At this point we’re (almost) certainly kidding ourselves that this will become a sustainable feature. Yet every few months we give it a shot, anyway. What’s that old chestnut about insanity? Something something something about expecting different results? I guess that’s us. Still, here’s another honest-to-god TRIPLE THREAT. Sure, we’re halfway through 2026, but you take what you can, right? Y’all should know the format already, but just in case here it is for what feels like the thousandth time: three of our favorite new songs, some thoughts on why, and we out. Comprende? Alright, let’s get to it.
Ultra Lights – “Good Enough”
From the upcoming LP, Pleasure’s All Yours
The consensus surrounding Ultra Lights is that they’ve cracked the code. Eminently listenable songs you swear you’ve heard a million times before but can’t quite pin down. All bangers and straight rippers, too. They’re batting a thousand, folks, and from all appearances they’re just getting started. Following a string of crackling singles that were collected on last year’s excellent Ultra Lights EP, the band is preparing the release of their first proper full length, Pleasure’s All Yours, in July. Like its ramshackle predecessor “Bad Feeling,” new single “Good Enough” steps up to the plate with plenty of confidence and loose swagger to spare. And why wouldn’t it? It’s the perfect distillation of everything that makes Ultra Lights so fun and formidable: nervy guitars, a dialed-in rhythm section, and shout-along hooks that’ll burrow their way into your subconscious. Call it punk, post-punk, slacker rock, whatever. To me it’s the musical equivalent of “rolls off the tongue”—clever, infectious, and diabolically effortless. – Guillermo Castro
Pleasure’s All Yours is out July 10 via Chunklet Industries. Pre-orders are available here.
More Info
Web: ultralightsband.com
Bandcamp: ultralights.bandcamp.com
Facebook: @ultralights
Instagram: @ultralightsband
MUELAS – “Switchback”
From the upcoming LP, Bellow
I first heard “Switchback” as part of Standard Electric Records Co. and Mainline’s Standard Selects series. The live rendition is raw and visceral, but what struck me the most was the sense of tension and drama it imposed. Fortunately, the recorded version is every bit as commanding. The track unfolds like some sort of hardcore cabaret, balancing the moody sway of the opening passage with crushing riffs and the restless intensity of the song’s climax. If that sounds like a significant amount of emotional upheaval, you’re not wrong, but vocalist Susy Reyes has the operatic presence to pull it off. Singing in both Spanish and English, the Mexican-American singer and violinist doles out evocative Latin melodies and lacerating hardcore screams with equal conviction. At its most basic, “Switchback” is about feeling neglected and undervalued, and the swell of anger that follows. But Reyes and Co. manage to turn it into a theatrical production, complete with three acts and a frenetic violin solo. Fucking killer.– GC
Bellow is out July 17 via Second Engine Records. Pre-orders are available here.
MUELAS will celebrate the release of Bellows on Fri., July 17 at the Goat Farm alongside Playytime, Squeamish, and Cheerleader. Doors open at 7 p.m. Admission is $20. All ages.
More Info
Bandcamp: muelas.bandcamp.com
Instagram: @muelasband
Go Public – “G.O.L.F.”
From the upcoming LP, You Are Traffic
I’m a bit of a sucker for dance-adjacent post-punk, especially the kind that tends towards the dark and visceral. So color me excited for the debut LP from Go Public who trade in twitchy, anxiety-ridden songs that aren’t afraid to cut loose. Led by Sean Rawls of Athens indie pop outfit Masters of the Hemisphere, the band’s latest single is a testament to their febrile dynamism. Part Gang of Four acerbic funk, part LCD Soundsystem disco sleaze, “G.O.L.F.” careens through your speakers like a live wire gyrating across water. The jittery guitar line that opens the track ramps up the tension before a thumping bass groove sweeps in and sends everything into a delirious frenzy. Yet, despite the song’s spastic intensity, controlled chaos is the name of the game here. Even when “G.O.L.F” threatens to come unhinged, the group’s combined virtuosity keep the track from ripping at the seams. – Avery Shepherd
You Are Traffic is out July 24 via Happy Happy Birthday To Me. Pre-orders are available here.
More Info
Bandcamp: gopublic.bandcamp.com
Instagram: @gopublicband