Friday Music Drops, 8/21/26

Introducing a new series of posts that I'll likely abandon after just this ELEVENTH entry: it's Friday Music Drops! The idea is that every Friday I will listen to the handful of new release songs my Spotify account recommends to me based upon my previous listens and write my quick, off the cuff thoughts on each, without really doing any research, so that these posts are as pure as possible. Here we go!

Cenobia -- "Swallowed by the World"

I listened to the new Weezer album so much this morning, and I'd be surprised if that doesn't rank highly in my year-ending top albums list. Regardless, this piece must go on, so... it's starting to feel like female-fronted heavy bands are a dime-a-dozen, but if they're good, I'm fine with it. I haven't really heard of Cenobia. "Swallowed by the World" follows the general blueprint of this kind of music, with a dark electronic intro, and then the heavy guitar and drums coming in and chugging away in a vaguely djenty way over some low screaming, before giving way to a gentle verse with pretty female singing, a chorus fakeout, then a big, heavy soaring chorus. I still like it anyway. It's a blueprint for a reason.

Horse Jumper of Love -- "Heather"

This strange indie/alternative rock band is quite good at putting out singles I like, though I find Horse Jumper of Love itself confusing. I think "Heather" is an unreleased song from 2013 that they are just releasing, but I don't know. I've liked several girls named Heather, and this is a lovely, wonderful song. I feel like this band is going to break out at some point.

hinfort -- "romanticism"

Man, you'd think this guy's deep, glum voice, paired with a new wave/Joy Division sound would make for depressing music, but hinfort's "romanticism" is yet another strangely feel-good number in his repertoire.

Echo and the Bunnymen -- "The Light That Surrounds You"

Another very pleasant Bunnymen song. Doesn't have any of the Sturm und Drang of their music from the early 80s, but the surviving members seem to have left that there. This is at least better than the other stuff they have done recently. Maybe this will be a good album.

Beck -- "Disappearing Act"

I guess I am going to feature every single off of Beck's upcoming folk/country album, Ride Lonesome, in this piece because I love them and at this point, this is an album I am highly anticipating. "Disappearing Act," atmospheric, moody, yet relaxed, just builds that anticipation even further.

Chelsea Wolfe -- "Seethe"

I guess I'm gonna do the same thing for Chelsea Wolfe too. "Seethe" is more uptempo and bass-led than previous singles for this album cycle, but it doesn't depart from the more acoustic instrumentation blueprint that she seems to have laid out for it. Sounds like it's gonna be pretty good. I said "blueprint" and "album" a lot this week.

Finally, apropos of nothing, here is Stephen Wilson Jr. playing the song "Gary" for seventeen minutes, somewhere in Montana.