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Sputnikmusic Staff’s Q2 Playlist 2023

Welcome to the second installment for our 2023 quarterly playlist! Feel free to jam the playlist below while reading what our writers had to say about each selection. Tell us what your favorites are in the comments, any new artists you may have discovered here, or let us know what we missed!

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Tracklist:

Alfa Mist – “BC”
Variables

If you’re a sucker for tricksy, stuttering drumwork, “BC” will have a firm hold on your nether regions from the jump. If you need to be wined and dined first, well, stick around for seven minutes worth of wild soloing and nimble comping before that final reprisal of the starting motif makes you want to spark a cigarette and stare at the ceiling, fully-satisfied and maybe just a little hungry. Go ahead and eat — you’ll need the energy. Those sheets aren’t gonna change themselves. –Milo

Allie Kelly – “Gunshy”
GUNSHY

Like Big Thief, Allie Kelly cognizes the value of a touch of the insolite among pop structures; like Sheryl Crow, she wants her guitars to shimmer like the sun; like both, she’s capable of knocking it out of the park — 2022’s excellent Menthol with Thumpasaurus saxophonist Henry Solomon was proof enough of this, but “Gunshy” is just delectable, crunchy and satisfying, catchy, simple, happy and sad at the same time. Los Angeles stand up. –robertsona

Amplifier – “Let Me Drive”
Hologram

On Amplifier’s latest album, their softer side is at the forefront — and “Let Me Drive” is one of the most beautiful examples in their catalog. The idyllic vocals and lush mix of acoustic and electric guitars over a smooth drum groove work wonders. The chorus is so simple and addictive, you gotta love it. This is one of those songs you wish you wrote. –Raul Stanciu

The Anchoret – “Until The Sun Illuminates”
It All Began With Loneliness

If classic Opeth met modern Opeth while integrating psychedelic influences as well as fun little nuances such as a full-on sax solo, “Until the Sun Illuminates” is a huge track that is unrelenting, but catchy and emotive. The saxophone solo near the end is a highlight, as is the monstrous drummer. The vocalist should also be commended for his versatile style that cuts through the music expertly. Shit… while we’re at it, the guitarists are exceptional, too. Just take a listen. –Willie

Ascendant Vierge – “Au Top”
Une Nouvelle Chance

Ascendant Vierge’s music is inherently silly — what else can you expect from a mixture of gabber (that is, hyper-fast hardcore techno) and French chanson, the whole lot sung by a voice that seems more comfortable in an opera than in a smelly Belgian field invaded by smellier ravers. And yet, their capacity to transform their exuberant concoction into a bona fide banger is astounding. On “Au Top”, they crank that BPM up and let singer Mathilde Fernandez yell weirdly motivational nonsense. It’s already celebratory, but when they do it again in the second chorus, everything is just fucking more. More yelling, pounding, and underlying synths rise together in an explosion of self-love and genuine will to just have fun. That’s what Ascendant Vierge do: create silly, fun music that ultimately warms the heart of those willing to let themselves go. –Erwann S.

Avenged Sevenfold – “Cosmic”
Life Is But a Dream…

Like the entirety of the album from whence it came, “Cosmic” takes a combination of influences that should have resulted in a trainwreck and somehow makes it work. From the brass section to M. Shadows going full Daft Punk on our asses, there’s no shortage of surprises here. It may sound like a nightmare, but it ends up being quite dreamy. –Sowing

billy woods & Kenny Segal – “Blue Smoke”
Maps

“Blue Smoke” distills everything great about Maps — about billy woods and Kenny Segal — into a 90-second track about… what? A lot, I reckon, but let’s be real: billy could be alphabetising varieties of rice and we’d listen. Kenny could be making beats out of whale sounds and tin cans; we’d listen. The duo don’t do this, great as it sounds. The point is, “Blue Smoke” is so clearly reflective of mastery it feels almost silly to dissect in a short few sentences. So, like, yeah, just listen. –BlushfulHippocrene

Blackbriar – “Cicada”
A Dark Euphony

Unless you’re Within Temptation, Nightwish, or Epica it seems every other Symphonic Metal band lacks one or more elements to make them more than second-tier; Blackbriar is not one of those bands. Featuring a more macabre and gothy sound than many of their peers, Blackbriar (and by extension, “Cicada”) has what it takes to elevate them to the top tier. Their hidden weapon is the unique and haunting vocals of Zora. Hopefully this upcoming release finally lets them take their rightful place near the top of the Symphonic Metal ladder. –Willie

Daryl Johns – “Gabriel”
Gabriel

The debut single by 6’8″-ish child prodigy jazz bassist and member of Brooklyn jangle pop band Goodfight was released on Mac Demarco’s label. It sounds like Mac Demarco covering Pat Metheny. It sounds like the Full House theme on steroids. There are no words, so do that doubled descending guitar pattern in the air. Make a show of it. Come on now. Quick fingers. –robertsona

Delacey – “The End”
The Girl Has a Dream

Although not trip hop in the strictest sense, Delacey’s music wouldn’t sound out of place in a trip hop playlist. She also adds elements of dream pop, hip hop, and pop to her sound which makes songs like “The End” ethereal and catchy at the same time. Her voice is so smooth and soothing, especially since this album feels more introspective and less angry than its predecessor. The song is 2:38 long; you have time to listen. –Willie

DreamWeaver – “last eden” [feat. botanical anomaly]
blue garden

You might come to Japanese atmoDnB project DreamWeaver’s latest offering blue garden in search of moods or textures or uhhh beats I guess, but you’ll stay for the fiendishly tight focus with which they unify all-of-the-above, exemplified by the crisp plume of freezer-steam that is “Last Eden”. The way featured chanteuse botanical anomaly’s whispery, melancholic delivery initially paves the way for the track’s skittering, spaciously-mixed hi-hats not only signals DreamWeaver’s rapidly-developing pop sensibility, it provides a perfect launching pad for the vocal manipulations and sequenced synths that really build out the song’s icy-cool atmosphere. Summer heat be damned, you’ll be “feelin’ 10 degrees” too by the two-minute mark. –Kompys2000

DreamWeaver – “winter wing”
blue garden

I have ragged on so many dead-on-arrival dreamgaze nothing albums for their ‘aircon’ value, but y’know I fuckin’ hate high summer heat and “winter wing” is just about the viable coolant on offer right now. Not quite SOTY or even Song of the Album (ty Kompys ily), but still the most important piece of music in anyone’s life this month. DreamWeaver is the drea- –JohnnyoftheWell

George Clanton – “I Been Young”
Ooh I Rap Ya

George Clanton is the kind of kid that might have been born in le wrong generation, but he’s fortunately not one to complain; he’s instead creating the very music he associates with an epoch he never lived in (read Mark Fisher and Simon Reynolds’ takes on hauntology for more [highly detailed and maybe confusing] information on this excitingly depressing matter). “I Been Young” fuses Madchester percussions with Clanton’s traditional chillwave aesthetic, but contrary to his previous output, the POP elements are taking center stage to offer the anthemic chorus his soundscape always deserved. –Erwann S.

Jeromes Dream – “Stretched Invisible from London”
The Gray in Between

Sputnik would not be Sputnik without screamo. And screamo would not be complete without Jeromes Dream’s noisy, chaotic take on the genre. Sputnik has been Sputnikin’ hard in the past two years thanks to the screamo “we-thought-they-were-dead” revival, and Jeromes Dream might be the band that deep dive into the core of their mother genre: fusing despaired violence and distressing elegance, ultimately creating beauty out of the ugly. It might sound like not much in the grand scheme of things, but The Gray in Between is a victory lap, for both Jeromes Dream and Sputnikmusic. Rejoice, motherfuckers, and celebrate what we are and what we love. –Erwann S.

JPEGMAFIA x Danny Brown – “Fentanyl Tester”
Scaring the Hoes

This entire album feels like ingesting some ungodly combination of uppers and having somebody pull the pin on a party popper right in your fucking eye. “Fentanyl Tester” is a hell of a name for a track even by JPEGMAFIA’s dicey standards, and it backs this up with some of the record’s funniest one-liners and silliest (and dopest) sample. –Milo

LE SSERAFIM – “Eve, Psyche & Bluebeard’s Wife”
UNFORGIVEN

A more daring Kpop tune, right from the odd title to the more aggressive house beat. Its dense atmosphere and constant shifts of vocal melodies over the throbbing low end offer a groovy, fun listen. –Raul Stanciu

Ling Tosite Sigure – “self-hacking”
Last Aurorally

Look, no band has done or (likely) will ever do rock pyrotechnics quite like Ling Tosite Sigure, and I’m just shocked that they’re still blitzing out material this inspired at this point in their career. Along with the rest of their thoroughly welcome new record, “self-hacking” bangs — but it leans less than usual on the band’s cuticle-rending meltdowns, drawing its strength from their atmospheric side, featuring: choice guitar delayshit, huge paranoia, deviously catchy vocal call-and-return, the best ethereal-dystopian woo-woos, and just good fucking pop songwriting. Who’s the winner? Anata dessho! –JohnnyoftheWell

Lune Asea – “Outlier”
Outlier

Things were coming up Milhouse when Sleep Parade made 2008’s Things Can Always Change available on Spotify in early April, so the subsequent premiere of “Outlier” (featuring members of Karnivool, Ghost of Aquarius, and the aforementioned Melbourne outfit) was a true delight. The instrumental cohesiveness to this “astro-ambient rock” is comforting in its familiarity, with a propulsive rhythm section complementing Leigh Davies’ soaring vocals. Slow-dripped standalone singles from pseudo-supergroups can be tough to judge in context, but as a first impression, I can’t help but be optimistic for what the quintet will unveil next. –Jom

Munimuni – “Kapayapaan”
Kapayapaan

Sometimes I wonder whether understanding Munimuni’s lyrics — understanding Tagalog — would ruin my experience of their music. Shallow as it is, typically “Kapayapaan” is the kind of indie rock that is for me as much about my ability to relate to the frontperson’s words as it is about the music itself. All the more impressive, then, that in spite of its very forward attempt at earnesty, at prettiness — little more than that without the appropriate cultural-linguistic context — “Kapayapaan” actually manages to be both those things. Earnest and pretty. –BlushfulHippocrene

Overgrow – “When You’re Not Around”
This All Will End

The majority of Overgrow’s newest EP takes on a more elegiac tone, mourning the consequences of self-sabotage, chronic disease, and the seemingly endless amount of stressors that can put even the strongest relationship in the wringer. It is for all these reasons that “When You’re Not Around” sticks out like the sorest of thumbs, as it damn well should, because it’s the best song this band has ever written. Jake Ciccotelli’s rage on this imprecatory diatribe is palpable, with the instrumental backing him reaching unfathomable heights during the track’s unforgettable bridge. The lyric expertly toes the line between finally going numb toward someone’s betrayal and suddenly falling apart all over again, a queasy limbo that makes the narrative ever more gripping. –YoYoMancuso

Protomartyr – “Elimination Dances”
Formal Growth in the Desert

A highlight on an emotionally loaded LP, Joe Casey ponders his insignificance in the grand scheme of things. The hypnotic drum patterns and bass/guitar interplay are trademark Protomartyr, but with added Americana flavor. –Raul Stanciu

Sampha – “Spirit 2.0”
Spirit 2.0

The density of Sampha’s 2017 debut Process sometimes chipped away at the soul-baring that serves as the honey-voiced British R&B artist’s basic modus operandi, but “Spirit 2.0”, coming six years later, is nigh-on perfect, chill and ecstatic at once and perfectly dispersed and weighted. I always loved Sampha’s voice, how hard it is to describe, the curl of it, the sense of layering. Clearing away the clutter (even with this song’s unusually insistent ticky-tack math-jazz drumming) has improved Sampha’s game — I hadn’t thought about him for years, but you can count me in for LP2, slow as it was. –robertsona

Soulkeeper – “Infloresence”
Holy Design

Soulkeeper’s debut LP integrates glitchy electronic flourishes into their cacophonic subtlety-of-a-sledgehammer ethos with palpable success, with the turbulent “Inflorescence” being a specific call-out for its frenetic mathcore slant. For fans who feel Frontierer and fromjoy (who also have a Q2 2023 LP debut) are in their wheelhouse. –Jom

Spanish Love Songs – “Haunted”
NO JOY

The cheerful nihilism of Brave Faces Everyone was an apropos pandemic soundtrack, so colour me surprised that “Haunted”‘s opening seconds bring Springsteen-meets-The War on Drugs by way of Sam’s Town to mind — consequently hitting a sonic sweet spot I didn’t anticipate with its ’80s synths and rollicking guitars. I’m captivated by the contradictions (newfound brightness in an album called No Joy?), the callbacks (“It’ll be this bleak forever, but it is a way to live”), and simply by how much “Haunted” sounds like a logical progression to Spanish Love Songs’ spirit. –Jom

Summer Salt – “Carry On”
Campanita

Indie pop is one of the saturated genres in which plenty of bands release pleasant and decent music, while rarely achieving genuine greatness. One way to stand apart, though, is through pure and unadulterated catchiness: not the kind of dime-a-dozen mild catchiness that is rampant in indie pop, but something far more memorable and addictive. “Carry On” is indeed unavoidably catchy as hell, and is one of several tracks from Campanita which deliver the jams for good vibes and warm weather which Summer Salt’s band name hints at. –Sunnyvale

The Tallest Man On Earth – “Major League”
Henry St.

Kristian Matsson is routinely renowned for his earthy lyricism and pebble-populated vocal stylings, but I will bravely be the one to go out on a limb and say that he is one of the most gifted guitar/lute/banjo/whatever-plucky-pluck-instrument-he-chooses players in the entire world right now. “Major League” might be the most technically impressive piece he’s ever showcased to the world; it’s a tranquil and bucolic number that conjures up Americana images of baseball stadiums and new beginnings, with some absolutely bananas banjo fingerpicking providing the nostalgic foundation. When it comes to the crossroads between instrumental chops and songwriting prowess, we’re all just playing triple-A ball compared to him. –YoYoMancuso

Tenhi – “Valkama”
Valkama

Finnish band Tenhi have one of the finest resumes in dark folk/neofolk, so it’s no surprise that their first album in twelve years came with great hopes. In this case, they’ve outdone themselves, crafting a typically sprawling record which rivals their best work. As a singular piece, the stately title track “Valkama” stands out the most, blending a sort of dreamy lushness with the signature mysterious beauty of Tenhi’s music. Take a listen, and you’ll feel like you’re floating while in the depths of some primeval forest. That may not be a sonic experience you’ve ever hoped for, but trust me, you’ll soon be converted. –Sunnyvale

Tiny Ruins – “Dogs Dreaming”
Ceremony

If I had to pick the song of Q2 2023 for my personal listening, it’d have to be this one. There’s been no other tune that rivals the amount of times “Dogs Dreaming” has been stuck in my head, or I’ve started singing along, or I’ve simply gotten the urge (out of nowhere) to give it a spin. Tiny Ruins’ latest album Ceremony is an understated collection of New Zealand indie folk, but it deserves a place among this year’s finest records, and the elegant and wondrous beauty of “Dogs Dreaming” provides a suitable teaser of why. –Sunnyvale

Westelaken – “Pear Tree”
I Am Steaming Mushrooms

I’ve been a staunch advocate for this unheralded folk outfit since their 2018 inception, but “Pear Tree” is the most beautiful song they’ve written to date. The existential lyrics are incredible, but what really sells it is Lucas Temor’s breathtaking piano notes. The intersection between urgency and elegance makes “Pear Tree” a beautiful folk song about embracing the reality of death. –Sowing

Yellowcard – “Childhood Eyes”
Childhood Eyes

Do not adjust the settings on your computer/phone screen: Yellowcard is back! The pop-punk legends aren’t just going through the motions, either; “Childhood Eyes” is a seriously catchy tune with the band’s usual emotive backing. YC is dropping infectious and nostalgic bangers in June; it finally feels like summer, doesn’t it? –Sowing

Yune Pinku – “Night Light”
BABYLON IX

Everything is happening, emotions are running high, Yune Pinku is overwhelmed, she drapes her deadpan over heartfluttering 2-step, it is beautiful — she’s not the only one in love. Yes please to bedroom pop migrating over to those precious beats. We are dreaming. –JohnnyoftheWell

Yussef Dayes feat. Tom Misch – “Rust”
Black Classical Music

Yussef Dayes is probably going to release the best jazz album of the year on September 8th. Check out the also-released title track to get an idea of the range this beast is going to have, then kick back and watch this space. –Milo

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Participating staff writers:

BlushfulHippocrene | dedex | insomniac15 | JohnnyoftheWell | Jom | Kompys2000 | MiloRuggles | robertsona | Sowing | Sunnyvale | Willie | YoYoMancuso