FONTAINES D.C.
RECORD: Dopamine Chamber
RELEASED: 10|16|2026
LABEL: XL Recordings
COLOUR | EDITION: Blue Marble | Limited Edition
FAVORITE TRACKS: Six Shot Morning / Mimesis / Demolition / Where Is Gone? / You Miss Me / Japan
PURCHASED: Underdog Recordstore
BAND DISCOVERED
I’ve been following Fontaines D.C. since their debut album Dogrel. If I remember correctly, I first read about them in DIY magazine. Watching them evolve from an energetic, angry young indie band into an absolute powerhouse of incredible songwriting has been nothing short of impressive. Every album somehow manages to surpass the last. Dopamine Chamber is pure pleasure, somewhere between pop, mainstream appeal and indie music. They strike that balance effortlessly while remaining impossible to pigeonhole. In my opinion, Fontaines D.C. are one of the greatest bands around right now.
WISH
Don’t become assholes.
PEARL JAM
RECORD: Vs.
RELEASED: 10|19|1993
LABEL: Epic
COLOUR | EDITION: Black | First Pressing Europe 1993
FAVORITE TRACKS: Go / Animal / W.M.A / Blood / Rearviewmirror / Indifference
PURCHASED: Gelderner Musik-Studio
BAND DISCOVERED
In Germany, the album came out a week before the US release. On release day, I skipped my first few classes and waited outside the record store that morning to get my hands on one of the Vs. CDs, fresh out of the box and without a price sticker yet. Ever since the MTV Video Music Awards in September, I’d been listening to the live version of “Animal” on repeat on my Walkman – copied from VHS onto cassette. What an exciting time to be 16. Later, I picked up the vinyl. I was completely under this band’s spell. The sheer power, the rawness, the anger – I could lose myself in it completely. I made a promise to myself back then: never to lose that feeling, never to let go of what music could do to me. And I’ve held on to it ever since. Without this band, music would mean only half as much to me.
WISH
I hope that Seattle sound of the early ’90s always stays with me.
AVERY FRIEDMAN
ARTIST DISCOVERED
Ever since Avery Friedman released her debut album, her songs have been a constant in my life, and quite a few of them have become really special to me. After finally getting my hands on the vinyl, there was really only one thing left on my wishlist: hearing those songs live. And it looks like that’s finally happening. Avery is heading over to Europe for a few shows in November, including a stop in Berlin. In the meantime, she’s just released a brand-new track called You Move, along with a little hint that her second album is coming in 2027. Plenty to look forward to, and I’m already pretty excited about all of it. I’ve written about her debut LP New Thing over HERE.
KILLER SONG MOMENTS
With You Move, I can’t really pick out one particular moment. It’s the way all the different elements come together that makes the song work so well. The slightly distorted guitars and the raspy saxophone blend naturally with the rest of the instrumentation. Sometimes a little off-kilter, deliberately rough around the edges, but never losing its lovely pop sensibility.
FAVORITE LYRIC LINE
Or can a melody be made / from a fracturing, from surrendering (surrendering)?
CHARACTERISTICS THAT APPLY
warm | slightly fuzzy | playful
Avery Friedman on tour:
- 10|31|2026 – London Calling Festival, Amsterdam, Netherlands
- 11|04|2026 – The Elephant’s Head, London, UK
- 11|05|2026 – Sidney & Matilda, Sheffield, UK
- 11|07|2026 – Simple Things Festival, Bristol, UK
- 11|09|2026 – Fulford Arms, York, UK
- 11|15|2026 – Neue Zukunft, Berlin, Germany
SMIDLEY
RECORD: Murphy Horse
RELEASED: 09|25|2026
LABEL: Royal Mountain
COLOUR | EDITION: Opaque Lemon | Indie Exclusive
FAVORITE TRACKS: Capstone / Murphy Horse / Love In Every Direction / Today Was A Wash / Friendly’s / Old Things Never Die
PURCHASED: Underdog Recordstore
BAND DISCOVERED
Smidley is the side project of Foxing frontman Conor Murphy. Well, actually, it’s more of his main project now, after Foxing announced an indefinite hiatus last year. Alongside Murphy, Smidley consists of Brett Torrence, Mitch Renfrew, and Jack Middeke. Murphy Horse is already the project’s third release, and after Foxing’s indefinite hiatus hit me pretty hard, I couldn’t be happier that Murphy is continuing his creative journey with Smidley. The first three singles, Capstone, the title track Murphy Horse, and Love In Every Direction, absolutely make my heart soar. One thing’s for sure: these songs are destined for heavy rotation on my player. One of the best records of the year.
BESIDES THAT
So far, the album is available in two different vinyl variants: opaque yellow and coke bottle clear.
WISH
To finally see this band live, of course.
KNIFEPLAY
BAND DISCOVERED
Knifeplay started out as the solo project of musician TJ Strohmer. I think I first became aware of them around 2022, when they signed with Topshelf Records. But I never really took the time to properly dive into their music. A few snippets here and there, but nothing more. Their latest release, Love Song, has made me realize just how much I’ve been missing out on. What an epic piece of music, what an emotional journey. Ever since the song dropped on October 5, I haven’t been able to shake those ten minutes. And the accompanying short film? It absolutely moves me. I have such a soft spot for this kind of artistic, deeply emotional expression. Love Song also reminds me of a long-lost song idea that could have come straight from Wilco.
KILLER SONG MOMENTS
It’s about two wounded people reaching for each other, not because love can undo the damage, but because holding on to someone might be the closest thing to healing they know. And I can feel that in the music, too. From beginning to end, this song feels like a warm embrace. It wraps itself around you, without needing grand gestures or too many words, yet carrying so much emotion. Sometimes, simply being held is enough.
FAVORITE LYRIC LINE
I’ll put my arms around you / You are hurt and I’m hurt too / I’ll put my arms around you / I feel how we’ve changed / But can we forgive too?
CHARACTERISTICS THAT APPLY
haunting | cathartic | immersive
BESIDES THAT
Now I’m incredibly excited for the new full-length album coming in January, and I’m just as happy knowing that there’s an entire back catalog waiting for me to discover.
ALICE IN CHAINS
RECORD: MTV Unplugged (Reissue)
RELEASED: 09|25|2026
LABEL: Legacy Recordings
COLOUR | EDITION: Red Ruby | 30th Anniversary Exclusive Edition
FAVORITE TRACKS: Nutshell / No Excuses / Sludge Factory / Angry Chair / Would? / Over Now
PURCHASED: Brooklyn Vegan Shop
BAND DISCOVERED
Well, I can’t quite put my finger on what it is about Alice in Chains anymore. Back when the grunge wave was taking over in the 1990s and my interest in rock music and rock and metal magazines was booming, partly fueled by MTV, a whole generation of bands emerged that would become impossible to imagine the music scene without. Among them, of course, were Seattle’s Big Four. Alice in Chains always held a special place for me. Heaviness, darkness, vulnerability, sorrow, and anger – all wrapped up in a musical package that was nearly impossible to top. The same goes for their legendary Unplugged performance, which has been one of my all-time favorites ever since it first aired. I was already lucky enough to own the 2010 vinyl repressing of the concert released by Music On Vinyl. But as a vinyl collector, there was simply no way I could pass up the new Ruby Red vinyl reissue, exclusively available through the BrooklynVegan shop.
