Mike Katzif appears in the following:
First Listen: Ex Hex, 'It's Real'
Monday, March 18, 2019
The D.C.-based three-piece Ex Hex, in a word, rocks. For its new record, the band shakes up the frayed-but-taut tumult for which its known with some nods to '70s prog-rock and '80s hair-metal.
First Listen: TEEN, 'Good Fruit'
Thursday, February 21, 2019
On its dark but buoyant new album, the artful pop band explores the complexities and contradictions in love, loss and learning to leave the past behind.
Emily Reo Counters Toxic Masculinity With 'Strawberry' Anthem
Monday, January 28, 2019
The Brooklyn-based musician reels off example after example of the barrage of harassment women face on a daily basis.
TEEN's Exuberant 'Only Water' Ruminates On Loss And Celebrates Life
Wednesday, November 28, 2018
The Brooklyn band's first single from Good Fruit processes the sorrow and aimlessness felt after the death of a loved one, before becoming a life-affirming anthem.
Exitmusic's Eerie New Video An Elegy To Lost Love
Wednesday, September 19, 2018
Following the dissolution of their marriage and band, Exitmusic's Aleksa Palladino and Devon Church unleash a gorgeous if haunting storm of images and sound.
First Listen: Nothing, 'Dance On The Blacktop'
Thursday, August 16, 2018
Domenic Palermo channels a lifetime of tragedy into Nothing's blustery distortion, scorching riffs and stirring melodies.
First Listen: Trevor Powers, 'Mulberry Violence'
Thursday, August 09, 2018
The solo debut from the Youth Lagoon frontman sounds like nothing Trevor Powers has made yet — gorgeous and ornate while bleakly unsettling.
Madeline Kenney's Joyous 'Cut Me Off' Video Features Some Fancy Office Moves
Wednesday, July 11, 2018
Jenn Wasner of Wye Oak produces Perfect Shapes, the second album for the Oakland-based songwriter and musician, out Oct. 5.
First Listen: Speedy Ortiz, 'Twerp Verse'
Thursday, April 19, 2018
Twerp Verse shows Sadie Dupuis and her band at their most pointed and fearless.
First Listen: Exitmusic, 'The Recognitions'
Thursday, April 12, 2018
Recorded amidst the slow dissipation of the duo's marriage and after their separation, these nine songs unwind like a melodramatic love story pulling apart bit by bit.
Songs We Love: Snail Mail, 'Pristine'
Wednesday, March 21, 2018
The bittersweet first single from Snail Mail's debut album, Lush, exudes the confidence of an artist coming into her own right in front of us.
Songs We Love: Madeline Kenney, 'Always'
Tuesday, July 18, 2017
With "Always," the Oakland polymath songwriter delivers a blustery song of resolve in the face of external skepticism and internal fears.
First Listen: Palehound, 'A Place I'll Always Go'
Thursday, June 08, 2017
Last year, Ellen Kempner faced the unexpected death of a friend and the passing of her grandmother. She channeled her grief into honest songs about mortality and the search for closure.
First Listen: Chastity Belt, 'I Used To Spend So Much Time Alone'
Thursday, May 25, 2017
The stars of Seattle's underground rock renaissance have never felt this vulnerable, or as relatable.
Songs We Love: Showtime Goma, 'Secret NRG'
Wednesday, May 03, 2017
Known for hopscotching between an array of bands, Jen Goma embodies numerous roles in the video for her empowering new dance-pop gem.
First Listen: Charly Bliss, 'Guppy'
Thursday, April 13, 2017
Guppy is one of those ecstatically empowering records you'll return to again and again.
Songs We Love: Palehound, 'Flowing Over'
Thursday, April 06, 2017
Ellen Kempner documents grief on a buzzing new song and collaborates with the Boston League of Women Wrestlers for the video.
First Listen: Diet Cig, 'Swear I'm Good At This'
Thursday, March 30, 2017
The pop-punk duo's debut album will give those weathering tough times the confidence to pick themselves up and dance.
Songs We Love: Hiccup, 'Neverwhere'
Thursday, March 02, 2017
Hiccup's members first met while playing in the house band on a public-access comedy show. Its new song captures that same frenzied and fun dynamic, but with more space to stretch out.
First Listen: Jay Som, 'Everybody Works'
Thursday, March 02, 2017
Oakland-based indie-rock musician Melina Duterte plays every instrument and produced nearly every sound on her new record.