Black Wing - "If I Let Him In"

New track from Black Wing, the solo shoegaze project of Dan Barrett (aka Giles Corey and half of Have a Nice Life). From his debut full-length under this name, Black Wing Is Doomed, out September 25 via The Flenser. Anthony has loved Barrett's Giles Corey work and the latest Have a Nice Life album:

The World Is A Beautiful Place & I Am No Longer Afraid To Die - Between Bodies

Previously praised Connecticut emo revivalists The World Is A Beautiful Place & I Am No Longer Afraid To Die have a new release out titled Between Bodies.

It's a collaborative project that features a number of passionate spoken word performances from poet Chris Zizzamia. Sometimes the instrumentals underneath his words compliment him well, sometimes they don't, but this is still a pretty good listen. Skip right to the song "Thanks" if you're looking for a really wonderful climax! Give it a try via the widget embedded above.

Apathy - Connecticut Casual

East Coast rapper Apathy drops an album with a strong sense of hometown pride.

Apathy - "The Curse of the Kennedys"

Off a dusty piano sample and a generous Jay-Z vocal cut, Connecticut's Apathy spits a series of bars dealing with the Kennedy family. He muses on various follies and conspiracies that have been following the family for decades, and does it with his usual level of focus and vivid imagery.

Apathy's got a new album on the way titled Connecticut Casual. Pre-order it here.

Have a Nice Life - "Dan and Tim, Reunited by Fate"

This new track from Connecticut experimental rock duo Have a Nice Life is epic, but in the sort of abject way you might expect from the outfit after their monumental, crushing 2008 LP Deathconsciousness. As the title of the song might suggest, frontmen Dan Barrett and Tim Macuga are reunited and neither of them is skipping a beat. The first half of the song is a gloomy dirge of whirring guitar and industrial electronics that backdrops the duo's purposefully distant, echoing vocals and that gives way to a protracted coda of yet more industrial textures.

For the evocative vocals and for managing to come across as a sort of self-contained story, "Dan and Tim, Reunited by Fate" has me brimming with excitement for the twosome's upcoming sophomore LP The Unnatural World, due out February 4 via The Flenser. For the time being, it is available to stream in full here via Pitchfork Advance.

Political Animals - "Ultra Violence"

New Haven rap outfit Political Animals has a new video for their song "Ultra Violence," and it is no less kinetic than the one they made for "Man the Mic" last October. Moreover, this new single is just as punchy as their last. "Ultra Violence" deviates in that it has a nocturnal aesthetic, but like "Man the Mic," it has a beefy-as-hell bass groove, powerful acoustic drumming and turntablism, and some in-your-face bars from MC Sotorios Fedeli. All these ingredients are working great together so far - hopefully a debut full-length isn't too far off.

The group put out this tape (When Animals Attack) in 2011 that you might want to check out if you've dug these two new singles.

Have A Nice Life - "Burial Society"

I just told you Have A Nice Life has a new album on the way? Are you listening to me? If not, listen now to this new track that just dropped from the duo's forthcoming album, The Unnatural World. It's coming February 4th.

While "Burial Society" isn't as outwardly aggressive as "Defenestration Song," its atmosphere just swallows the song whole. There's an unnerving dissonance to roaring phantom bass notes that obscure the vocals, guitar, and especially the drums. It's like listening to an incredibly haunting ballad being performed at the bottom of a well. I'm stuck here above ground, peering into a darkness I can't see beyond.

Dramatic, right?

Have A Nice Life - "Defenestration Song"

Have A Nice Life is a mysterious musical project.

Well, it's not really that mysterious since duo member Dan Barrett seems to be so open and down-to-earth in interviews, but even with that being the case, the music feels like it's coming from some otherworldly realm that's difficult to pinpoint. That holds true for this new track as well--even with its influences being worn on its sleeve, which is attached to a hooded robe.

The sounds of Joy Division and Bauhaus ring loudly throughout the first portion of "Defenestration Song," but the track progresses into something much more dark, brooding, and droney. The song gets so boomy, there isn't much more that sticks out other than a steady snare drum. It's a truly hellish track without coming off too harsh or desperate to prove its ferocity. It's a chilling darkness that slowly smothers.

It's great to hear the project back up and running, officially following up the 2008's Deathconsciousness, which slowly gains more notoriety every year for its uncompromisingly dark approach to drone, post-punk, and shoegaze.

This new HANL album is dropping officially this February via The Fensler. Enjoy!