What’s New? Albums Hitting The Shelves 6/7

Summer is always hot with releases from alternative artists, and the beginning of June is no different.  This is a good week for releases from female artists and female-fronted bands, both familiar and new.  Check out these new records below!

Palehound-Black Friday
Boston’s Palehound has woven together a third album that hums with a quiet energy, almost daring to spill over.  The record is a private diary entry turned public confessional.  Vocalist, Ellen Kempner, relates her deepest thoughts from revenge [see “Killer”] to unshakable self-doubt [see “Worthy”]. This is not to say the album is dark; quite the opposite is true.  Black Friday shimmers throughout with glitter-bits of hope and compassion.

Stef Chura-Midnight
Ready for an absolute rollercoaster? Look no further than Stef Chura’s dynamic sophomore album.  Midnight has a special way of meandering from lean-in soft to explosive-loud.  With Car Seat Headrest’s Will Toledo producing, Chura’s sound has grown to include more instrumentation. Although this Detroit rocker’s sound has evolved, Chura’s distinctive voice remains center stage on Midnight.

Yohuna-Mirroring
As its title suggests, Yohuna’s second record is full of reflection.  The dreamy ambient pop of Johanne Swanson calms the heart, but her words are direct, squaring up with herself and others.  The honesty, both painful and enlightening, are born from Swanson’s own bedroom, where she wrote and recorded with her roommate, Eric Littman.

French Vanilla-How Am I Not Myself?
For this one, you may want to head to your closet and put on every sequined, animal-patterned, and brightly-colored thing you can find because things are about to get interesting.  L.A. band French Vanilla has mixed post-punk sensibilities with funk, art-rock, and maybe just a sprinkle of disco.  Tracks use in-your-face confrontation of social injustice, punchy vocals, driving rhythms, and saxophone to create the strangest sounds to groove to of the week.

What albums released this week are you listening to? Head to the Facebook page and let us know!