Lyfecoach – Lyfe Threatening Band Politics
Word on the street is that you can buy Lyfecoach’s EP Lyfe Threatening Band Politics only at its upcoming release party, and that there will be just 45 copies of the limited release 7-inch available. Of course, you can still get a digital download (for $6.66) and blow out your earpods with an impressively unrelenting blast of metal/punk/sludge/post-rock angst. What exactly is there to worry and scream so much about? The Lyfecoach says: “There’s nothing to save, nowhere to go!” and “Our lives are fiction!” and “Give up, sell out! Give up, sell out! Give up, sell out! Give up, sell out!” Fair enough.
lyfecoach.bandcamp.com
Seven-inch release party May 19, 7:30 p.m., Naked Lounge (118 W. Second St.)
Brittany & The Blisstones – La La Love
Brittany & The Blisstones bill themselves as an “island indie-pop band from Northern California,” and the “island” part of their sound is provided by the breezy ukulele of singer Brittany Bliss and the mid-tempo reggae-ish groove of rest of the group. The indie-pop part is more subtle, with the three songs that have been released to tease the group’s very-soon-to-be-released debut EP, La La Love, actually conveying more of a folk-meets-slow-groove style that suits the Cali-good-vibes aesthetic.
brittanyandtheblisstones.com
Album-release party May 13, 8:30 p.m., Chico Women’s Club (592 E. Third St.)
Scout – Dying for Love
How do I keep missing these releases?! Scout is possibly Chico’s most creative songwriter, and the new Dying for Love album makes release No. 4 from the artist in less than two years. This one came out back in February, and it’s another under-the-radar burst of head-slapping electro-indie-pop goodness. Actually, this one ditches the electronics half the time. There are dirty sounding rockers (the fun “I Wanna Kiss You”) and a handful of chill lo-fi guitar tunes (“Home Soon” and “I Love Love” are both sweet and sad). My current jam is album opener “Clear,” with its looping keys, lively beat and chest-rattling bass pulses that sneak into the mix.
scoutthewise.bandcamp.com
Yurkovic – Sweetness
With advances in home-recording technology making cutting a record cheaper and more accessible than ever, is it even worth it for a band to spring for an engineer and a proper studio session anymore? If a band plays the kind of rootsy rock ’n’ roll that Yurkovic does, the answer is: probably. For its just-released Sweetness, the Chico trio took its tunes to Prairie Sun Studio in Sonoma County and came back with a rich, warmly recorded album. The basic approach throughout is slow-groove blues-rock, with the hottest takes being “Out in the Snow” and album opener “Girl,” which shows off both the vocal and guitar chops of frontman/namesake Zac Yurkovic.
yurkovic.bandcamp.com
Madde – The Salt to Walk On
Since the last time I wrote about her music, Madde Gruber has added an “e” to stage name. Her previous full-length, the eclectic One More Hour, was released in 2018 under the Madd moniker. Her follow-up—The Salt to Walk On, by Madde—came out last month, and in overall approach and presentation the two records are a lot a like. Which is a great thing! Recorded here and there over the past four years, the new one is just as much of a punky garage-rock/bedroom-pop album that gets its juice from Madde’s rippin’ vocals. Even better this time around are the world-weary lyrics of a songwriter who’s lived a few more years. Favorite line so far: “I am a toothbrush that fell on the dirt-covered floor / Spit on me, dust me off, and use me some more” (from “In Between”).
maddemusic.bandcamp.com
Blu Egyptian – Dame Un Segundo
Since the release of their debut EP, Lotus, more than a year ago, the busy young jammers of Blu Egyptian have played more shows than any local band playing original music (I’d put money on it). Maybe all that stage time has stirred up the creative juices as well. They released a second album (Breathe) last year and are about to drop another full-length, Dame Un Segundo, later in May. If the two teaser tracks are any indication, the dudes are upping their songwriting game. “Liquify” is a jammy epic that adds a touch of Mothers of Invention-style weirdness to super-uptempo funkiness. “Sleepin’ on the Floor” is more in my wheelhouse, and it’s astounding that such a playful, tuneful, bluegrassy number with great lyrics (“I licked that dusty bottle clean and now my problem’s here to stay”) came from a songwriter as young as guitarist/vocalist Don Jules.
bluegyptianband.com
Album-release party May 20. Visit site for details.
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