Charm City Rhapsody

Weekend Playlist: Unreliable Narrator, Thee Windows, Aunt Katrina, and More

March 30, 2025

It's a lovely Sunday, but I have to work. Here's what Simon and I are listening to while I procrastinate.

• "Remember" by Unreliable Narrator - The vibes of this song are immaculate. I think I might gain enough energy from this to make it through the day!


• "Marianne" by Thee Windows - Very pretty vocal harmonies and instrumentation. It's a song to listen to while gazing wistfully out the window with a cup of coffee.


• "Let Me Go" by Aunt Katrina - This is the perfect music to listen to while working, I love the lofi effects. It's definitely entering my regular rotation.


• "Second Screen Experience" by Jetty Grove - This song reminds me of The Shins but with groovier guitars. From a basic bitch who had an iPod full of The Shins back in the day, this is a high compliment.


• "Extra" by Insatiable High - A synthy bop that is bringing my energy level back up a little bit. I love the 80s feel.


• "Lighter Than A Grasshopper's Hiccup" by Boat Water - And now I've moved to the 90s for some alt-rock goodness, like Nirvana crossed with Neutral Milk Hotel. I didn't realize this song was over 8 minutes long when I added it to my playlist, but I appreciated the journey it took me on.

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Album Review: Sketchbook by Tristan Heles

March 26, 2025

I often listen to music when I’m in a bad or weird mood, and I tend to choose artists and albums that will let me wallow in whatever feelings I’m having in the moment. This is perhaps not the best headspace to be in when reviewing music, but it’s been hard to not feel like shit all the time lately. In addition to *gestures wildly* everything going on out there, it’s also been a tough year for me personally. Writing isn’t paying the bills anymore, but finding any kind of job right now seems to be impossible.

So, I was feeling a bit overwhelmed and moody when I decided to listen to Sketchbook by Tristan Heles for the first time. I don’t know what she was feeling when she wrote these songs, or what they’re meant to evoke in the listener, but they hit perfectly for me in that particular moment. However, it’s not so much that they perfectly matched my mood, but instead that they snapped me out of my own bullshit for half an hour and provided the exact distraction I needed.

The album starts with the title track “Sketchbook,” a dreamy, lo-fi piece with airy vocals that reminded me a bit of Phoebe Bridgers (I’m terrible at identifying genres, but I promise I’ll get better with practice). The melody immediately hooked me and, for a blissful minute-and-a-half, I forgot about my present concerns.

Another standout track for me was the fourth song, “Learn,” which has wonderfully fuzzy guitars and catchy lyrics. I got major 90s indie vibes from it, like the Pixies or Dinosaur Jr.

I really enjoyed the song “December,” which, to me anyway, seemed the best fit for how I’ve been feeling lately. I don’t know what Tristan wrote the song about, but it spoke to me of the grief I always experience at the start of winter and the general malaise that I suffer from as ice starts to appear on the streets and everything is grey.

The biggest surprise on the album is the last song, “Miss,” which features spoken-word poetry over uplifting guitars and keyboards. I loved the juxtaposition of the pensive, thought-provoking lyrics with the up-tempo drums and melody. It’s a song I won’t soon forget.

Overall, I have to say this is one of the best new albums I’ve listened to so far this year. Tristan offers enough variety in their songwriting and soundscapes to keep me invested from beginning to end every time I’ve played it.

Listen to Sketchbook by Tristan Heles on Bandcamp.

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Shows this week: Giji and Glorian, Bloody Crying Twinks album release

March 24, 2025

Thursday night, Giji is playing with Madame Reaper, Glorian, and yet-to-be-announced fourth act at Wax Atlas. Giji always puts on a great show that gets people movin' and groovin'. Their single "Love Story" always makes me think of late-70s Fleetwood Mac for some reason, and it goes without saying that it will probably be stuck in my head for the next several hours.

Madame Reaper & The Gentlemen's Club is a touring band that describes themselves as vampire synth pop, which is too intriguing to pass up.

I saw Glorian live a while back at the Crown (R.I.P.) and I will never forget the experience. The music is dancy and synthy, but the vocals are unexpectedly melancholic and emotive, with lyrics that will catch you off-guard with their thoughtfulness. The closest artist I can think of for comparison is The Faint, one of my highschool favorites.

Friday night, Bloody Crying Twinks is playing their album release show at Reverb, supported by three local acts, Jacob Ritmiller, Hannah Lee Thompson, and Serendipity Row. I listened to the new BCT album, 13 Songs About Monsters, and it brings major Moldy Peaches vibes, but with a darker edge (and banjo!). I absolutely adore their vocal melodies.

Jacob Ritmiller is a singer-songwriter with a low-fi indie rock sound that draws influence from church music.

Hannah Lee Thompson is a country folk artist whose songwriting and lyrics are reminiscent to me of Emmylou Harris or Lucinda Williams. Their vocals are also stunningly beautiful.

Rounding out the lineup is Serendipity Row, whose sweet voice, confessional lyrics, and folk-inspired instrumentation make me think of Elliott Smith.

Lastly, I wanted to quickly re-highlight the Old Outfits album release show that's happening on Saturday at Ottobar. They're playing with local bands Icarus Phoenix, Catherine Savage, and Walsh Kunkel, so it'll definitely be a great night!

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Weekend Playlist: Visitr Centr, Little Lungs, Magic Item, and more

March 22, 2025

It's a beautiful Saturday morning, and I'm listening to some killer local music while I watch a Starcraft 2 tournament on Twitch and drink my coffee. Here are the songs on my playlist this weekend.

• "Late Bloomer" by Visitr Centr - This song makes me want to get up and dance. It's reminiscent of early Talking Heads to me, but with a more contemporary indie-alt edge.


• "Act Your Age" by Little Lungs - I love the vocals and guitar tone in this one!


• "White Lies" by Magic Item - Groovy guitars, dreamy keyboards, and a catchy chorus. What's not to like?


• "Reconstruct" by Cat Sensei - A song that transports me back in time to the 2000s when I was young and brave enough for the pit.


• "Just Don't Fit" by Home Stereo - This one's a bop with a nice blend of indie-pop melodies and psychadelic guitar riffs.


• "Fear of Heights" by Gay Baseball - I get this song stuck in my head every time I hear it. It's insanely good.


• "Loser" by Chasing Mice - As a disclaimer, this is my fiance's band, but I wouldn't promote it here if I didn't genuinely love it. The lyrics are depressing, but the beat is groovy, which is one of my favorite combinations.


• "help, my hair is falling out but not my teenage angst" by Shift Meal - An up-tempo pop-punk masterpiece with lyrics that hit really hard if you're above a certain age.

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New Single Release: "The World That We Live In" by Icarus Phoenix

March 20, 2025

Icarus Phoenix just released a new single today called “The World That We Live In,” and I’ve been listening to it all morning. It’s got a comforting, mid-2000s style indie-alt sound that reminds me of Margot and the Nuclear So and Sos and Manchester Orchestra. The lyrics are thought-provoking and occasionally gut-punching, with singer/guitarist Drew Danburry explaining, “Life is a whole lot of unfair. The world seems to be deconstructing itself before our very eyes. A lot of times the unfair comes in the form of capitalistic gender expectations.”

Gentlemen be strong but kind and make a lot of money. / Don’t show emotion just make money. / Ladies don’t you speak your mind. Keep quiet and be pretty. / Just stay forever pretty.

The song ends with a more hopeful note that leaves you thinking long after it's over.

But the world that we live in. What we’ve been given. / We can change it. We can remake it.

As Drew puts it, “At least I felt like we could change and remake the world when I wrote this. I’m not sure if that’s true anymore.” I for one would like to believe it is.

Checkout “The World We Live In” by Icarus Phoenix here.

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New music spotlight: Prof. Goldstein and Old Outfits

March 18, 2025

Professor Goldstein and the Adjuncts released their new album, Songs About Dinosaurs last month, and they're playing an album release show on March 29th - check out their Instagram for the details.

Before we go any further, I have a confession to make: last Friday, I had the opportunity to see Professor Goldstein perform their new album in its entirety at Zissimos. Unfortunately, we had to make a detour to pick up a floor tom for the backlined drum kit, and we missed Goldstein's entire set. And of course, I have to attend my nephew's birthday party on the 29th, so I'll probably miss them again. This is a real bummer, because I've been really enjoying the new album today. It's one of the most fun listens I've had in a while, with punk-infused third-wave ska goodness that packs a punch right out of the gate. They're far from a one-trick pony, though, with jazzy tunes like Candy Mountain and even some folky vibes in Catching Consciousness that'll keep you interested for the entire 30 minute runtime. Check it out on all the streaming platforms, and then go watch them play it live next week!

Old Outfits is releasing a new album on March 29th called You Can Go Home Again, and the first three songs are out now on Samply. I have had the song "Settle Down" stuck in my head since it came out last month, and the other songs are just as catchy. They have such a full sound with a lot of extra instrumentation, supporting strong, distinctive vocals and melodies you'll be humming for weeks. Old Outfits is also playing an album release show on the 29th at the Ottobar. I wish I could be three places at once!

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Shows this week: The Flying Faders and Dosser

March 18, 2025

Wednesday night (tomorrow!) the Flying Faders are playing at Holy Frijoles with two Massachussetts bands, Tiberius and Dowsing Rod. I had the chance to see the Flying Faders a few months ago, and they had a very memorable surf rock sound that got the whole room moving. Tiberius and Dowsing Rod both have very cool, guitar-driven indie rock vibes that are sure to bring a lot of energy to this show.

On Friday night, local favorite Dosser is opening up for touring bands Atomic Life and The World is a Beautiful Place & I am No Longer Afraid to Die at the Ottobar. It's a stacked lineup of alternative rock bands with a distinctly 90s feel. For me, Dosser is evocative of the aggressive, early pop-punk bands I listened to around the turn of the century like NOFX and Rancid, but with a little more alt-edge on the guitars a la Smashing Pumpkins. The World is a Beautiful Place & I Am No Longer Afraid to Die is touring for the 10 year anniversary of their popular sophomore album Harmlessness, so I expect a great turnout.

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Testing, testing, 1, 2, 3...

March 18, 2025

This is a brand new blog dedicated to covering the Baltimore area music scene. More to come!