New music dump: Five (plus one) releases for you to check out now

Plus, a look inside the Tower Theatre one year under new management.

Jul 21, 2024

I’m not sure how anyone follows new music these days.

It’s not that the process of discovery and access is particularly difficult (between social media and digital platforms). It’s just that the onslaught of releases can feel a bit overwhelming, especially for old-school bandgeeek types who like to live with a thing for awhile.

I suggest finding a middle man, someone you trust to do the sifting for you.

You should know this already, but: Nolan Davis has good taste and his RAD Music newsletter has new music recommendations each week.

Ditto big time for Cristobal Carrillo and the Spanspek Spotlight, especially if you are looking for stuff from the Central Valley.

In that vein, there’s also Nate Butler’s Local show on KFSR and the Homegrown Show, which I host for NewRock 104.1.

Here is a quick list (with Spotify-heavy links, sorry) of stuff I’ve stumbled across of the last few weeks.

“Call Me Back,” Kiki

This is the first single from Kiki, a solo project/collaboration from Le Wolves frontman Keanu Huerta. The song is Huerta’s first musical outing since Le Wolves disbanded in 2020 and was written with Bart Thompson, who some will know from the bands Mom Jeans and Graduating Life.

Huerta has been working with Thompson and Sam Kless (who also plays in Mom Jeans) to produce a series of songs we could see released over the next few months.

“Twin,” Eternal Haunts

“Twin,” is the latest from Eternal Haunts, the pop-rock-metal four-piece from singer Abigail Elizarraga and guitarist Chris Sullivan. The single dropped on Friday and is available across streaming platforms.

The group had been working on an EP following the release of its single “Strangers,” last year. It’s not quite clear if we should be expecting more soon.

“Fear of Friends,” Gazey Lacey

Gazey Lacey has been releasing singles at a bi-monthly rate (every other month, not twice in one). “Seattle,” was released in May and followed by “Fear of Friends,” which dropped across digital platforms on Friday.

“This track dives headfirst into the raw anxiety of doubting the loyalty of those around you,” according to David Ramos, the group’s songwriter/mastermind.

“If you’ve ever felt the sting of wondering if your friends actually have your back, ‘Fear of Friends,’ is your new anthem.”

“Head Void,” From Indian Lakes

From Indian Lakes is one of those bands that is tangentially of the Central Valley. It’s the main project of Joey Vannucchi, who grew up in the foothills near Yosemite and took the name from the unincorporated community of Indian Lakes Estates in Madera County.

The band also played its first show at Kuppajoe, so … Fresno bonafides.

“Head Void,” is the group’s first new release since 2019 and is “a gorgeous and gripping indie rock record with a bit of the band’s previous shoegaze influence,” according to Nolan Davis, who turned me on to the album via his weekly newsletter (see above). “If you haven’t listened to From Indian Lakes before, this might be the best introduction to the project.”

There is also this from Stereogum.

“Computer,” That’sOK

Matt Orme has been prolific of late, recording and releasing music as No/And (his collab with Ronald Dzerigian and Jeff Martin), while also programming and performing (and now releasing) under the solo moniker That’sOK (or thatsok_and_theiloveyouse, depending on where you look).

Its first official release, “Computer,” is out now.

Orme (as That’sOK) has been known to show up at Love the Captive’s Monday Mixer at Full Circle Brewery.

“Let It In,” Low Spell

Low Spell formed out of the final lineup of Eighteen Hundreds, following its break-up in 2023.

The band got some big hype following its debut at Porchfest, this year.

Its first single “Let it in,” was released on digital platforms earlier this month.

The band does an echo-y psych rock that’s on the same spectrum as Dying Suns or Daze Baby, lets say, only they’re older (relatively speaking) and have some indie-rock through lines.

A check in with the Tower Theatre

It’s been one year since new management took over operations at the Tower Theatre.

Over at The Fresno Bee, I did a check in with the crew from 809 Olive Avenue, the group the city chose to run the theater (for the next few years, at least).

The takeaways:

The group has certainly increased bookings at the Tower — 110 percent, year over year. It has a pretty good, diverse calendar, coming up, too.
There have been some technical upgrades that should allow for better production of sound/visuals, etc.
There is a concerted effort to use the entire space, including the old Daily Planet/Painted Table.

Not in the story: There’s someone in the box office Monday to Friday, and if you haven’t been in there in awhile, there’s some cool memorabilia from past shows (and a newspaper clipping from the theater’s opening night in 1939. It’s the Fresno Morning Republican, not The Fresno Bee, but …).

VIP parking is available for shows, which might seem odd to those in the neighborhood, but makes sense if you’ve never been into the Tower before and might be worried about that kind of thing.

Bandgeeeek!