Say HiSay Hi

Ben: Occupying some of the central space in a Venn diagram that includes shoegaze, post-hardcore, and punk rock is Santa Rosa’s The Down House. I don’t know much about the band other than that it includes members of Ceremony and No Sir and has a really amazing two-song demo you can (and should) grab on Bandcamp. Loud guitars, slightly distant yet emotional vocals — basically, I could listen to “Bliss” on repeat, and I may have to until the band releases more music.

Anna: My latest podcast obsession is The JV Club, hosted by Janet Varney. I adore Janet Varney for the following reasons. 1) She is the co-founder, creative director and producer of SF Sketchfest. 2) She voices Korra in The Legend of Korra. And 3) she hosts a great podcast on the Nerdist network called The JV Club, where she interviews actresses and female comedians and writers (her previous guests include Christina Hendricks, Kristen Schaal, Sarah Silverman, Mindy Sterling, Lizzy Caplan, and many many more) about their formative teenage years and all sorts of other sincere, adventurous topics. I’ve found myself getting lost in The JV Club archives (the podcast has been around since 2012) recently, and consequently, getting hooked on Say Hi‘s “Back Before We Were Brittle” (from 2008’s The Wishes And The Glitch), used as the podcast’s theme song. The song is amazingly catchy, and the nostalgic lyrics go hand-in-hand with the podcast’s focus on our early years.

http://youtu.be/bIrHFNvSjKE

Jason: I’ll do away with the pretense here and just assume that you knew Cloud Nothings released their new album Here and Nowhere Else earlier this week on Carpark. The album, the seemingly boundless energy of its contents, and its impossibly catchy yet somehow still raw punk feel are what we’ve now come to expect from Dylan Baldi and company over four full-length records. If you already listened to Here and Nowhere Else, and you’re concerned about any drop-off in the quality of this Cleveland act’s latest offering after a string of incredibly strong releases, you shouldn’t be – the record will not disappoint. Listen to lead single “I’m Not Part Of Me” below, and check out the album’s second single “Psychic Trauma” here.