Last we heard from Murfreesboro’s The Schwa, they were releasing their MTSU recordings from Studio D in the form of the Bound to Happen EP. Today they’re releasing a brand new track – “Stuck in the Middle” from a new forthcoming EP set for release this Summer.

The track builds upon the sound and swagger of the previous EP, evoking sneering BritRock bands like Artic Monkeys or Nothing But Thieves. That’s not to say they don’t have their own thing going but if you need a touchstone for a jumping off point, that’s an appropriate place to start.

They stepped up their production on this one as well. There’s plenty of subtle layered vocals, small warbles on the guitar and just enough flourishes to give you something new on a relisten. It’s energetic, memorable and an excellent taste of what’s in store for their future release.

Back in November, Jasmin Kaset released a collaborative album with Quichenight entitled Tuxedo.* The record is a different tone and style than Jasmin’s previous solo releases and work as part of Birdcloud. The lead track, “Things I Wanted”, has a heavy 70’s rock vibe to it with rollicking drums, a searing guitar lead and just the right amount of jangle. There’s even some falsetto backing vocals to offset Kaset’s lyrical laments.

The official video for the track just released and was filmed in various locations around Melbourne, Australia – tho the settings are, literally, less front and center than Jasmin herself; who undergoes a myriad of costume and hair changes throughout.

Maybe the video is commentary on how we change ourselves to try and get to those people and goals that elude us. Maybe it’s about finding yourself through the trials and tribulations of yearning for something. Maybe it’s just a great looking video. Regardless, it’s a great piece of work from start to finish, visually and aurally.

* This album was released via yk Records, owned and operated by Michael Eades; curator of We Own This Town and writer of this piece. There is heavy bias here.

Modern Convenience is, by no means, a newcomer to the scene but they are a new transplant to the Nashville area by way of Memphis. This is wildly good news as it means that we can confidently call their late 2018 release, So So Modern, a local release.

The record marries a chaotic, discordant, landscape with an unrelenting push forward, brimming with influences of Post-Punk, New Wave and Classic Rock, delivering memorable hooks all along the way. Tracks like “Scream and Shout” or “Bleed for Rock and Roll” bring big riffs and powerful, chant-able, choruses but the record really succeeds when it shrugs off the more macho vibes and focuses on the more eclectic. The feverish guitars of “Shut Your Brain Off” or the jerky movements of “This and That” evoke a deranged B-52’s, danceable but offputting.

The record evokes a dark energy; a cathartic expulsion that can only be achieved with the sweatiest, crazed dedication to rock. If you’re in need of shaking off some demons, crank this record or see them live and sweat yourself clean in the throbbing masses.

Lawndry has done an excellent job of surprisingly sneaking up with an excellent new album. Over the course of the past three years they’ve released an EP, fun Oasis and Yoko inspired tracks as well as odes to the Nashville Airport Smoker’s Lounge and their favorite artists. What may have slipped past you in that duration is that the band was focusing in on their delivery, eschewing the garage rock tendencies for the layered, dreamy, pop of Lake Life.

The Banana Tapes release is available on cassette (naturally) and as one single, long playing, digital track. While it’s a bit frustrating in these modern times to not be able to jump to your favorite track or sample an album by skipping around through titles, it’s exactly that restriction that forces you to sit and experience the entire album. And that’s for the best in this case as Lake Life has an aural continuity from start to finish, complete with a production style that feels literal to the album title – recorded in a quiet space near the lake. The album starts with the sounds of a boat and some creaking and hustling before giving way to twenty minutes of perfectly layered organic and synthetic instrumentation.

The tape hiss at the start of the record and the segues of tinkering instruments implies an album more ramshackle and spur of the moment than a detailed listen reveals. The production feels intentional, meant to put you in a specific head space, rather than a disposable veneer of style. The vocals and melodies are forelorn and introspective but injected with a feeling of optimism. WOTT has been accused of being overly esoteric and earnest in its reviews but when the shoe fits, wear it.

Lake Life is a wonderful piece of work and a pleasant surprise from a band that’s been underestimated until this moment.

Kyle Hamlett has been playing under the pseudonym Lylas for over a decade. In that time, there’s been a number of full-length albums, a rotating cast of players and an impressive growth in the style of songwriting. 2017’s Warm Harm is dark and tense without being inaccessible, a gem you may have overlooked.

Despite those accolades to Lylas, there’s always room for re-invention. For the Rabbits recently debuted a song from Kyle Hamlett Uno, the solo undertaking of the Lylas songwriter. “Sense Apart” is taken from the forthcoming full-length album Nowhere Far due March 29th and explores a lighter side of Hamlett. There’s a straightforward drum machine loop flourished with a rather interesting guitar tone, a little harmonica and an overall bouncy feel.

It’s too early to say what the entire record will hold but this first single is a promising indicator of something quite different from Lylas and, one assumes, every bit as captivating.