TRACKS OF THE WEEK – 1/21/2021 Edition

January 21. 2021 | By Wayne Jessup

Welcome back to another spin of the wheel with Tracks, kicking off this time with the return of Hand Habits. “4th of July” is our first look at the upcoming EP Dirt, co-produced by Sasami Ashworth and King Tuff, due out 2/19 on Saddle Creek and Milk! Records. Picking up right where they left off on Placeholder, Meg Duffy continues to craft elusive vignettes that seethe beneath the surface.

“Listen To Your Heart.” “No” detonates a new Cheekface LP, Emphatically No, the follow up to Therapy Island, released this month on New ProfessorAlong with the new Kiwi Jr, it heralds a banner year for power-punk pop that skews towards the Freak Power Ticket side of life.

Ian Sweet continues to push the sonic envelope, with “Drink The Lake” foreshadowing a more electronic direction on the forthcoming LP Show Me How You Disappear, out 3/5 on Polyvinyl. The hooks were always there, but the spacious arrangements allow them to fully bloom.

Observing the D.C. residence change, it turns out there’s no more fitting a soundtrack than Vagabon’s new single. It’s a luminous cover of Tim Hardin’s “Reason To Believe” that taps as much from the Karen Dalton version as the original. Featuring Courtney Barnett, it’s out now on Nonesuch and Milk! Records. Don’t miss Vagabon’s full-band livestream on 1/29 from Boulevard Studios in LA. Tickets are available via Noonchorus.

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