$10-$15 / 18+

7:30pm doors | 8pm show

Babe Report (Insta | Bandcamp | Spotify)

With a squall of guitar and a crash of drums, two years on from the release of their exhilarating debut EP, Chicago noisemakers Babe Report finally release their debut album in 2024, in the form of the rough-and-ready Did You Get Better, released this Spring via Exploding In Sound. Formed of ten new songs, and all wrapped in under half an hour, it’s an immediate and breathless arrival.

Where the band initially existed as a lockdown-inspired duo, Babe Report became a fully-fledged four-piece on the aforementioned The Future of Teeth EP, with Ben Grigg and Emily Bernstein expanding their line-up to include Peter Reale on drums and Mech on bass. Such reinforcements grow exponentially here, and they come to define Did You Get Better. Both a bigger and more accomplished version of the band than we’ve heard to-date, the album boasts a woozy concoction of 90s-drenched guitars and melodic grooves.

A tumultuous tale, the album is part snapshot of the band’s singular and curious perspectives but also by their surroundings in Jefferson Park, and area that is rife with inspiration. “We practice on Wednesdays, when the hyper-local Nadig Newspaper is delivered. We invariably spend the first few minutes of practice reviewing the weekly, idiotic antics of our Alderman,” the band says, while also citing “women driving cars with manual transmissions, the cult of fame and personality, and dreams of throwing your severed body parts into the ocean” as part of the album’s idiosyncratic nature.

However it finds you or you find it, Did You Get Better finds a way to take the reigns, ploughing headfirst into its journey and rarely looking back for approval, to even worry if anyone else is joining for the ride. Through its intense rushing, and the occasional moments of cessation, it showcases a band in a bold and brilliant new chapter, highlighting the power of growth and collaboration in a way that feels considerably and endearingly forthright.

Prewn (Insta | Spotify)

Izzy Hagerup has been kicking around the songs that make up Prewn’s debut album for the better part of a decade. It wasn’t until the pandemic hit however that she really had the seclusion needed to complete them. With a chance opportunity to write and record at Kevin McMahon’s (Swans, The Walkmen, Pile) Marcata Studio during lock-downs, she was able to focus without distraction, bringing her ideas to life. As a member of McMahon’s Pelican Movement collective the two already had a positive working relationship, and this was a chance for Hagerup to temporarily remove herself from daily life in Northampton to create without distraction at a difficult time. She’d spend the day writing, working to weave ideas into solid threads, watching the pieces come into place during productive uninterrupted sessions. She describes the immersive time spent in the studio as “life changing,” in large part due to the pure isolation where “creating was the focus and I could really be alone, leading me to find myself more prolific than I ever thought I could be.” The results are staggeringly beautiful and triumphantly visceral. Speaking about the process, Hagerup shared, “these were some of the most rewarding, exciting days in my musical life. I learned that so much of writing a song is just pushing through all the mental blocks and fears and judgements that get in the way.”

Those sessions along with some home-recorded additions (later mixed and mastered by McMahon) came to be Through The Window, Prewn’s debut album, performed entirely by Izzy Hagerup, bringing her songs to life with a distinctive touch. Due out August 25th via Exploding In Sound Records (Pile, Ovlov, Floatie), there’s an immediacy and earnest nature to the solo recordings, at its core it’s an outpouring of unfiltered ideas and emotions. Captured with brilliantly engaging vocal performances, structures that unfold piece by piece, and a sense of unnerving fragility paired with a reckless resolve, the control in Hagerup’s delivery and compositions are astounding.

While the recordings have sat semi-completed, Prewn has grown to become one of Western Massachusetts’ most in-demand bands, the line-up expanding to include Mia Huggs (bass), Calvin Parent (guitar), Karl Helander (drums). With full band recordings set to come in the future, Through The Window is an intimate introduction to the project, capturing a place and time, the songs urgently needing to find their way out. The attention to detail throughout the album is obvious, these are thoughtful songs, nuanced in construction, from the raw and pinched guitars to the stability (and lack of stability) in the rhythms. There’s a sense of warbling character in the music, Prewn’s songs are standing firm but on shaky legs. That’s the magic inherent in Hagerup’s writing, she’s steadfast and holding on, but she’s not immune to slipping in stormy weather.

Greaseface (Insta | Spotify | Youtube)

Loud, in your face and artery clogging

The Leatherbound Books (Insta | Facebook | Spotify)

The Leatherbound Books blend pop-tinged indie rock with crushing low self-esteem to create music fit for a solo lap at your local roller rink or a ride in the back of a mid-90s station wagon. This Burlington VT based trio get louder all the time, leaving their folksy roots behind and CRANKING DISTORTION!