Best Witches

Best Witches are a four-piece emo/indie band from Chicago, Illinois that were around from 2013 to 2014. In that time, they put one album and one EP. Sonically, they're pretty hard to pin down. They've definitely rooted in Midwestern emo (in the Cap'n Jazz vein), but incorporate minor elements that fall somewhere between garage and math rock. They craft some odd sounds that can really only be described with the cop out "experimental" tag. Basically they created some really interesting music in their time, and proved that the wave of emo bands coming out of the Midwest could expand and tinker with the definitive sound. Enjoy.

Jail (2013)

1. Margot's Song

2. I've Got An Idea, Man

3. Bird Riff

4. Warped

5. Cubby

6. Glowing Green Tomahawk

Wishes (2014)

1. Orange Things

2. Weaver

3. Heat Moves

4. Labor Day

5. Me & Hawkins

6. Muffie

7. Skeleton

8. Wrinkles

9. Muffie's Return

10. Happy Guy

Bandcamp

PWR BTTM

PWR BTTM are a two-piece punk/garage rock band formed in 2013 by Ben Hopkins and Liv Bruce while they were attending Bard College in Annandale-on-Hudson, New York. The band really sets themselves apart as unique for being a "queercore" band, which basically means its members identify as queer and a lot of their lyrics touch upon the subject. That could open up a whole other dialogue, but this is a music blog and I'm going to stick to that. Long story short, it's amazing to see members of the LGBTQ community represented in punk, especially two people decked out in drag ripping through some amazing songs. The guitar is loud, the drums are pounding, and the melodies are catchy as hell. It's garage punk at its finest, and their debut LP Ugly Cherries is a great display of that. You just can't go wrong with these fun, loaded pop hooks and booming instrumentals. They're on tour with Pity Sex and Petal now, so check them out there if you can. Enjoy.

Cinderella Beauty Shop EP (2014)

1. All The Boys

2. Gendr

3. Kill All Assholes

4. Carbs

5. Trade

Republican National Convention (2014)

1. PWR BTTM - Hold Yer Tongue

2. PWR BTTM - Sacramento

3. PWR BTTM - bcmbd

4. Jawbreaker Reunion - The D 

5. Jawbreaker Reunion - Adventure Time

6. Jawbreaker Reunion - Andrew In Drag

Ugly Cherries (2015)

1. Short-Lived Nightmare

2. Dairy Queen

3. I Wanna Boi

4. Ugly Cherries

5. Serving Goffman

6. Nu 1

7. West Texas

8. 1994

9. C U Around

10. All The Boys

11. House In Virginia

Bandcamp

Facebook

ISIYM

Band submission. ISIYM are from Melbourne, Australia, and they completely blew me away. Listening through their EP Pineapple Head through for the first time left me in complete awe. It's really refreshing to hear something that really pushes the boundaries of labels and conventions. The entire time they kept pulling out new ideas that kept things very interesting and engaging, with this constant sense of anticipation as to what they were going to do next. They'd go from guttural hardcore vocals to Beach Boys-esque harmonies, and incorporate elements of various genres including garage rock, post-hardcore, alternative rock, and post-punk. I suppose at their core they are a punk band, since they consistently deliver a very raw and energetic quality to every song. They go all out with that at some points, and other times fuse it with some very poppy and melodic sensibilities. Sometimes songs include both of these aspects. Their diversity is astounding, but their ability to execute these different dynamics is also done excellently. Their isn't any point on here that I feel like I'm listening to a different band or that they're forcing a part into their sound. It's all natural, and all awesome. I was kind of reminded of The Men (not that the two sound very much alike) because of this, since they're rooted in punk but are able to integrate many other sounds into the mix to keep things distinct and interesting. I would highly, highly recommend anybody checking this out. Seriously. You can download or buy it from their Bandcamp.

Pineapple Head (2012)

1. Untitled

2. Doomsday Preachers (Give Me The Shits)

3. Thought Eve

4. My Baby Monique

5. Adelaide

6. Fugue State

7. Paint Your Veins

8. Glass

Facebook

Bandcamp