Magdalena Bay are bringing back the heady concept album. Much of contemporary pop music is concerned with past trauma, astrological signs, and capital-V Vulnerability, and it feels like ridiculously conceptual pop music has fallen to the wayside in lieu of self-mythologization and not-so-subtle autobiography. On the other hand, the pop duo comprising Mica Tenenbaum and Matthew Lewin made a record about a character named True, whose body rejects a “disk upgrade” forced into their forehead by aliens, designed to bridge the speculative connections between humans and apes. Or something like that.

French philosopher Georges Bataille wrote in his 1949 essay The Cruel Practice Of Art that art “puts us on the path of complete destruction and suspends us there for a time, [offering] us ravishment without death.” Each song on Martha Skye Murphy’s new album Um inches closer and closer to obliteration. Not only does the London singer-songwriter elude genre, but her music sounds as if it’s echoing from another realm.

While Aaron Maine talks about the new Porches album Shirt over Zoom, the audio lags, his digitized voice disembodied and misaligned with his video as he lies in bed. It feels like a perfect metaphor for the off-kilter aura of the songs, the glitchy discomfort that makes them alluring. Shirt doesn’t arrive until September, but the compelling singles “Rag,” “Joker,” and “Itch” are enough to prove this thrillingly strange atmosphere. It’s a big leap from his previous material — his strongest stuff yet.

Eliza McLamb’s face on the cover of her debut album Going Through It is a bit blurry under a layer of water and a cluster of bubbles rippling outward across the surface of the pond. It’s unclear whether she’s going under or coming up for air — an ambiguity that parallels the two tracks that bookend the record. There’s the wide-eyed, childlike curiosity of “Before,” which acts as a sort of prologue to McLamb’s bildungsroman arc, and the half-asleep haze of closer “To Wake Up,” which finds peace and clarity in “unremarkable days” in the wake of a stormy coming-of-age journey.

Over the past decade, Mannequin Pussy have gone from the type of band with multiple tracks called “Meat Slave” to one you wouldn’t be nervous to introduce to your less punk-inclined friends, some mumbling over their name not withstanding. Their early songs tempered addictive bursts of aggression with a softer aching; they’ve continued to develop in both directions but their new songs capture that same dynamism in a more approachable package. Where leader Marisa Dabice’s voice used to be buried under the furious scurrying of her bandmates, it now towers above them in all its sickly melodic sweetness. They’ve still got plenty of fire, but they are also capable of songs like “Drunk II” and “I Got Heaven,” the title track of their fourth LP — songs where it feels like they’re reaching for something more universal than that old Mannequin Pussy, less intentionally antagonistic and more inviting.

Warning: This article contains discussion of suicide.

The incredible record is only part of the story. The remarkable band is merely the center of an extensive web.

It doesn’t take long to stumble on a passage in Mary Karr’s The Liars’ Club that reminds me of Wednesday. “When the truth would be unbearable the mind often just blanks it out,” Karr writes right on page 9. “Then, like the smudge of a bad word quickly wiped off a school blackboard, this ghost can call undue attention to itself by its very vagueness.” She continues: “You keep studying the dim shape of it, as if the original form will magically emerge. This blank spot in my past, then, spoke most loudly to me by being blank. It was a hole in my life that I both feared and kept coming back to because I couldn’t quite fill it in.”

Ostensibly, it’s not unusual for bands to take a few years between albums. But for Toronto indie-pop standouts Alvvays, the years between releases feel like actual decades. So when the group (in an updated formation comprising singer Molly Rankin, guitarist Alec O’Hanley, keyboardist Kerri MacLellan, drummer Sheridan Riley, and bassist Abbey Blackwell) announced their long-awaited follow-up to 2017’s Juno-winning Antisocialites, fans exploded onto the internet with excitement. At last, Alvvays — who formed in 2011 but have only released two LPs, 2014’s self-titled and the aforementioned Antisocialites — were coming back.

Oliver Sim’s forthcoming solo debut Hideous Bastard is a kind of subversive Cinderella story. But instead of the carriage turning into a pumpkin at the end of the ball, his forehead sprouts a horn and his skin turns scaly, green. And instead of the rags-to-riches trajectory, the xx bassist never turns back into his handsome human form. Rather, his monstrous transformation is his fairy tale come to life. “[He] allows himself to be embraced and is the most vulnerable and to me the character that I relate to the most,” Sim says, Zooming in from his home in London. “I see myself as more of a monster.”

Julia Jacklin knows how to write a song that can turn you into a puddle. 2019’s Crushing opened with a sinister retelling of coming back to oneself after an unbalanced relationship shifted a sense of autonomy and self-awareness. The tracks that followed detailed social anxiety, familial intervention, and the emotional ruins left in heartbreak’s wake. But on her third album PRE PLEASURE, out this Friday, Jacklin didn’t want to sit in her feels anymore.

Sophie Allison has always had a flair for the macabre. On the opening track of Soccer Mommy’s Clean, she imagines her lover eating her alive: “Left me drowning once you picked me out your bloody teeth.” On color theory‘s lead single “Lucy,” she descends to hell with the devil, enticed and terrified: “The root of all evil/ In a person with shiny eyes/ Hair like a feather/ Black leather and a charming smile.” She continues that eerie throughline on her new album Sometimes, Forever, out today. “Following Eyes” is a straight-up ghost story in the Gothic sense — she gets lost in the woods, drawn in by “the strangest light above the moor.” Behold!: “Following eyes/ A sound in the night/ Like something risen from below/ A horrible sight/ A chill in my spine/ I thought I must have seen…” On “Darkness Forever,” she plots out an exorcism by way of Sylvia Plath: “It’s warm in the kitchen/ Like hot sticky summer/ The demons are rising/ Up with the smoke.”

Under The Influence is a new revival of a very old Stereogum franchise, in which we ask artists to talk about the inspirations behind their albums. From other music, to film, to novels, to stray notes left behind by friends, and who knows what else, this is what’s on people’s minds when they’re writing the songs we eventually come to know and love.

Under The Influence is a new revival of a very old Stereogum franchise, in which we ask artists to talk about the inspirations behind their albums. From other music, to film, to novels, to stray notes left behind by friends, and who knows what else, this is what’s on people’s minds when they’re writing the songs we eventually come to know and love.

When Shamir Bailey first broke out via his 2015 debut album Ratchet, the only thing he felt people responding to was his gender identity — not so much the music. Barely out of his teens, Bailey was crafting futuristic, purely unclassifiable pop music that splayed out into numerous other genres: hip-hop, disco, punk. But commenters — and also journalists — tended to fixate on his ultra-flamboyant style, his countertenor voice, his being a “post-gender, androgyne angel of a millennial,” as the Guardian called him that year.

Under The Influence is a new revival of a very old Stereogum franchise, in which we ask artists to talk about the inspirations behind their albums. From other music, to film, to novels, to stray notes left behind by friends, and who knows what else, this is what’s on people’s minds when they’re writing the songs we eventually come to know and love.

Under The Influence is a new revival of a very old Stereogum franchise, in which we ask artists to talk about the inspirations behind their albums. From other music, to film, to novels, to stray notes left behind by friends, and who knows what else, this is what’s on people’s minds when they’re writing the songs we eventually come to know and love.

Under The Influence is a new revival of a very old Stereogum franchise, in which we ask artists to talk about the inspirations behind their albums. From other music, to film, to novels, to stray notes left behind by friends, and who knows what else, this is what’s on people’s minds when they’re writing the songs we eventually come to know and love.

In the year 2021, being a bona-fide “grownup” has never looked more disjointed. Some 30-somethings are married with mortgages and kids. Others, not so much. If you’re in the latter camp, you definitely aren’t alone (thanks to two recessions and a pandemic), but that doesn’t mean you won’t spin out about where you “should” be from time to time. This strain of millennial existentialism is plenty familiar to lo-fi troubadour Colleen Green — in fact, she released an entire album on the subject in 2015, aptly titled I Want To Grow Up. Six years later, Green is still trying to figure out what adulthood looks like to her, but she’s a lot more at peace with the process. That brings us to her latest work, Cool, out today, which she calls a “natural progression” from its predecessor.

Under The Influence is a new revival of a very old Stereogum franchise, in which we ask artists to talk about the inspirations behind their albums. From other music, to film, to novels, to stray notes left behind by friends, and who knows what else, this is what’s on people’s minds when they’re writing the songs we eventually come to know and love.

Under The Influence is a new revival of a very old Stereogum franchise, in which we ask artists to talk about the inspirations behind their albums. From other music, to film, to novels, to stray notes left behind by friends, and who knows what else, this is what’s on people’s minds when they’re writing the songs we eventually come to know and love.

An Overview On Phenomenal Nature is one of 2021’s most extraordinary albums, and it naturally (supernaturally?) emerged out of extraordinary circumstances. In 2019, when the reclusive Silver Jews mastermind David Berman returned with his first album as Purple Mountains, he recruited New York singer-songwriter Cassandra Jenkins to play in his live band. But in August of that year, just three days before the Purple Mountains tour was set to begin, Berman died by suicide. Reeling, with nothing but time on her hands, Jenkins traveled the world attempting to make sense of her thoughts and feelings.

We checked in with Shara Worden yesterday to hear about the process behind her new LP, All Things Will Unwind, from which we've heard "We Added It Up" and "Be Brave." Now, here's Worden with a playlist of songs that inspired All Things Will Unwind and there's definitely a good gem/jam ratio going with this. Take it away, Shara!

Thanks to a couple of excellent hype-generating mixtapes, Das Racist's debut Relax instantly became one of the most greatly anticipated releases of 2011. And, awesomely enough, the release delivered on its promise, pursuing a more pop-minded attitude without sacrificing the group's charm or satiric bent. We spoke with Dap and Victor about the influences that made Relax such a refreshing and exciting success.

Though Dominant Legs has been around for a minute -- the SF indie outfit scored a BTW in 2009 and was listed among Stereogum's Best New Bands of 2010 -- the band's new LP, Invitation serves as a great entry point. Its their most fully-formed release yet; the record mines ’80s radio rock and Fleetwood Mac-y song textures while simply showcasing a more focused, mature sound rife with interesting touchpoints. So, to walk us through those very touchpoints, is Dominant Legs figurehead Ryan Lynch. Make sure to hit a stream of Invitation at the bottom of the page and to revisit Girls' video for "Honey Bunny," which features Dominant Legs' other principal Hannah Hunt in a starring role. (Ditto D. Legs' own "Hoop Of Love" clip.)

You've streamed the Drums' new record, Portamento, and now lead singer Jonny Pierce offers us a virtual mixtape's worth of tunes that influenced the Portamento's sounds and songs. Here's Pierce!

Despite the fact that they're really young, Staten Island indie rockers Cymbals Eat Guitars are already the masters of grandiose, guitar-driven rock. On their new LP, Lenses Alien, they push it a little further into a bigger, bolder direction. Take "Rifle Eyesight (Proper Name)," for example. Or "Definite Darkness." Lead singer Joseph D'Agostino and bassist Matthew Whipple recently took some time out to select some songs that they felt had a particular impact on Lenses Alien, so without further ado, here's Cymbals Eat Guitars' edition of Under The Influence.

Indie pop institution They Might Be Giants' most recent record, Join Us, is a jump back to the group's formative, hyper-alliterative rock and its most mature (meaning, not specifically crafted for children) release in years. To walk us through some of the major Join Us touchpoints is none other than TMBG principal member John Flansburgh. Flansburgh provides the tease; "Here are some videos that I am always thinking about. They are mostly performed by women. You can draw whatever conclusion from that you like." Take it away my man!

In our latest edition of Under The Influence, Jake Orrall of Nashville psych-rock/power-pop duo JEFF The Brotherhood shares the inspiration behind the band's latest LP We Are The Champions. Yes, it includes Weezer! Check out his picks, then watch JEFF's new Michael Carter-directed video for "Wastoid Girl."

Dinosaur Jr., Sonic Youth, and Pavement are some of the bands name checked when describing Yuck's sound, and indeed the London four piece are big fans of '90s indie. But if you want to dig a bit deeper into what inspired their excellent debut, check out this exclusive playlist Mari, Max, and Daniel put together for our latest installment of Under The Influence...

YACHT's dynamic synth pop duo of Jona Bechtolt and Claire L. Evans took an untraditional route for this installment of Under The Influence, interspersing songs with books and pieces of art that influenced their new album Shangri-La. In the band's words:

This is the final Haunting The Chapel. In case you missed my earlier tweet, I accepted a position at Pitchfork, where I'll be returning as an Editor on Monday, 8/1. "Returning," because I worked there as a Contributing Writer from 2003 to 2008, writing 200+ reviews and then launching the site's metal column Show No Mercy in 2006. To answer what a number of folks have been asking: Yes, Show No Mercy will be back, made better with some things I learned while working on Haunting The Chapel.

Since starting Haunting The Chapel at Stereogum around Halloween 2009, I've enjoyed reading your comments, and feeling a sense of community. People have mentioned to me a few times that the comments on HTC always seem calmer and less angry than the comments on the rest of the site. I appreciate the thoughtfulness -- as well as the insight of what you've had to say. We've accomplished something rare on the internet: An actual dialogue that never devolved into a bunch of anonymous people shouting at themselves. (Someone contact Guinness.) Pitchfork doesn't include comments, but I'll be posting SNM links at Pitchfork's and my personal Facebook, so let's continue talking over there...

Before signing off, I wanted to thank Scott for taking the chance of incurring eternal indie-rock wrath by giving me the space for Haunting The Chapel. (Some people don't want black metal colliding with their chillwave.) I also appreciate that you banged your head at that second Nachtmystium show I organized, made those HTC matches (anyone need some?), and helped me out with banners when I sponsored the High On Fire and Triptykon and tours. I'd also like to thank Amrit for his enthusiasm re: the column -- Dawnbringer, especially -- and for showing his face at Krallice, Watain (on a first date no less), and Anal Cunt. \m/ to both of you.

While at Stereogum I did more than write HTC -- on a daily basis I multi-tasked a dozen things -- but I think this is where you ended up seeing me, as a person, most clearly. That said, blogging in general's made me a better writer. It's deceptively hard work. In ways it reminded me of my first job, at 11 or 12, picking blueberries 7AM-4PM five days a week at a hot, somehow shadeless Pine Barren farm. (It also taught me more about Weezer than I ever wanted to know.)

At the end of the day, and this particular period, I'm mostly proud of how Haunting The Chapel's grown and shifted and been accepted in weird, interesting ways. (And pretty awesome seeing that Opeth post blowing up the "most commented" charts.) Considering crossovers and breakthroughs, this installment is a great way to bring things to a close:

When we called Givers a Band To Watch last summer, we noted the Lafayette quintet made fans of Dirty Projectors with their "eclectic, ecstatic, celebratory, knotty, vocally rich sound." And if you've spent any time with Givers' excellent debut LP you know that affection runs both ways. In addition to including DP's "Useful Chamber" on this playlist of songs that influenced In Light, Tiff, Taylor, and Kirby also nod to some less obvious influences like Minnie Riperton and Oumou Sangare. Check out the mix and read their explanations behind each selection below.

Castevet's Mounds Of Ash was one of 2010's best metal releases. The NYC trio's blend of muscular black metal, hardcore punk, progressive post-rock, compositional implosions, and a "fuck you" attitude made for some of the year's most compelling music on record and onstage. Mounds, out initially via Profound Lore, is getting a second life courtesy of a vinyl edition out next month via Forcefield. In honor of that moment, I asked vocalist/guitarist/etc Andrew Hock to assemble a Mounds Of Ash mix. He responded with an ambitious collection of dark metal (of various sorts), complex avant-garde jazz, booming classical, and Talk Talk. His thoughts and selections:

For our latest Under The Influence playlist, we asked Jeremy Greenspan of Canadian electronic pop duo Junior Boys to tell us about the songs that inspired their latest album It's All True. Hear his picks and read his explanation for why each track was chosen below.

For this edition of Under The Influence, Antlers' Peter Silberman makes us a playlist of songs that inspired his band's latest album Burst Apart. Scroll down to listen and read explanations of why he selected each song.

As part of our new recurring feature Under The Influence we asked Long Beach psych-garage rockers Crystal Antlers to make us a mix of the songs that inspired their latest album Two-Way Mirror. Their thirteen selections are collected in a YouTube playlist below for easy shuffling; scroll beneath the player for singer/bassist Jonny Bell's explanations about why each song was chosen.

So far we've received Under The Influence playlists from Wild Beasts and three very different metal bands. This time we asked Pains Of Being Pure At Heart to discuss sounds that influenced their most recent collection, the Flood-produced/Alan Moulder-mixed Belong. "Smashing Pumpkins" is a name that pops-up when folks describe the album's bigger guitars: It turns out the '90s alt stars were on the Pains' production-room boombox, not just their producer's resume. Frontman Kip Berman had this to say about James Iha's axe as well as some other things that found their way onto his band's sophomore record.

Tombs' Path Of Totality topped my list of the Top 26 Metal Albums Of 2011 So Far. I was curious what sort of personal soundtrack went into that muscular, violent, surprisingly delicate and detailed blend of New York noise-rock, black metal, and industrialized blast-beat shoegaze, so I asked them to make a related mix for our new playlist franchise Under The Influence. Before you listen, take a look at vocalist/guitarist/band leader Mike Hill's thoughts on his appropriately dark, punk, and very heavy inspiration playlist. He offers insightful background for fans of the album/trio, but even if you're not into Tombs, listening to classic Black Flag transition into Ad Majorem Sathanas Gloriam Gorgoroth or Streetcleaner into Ulcerate is completely killer.

Deafheaven's Roads To Judah came up a few times in the comments of my Top 26 Metal Albums Of 2011 So Far. With reason. The San Francisco group's gorgeous 4-song, 38-minute full-length debut blends pretty Godspeed shoegaze and urban West Coast black metal shredding into epic dispatches of cascading romantic agonizing bolstered by hardcore fist pumps and floor punches. (Right, another great example of the new black metal...) I was curious what the guys are listening to recently, and perhaps what they had in mind when putting together Judah, so like I did with Servile Sect last week, I asked them to compile a mixtape. Vocalist George Clarke was up to the task putting together a 10-track mix that includes Chelsea Wolfe, the Microphones, and SF indie-poppers Courtship alongside Finnish death trio Vorum, one-man Seattle BM/MBV imploder Westering, recommended Bay Area funeral sludge crew Lycus, etc. He had this to say about it: