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Threats & Promises

Andrew Steck’s Regular Human Music, And More Music News and Gossip

THIS IS HOW THEY APPEAR: If you caught the debut show by new Athens band Persona Machine at Ciné a couple of weeks ago and want to see them again soon, you’re in luck. They’ll next play live at Flicker Theatre & Bar on Friday, Nov. 1 as the first band on a triple bill that will have Sacred Bull headlining and Palaces right in the middle. They propagate a particularly knowledgeable type of Guitar Hero metal, but third-wave emo has certainly left its fingerprint on them as well. Doors open at around 8 p.m., with music beginning about an hour later. Get a taste in advance by checking out their four-song demo over at soundcloud.com/persona-machine.

STEPPIN’ OUT: Composer Andrew Steck will release his new album Regular Human Music this week on Nov. 1. This album features Steck as sole performer on all songs. It is a departure from Steck’s now years-long practice of composing baroque and orchestral music, as this album is, for lack of better specificity, more pop-oriented. But boy, does he get weird with it. The instrumental opener, “Human Introduction,” is a steady opener, if a bit dark, but then he moves headlong into the trippy “The Eggtooth.” It’s an eye-opening surprise, too, to have Steck back on vocals across seven of these songs, and they benefit from his evenness of delivery. This is evident on the shuffling “Secretive” and the Alan Parsons-ish “Fog and Droplets.” He’s probably at his most singer-songwriter-y on the piano-driven “Another Year,” but still manages to throw a few theatrical elements into it. Find this on all major streaming services, and for more information, please see arfusrecords.com and facebook.com/arfusrecords.

HERE YOU GO: Songwriter Hunter Hoskins has a new single out this week named “Nazi Down The Street,” which is pretty much exactly as heavy as it sounds, but I can’t hear anything in the lyrics that unpacks this title to my satisfaction. So, the challenge is on you to do so. It’s taken from his forthcoming album The Limiting Factor, which is due for release, uh, sometime. Hoskins appears on guitar and vocals, and is backed by the ace team of John Mills (The Quick Hooks), Andrew Hanmer—who has worked extensively with engineer and producer John Keane—and Neil Golden (The Glands). Find this wherever you stream your stuff. 

KEEP ON STYLIN’: Joshua Nathaniel (formerly Cortez Garza and Niño Brown) has returned with a new single released this week named “Diablo Blanco.” It was created in collaboration with DJ/producer low.again (aka Logan Bayer). It’s the most dance-oriented track he’s ever done, but keeps one foot solidly in the hip-hop camp as well. The production is pretty great, and the actual musical track is a nice drum-and-bass composition with the bass only turned down a little. Find this on Spotify and other services after its release on Oct. 31.

AROUND THE CORNER: Athens rappers and hip-hop scene members Donny Tran and Blesstheplaya released their collaborative EP Playas And Dons right toward the end of summer. It opens with the hyper-masculine—with nearly everything that could imply lyrically—“Back Then,” but quickly moves into “Hot Headed,” which is pretty much the same energy. It lightens up slightly on “Enemy Lines,” which has a smooth, slow jam R&B-style backing track and lyrics that reveal (somewhat) a level of vulnerability. Overall, Tran holds his own very confidently and kind of takes the lead on a lot of this stuff with Blesstheplaya adding nice melodies and highlights throughout his verses. I get really bored, though, over these types of nonstop badass flex lyrics, none of which I’m quoting here because you can just check ‘em out on your own. Overall, not a bad record for cruising around and/or chillin’. Probably what it was made for, too. Find this on Spotify and other major streaming services. 

QUICK HIT: Athens punks Delta 8 will give you exactly one song to judge them by on their new single release “TK’s House.” Honestly, this little thing is so enjoyable and hits the wayback machine so hard there’s even shades of the very earliest Beastie Boys punk recordings. But, overall, it’s a rhythmic celebration of a tune with lyrics that are truly hilarious and pointed if you pay attention to them. It’s another banger courtesy of the Hard Tack label, and you can find it at hardtackk.bandcamp.com. While you’re there, go ahead and check out the band’s full-length Greased Lightning that came out this past March. 

ALGORITHM & BLUES: Chris McKay is on a Superman-level tear with his forays into AI-generated music these days. I just told you about his latest release, The Fur Project, last week, and now I’m here to tell you about his next release, which will arrive under the name Devine and Devine. He’s got a full-length album on deck for release Dec. 1 titled The Other Side Of The Question. There are multiple physical versions available for pre-order now. The two tracks available for preview now are “Climbing Vine” and “I’ll Be Free (But Not Today).” Generally speaking, you could place each of these between the poles of hard funk and Afro-psychedelia. This release comes courtesy of McKay’s own Bored Music Geek Radio Records. Check it out at chrismckay.bandcamp.com.

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