General Admission Standing Room Only
JER
Most known from their cover songs, albums, and YouTube channel as SKATUNE NETWORK and as the trombonist for WE ARE THE UNION, JER’s debut album is a ska masterclass. Not only does it blend traditional ska, two-tone, and 3rd wave ska punk, it pushes the genre into “NEW TONE” ska territory with experimental synths, samples, and the blending of emo, hip hop, and trap. The album is also fiercely political and progressive, drawing on Jeremy’s perspective as a non-binary POC to decry systematic cultural and societal injustices. But with the message firmly in hand, JER also leaves plenty of room for the absolute joy that great ska punk can bring… and there are certainly plenty of moments of joy on this record.
Links: Official Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Spotify
INSIGNIFICANT OTHER
insignificant other started in a video chat room. sim morales confided in friends joined together by facebook groups and the passion shared inside them, that they wanted to start writing songs under that name. it seemed like a smirking reference to entering an uneasy space: writing songs about being a queer person of color that also mused about sailor moon, brains tickled by technology, and the infinite potential of a new crush. years later, insignificant other’s brought us their debut lp, and it’s taken the project’s thematic elements to a different headspace. the record’s called i’m so glad i feel this way about you, and the songs shimmer to match that sentiment. morales’ love for pop bombast and stripped production find comfortable middle ground. whether that comes through best on clipped, punkier moments like “un mensaje” or the synth percolating through “freya” might just be up to what version of indie-pop satisfies a listener most. but beneath this hot pink veneer and the nods to rewatching heathers or america’s next top model burbles a desperate desire to be understood by close confidants or potential partners alike. insignificant other is a project built on emotional extremes, like those on “bitter sweetness,” where morales shouts over a building, anthemic backdrop, “but i won't know balance when you're not around.” each track gets delivered with the care of a tense secret and the urgency of treating each interaction like it’s set up to be the last one.
Links: Official Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Spotify
MYLES BULLEN
Myles Bullen (they) (Absentee Shawnee) is a self-described “migratory, songbird, rap seamstress, art poet” hailing from Portland, ME. Their music is influenced by indie rock bands, underrated rappers, spoken word poets, and soft, folk melodies. Bullen has toured the US and parts of Europe performing at music venues, colleges, recovery centers, prisons, festivals, coffee shops, and opera houses.
They have released several EPs, and multiple albums on the internet including their latest, Mourning Travels (Fake Four Inc. January 2022), which includes the single “Ordinary Magic,” and features Armand Hammer’s Billy Woods
Links: Official Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Spotify