Watch our round up of this week's best new alternative music, featuring Bodega, Metz, Softcult and more

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By ( Louder ) published

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TOTW March 28, 2024
(Image credit: Louder)

Hello and welcome, discerning and esteemed fellow music lovers, to our round up of all that is great and life-affirming in the world of alternative music over the past seven-ish days. 

For your delectation and delight, we have honed and framed our choice selections into episode two of our brand-spanking new video series, where you can allow each track to run amok inside your brain while our host, Mr Paul McCallum, spills the tea on exactly who they are and why they are this week's must-hear tunes. Or choooooons, if you will. But you probably won't, and that's okay too. 

Check the video out below, and don't forget to subscribe to Louder's YouTube channel for your weekly new music fix.

So, who's rockin' our world this week? Glad you asked.

First up this week we've got Sub Pop's finest Canadian head-cavers Metz, with Light Your Way Home, a song that might take you by surprise, given that it's tender and emotional and rather lovely, and a perfect introduction to their forthcoming fifth album Up On Gravity Hill, coming next month. Then we have off-beat New Yorkers Bodega, a band we spoke to earlier this week, with Cultural Consumer III, the latest offering from their incoming Our Brand Could Be YR Life album. Bonus marks and our additional respect if you get the reference there.

Next up, queens of nu-gaze, a genre which may or not exist, Softcult, with Spiralling Out. We loved the duo's See You In The Dark mini-album, released almost exactly a year ago, and this is another beautifully hazy, broody wash of shoegaze magic from the Canadian twins. Next up, featuring guest vocals from one-man emo-empire Jonah Matranga, we have Plutocracy Planet, with But You Said, which Matranga says is "basically about the beyond-frustrating feeling of trying to talk sense these days, especially on the internet." We hear ya JM, we hear ya.

Back to NYC next for Brooklyn's Thick, with Father, an open-hearted eulogy to vocalist/bassist Kate Smith’s late father. Then we have rising Australian singer-songwriter Grace Cummings with Ramona, referencing both Bob Dylan and The Wizard of Oz, Indoor Pets with the joyous Dopamine Girls, a taster for their forthcoming second record, and Londoners Fresh with the punky Merch Girl, an intoxicating banger which our man McCallum reckons will have you "jiving". 

More shoegaze anyone? Have a taste of So Totally, with the shimmering Doz Roses, and Smelter, whose '90s-inspired In Spades sounds like the best Smashing Pumpkins tune Sir William of Corgan has blessed us with since.... the last cracking Pumpkins tune.

And there endeth the new music feast for this week... but, of course, there's absolutely nothing to stop you digging back in for second helpings, or even thirds. We're all friends here, fill yr boots comrades.

Until next week...