Jeff Draco: “Attitude (I Want More)” (Single)

Jeff Draco’s newest single, out May 31, begins in the same vein as MACHINA-era Smashing Pumpkins before segueing into a War on Drugs meets Vampire Weekend radio-friendly shifter. There’s some guitar layering that leans in to the atmospheric but there’s also quite a bit of pop radio shine that has the potential to get Draco on Spotify playlists with fellow DMVers SHAED. The new release combines two worlds, one suited for 2024 airwaves and the other for 2024 bedroom recordings. Strip away all the production and there’s a sensitive-sounding ballad (you can hear how this song would work well for an acoustic set). But the production gives it the potential mass appeal and will probably earn Draco more fans. In other words, Draco and production pals are making some good decisions. If this is any indication of future releases, he’s on a good trajectory. It’s both sonically and lyrically deeper than 2023’s “Never Gonna Be the Same,” a song that opens with an anecdote about waking up in a swimming pool. The songs don’t sound like they’re from different artists but it wouldn’t be surprising if Draco views himself in a different place. “Attitude (I Want More)” is as deep as you want it to be with some of the musician’s best hooks yet. It still sounds like he’s a young person making music for fellow young people but he’s writing much better lyrics and giving those lyrics a better chance to shine. You can pre-save the song here. —Brandon Wetherbee

5th of Four: “Love on Strike” (Single)

In 2024, alt-rock band 5th of Four were a double Wammie finalist for both Best Rock Group and Best Rock Album, for their debut, Hold on Tight—full of power chords, structured rhythmic guitars, and rock-operatic vocals. It was a nice follow-up to their 2023 nomination for City Paper’s Best of D.C. Best Local Original Band. Their new single, “Love on Strike,” exudes a mysterious aura with its seductive and somewhat sleazy allure. Recorded at Hill Studio 909 with recording engineer James Garber, and produced, mixed, and mastered at Hear Me Roar Studio, the song expands on their last album with a moodier, darker tone about self-searching and bad romantic choices, co-written by bassist Ryan Schmid and lead vocalist Faith Hayden. Guitarists Mitchell Norton and James Adelsberger throw in some hair-metal licks over Mort Rolleston’s heavy drumming, while Hayden, a classically trained singer, shows off her range from witchy seduction to power-ballad belting. “Love on Strike,” available on all streaming platforms as of May 14, offers a first glimpse into their evolving sound. The band take the stage at Songbyrd on the afternoon of July 6 for the Freebyrd Matinee Series with supporting act Never Elected. —Colleen Kennedy

Foggieraw and Ari Lennox: “Stay Awhile” (Single)

Summer may be a month away but D.C. rapper Foggieraw is beating the impending crush of laid-back seasonal singles with “Stay Awhile,” his latest offering featuring local R&B singer Ari Lennox, released on April 26. Having a rap song featuring an R&B singer on the hook is a 30-plus-year-old trope, and nothing new is brought to the table with this outing. Though Foggieraw’s fresh-out-of-a-coma delivery laid over a mellow musical bed works, the content of his lyrics is where he falters. In what seems to be an ode to a side piece who has been with him for eight years (!!!), Foggieraw invites us to Sesame Street by delivering alliterations using the letters B through H. “Baby, be a beacon of beauty via BBL,” he raps, giving shout-outs to Brazilian butt lifts quickly followed by hailing God and gang memberships in the same breath during the letter G and wraps up H with “Hell if I know what Heaven feel like/ Ain’t in Heaven yet.” (It’s a pity he ends there. I’d love to know what he’d come up with for the letter X.) In pops Lennox as Foggieraw’s “Side piece but she wan’ be the main” to sing the chorus, which features lyrics as enticing as “Stay awhile/ Don’t be rude/ I know you got things to do.” (Don’t we all?) Empowering, this song is not. During the bridge, which is oddly introduced with less than a minute to go in the song, Lennox, the understanding side piece, sings, “Don’t want to get in between all your obligations.” Yet there are signs of hope that she’s finding her self-esteem as she’s “running out of patience.” At this point, any licensed therapist would tell Lennox to head for the door. If Foggieraw had approached this song in a different manner lyrically, it would have the potential to be played on high rotation at every summer barbecue. Instead, it is a far cry from summer rap anthems like Jay–Z’s 2009 single “Empire State of Mind” (though released in the fall, it was such a hit it could be heard from every passing car radio the following year) and “Summertime,” the 1991 track from DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince—lyrically failing miserably and doing a disservice to side pieces everywhere. —Christina Smart

Vile Cherubs: Lysergic Lamentations

Listening to Lysergic Lamentations is like traveling back in time. The remastered album by Dischord Records veterans Vile Cherubs possesses the unmistakable, invigorating rawness of a 1988 punk band, with additional elements of psychedelic rock that place the group in a category all their own. As teenagers, Vile Cherubs landed a brief stint on Dischord when the label was a new staple of the D.C. punk scene. Co-founder Jeff Nelson signed them upon discovering their rowdy, LSD-fueled approach to rehearsal. In the years that followed, vocalist Tim Green went on to play guitar in Nation of Ulysses while other members delved into other pursuits, both music-related and otherwise.

Lysergic Lamentations, out right before Record Store Day on April 15, reworks the band’s lone 1988 album, Post-humorous Relief. The reissue offers a more polished version of the 10 tracks while still maintaining the original grittiness. An unparalleled strength of the album is its balance between the melodic and abrasive; the band layer on thick distortion and angry vocals while incorporating strikingly complex basslines and distinctive hooks. “Broke My Heart in Three” opens with a strong chord progression and concise, guttural scream before eventually descending into a double-time, syncopated riff alongside indecipherable vocals. “Perspective” builds into an upbeat, catchy melody that sets it apart from other 1980s punk tracks. But it’s not just “Perspective” that deviates from the typical Dischord release. Elements like a pipe-organ interlude and reverb-heavy drones add a ’60s-quality to Lysergic Lamentations that make it feel somewhat like the Animals fed it through an ’80s punk filter. Lyrically, the album betrays the age of its high school student creators. On “The ladder,” Green wails, “Nothing makes me quite as sick/ You choose the guy you pick/ Can’t believe you’re such a fool/ Spread your legs just because he’s cool.” In “My Mantra,” he repeats “Too many directions/ I don’t know which to take” almost like an incantation. Listening now, 25 years after these tracks first entered the world, there’s a fourth-wall feel in knowing that the band members have long since chosen their respective directions. —Dora Segall

Bacchae: “Cooler Talk” (Single)

Released on April 5, Bacchae’s new single, “Cooler Talk,” is a pop punk meets garage rock diatribe against all things 9 to 5. Songs like this should be just as popular as ditties about love lost. Sure, most can relate to a broken heart, but more people, at least people old enough to work, should relate to songs that rage against the corporate machine. Lead singer and keyboardist Katie McD has a really good voice, it’s an instrument that’s always in key, regardless of whether she’s striving to almost scream or harmonizing with bassist and vocalist Rena Hagins. There’s some Cars-esque sheen with some lo-fi chunkiness in this single, available now on Bandcamp and soon to be part of Bacchae’s forthcoming LP, Next Time, which will be released in July on Philadelphia’s Get Better Records. It would not be shocking to see this band opening for fellow D.C.-ers Gauche—possibly because Gauche’s best song is also about the futility of a capitalist noose (“Pay Day”). While both bands acknowledge the seeming never-ending monotony of being a rat stuck in the cage, Bacchae also deliver some music that’ll get you dancing, which is the preferable way to live. It’s much better to dance toward the grave rather than continuing to dig your own. —Brandon Wetherbee

DuPont Brass: Professional Development

You gotta stay positive—at least according to DuPont Brass’ newest release. Out April 3, Professional Development encourages listeners to keep going through the trials and tribulations of everyday life, from being broke to seeking out a therapist, handling PTSD to facing down the devil; this 10-piece are doing their damnedest to help you have a better life. If you’ve seen this band play, you already know they thrive as a live act. Any time a collective of this many musicians is onstage is both a scheduling miracle and a chance to hear varied musical stylings under one large umbrella. The same is true on this eight-song LP. “Sunny Days” sets the tone, preaching positivity over a mid-tempo track. “Meet Me Outside” closes with some Guitar Hero antics from Turn Up Deante that would make Santana proud. The most popular song on the release, “Summer Vibes,” has some Pharrell “Happy” vibes, while “Treat” has a very cool sousaphone line from Bass Heavy Slim. “Work” would work well on the jam band circuit, and “I Deserve It” preaches the prosperity gospel over a laid-back Earth, Wind & Fire-inspired beat. The album closes with “The Anthem,” another song about staying positive that ties quite nicely to the opener. Each song scratches a different itch, but it’s seemingly intentional: Professional Development serves as a sampler platter of what DuPont Brass offer. In the last two minutes of the album, DuPont Brass praise themselves as eclectic musicians and a supergroup of living legends. Once again, if you’ve seen them live, you know they are definitely eclectic musicians and this collection helps prove that point. Whether they are a supergroup of living legends is still up for debate. But they’re releasing some pretty good stuff and leaving well before you want them to wrap it up. Clocking in at under 30 minutes, Professional Development is over just when you feel like it’s hitting its stride. Go see them live. Their sets are a testament of the greatness they sing about throughout this record. DuPont Brass play on May 19 at Hill Center at the Old Naval Hospital, May 29 at the University of the District of Columbia’s Senior Fest, and on June 19 as part of Anacostia Community Museum’s Juneteenth Freedom Celebration 2024. —Brandon Wetherbee 

Oh Violet: T-Minus 5 (Two Song EP)

D.C. neo-grunge band Oh Violet released their new EP, T-Minus 5, on March 26. The EP consists of two tracks, “hell is a sweater” and “Coastal City”; the latter is like pulling on a Baja hoodie after a long night oceanside with friends: The whole vibe is beachy, bouncy, and a little shaggy. Clocking in at almost six minutes, “Coastal City” begins with an extended surf-rock intro, drummer DarnL’s high hats crashing like waves, Zii’s grooving bass line, and tremolo guitars courtesy of Zoë and Rocky, until the dreamy call-and-response vocals kick in. Sure, the lyrics are a bit blurry, but it adds to the dreamy, coastal good times, fading out after the three-and-a-half-minute mark for an extended jammy outro. On the other hand, “hell is a sweater” evokes a sense of longing and loss, with Zoë’s plaintive vocals competing with the throbbing guitars and cymbal-forward drumming. It’s an angsty nod to slacker jazz, another improvisational-sounding track that plays loud and fast. Both tracks showcase Oh Violet’s mid-’90s through early-aughts influences (from the Pixies to Paramore) and their ability to craft newer sounds within the grunge framework. In true DIY spirit, the band decided to write, record, and remix the album on their own at R Street Studio after they couldn’t find the right local music producer to capture their sound. Oh Violet will be playing at A Taste of the DMV: Food, Music & Cultural Festival on June 15. Later this summer, the band plan to partner with Leesta Vall Sound Recordings in Brooklyn to create vinyls for several of their songs. —Colleen Kennedy