
Tag: Janky Fresh Friday

Janky Fresh Friday: New Releases by Drain and Danny Brown
Welcome to Janky Fresh Friday- the busiest day of the week for artists and labels to drop newly released music. Check in every Friday for a fresh squeeze. As part of Janky Smooth’s Janky Fresh Friday series, we’ve been comparing two albums that come out on the same day and seemingly have nothing in common- for the sole purpose of discovering the wealth of similarities between two disparate things. In some respects, it’s an exercise in empathy, learning how to appreciate differences, placing yourself in the shoes of a different subculture, and putting forth an effort to celebrate music as a whole. related: Janky Fresh Friday – Chat Pile w/ Hayden Pedigo and Guided By Voices Today’s albums for Friday, November 7th, 2025, are two of the most ambitious releases of the year from scenes that used to be more closely connected than you see nowadays. The relationship between punk and hip-hop has a long history and this fusion was a staple of underground shows in Los Angeles for the longest time. There are very few rappers that cross over into punk, hardcore, or metal anymore but Danny Brown has consistently been dedicated to these collaborations since his tour

Janky Fresh Friday- Chat Pile w/ Hayden Pedigo and Guided By Voices
Welcome to Janky Fresh Friday- the busiest day of the week for artists and labels to drop newly released music. Check in every Friday for a fresh squeeze. As part of Janky Smooth’s Janky Fresh Friday series, we’ve been comparing two albums that come out on the same day. related: Janky Fresh Friday- New Releases From Militarie Gun and Tame Impala This week we have an album from a punk rock institution and a band creating an institution since no others exist that they can fit into neatly. related: Janky Fresh Friday- Record Release Shows for Spiritual Cramp and Patriarchy Danny Baraz gives us his thoughts on the unlikely collaboration between Chat Pile and singer/songwriter, Hayden Pedigo and Rob Shepyer delves into an all time personal favorite that’s back and still has something to say- Guided by Voices. Chat Pile and Hayden Pedigo- “In The Earth Again” Computer Students Once the initial shock of “In The Earth Again”, the full length collaboration album between Oklahoma City’s Chat Pile and Amarillo Texas’ Hayden Pedigo wears off, what’s left is a surprisingly cohesive concept album between kindred spirits. The contrast in bodies of work is miles apart in sound but the final product

Janky Fresh Friday: Record Release Shows for Spiritual Cramp and Patriarchy
Welcome to Janky Fresh Friday- the busiest day of the week for artists and labels to drop newly released music. Check in every Friday for a fresh squeeze. As part of Janky Smooth’s Janky Fresh Friday series, we’ve been comparing two albums that come out on the same day and seemingly have nothing in common- for the sole purpose of discovering the wealth of similarities between two disparate things. related: Janky Fresh Friday – New Albums from Tame Impala and Militarie Gun This week we mix things up a bit to examine two new albums with late-October 2025 record release parties in LA. Spiritual Cramp’s free show sponsored by Marshall at Zebulon on 10/21 reminded us of what rock music should be all about; and Patriarchy’s upcoming record release party at The Lodge Room on 10/26 is about to be one of the creepiest and most gritty dance-parties you’ve ever been to, just in time for Halloween. Author Danny Ryan gives his review of Spiritual Cramp’s RUDE, with photos by Taylor Wong from the Zebulon record release show. Author Rob Shepyer breaks down Patriarchy’s new album for us in preparation of their upcoming Lodge Room performance. Spiritual Cramp: RUDE (released

Janky Fresh Friday: New Albums from Tame Impala and Militarie Gun
Welcome to Janky Fresh Friday- the busiest day of the week for artists and labels to drop newly released music. Check in every Friday for a fresh squeeze. As part of Janky Smooth’s Janky Fresh Friday series, we’ve been comparing two albums that come out on the same day and seemingly have nothing in common- for the sole purpose of discovering the wealth of similarities between two disparate things. In some respects, it’s an exercise in empathy, learning how to appreciate differences, placing yourself in the shoes of a different subculture, and putting forth an effort to celebrate music as a whole. related: Janky Fresh Friday – New Albums from Mobb Deep and Sanguisugabogg Today’s albums for Friday, October 17th, 2025, are two highly anticipated bangers, one from arguably the most vibrant and prevalent scene in Los Angeles and the other from one of the most iconic artists in psychedelic rock, the former pillar genre of LA’s underground music. First though, let’s define fresh or freshness. Before the term was ever appropriated for music, culture, or fashion, it was once a descriptor for food, something that replenishes us, quenches our hunger and thirst, and ultimately connects our bodies to

Janky Fresh Friday: New Albums from Mobb Deep and Sanguisugabogg
Welcome to Janky Fresh Friday- the busiest day of the week for artists and labels to drop newly released music. Check in every Friday for a fresh squeeze. Sanguisugabogg: Hideous Aftermath (released October 10, 2025): Century Media Records Sanguisugabogg has been my favorite modern metal band for the past few years, with their absolutely masterful craft of combining the sounds of classic 90’s death metal with the attitude of the modern hardcore scene to create an environment of absolute chaotic violence at their live shows. Death metal/Slam metal have been crossing over into the hardcore scene much more within the past year, but unfortunately this album does seem like it’s a mark for the beginning of the end for this collision of worlds. The new album “Hideous Aftermath” is significantly slower than the previous ones, and it takes itself much more seriously. I was actually relieved upon hearing the first breakdown of the album, as I almost forgot I was listening to a Sanguisugabogg album with how long it took for the crowd-killing moments to arrive. related: Sound And Fury 2023 – The Stage Dive Will Never Die The casual metalhead who sees Sanguisugabogg at a large festival while

Janky Fresh Friday: New Albums From AFI and Snõõper
Welcome to Janky Fresh Friday- the busiest day of the week for artists and labels to drop newly released music. Check in every Friday for a fresh squeeze. AFI: Silver Bleeds The Black Sun… (released October 3, 2025): Run For Cover Records AFI has recently been in music news more than they have been in decades. A major aspect of this is frontman Davey Havok drastically changing his physical appearance recently, looking like he’d be more likely to front an indie folk group than a goth or hardcore or alternative band. Are those AFI‘s genres? It’s hard to pin them down to a specific sound, as they are constantly evolving and reinventing themselves throughout their career. related: Cruel World 2024 – A Legacy Forms at The Rose Bowl Today’s release of “Silver Bleeds The Black Sun…” marks the beginning of a new era for them, shifting much more into synthesizer based goth music and darkwave rather than their roots as a rock band. This shouldn’t be a surprise considering Havok’s side-projects Blaqk Audio and Dreamcar were hinting that he’s wanted to head in this direction for a long time. Even AFI’s last couple of albums were heavily incorporating goth and

Janky Fresh Friday: New Albums From John Maus and PeelingFlesh
Welcome to Janky Fresh Friday- the busiest day of the week for artists and labels to drop newly released music. Check in every Friday for a fresh squeeze. John Maus: Later Than You Think (released September 26, 2025): Young Records John Maus’ new album Later Than You Think is a huge deal. Like a really huge, massive deal. Personally, his last release in 2011 We Must Become the Pitiless Censors Of Ourselves was a formative album during my high school years and one of my first introductions to goth music or synth pop outside of the mainstream. Almost 15 years later and he’s back with a vengeance; a deeply changed man on a spiritual level, but still bringing the lo-fi dark and gloomy atmosphere to the dancefloor. Don’t miss John Maus live this October: Observatory OC – October 20, 2025 The Belasco – October 22, 2025 The lyrical themes have certainly changed quite a bit from 2011’s “Cop Killer” to today with “I Hate Antichrist” and this tone of religious awakening can be felt throughout his newest release. As early as the second track we get lyrics like “Satan, Satan, Satan lies. Turns everything into fucking spite”. You could

