Rock news is in the spotlight in this end-of-year 2023 Quick Hits selection, with Jonathan Rado, Sprints and many others.
Also find our previous Quick Hits selections.
Jonathan Rado – For Who The Bell Tolls For
★★★½
Because there’s more to life than just production, even when it comes to records by Weyes Blood or Lemon Twigs, half of Foxygen pays homage to his mentor Richard Swift, who passed away in 2018. Sumptuous!
Bar Italia – The Twits
★★★
Second album in a year for the London trio, doing what they want with the shoegaze heritage, plunging their electric riffs into a bath of sticky melancholy… and which therefore remain firmly in their heads!
Clio – Crash
★★★
An ethereal, organic pop song twisted by synthetic arrangements, lyrics of an intelligence that never overdoes: Clio, very popular abroad, shines once again here.
Shirley Hurt – Shirley Hurt
★★★½
If Sophia Katz comes from Ontario, it was at the SXSW 2023 festival that she was noticed, thanks to a very embodied indie folk. As evidenced by this first album with accomplished compositions and captivating vocals.
Sprints – Letter to Self
★★★
Highly anticipated, the first album from the Dublin quartet led by Karla Chubb follows in the wake of British (post)punk and American Riot Grrrls, and proves to be loudly cathartic.
Moping on Style (A Tribute to Adam Green)
★★★
Under the leadership of Turner Cody, demonstrating a breathtaking freedom that matches their model, the New York troublemaker’s classics are revisited by Devendra Banhart, Regina Spektor and even the Libertines.
Jaakko Eino Kalevi – Chaos Magic
★★★
Mostly recorded in Athens, where the Finnish songwriter now lives, this intense and ambitious interstellar electro-rock capsule draws from new wave as well as dub. Space is the place.
Elliott Armen – Turbulence
★★½
With this successful second album, the young Breton musician with 2 million streams affirms a folk writing style full of subtle strings and clever arrangements, recorded on a Scottish island far from everything.
Music On Hold – Music on Hold 4 Ever
★★½
In the wake of Ariel Pink or Gary Numan, this Parisian group delivers in the language of Shakespeare, with well-felt riffs and a lo-fi identity, a new wave that is as independent as it is catchy.
Gabby’s World – Gabby Sword
★★½
In an indie folk rock vein, Gabrielle Smith’s new DIY project is more narrative and intimate than ever, recounting an American life led between Maine and Brooklyn, made of love and creativity.
This Quick Hits selection is available in WECB n°158, available on newsstands and on our online store.
