Pressing Concerns: Ben Seretan, Robber Robber, Immortal Nightbody, Little Mystery

Hey there everyone, welcome to the Thursday Pressing Concerns! We’ve got an eclectic group of albums that are coming out tomorrow, June 26th, below for you to check out: new LPs from Ben Seretan, Robber Robber, and Little Mystery, and a new EP from Immortal Nightbody. It’s been a full week, so if you missed Monday’s post (featuring La Bonte, Sad Eyed Beatniks, Friends of the Road, and In-Sides) or Tuesday’s (featuring Brother of Monday, Wes Tirey, Exedo, and Taxidermy), be sure to check those out, too.

If you’re looking for more new music, you can visit the site directory to see what else we’ve written about lately. If you’d like to support Rosy Overdrive, you can share this (or another) post, or donate here.

Ben Seretan – Allora

Release date: July 26^th
Record label: Tiny Engines
Genre: Art rock, psychedelic rock, noise pop
Formats: Vinyl, digital
Pull Track: New Air

Upstate New York musician Ben Seretan has released a lot of music, much in the realms of ambient, drone, and improvisational (such as 2018’s My Life’s Work and 2022’s Cicada Waves). Nevertheless, it’s been four years since Seretan’s last “rock” record, 2020’s Youth Pastoral, an excellent collection of folk-tinged, wide-eyed indie rock (back when I was still able to sum up albums in two sentences, it made my favorite records of the year list). Allora returns Seretan to the world of “normal” indie rock, although it actually has roots from before Youth Pastoral even came out–it was recorded by Seretan, bassist Nico Hedley, and drummer Dan Knishkowy (of Adeline Hotel) in Italy over three days in 2019 after the collapse of a European tour the trio had booked. Allora is an energetic and forceful return–compared to the relatively delicate Youth Pastoral, Seretan and his band sound much more immediate here, with the rockers aiming louder and higher and the quieter moments displaying visible seams. Even though the embrace of electric rock music is the most immediately noticeable feature of Allora, it’s just as impressive that Seretan, Hedley, and Knishkowy still find ways to inject the singer-songwriter’s spacey, experimental side into their “power trio album”.

The gauntlet is thrown down instantly as Allora opens with the eight-minute behemoth “New Air”, a massive piece of experimental, rhythmic rock and roll that bursts out of the first sixty seconds of static and doesn’t let go. I compared Seretan’s last album to Pedro the Lion; “New Air” sounds more like Oneida than anything by David Bazan. The guitars are swung about like lethal weapons, the rhythm section is in a krautrock-like groove, and Seretan himself is the confident, calm center of the storm. “Climb the Ladder” almost sounds like the song’s aftermath at first–rather than trying to top “New Air”, Seretan takes the track the other direction, sketching a nebulous, floating song that doesn’t congeal until the grand psych-rock finale. Every one of Allora’s seven tracks feels essential–the haze of “Small Times” is a dust cloud of beauty, eventually parting to reveal the stark, guitar-led “Jubilation Blues”, and closing track “Every Morning Is a” repurposes the frantic repetition found at the end of “Climb the Ladder” for a peaceful hymn. There’s even a second eight-minute towering rock and roll anthem in the form of “Free”, a blistering collection of guitar solos and ragged glory that reminded me that Seretan absolutely bodied Neil Young & Crazy Horse’s “Fuckin’ Up” for a benefit compilation a few years ago. Halfway through “Free”, its reign of blows momentarily ceases and a squealing, free-jazz saxophone begins to fight for control of the song with Seretan (who continues to sing amidst the squall). Eventually, “Free” begins its ascent to the cosmos again, but cautiously at first. Seretan, Hedley, and  Knishkowy aren’t trying to pretend that intermission never happened; they’re carrying it with them. (Bandcamp link)

Robber Robber – Wild Guess

Release date: July 26^th
Record label: Strange View
Genre: Post-punk, art rock, noise rock, no wave
Formats: Vinyl, CD, cassette, digital
Pull Track: How We Ball

Wild Guess, the debut album from Robber Robber, is unpredictable and kinetic in a familiar-feeling way. The quartet aim high on their first LP and come away with a mix of driven post-punk, arty experimental rock, and even a bit of garage rock energy that feels very “New York indie rock”. Of course, Robber Robber are actually from Burlington, Vermont (a city that’s actually been doing quite well for itself music-wise as of late between Lily Seabird, Dari Bay, and Greg Freeman), but that doesn’t stop Wild Guess from feeling like a vintage metropolitan rock record (maybe it’s the proximity to Montreal, actually). Robber Robber trace their roots back to 2017, when they began as a collaboration between drummer/vocalist Zack James and guitarist/vocalist Nina Cates, the band’s two songwriters. After a couple of EPs in 2019 and 2021, guitarist Will Krulak and bassist Carney Hemler joined up for Wild Guess, a massive (loosely) post-punk statement of an album suggesting that Cates and James have both a wealth of ideas and ample ways to realize them. Co-engineered by Urian Hackney and Benny Yurco, Wild Guess certainly sounds like a well-disciplined rock band–the four move in lockstep, covering plenty of ground but remaining tightly controlled.

The opening of Wild Guess isn’t unfriendly per se, but Robber Robber do ask you to hang onto your hat as they take themselves on a wild test drive. “Intro (Letter from the Other Side of the Operation)” is brief but still a full song, a boring (the tunneling version of the word, not the other one) ninety-second post-punk eardrum buzz, while “Seven Houses” is a straight-up pummeling wall of sound, hammering drums trying their best to be heard over the shoegaze-punk instrumental, and “Mouth” is so cool and collected that it doesn’t need anything as basic as “conventional song structure”. If Robber Robber are attempting to prove their Sonic Youth and Blonde Redhead bona fides, they do it sounding anything but tedious–and the energy only expands from the opening stretch. Although “Backup Plan” leans heavily on rhythms, it’s the most accessible song on the record yet–and we’re off to the races from then on between the giddy garage rock of “How We Ball”, the kitchen-sink pop rock of “Dial Tone”, and the psychedelic but sturdy “Sea or War”. Wild Guess’ six-minute closing track “Machine Wall” appropriately leans into the industrial and mechanical to end things, but at the same time, as the assembly line drums march towards their finish, dramatic pianos and guitars accompany them. Robber Robber know how to build a strong foundation, but they can’t stand to leave it relatively bare for long. (Bandcamp link)

Immortal Nightbody – Passion Scale

Release date: July 26^th
Record label: RRNR/DEATHDREAM
Genre: Lo-fi indie rock, bedroom rock, experimental rap, post-punk, psych-rap
Formats: Cassette, digital
Pull Track: Break My Own Heart

Sim Jackson was born in Mississippi and grew up in southern California, where they still live today. At some point earlier this century, Jackson began playing in punk bands, including playing guitar and singing in The Vivids (they put out some singles in the early 2010s and an LP in 2018). During the pandemic, Jackson debuted a new solo project called Immortal Nightbody, a conscious attempt by the musician to merge several personal sonic touchstones: post-punk, hip-hop, shoegaze, and house/techno music. That sounds ambitious, but Jackson has set to work realizing it, amassing an impressive number of EPs, singles, and cassettes on their Bandcamp page since 2020. The most recent Immortal Nightbody record is a nine-song, twenty-six minute EP called Passion Scale, and it manages to cram a whole lot into that timeframe while still sounding natural and straightforward. An experimental rap record made with the attitude of a lo-fi indie rocker (or vice versa), Passion Scale balances a loose, casual feeling with undeniably tight pop songwriting. It’s certainly a unique-sounding record, jumping from one genre to another with just enough connecting thread to pull together a distinct “Immortal Nightbody sound”.

Opening track “Break My Own Heart” is a strong entrant into the “experimental rap” side of Immortal Nightbody–Jackson comes out of the gate with a militant delivery as drum machines pound alongside them. Synth accents attempt to distort the crystal-clear foundation of the song, and by the end of the track things are much more muddled (in a pleasing way). Hopefully you weren’t expecting Passion Scale to repeat itself, though, because the next song–“Was Yours Now Mine”–veers hard into a full-scale embrace of post-punk, dance-punk, and light funk that’s much closer to the world of Talking Heads and A Certain Ratio. “Throwing Shade”, “Radio Darkside”, and “Can’t Swat a Storm” all find Immortal Nightbody back in the world of rap and even R&B, but of varying stripes– “Throwing Shade” is relatively bright, synth-shaded pop rap, “Radio Darkside” is (appropriately) darker but still danceable, while “Can’t Swat a Storm” is an intriguing psychedelic ballad. Hardly running out of steam, the record’s second half is marked by “Universe 25” (a thumping piece of retro-rap that surprisingly fits right in), “Slide or Die” (which finds the unlikely midpoint between rap and lo-fi guitar pop), and “If I Ever Loved You Once” (a pretty, reverberating lo-fi ballad that plays the record out enjoyably). You’ll find something to enjoy on Passion Scale regardless, but the best move is to hand the wheel over to Immortal Nightbody and ride along. (Bandcamp link)

Little Mystery – Little Mystery

Release date: July 26^th
Record label: Ruination
Genre: Folk rock, indie pop, folk pop
Formats: Vinyl, digital
Pull Track: Shame

Little Mystery is Ivy Meissner, a Bay Area-originating, New York-based singer-songwriter who’s been making music in her adopted home for a while now (she put out an album under her own name in 2016). Earlier this year, she debuted Little Mystery and linked up with Ruination Record Co., a label that’s home to plenty of folk and indie rock of both the “experimental” and “pop-friendly” varieties (and everything in between). As Little Mystery, Meissner hews towards the latter of the two categories, playing a rich, polished version of rock music that recalls the singer-songwriters of the 1970s and vintage folk rock with a confident voice separating it from a lot of the “retro”-tinged indie folk of the present day. Meissner worked with a long list of collaborators to fully realize the sound of Little Mystery (more than a half-dozen different musicians contributed strings or brass to the record), but the core Little Mystery band is Meissner, guitarist Adam Brisbin, drummer Connor Parks, bassist Ian Davis, and multi-instrumentalist Julian Cubillos (a longtime Meissner collaborator who also co-produced the album).

So much of the chemistry and writing that marks Little Mystery is crystallized by the album’s first two songs, an undeniably captivating first impression. We have “Eye of the Storm”, the appropriately low-key opening track, a smart pop ballad that’s a clear showcase for Meissner’s vocals but also isn’t afraid to let the guitars and even percussion have their moments in the sun as well. “Shame” follows with an upbeat folk rock tune, once again carried by Meisnner as a vocalist (who rises to the occasion and displays a much more dynamic singing style than the instrumental asked of her in “Eye of the Storm”) and a backing band performance that actually lets loose a bit as the song expands before our ears. Little Mystery the rock and roll band is deployed strategically from then on out, but always welcomely–on “I’m So Tired”, which adopts a strut contrasting with the titular message from Meisnner, and “Orbit”, erected on both ends of the song to give it just a bit more drama and gravitas. Elsewhere on Little Mystery, we’re treated to a more delicate but still rich sound, whether that’s the strings and horns shining up soft rockers like “As It Seems” and “Easy” or the percussionless mid-record centerpiece “Burning Blue”. Meisnner has referred to Little Mystery as her “proper debut”, a designation that almost feels like cheating, as the evenness and craft of this music betray an experienced touch. (Bandcamp link)

Also notable:

• Stay Mad –  Buddy
• Dearthworms – Sapsucker
• Mordecai – Seeds from the Furthest Vine
• Penza Penza – Alto E Primitivo
• Luxury Apartments – Luxury Apartments
• D.C Cross – Glookies Guit.
• Naïm Amor – Stories
• Color Green – Fool’s Parade
• Man Man – Carrot on Strings
• Ghost Party – Ghost Moves
• Bad Breeding – Contempt
• Parlor Greens – In Green We Dream
• Sparkle*jets u.k. – Box of Letters
• Steve Dawson – Ghosts
• Nacho Picasso & TELEVANGEL – Jesse’s Revenge
• Northbound – Juniper
• Oliver Wood – Fat Cat Silhouette
• Lower Automation – Welcome to My Deathbed EP
• Pride Month Barbie – All the Girls in the Room Say ‘Sorry’
• M. Vaughan – Keep in Touch EP
• Melissa Carper – Borned in Ya
• SUN – I Can See Our House from Here
• Frank Lens – Blending In
• Candy Apple – Comatose
• Spirit Assembly – Metamorphosis