By Nick
March tends to be a weird month for music releases. Too early for summer bangers, too late for moody winter records, just cold enough to keep you indoors and endlessly scrolling your Bandcamp wishlist. This year, March came on like a fever dream with too many tabs open, not enough serotonin, and a full inbox of announcements for weird and wonderful new releases.
As I do every month, I’ve compiled a list of my favorite releases for March. Below are five releases that clawed past the algorithm and lodged themselves in my brain folds, full of hiss, beauty, dread, and the occasional Bangles cover. If you like your music strange, sad, or analog-damaged, read on!
Yuasa-Exide – Hyper At The Gates Of Dawn (Ape Sanctuary)
Minneapolis’ Yuasa-Exide (the creative vehicle for Doug Busson) collides punk energy and experimental flair on Hyper At The Gates Of Dawn. The album oscillates between frenetic tracks like “Spit” and more tempered, contemplative moments like “Supernatural Inhumanoids (Hey Tony).” Busson’s DIY ethos shines through, and fans of early Guided By Voices classics should RUN, not walk, to check out Hyper!
Standout track: “Computer Strike”
Waylon Thornton – Thee Poison In Apple Seeds (Floating Skull)
Recorded entirely on a Tascam 414 mkII, Waylon Thornton’s latest offering exudes a raw, ceaseless charm. Thornton’s playful lyricism is on full display over 14 rapid-fire originals (and one Misfits cover), clocking in over two minutes. From toe-tapping garage-rock oddities like “New Smasheroos” to experimental sound collage interludes like “Peeel?,” Thornton’s work hits a sweet spot somewhere between the King Khan & BBQ Show and The Monkees’ Head.
Standout track: “Pretty Little Kasket Maker”
Destroyer – Dan’s Boogie (Merge)
On Dan’s Boogie, former New Pornographer Dan Bejar leans full-tilt into his lounge singer-doom prophet persona, delivering some of his richest, strangest material in years. “Bologna,” a duet with Simone Schmidt (aka Fiver), showcases how Bejar wrings real emotion from lyrics that blur the line between cryptic and sublime. The sprawling “Cataract Time” offers an eight-minute reflection on the world’s fractured state. The album’s PR describes the songs as having “the urgency of a state secret hiding in the mind of a tortured spy,” and honestly, I can’t think of a better way to put it.
Standout track: “Bologna”
BATTLE FOR L.A.: a see/saw benefit (see/saw)
Curated by see/saw radio’s Evan Minsker, this 40-track benefit compilation confirms that punk is alive, well, and seeping out of more far-flung corners of the globe than ever before. Featuring previously unreleased tracks from bands like Gee Tee and Sweeping Promises( who offer a can’t-miss cover of The Bangles’ “Manic Monday”), the album delivers a killer set of rarities from some of the best contemporary punk bands. Plus, it’s raising money for people impacted by the Eaton and Palisades Fires in Los Angeles earlier this year.
Standout track: Waaaaayyyy too many to name!
clipping. – Dead Channel Sky (Sub Pop Records)
The experimental hip-hop trio clipping. plugs into a decaying digital future on Dead Channel Sky. Daveed Diggs’ (or as my fellow parents will know him better, Bruce from Trolls) rapid-fire delivery narrates tales of hackers and digital avatars, set against abrasive noise and industrial beats crafted by William Hutson and Jonathan Snipes. Dead Channel Sky draws heavy inspiration from cyberpunk literature, with a result that feels like William Gibson spiraling slowly into a terminal case of cyberpsychosis.
Standout track: “Keep Pushing”
There’s a comfort in the chaos of these records. They fray at the edges, hiss in the wrong places, and somehow still stumble into beauty. In a world increasingly designed to smooth everything over and remove any artifact indicating a human hand, that roughness feels like its own form of rebellion.
I’ve been compiling these monthly roundups all year. You can also check out the January and February playlists for more noise made by real people for no good reason other than that it needed to exist.