ISTA “Crusher”
In the Dune mythos, “fear is the mind-killer.” But what kills fear? ISTA have an answer: “love is the fear crusher.” “Crusher” is sunny and unapologetically corny in its messaging, so much so that I think it loops around to non-corny. The sound is buzzy and super saturated, applying a very mid -90s alt-rock palette to a specifically mid-00s style of cheery alt-rock energy. There’s no way to express something like this without being earnest, but being earnest doesn’t mean you’re being naive and dopey, especially not in an era as fearful and loveless as the one we’re in at the moment. Buy it from Bandcamp.
Spacemoth “Do We Exist”
“Do We Exist?” moves along on a...