The Stinkeyes – Care Asthmatic
Similar artists: Amyl and the Sniffers, Mommy Long Legs, Tropical Fuck Storm, Teenage Joan’s
Genre: Skate, Punk
Musicians who bare themselves are asking for trouble. This is, of course, true of people in most professions. In fact, it’s something any good man can confirm. A potential victim, naive and honest, can be spotted a mile away.
The artist has one other thing working against them. They’re in the line of fire. They’re exposed. Everyone can stare and judge. And it’s assumed that everyone can share their thoughts about their work.
It makes being honest a death-defying trick. It makes artists who do it tremendously brave. This is why these are the only creators who truly gather communities around them.
The Stinkeyes’ Care Asthmatic twists and shouts with all of the anger of punk rock but opens up with all of the earnestness of a quiet, sensitive soul. It’s music for lonely nights and an answer to burning questions. It might just be more of a risk than stage diving in an audience of leather-clad bikers.
Golden Hour Trees – Hermes Trismegistus
Similar artists: Rohna, Tame Impala, MGMT, King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, A Great Big Pile of Leaves
In 2022, pop stars are again interested in the occult. And they’re having a right laugh about it all.
This is nothing new, of course. The lore of rockers dedicating their time and finances to sources of hidden knowledge are numerous. Most are embellished tales. Some of them must be true.
It’s unlikely that Black Sabbath or AC/DC worked with black magic, as has been suggested. It is true, however, that Jimmy Page nurtured a passion for Aleister Crowley. It’s also true that many would-be pop stars have used occult principles in their attempt to attain success.
Back in 2022, sacred texts were available through the magic of the internet. Rap stars such as Ghostmane have incorporated these into their imagery and lyrics. Metal bands write whole concept albums about it.
Indie-pop musicians are getting involved as well. Golden Hour Trees’ Hermes Trismegistus is a playful indie-pop tune with a deep philosophical twist. It’s a song that cleverly makes use of psych-rock and occultism in a playful, almost cartoonish way. It makes it sound like it’s no big deal. In a way, it isn’t, which is an observation few in rock would dare make.
