Welcome to the first-ever REVERSIVE, a bi-monthly roundup of all things Atlanta and Athens music. In the course of any given week, so much crosses our radar—everything from highly-anticipated new releases and game-shifting debuts to spellbinding videos and killer singles. Covering it all in depth has proven to be impossible; even at our most productive only a fraction of the submissions and press releases we receive ever make it to the pages of this site. So rather than letting them all slip by, we decided to create a highlight reel of the most compelling items that come across our desk. Sound good? Alright then, let’s get started.
Look who’s back
Just before 2019 took its last breath, spastic overachievers Nag spat a five-minute raspberry at the dying year. Like most of their zig-zagging singles, Red Panda slaps listeners across the face with slabs of spiraling riffage; granted, compared to those 7″ discs of fury, this digital-only dash sounds like producer Rob Sarabia packed the trio’s fire in a sardine can. This salty brine suits the impish crew, though. And besides, you can’t beat that one-buck price tag. – Lee Adcock
If you’re a rising producer looking to storm the gates of 2020, what do you do? Well, if you’re Popstar Benny, you assemble a mix of your most commanding unreleased tracks and shine a white-hot spotlight on the Atlanta underground. Released on New Year’s Eve, the 2020 EP features contributions from Kenny Mason, BOREGARD., Wiley From Atlanta, DavidTheTragic, Jelani Imani, and more. Together this motley crew runs ragged over Benny’s mercurial production, which blends murky trap beats, video game samples, glitchy noise, airy synths, and more into a vibrant wave of melodic sound that feels dinstinctly of the moment. If you want to gaze into the bright future of Atlanta hip-hop, start here. – Avery Shepherd
Algiers
There is No Year
Sometimes I think we focus so much on the raised-fist potency of Algiers’ righteous message that we forget to detail what extraordinary songwriters they are. Rare is the band that can seamlessly blend cathartic punk and soul-rattling gospel, much less while leaning into their love for cold electronics, industrial, and post-punk. On their third studio album, Algiers continue to make heady, forward-thinking music that strikes with an immediacy that escapes most bands. Produced by Randall Dunn and Uniform’s Ben Greenberg, There is No Year softens some of the edges from 2017’s razor-sharp The Underside of Power—it’s a more nuanced and meditative album oveall— but it does so without diluting the revoltionary spirit that makes their music so cathartic and necessary in the first place. – Guillermo Castro
Thomas Howard’s gauzy tapestries have always felt warm and woozy like a fuzzy memory that feels distant yet pleasantly comforting. It’s music built for waning summer light and long late-night strolls when you need to get some air and clear your head. For his latest Orchid Mantis EP, however, Howard returns to his roots, unfurling a collection of mostly one-take songs that were recorded on 4-track immediately after they were written. The end result feels more sparse and off the cuff than what we’ve grown to expect from the reclusive singer-songwriter—not to mention more cloistered. In Howard’s words, they’re “nocturnal songs meant for winter” or “long periods spent indoors,” so grab a hot drink, wrap yourself in a cozy blanket, and let long division lull you into sweet oblivion. – GC
Rappers from the ATL have to hustle to stand out from the pack, but chill master Hio doesn’t seem to break a sweat. With golden sax lullabies, jazz fusion lace, and laid-back beats, this young maestro beams positive energy from his easy chair. From daily meditations to candlelit mementos, Am beckons listeners to slow down, draw the curtains, and make time for whatever fires fuel your ascension. – LA
New kids on the block
While you were munching collards and greens on New Year’s, talks of the town the Big Heed launched their first set of songs Local Honey. Featuring former Femignome guitarist/vocalist Anna Jacobson, these garage rock vagabonds built quite the buzz last year amongst hipsters in the loop. Though not quite as whimsical as her high school surf rebellion Anxt, the Big Heed’s debut whips up a heady potion of soul-shaking blues and sugar-dusted outsider anthems that really ignite on stage. It’s a solid concoction for their first go-round, and you can snag a batch for 10 bucks on Bandcamp. – LA
Riboflavin
B2 Not 2B
Watch out below, normies! From some of the masterminds behind spastic plastic trio Blammo, Riboflavin are gonna knock you out with their concentrated dose of new wave madness. B2 Not 2B sounds like a food fight in a fish tank; tinny synths and skinny-tie guitars careen into spirals as our protagonists bicker and shout about lost serenity, pork chops, and invasions of privacy. Looks like these five goons are plotting a snack attack next month, so better dose up now and prepare for the onslaught. – LA
Most artists choose to take a break and recharge after coming home from tour, but when Jonathan Merenivitch of Shepherds returned from a recent trek, he decided to roll up his sleeves and jump back into the studio. Inspired by conversations surrounding the city of Memphis while on the road, Merenivitch’s new rap-rock sampling project Big Star Mafia mashes together power-pop progenitors Big Star with the menacing horrorscapes of underground rap lords Three 6 Mafia. The end result is Radio City Killa, a dark and noisy five-song excursion that’s equal parts booming beats and looming lo-fi dread. – AS
Feast your eyes
Is there anyone having a better start to 2020 than Tuk Smith? The longtime Biters frontman recently released his debut single “What Kinda Love” backed by his new band the Restless Hearts. No surprise that it’s a hooky slice of guitar-heavy power pop or that the accompanying video was directed by frequent collaborator Video Rahim. What did come as a bit of a bombshell, however, was the news that the group would be joining Def Leppard, Motley Crue, Poison, and Joan Jett & the Blackhearts on their upcoming summer stadium tour. That’s quite a leap from the dingy confines of the Star Bar, but guess what? Sometimes hard work and dedication really do pay off. – GC
Whenever I listen to anything from Curt Castle, I always see a rainbow of soft colors—hues that pop off the page but please my aching eyes. This precious stop-motion video for “Aminoketone” presents that aesthetic with some ol’ fashioned Sesame Street-style silliness as a prismatic array of bottle caps, Scrabble tiles, and other bric-a-brac dance around the ragdoll likeness of Curt Castle maestro Ryan Engelberger. We’ve already heard this technicolor collage from last year’s rose-tinted mosaic If I’m Here At All, but with a colorful cast of toys Engelberger doubles down on his promise to create a gentler space for music. – LA
The solo project of singer-songwriter Jason Bronson (Delorean Gray), Sibylline Lover debuted last Septmber with “Clarissa,” a lush, Beach Boy-inspired love song awash in Technicolor detail. Shot and edited by Kyler Vollmar and Gavin Jackson, the accompanying video was released the opening week of January and features ballerina Grace Ferzely as the titular character. Her performance is both elegant and whimsical, generating a feel-good atmopshere that is key to understanding the motivation behind the track. “It harkens back to a time in my life when everything was bright, fun, and new,” says Bronson. “I hope that that view of life can be shared with the audience in what seems to be a more depressing, troubling time.” – GC