No Expectations 055: Right Back To It
10 of the most exciting LPs coming in 2024. Plus, two new album recs you can stream in full now.
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After a quick four-day Los Angeles vacation, I’m back in Chicago. I’m grateful I got to see a bunch of West Coast friends, eat some fantastic meals (shoutout Damian, Langer's Delicatessen, and Amboy Quality Meats), witness the Detroit Red Wings win an overtime thriller at Crypto Arena, drink a beer at Walt’s, and spend a few days in sunny, 60-degree weather. Every midwesterner should do a January trip to LA: it’s a great city, you get to escape the blistering winters, and it’s even better if you have buds who live there.
10 Great LPs Out This Year
A friend recently asked, “What do you think the big musical trends of 2024 will be?” and I responded, “I have no idea.” While that’s not what you want to hear from a music journalist, I’m not great at bold predictions. I thought about tossing off a couple of joke answers (“A member of Goose will date an A-lister and spark a jam-band resurgence among Gen Z that will annoy everyone” or “They’ll decide to slow down the sped-up versions of viral pop songs back to normal”) but I couldn’t come up a satisfying response. Whenever I see people try to predict trends (ie “The Year of the Cowboy Aesthetic”), it sometimes seems like they’re just talking about pop stars ripping off each other’s music videos and press photo visuals (which are usually just stolen from lesser-known artists in the first place).
If I’m indulging in wishful thinking, I’d hope that music listening habits across the board get more local and underground. Years of pop stars dominating the headlines, major label artists ending up on “best indie” lists, and soulless algorithms picking songs for your consumption may finally hit a tipping point where fans will decide to dig deeper for new music. I don’t know, man. Maybe it’s the year of music blogs again. I can say with certainty that there will be tons of great albums coming out this year but it will be harder for independent artists to break through the neverending mass of content hitting your daily scroll. Making a living as a working musician will get even more tenuous but local communities can still be a nurturing, essential, and grounding force. I hope 2024 has you buying tickets to gigs, pre-ordering LPs, and breathlessly promoting the artists who resonate with you the most.
In 2024, I’m entering my 12th year as someone who gets paid to write about music (wild) and I’ve realized there is no better time to catch up on what’s coming out than the post-holiday Early January Dead Zone. Though it’s annoying as hell when a music journalist humblebrags about hearing an upcoming album early, I’m only saying that the picks below are all excellent front-to-back to let you know you won’t be disappointed if you dig the singles. I’m choosing these upcoming LPs as cohesive full bodies of work that are worth your time, money, and attention. There are a ton more to be announced in the coming weeks (including a handful I had to omit here because they’re still, to my surprise, embargoed), but these are the ones I know you’ll dig. (An asterisk means I wrote the press bio for it).
Lily Seabird, Alas,*
(out 1/12 via bud tapes)
If you’re new to No Expectations, the early months of the newsletter featured me raving about a handful of musicians based in Burlington, Vermont who all play on each other’s records, tour in each other’s bands, and make excellent solo LPs: Greg Freeman, Dari Bay, and Lily Seabird, to name just three. Alas, Seabird’s latest which I wrote the press bio for, is out Friday and is an early contender for AOTY. What sets Seabird apart is her voice: it can violently oscillate from a gnarled shriek to an evocative whisper but it’s always expressive, dynamic, and stunning. The latest single “Waste” might be the best introduction to her music. It’s got muscular, clanging guitars and slowly builds to a startling cathartic moment. She plays GMan Tavern in February with No Expectations favorite Villagerrr (as well as a gig playing in Freeman’s band next week at Lincoln Hall supporting Friend of the Substack Squirrel Flower).
Preorder: Bandcamp.
They Hate Change, Wish You Were Here… (EP)
(out 1/26 via Jagjaguwar)
Andre Gainey and Vonne Parks, the two Florida-based rappers, producers, and songwriters who make up They Hate Change, are some of the hardest-working and most innovative artists I’ve ever met. This past year and a half found them touring around the world at a breakneck pace that only the most hardened road dogs could do without losing it. Still, each time I saw them play it was one of the best shows I’ve ever seen and the two maintained their ebullient and charming IRL vibe throughout. They’re releasing an EP this month that features my first favorite track of the year in “Wallabies & Weejuns.” It’s breathlessly energetic, totally hypnotic, and likely the most fun you’ll have listening to a song in weeks.
Preorder: Bandcamp.
Katy Kirby, Blue Raspberry
(out 1/26 via ANTI-)
Cool Dry Place, Katy Kirby’s 2021 debut released via Keeled Scales, is one of those albums that already feels like a classic. Every song is fantastic and it’s so tastefully and expertly rendered it never loses its luster no matter how many times you spin it. The Texas-raised, NYC-based songwriter’s follow-up Blue Raspberry, which is out on new label ANTI-, might be even better. She’s released four singles so far on this album cycle and each one has been excellent: “Cubic Zirconia” is stunning while the latest “Hand to Hand” is hypnotic and knotty. While a lot has happened in Kirby’s life since I interviewed her for VICE’s Noisey Next series in early 2021, I’m grateful we got to chat then and that she can subvert expectations and best herself on this follow-up. In March, she plays Lincoln Hall with No Expectations favorite Allegra Krieger: Show of the Year alert.
Preorder: Bandcamp.
Astrid Sonne, Great Doubt
(2/9 via Escho)
I don’t like to think too much about March 2020 but I do remember planning to see Danish producer and songwriter Astrid Sonne play the Empty Bottle at the end of the month. While that never happened, it’s been a joy to follow the London-based artist’s career over the years. Her latest LP Great Doubt is a lean but weighty dose of brooding, electronic pop. Single “Do you wanna” is gorgeous and yearning while the most recent offering “Boost” is a glittering, confounding instrumental. If you rightfully dug the ML Buch record from last year, Sonne is a friend and the two are going on tour this year.
Preorder: Bandcamp.
David Nance & Mowed Sound, David Nance & Mowed Sound
(out 2/9 via Third Man Records)
Omaha’s David Nance is a remarkably prolific rocker known for jumping between projects and doing full-length covers albums. David Nance & Mowed Sound is his debut album under this particular moniker and in the press release he says it’s the most time he’s ever spent on a single album. While his rushed and casual approach to album-making has suited him well so far, this LP is his best yet. “Mock The Hours” is the only taste of it to date but it’s a near-perfect lead single boasting interlocking guitar jams and a charming chorus. For those who like to rock, you can’t go wrong here: Nance is one of the easiest to root for artists around.
Preorder: Bandcamp.
Ducks Ltd, Harm’s Way*
(out 2/9 via Carpark)
Toronto and Chicago are sister cities for good reason. It’s one of my favorite places to visit and its music community is sprawling, eclectic, and full of great people like Ducks Ltd. This jangle-pop duo featuring Tom McGreevy and Australian guitarist Evan Lewis make relentlessly infectious pop songs that demand to be heard live. Their latest LP, Harm’s Way, was recorded in Chicago with producer Dave Vettraino and features a variety of local guests like Lawn’s Rui Gabriel, Ratboys’ Julia Steiner, Dehd’s Jason Balla, and more. The duo loved Chicago’s music scene so much they decided to enlist it for this album. There’s no way this won’t be one of the year’s best indie rock records. I was lucky enough to write the press bio for it so I’ve been living with these breezy and memorable songs for months now. “Train Full of Gasoline,” their most recent single, is a good introduction to the tracklist.
Preorder: Bandcamp.
Friko, Where we’ve been, Where we go from here
(out 2/16 via ATO)
Few bands know how to conjure up emotional stakes quite as masterfully as Friko. The young Chicago band is putting out their debut album Where we’ve been, Where we go from here via ATO and it lives up to the hype they’ve earned playing hair-rasing gigs across the city over the past couple of years. This LP captures their cathartic live show with songs like “Crashing Through” and “For Ella,” which both serve as a showcase for frontman Niko Kapetan’s dynamic, theatrical, and powerhouse voice. It’s going to be so fun to see where this band goes next.
Preorder: Bandcamp.
Omni, Souvenir
(out 2/16 via Sub Pop)
Omni have soundtracked the better part of my past decade. By my count, I can’t think of a more respected and instantly likable post-punk outfit than this Atlanta trio. Interview a musician who makes frenetic and propulsive guitar music and chances are they’ll name-drop this band as an influence. On Souvenir, their first album in five years, and second with Sub Pop, they pick up where they left off with instant earworm rippers that lurch energetically into unexpected places. The latest offering from the LP, “Plastic Pyramid,” guests Automatic’s Izzy Glaudini in a conversational duet that bounces off the walls with manic energy.
Preorder: Bandcamp.
Hannah Frances, Keeper of the Shepherd
(out 3/1 via Ruination Record Co)
If you only have time to check out one single here, make it “Bronwyn,” the opening track from Hannah Frances’ Keeper of the Shepherd. It’s an absolute stunner. Frances is an itinerant songwriter who’s spent time in New York City, Vermont, and recently Chicago, where I’ve met her and been lucky enough to see her play. Back in June, I was so floored by her opening set for Sima Cunningham that I wrote about why you should always see the first act on a bill. She has an unorthodox and enthralling approach to songwriting: her tunes oscillate between folk, jazz, and indie rock and unfold in ways that are distinctly her own. Every year there’s an album I can’t shut up about with praise: Keeper of the Shepherd is so transcendentally good that it’ll probably be that one already.
Preorder: Bandcamp.
Waxahatchee, Tigers Blood
(out 3/22 via ANTI-)
Listen, you don’t need me to tell you that a new album from Waxahatchee is going to be good and worth your time. You already know this. But I’m excited for Tigers Blood because Kansas City-based songwriter Katie Crutchfield recorded it with Jake Lenderman, Brad Cook, Phil Cook, and Friend of the Substack Spencer Tweedy. More than that, she’s going to take Tweedy, along with Twin Peaks’ Colin Croom (Kevin Morby, Whitney, Twin Peaks), Clay Frankel (Hazel City, Grapetooth), and more on the road with her as her backing band. The only thing you can hear from the LP right now is lead single and the title of this newsletter edition “Right Back To It,” which guests Lenderman. It rules. You’ll have to trust me that the rest of the tracklist lives up to this killer first single.
Preorder: Bandcamp.
More upcoming bangers: Marika Hackman, Big Sigh (out 1/12 via Chrysalis Records), glass beach, plastic death (out 1/19 via Run For Cover), PACKS, Melt The Honey (out 1/19 via Fire Talk), Ty Segall, Three Bells (out 1/26 via Drag City), The Smile, Wall of Eyes (out 1/26 via XL Recordings), J Mascis, What Do We Do Now (out 2/2 via Sub Pop), Helado Negro, Phasor (out 2/9 via 4AD), Idles, TANGK (out 2/16 via Partisan Records), Desiree Cannon, Radio Heat (2/23 via Gar Hole Records), Jimmy Montague, Tomorrow’s Coffee (out 2/28), Mannequin Pussy, I Got Heaven* (out 3/1 via Epitaph), FOOTBALLHEAD, Overthinking Everything (out 3/1 via Tiny Engines), Meatbodies, Flora Ocean Tiger Bloom (out 3/8 via In the Red), Julia Holter, Something in the Room She Moves (out 3/22 via Domino), Rosali, Bite Down (out 3/22 via Merge), Dana Gavanski, LATE SLAP (out 4/5 via Full Time Hobby)
* = I wrote its press bio.
What I listened to:
No Expectations 055 Playlist: Apple Music // Spotify
1. Hannah Frances, “Bronwyn”
2. Waxahatchee (ft. MJ Lenderman), “Right Back To It”
3. Buck Meek, “Cuero Dudes”
4. Friko, “Crashing Through”
5. Katy Kirby, “Hand to Hand”
6. David Nance, “Mock The Hours”
7. Ducks Ltd., “Train Full of Gasoline”
8. They Hate Change, “Wallabies & Weejuns”
9. Astrid Sonne, “Do you wanna”
10. The Smile, “Friend of a Friend”
11. Itasca, “Imitation of War”
12. Omni (ft. Izzy Glaudini), “Plastic Pyramid”
13. Marika Hackman, “The Yellow Mile”
14. Mannequin Pussy, “I Don’t Know You”
15. Lily Seabird, “Waste”
The Brights, Oyster Rock!
There isn’t a more essential blog and music discovery vessel than Aquarium Drunkard. It’s impossible to count how many great artists and albums I’ve checked out thanks to that website and The Brights, an Australian quintet who make laid-back but sturdy indie rock is the most recent find. On their latest full-length Oyster Rock!, which they put out in December, there’s subtle twang to compliment the jangle and classic AM-radio songwriting. I’d recommend songs like “Everyone In Town” for fans of early Wilco and The Strange Boys while prettier cuts like the penultimate track “In My Hands” hit a woozy, falsetto-featuring sweet spot that evokes the Clientele. This is a grower—a patient listen where you realize several songs in that you’re hearing something special. I hope they can make it stateside this year.
House Band, Aventurine
Right before the holidays, I got a DM from Brian Harding who runs the great and hilarious Instagram account @PhishonPhilm giving me props for putting Geese on the No Expectations year-end list. During our brief chat on there, he mentioned that he had an album coming out with his collaborative improvisational project House Band. The Los Angeles-based Harding, who eagle-eyed readers might recognize as one-half of the defunct but excellent indie pop group Ex Cops, enlisted a Murderers’ Row of musicians including producer and guitarist Jason Abraham Roberts (Bedouine), drummers Jay Rudolph (Midnight Sister) and Andrew Maguire (Hand Habits), bassist Patrick Kelly (St. Vincent), and multi-instrumentalist Alex Fischel (Spoon). Aventurine, House Band’s debut LP, is almost ninety minutes of sprawling, heady grooves and mesmerizing psych flourishes. It’s more Can and Tortoise than, say, Phish and Goose, which is totally fine by me—a perfect Saturday evening LP.
What I watched:
You Hurt My Feelings
Nicole Holofcener makes low-stakes, slice-of-life dramedies about the relatively well-off and their neuroses and interpersonal problems. I loved Enough Said with James Gandolfini but kinda couldn’t stand The Land of Steady Habits from 2018. Your mileage may vary because of her subject matter, but I really enjoyed her latest You Hurt My Feelings, which I watched on my flight home from L.A. The film follows a middle-aged and semi-successful writer (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) who is finishing up her next book. Her psychotherapist husband (Tobias Menzies) doesn’t think the novel is all that good and his wife eventually finds out. While it’s a light and breezy movie, it’s a surprisingly knotty look at relationships, why you spend a life with a person, and what happens when if a partner doesn’t like your work. There’s a wordless blink-if-you-miss-it scene that will stick with me: The writer sees her book on display at a store and reads a critic blurb that says, “It’s a great read.” She reads the book next to it, which a critic called “Brilliant!” and her face turns from a smile to a confused frown. Pretty good bit.
What I read:
Ticket Masters: The Rise of the Concert Industry and How the Public Got Scalped
Why are concert tickets so expensive? How did Ticketmaster become the dominating, hegemonic force of live music? How are these ticket fees legal? What dumbass came up with merch cuts? These are all questions I’ve had over the years as a fan and music journalist. You probably have too! Ticket Masters: The Rise of the Concert Industry and How the Public Got Scalped is one of the easiest-to-read and most lucid overviews of the American concert industry and the business of live music I’ve read yet. Though it was released in 2011, it’s not dated because it works more as a history to diagnose the problem rather than a call to action. When it comes to music business reporting, it feels like a lot of journalists miss needed historical context and for that reason alone this is essential reading.
The Weekly Chicago Show Calendar:
Thursday, Jan. 11: Graham Hunt, Interlay, Tension Pets at Sleeping Village. Tickets.
Friday, Jan. 12: the courts, Flwers, North By North, Nathan Graham at Empty Bottle. Tickets.
Friday, Jan. 12: Nick Dunston & Lia Kohl at Hungry Brain. Tickets.
Saturday, Jan. 13: Course, Steve Dawson at Constellation. Tickets
Saturday, Jan. 13: Ganser, Patter, Plum at Empty Bottle. Tickets. ‘
Saturday, Jan. 13: Eshanthika’s Living Room Mix (A Silver Lining Foundation Benefit) at Sleeping Village. Free.
Sunday, Jan. 14: Angela James, Hemlock, Advance Base at Constellation. Tickets.
Sunday, Jan. 14: Ulna, Gloss Coats, George Arthur Calendar, Blesstonio at Empty Bottle. Tickets.
Monday, Jan. 15: Edging, CB Radio Gorgeous, Excrucis at Schubas. Free.
Wednesday, Jan. 17: Robert Ellis at Fitzgerald’s. Tickets
Wednesday, Jan. 17: Mila La Morena, Demo Division, Daybreaker at Sleeping Village. Tickets.
New reader here! Just popping in to say I love what you’re doing here, and I’m so glad I stumbled across your work. Can’t wait to share it with others!
i love when i get recommended artists i never heard of before