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: Our writers will put their heads together and come up with three tracks that grabbed our attention over the past 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.
Credit: Devin Mann
BOREGARD. – “Beyoncé Knows”
From the standalone single
I’ll admit, I was tempted for a moment to declare BOREGARD.’s new single a one-trick pony. But Ethan Lamb’s production snaps so hard and the Henry County spitter appears to be having so much damn fun that I immediately put it out of mind. Give this banger a spin and you may seem what I mean. Just when you think he’s about to slap you with the hook or cut to another verse, he hesitates for just a second before making his next move. It’s a subtle but effective method of keeping the listener off-balance, forcing them to pay attention. I mean, it’s like the rap version of James Harden’s shake-and-bake approach to offense. Stutter step. Step back. BANG. You may see it coming, but you can’t stop it. And why would you want to, when it’s so damn dope? – Avery Shepherd
More Info
Web: boregardmusic.com
Facebook: @boregardmusic
Instagram: @therapgamebojackson
SoundCloud: @boregardmusic
Twitter: @elbomoloco
Je Suis France – “House Style”
From the upcoming LP, Back to the Basics of Love
There’s a long tradition in American literature of talking about the state of the country through the extended metaphor of a house in decay. I’m not sure if Je Suis France’s new single pays tribute to that legacy, but the band certainly knows a thing or two about long traditions—they’ve been cranking out music in Atlanta and Athens since the ‘90s. On “House Style,” vocalist Ryan Martin describes an anonymous suburban household by the signs of its neglect: “Photos in a box / beneath the bed / moments they forgot, left for dead.” Elsewhere, he says it’s a “house of silence / a house so cold / a house where nobody gets old,” and still later “a house where nobody says no.” Musically, the track’s frenzied college rock and nervous energy create a palpable tension against Martin’s vocal delivery, and its dialed up during the coda when he repeats “there is never a good time.” Like I said, the house is America, and right now its pretty appropriate that it’s built on a foundation of noisy feedback flutter and uneasy guitars ready to collapse unto themselves. – Ethan Fogus
Back to the Basics of Love is out Nov. 8 via Ernest Jenning Record Co. Pre-orders are available here.
More Info
Bandcamp: jesuisfrance.bandcamp.com
Facebook: @JeSuisFrance
Credit: Jenny Alice Watts
Fun Isn’t Fair – “Misunderstood”
From an upcoming LP, title TBA
Chances are, the ragtag duo of Fun Isn’t Fair have no problems communicating exactly what they need to say. After all, who has time for nuance when you could just crank out 90-second bangers of unadulterated garage rock bop? And so, with their slick new stomp “Misunderstood,” Isaac Bishop and Alex Tuisku tell us in crystal clear terms how much they’ve been baffled. Of course, now we may never know what this unnamed speaker wanted to convey, either. But if this miscommunication gives us another jam to hop to at the bar, then why stress? Apparently Fun Isn’t Fair are plotting a whole new album later this month, so that’ll give that guy at least another 15 minutes to defog their clouded speech. – Lee Adcock
Fun Isn’t Fair will celebrate the release of their forthcoming LP on Wed., Sept. 18 at Mother Bar+Kitchen alongside Deku + Saude, Blammo, and Peeko. Doors open at 8 p.m. Admission is $7. 21+ to enter.
More Info
Bandcamp: funisntfair.bandcamp.com
Facebook: @funisntfair