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.
Hot Air Henry – “Roots Die Anyway”
From the standalone single
Most herald the new year as a personal tabula rasa, with color and revelry to punctuate its potential—fireworks, confetti, bubbly drinks, the like. But on New Year’s Eve, Samuel Laubscher, a.k.a. Hot Air Henry, slipped out a decisively monochrome counterpoint on Bandcamp. Entitled “Roots Die Anyway,” the barely 3-minute paean lingers in a hazy limbo, the sort of stubborn hangover that seeps into your ego and forces you to stare bleary-eyed at your self-worth. Though the implied decay in this piano-laced drone might jar against your ambitious list of new year resolutions, that disturbance is a vital one—for, if we can’t contemplate the greys of inertia or death, then how else would we recognize progress and life? – Lee Adcock
More Info
Web: hotairhenry.com
Bandcamp: hotairhenry.bandcamp.com
Facebook: @HotAirHenry
Ciggurl – “Serial Monogamist”
From the EP, One Bad Habit
Painfully intimate songwriting is always a dangerous undertaking, in part because it so easily draws skepticism of the songwriter’s perception of reality. This is a risk that Alex Huey, the lo-fi strummer behind Ciggurl is willing to take. “Serial Monogamist,” the boldest track from her debut EP, One Bad Habit, is made up of equal parts gentle melodies and snarky observations. With help from John Pierce (Shouldies, Post-Hunk), Huey channels the self-analysis of Courtney Barnett while treading softly through the melancholy which occasionally threatens to undercut the song. – Russell Rockwell
More Info
Bandcamp: ciggurl.bandcamp.com
Harmacy – “Limitations”
From the upcoming EP, For the Mentally Ill
The great thing about experiencing a band for the first time is the muting of preconceptions. Until recently, Harmacy was a name I had stumbled across here and there on show flyers and the occasional Facebook event page, but I had no real expectations as to what they might actually sound like. On “Limitations,” the first single from the group’s upcoming EP, For the Mentally Ill, the Atlanta foursome whip up a viciously dissonant noise punk squall that stomps forward with brutish intensity. Unlike so many of their local compatriots, the band forgoes the usual lo-fi murk and grime for a cleaner, more vibrant attack, but the jackhammer vocals keep their abrasive fury buried in the red. More of this in 2018, please. – Guillermo Castro
More Info
Bandcamp: harmacy.bandcamp.com
Facebook: @harmacyatl