on the scorned lover, he cuts the beat and asks an unknown other to stop, as he’s “getting bored.” This leaves us with an even more glaring blank than before. What’s real? Who’s pulling the plug? Is there really a bag of coke up for grabs? I suspect that DeLoach tugs at our sympathies like a puppet master here, drawing up a impenetrable façade to keep listeners at bay. Which is to say, I might not be the only one locked out of this secret backstory. – Lee Adcock
More Info
Bandcamp: mannequinlover.bandcamp.com
Facebook: @mannequinloveratl
SoundCloud: @mannequinlover