No Expectations 151: Bad Feeling
Five great new LPs from Smirk, La Sécurité, and more. Plus, a fantastic Catalan novel and 'Widow's Bay.'
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Headline song: Ultra Lights, “Bad Feeling”
Thanks for being here. It’s been as close as you can get to an alltimer summer here in Chicago. Most weekends have been fully packed with shows, friends, dinners, and lately, the 2026 World Cup. I’m having a blast. Over the past few days, I watched a few games surrounded by buds and strangers. I witnessed those around me curse out the ref in multiple languages, sit in communal anxiety taking in the on-field drama, and hug everyone (or gasp in despair) at every goal. As much as I’m bummed that some of my favorite squads are knocked out, I don’t want it to end.
While this quadrennial soccer competition has captured my attention for weeks now, I’ve still managed to carve out time to find some stellar records to highlight here. Discovery can be tough when you’re busy, but it’s always worth setting aside an hour or two a day to slow down and take things in.
I’ve long had this fantasy of being able to stop the clock so I can catch up on new music, make it through a stack of books, and finally make a sizable dent in my film watchlist. Whenever I read a great novel or listen to a stellar LP, it’ll lead me to find something more to add to the queue. The same goes for movies. I’ll never be able to hear, read, or watch everything worthwhile, and that’s OK. Life is meant to be lived, but art helps enrich it. So, even if your “list of things to check out” is getting overwhelming, making space to experience something with an open mind is never a bad idea.
Here’s the spiel for new subscribers: Each week, you get a wildcard main essay (often new album recommendations), a 15-song playlist, as well as updates on what I’m listening to, watching, and reading. Sometimes you’ll get an interview with an artist I love, and other times it’ll be a deep dive into one band’s discography. Since I’m a Chicago-based writer, this newsletter is very Midwest-focused. So, if you live in this city too, you’ll also receive a curated roundup of upcoming local shows to check out.
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Five Albums Worth Your Time This Week
Dari Bay, Surprise Wish
Burlington’s Zack James is probably the artist that’s been featured most in No Expectations. And it’s not just that his bands, Dari Bay and Robber Robber, are longtime favorites: Every time you visit this newsletter, you’ll see the logo he designed as well as the weekly cover images he makes for each installment. While he’s integral to this blog’s success and a friend, I’ve been a fan for longer and remain so.
James’ latest LP, Surprise Wish, is a compulsively hooky and concise dose of slacker-tinged power pop. It scraps the breezy twang of 2023’s The Longest Day of the Year for punchy fuzzed-out rockers that make room for rhythmic left turns and moments of atmospheric beauty. Beyond his work in his main musical projects, he’s an in-demand drummer for touring acts like Unknown Mortal Orchestra and Porches, and you can see why in the playful percussion work of the folky opener “Finder” and the outro on the single “Chevy.” Elsewhere, “The Joke” is searing power chords and boasts lines like, “What does it mean that I’m in on the joke, but I’m not the one laughing / The song is over, but no one is clapping.” Though he mines a palette of bedroom pop, ‘90s indie, and Weezer-evoking alt-rock, it’s done with a tastefulness and inventiveness that’s fully his own. Just take one listen to standout “We’re All Gonna Be Okay” and let the chiming riffs wash over you as James sings, “I’ve really gotta remind myself that / Sometimes we feel so small, but it’s alright / We’re gonna be okay.” The real deal!
RIYL: Graham Hunt, Porches, Alex G
La Sécurité, Bingo!
Montreal’s La Sécurité simultaneously evoke the synthy bombast of 2000s dance punk, the frantic intensity of egg punk, and the knottiness of 2010s art-rock, all while having an absolute blast on their sophomore LP Bingo! It’s an unrelenting half-hour of spitfire bass lines, clanging guitars, buzzsaw synths, and club-ready catharsis. Of the 10 songs here, all could bring the house down live in no small part thanks to the charismatic and acerbic performance of lead singer Éliane Viens-Synnott. She contorts her voice around the snaking and spiky arrangements. Whether she’s talk-singing, putting on a snotty affect, or crooning in French, it’s always electric. While each track is a banger, the single “Detour” might be the best entry point: a zany and danceable tour-de-force that’s one of the most infectious tunes of the year.
RIYL: Snõõper, Water From Your Eyes, Fake Fruit
Laceles, dreamsicle
Chicago trio Laceles write noisy and grungy rock songs with their own internal logic. When you expect the slow-building tension in one of the nine songs on the Bandcamp-only dreamscicle to unfold and resolve, the band violently careens in a totally different direction. This volatility makes this LP a thrilling listen: pummeling instrumental passages, brutal riffs, anxious yelps, and brief moments of sweet melodic pop from vocalist Lydia Billie. Even on the most straightforward numbers, like the anthemic “On Her,” there’s a menacing aura in both the gnarled guitars and the haunting harmonies between Billie and bassist Marlowe Shacory. There's an ‘80s no-wave thump to the dirgelike “Doctor Zapple” and sparkling jams on “Everything Is Every1.” Equally confounding and bursting with life, there’s not a locally made album from this year that’s more fun to untangle.
RIYL: Babes In Toyland, Sonic Youth, PJ Harvey
palefire, full heart, big empty eyes
My favorite recent source for music discovery has to be The Ugly Hug, a Chicago-based blog that’s been a tireless champion for independent artists and DIY communities around the country for the past three years. The latest LP they’ve tipped me on is palefire’s Bandcamp-only full heart, big empty eyes. It’s the debut effort from Denton, Texas songwriter and bandleader Jaqui Torres, a devoted student of K Records twee pop who also happens to be a classically trained cellist. This is a winning combo throughout these winsome, wide-eyed, and excellent indie pop songs. There’s ample fuzz and jangle on the highlight “sweet as a yankee” while “my peace (you so surround me)” is pockmarked by subtle synths and a lullaby melody. Though much of the material could be described as delicate, Torres’ melodic lightness and dexterous songwriting are astoundingly sturdy.
RIYL: The Sundays, Wendy Eisenberg, Elliott Smith
Smirk, Speculative Fiction
There are some records where you sit down for a full listen, but you hear a particular song for the first time, and you have to run it back. That happened twice with me and Smirk’s third album, Speculative Fiction, on “Victimry” and “Going Off to Die.” Those two tracks are everything I’d want in a punk tune: propulsive energy, driving, nervy riffs, and explosive choruses, all delivered by a commanding vocalist. Smirk frontman Nick Vicario nails it throughout these 13 songs. He trades some of the throwback punk references of his early oeuvre for raw, no-frills immediacy and melody-forward writing. Sure, you’ll definitely hear shades of the Stooges, Joy Division, or MC5, but Vicario’s hard-hitting and deliriously catchy brand of punk will stick with you.
RIYL: Protomartyr, Shame, Stuck
What I listened to:
The No Expectations 151 Playlist: Apple Music // Spotify // Tidal
Dari Bay, “Background”
Smirk, “Victimry”
Adult DVD, “Cowboy On Aisle Three”
La Sécurité, “Detour”
PUP, “If This Is It”
Wishy, “All The Rage”
Ultra Lights, “Bad Feeling”
Bondo, “Zuma”
Graham Hunt, “Riverboat Blues”
Sofia Wolfson, “Kid”
Jack Brereton, “L.A.”
Sadurn, “whole thing”
Slow Pulp, “Not for Nothing”
1000 Rabbits, “White Horse”
Gash, “good and bad”
Gig recap: Porches at Logan Square Arts Fest (6/26)
I’ve always loved Porches’ music. Few songwriters in that world have been ahead of the curve and not content to stay in the same lane as much as Aaron Maine. His latest release, MASK, is a nine-song mixtape that’s gnarled, rough, and wholly compelling—a complete 180 turn from his glossy and often synthy breakthrough albums like 2016’s Pool and 2018’s The House. He headlined the Friday of Logan Square Arts Fest. I’d attend anyway, but his band featured Zack James of Dari Bay, Robber Robber, and Unknown Mortal Orchestra as his drummer. That day was also James’ record release for Surprise Wish—even though he wouldn’t be playing any of his own, I had to support the homie. It was lovely to be outside and hear these songs. I’m shocked they made their aftershow across town with a 10:30 p.m. start time following their 9 p.m. festival set. True pros.
Gig recap: Bertha: Grateful Drag, Yoko and the Oh No’s at Gallagher Way (6/27)
In 2023, Tennessee’s Republican Gov. Bill Lee signed a state law that banned drag performances (alongside other forms of so-called “adult cabaret”) from public property or anywhere minors might be present. In a state where its arguably most famous resident, Dolly Parton, has said, “If I hadn’t been a girl, I’d have been a drag queen,” the legislation caused massive uproar, especially in its artist community. That year, a collection of Nashville musicians decided to create a drag-themed cover band of the Grateful Dead. Since their first show at Dee’s in Madison, which raised thousands for local charities, they’ve become a touring powerhouse. My friend stumbled upon four tickets for their Chicago gig outside Wrigley Field during Pride weekend, and I couldn’t have had a better time. It might have been the most joyful and fun celebration of this band’s catalog I’ve seen yet.
Gig recap: Widowspeak, Neu Blume at Schubas (6/28)
If I had to choose a band that feels like the platonic ideal of my tastes, it’s either Bonny Doon or Neu Blume. They make the kind of conversational and inviting folk rock that can be breezy, rocking, and emotionally devastating all at once. Both bands have a lot in common. They share a Detroit home and band members: Neu Blume co-songwriter Colson Miller has played bass in Bonny Doon since 2022, and when I saw Neu Blume perform a couple weeks ago at Schubas, Bonny Doon’s co-frontman Bill Lennox sat in with them on guitar. It was a perfect show. While Let It Win was a clear standout last year, the band’s set featured mostly new tunes off a as-yet-unannounced LP. I was floored by most everything I heard: the then-unfamiliar-to-me tracks were so stellar that I could still hum them days after only hearing them once.
Headliner Widowspeak were phenomenal. One thing I missed in my blurb of their latest record last month is how Robert Earl Thomas is such a cut above most indie rock guitarists. His tone is unbelievable, and while he’s not flashy, he’s an undeniable and tasteful shredder. Every riff and every solo were in service of the song. There are few gigs I’d make after attending concerts two nights in a row, but this was an ideal way to cap off a back-to-back-to-back.
Gig recap: Soft Surface, Magical Powers, Toddo at Empty Bottle (7/2)
I don’t think I made a list at the time, but my absolute favorite album of 2017 was Cende’s #1 Hit Single. It was the first and only LP from the Cameron Wisch-fronted Brooklyn outfit (which was named after what a Descendents t-shirt looks like under an unbuttoned flannel shirt), but it’s such an unassailable and efficient compilation of frantic power pop that I revisit it regularly to this day. Since that one-and-done project, Wisch has stayed busy. He’s played in bands like Porches, Ra Ra Riot, and Frankie Cosmos but now drums for Petey USA and splits time fronting two new bands between Dust Star and Soft Surface. The latter, which treads similar territory of blistering punk and ebullient pop melodies, headlined a free Thursday show at the Empty Bottle. His band featured local players like Options Seth Engel, Patter and the Knees’ Wilson Brehmer, and Moontype and the Deals’ Joe Suikhonen. It ripped: a ferocious and tight sub-40 minute gig.
What made the night extra special was running into Jonah Yoshonis, the Grand Rapids songwriter behind No Expectations favorites Perren. I’d never met the guy before, but it turns out he was playing drums with openers Magical Powers. Like Yoshonis, they’re from my hometown, and they were excellent. An atmospheric and mathy set of emo-tinged indie rock. It was yet another perfect night at the Empty Bottle.
What I watched:
Widow’s Bay (Apple TV+)
What’s great about Widow’s Bay is that it’s exactly what I want in a TV show. It’s smart, but it’s not trying to be prestige TV. It’s compulsively watchable and fun, but it’s not grating or schlocky. Starring Matthew Rhys as the in-over-his-head mayor of a haunted town, this horror comedy seamlessly blends genres with referential scares (homages to Jaws, The Shining, Halloween, Psycho, and Twin Peaks abound) and a cast of comedic character actors (way more King of the Hill regulars than you’d expect) to bring jokes that actually land. While it never transcends the classics it pays tribute to (and it shouldn’t!), it’s a breezy 30-ish minute monster-of-the-week series that hearkens back to an era when TV felt like TV. Sometimes a premise like “the town’s haunted” is more than enough for a solid show.
What I read:
The Time of Cherries (by Montserrat Roig)
Montserrat Roig’s novel The Time of Cherries was published in Spain over a year after the 1975 death of dictator Francisco Franco, who brutally ruled the country from 1939 until he succumbed to heart failure at 82. It became a classic of Barcelona literature during her homeland’s la Transición to democracy but was only translated into English and released stateside in 2024. I devoured it in a weekend. The book follows Natàlia, a Catalan woman now approaching 40, who returns home to Barcelona after more than a dozen years abroad living in England and France. She left after the 1962 Franco-led execution of leftist politician Julián Grimau and came home as anarchist Salvador Puig Antich died the same way in 1974. Though no one knows it just yet, the country is on the brink of change, but the devastation of Franco’s rule and loss of the Republicans in the Spanish Civil War weighs heavily on every character. What’s striking about this slim but potent book is how Roig navigates these cultural, familial, and personal scars—ones caused by repressive violence, censorship, and stifling fascism—with grace, optimism, and resilience. Her narrative weaves in and out of time with flashbacks and nonlinear jumps. But no matter what, Roig’s prose is stunning, and translator Julia Sanches renders it beautifully.
The Weekly Chicago Show Calendar:
The gig calendar lives on the WTTW News website. You can also subscribe to the newsletter I produce there called Daily Chicagoan to get it in your inbox a day early.
Somehow La Sécurité had slipped off my radar — thanks for the reminder. And I agree re Widow’s Bay. I kinda grumpily started watching it but before long it had hooked me.
I keep meaning to get to Widow's Bay, but I've been distracted by two other winners on Apple: Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed, a thriller/comedy with Tatiana Maslany from Orphan Black, and a new take on John D. MacDonald's The Executioners AKA Cape Fear. Gonna check out La Securité!