SABA LOU     Novum Ovum    (Khannibalism/Burger Records) The daughter of legendary garage rocker King Khan, Saba Lou’s rock roots are free flowing, retro, and raw. But make no mistake, the vibe is all her own. Poetic and a little punk, at once sultry and spunky, it’s garage-soul with beatnik snaps. Much like Lou’s 2017 debut, her second full-length album, Novum Ovum (“new egg” in Latin), is self effacing, yet fully in your face. Each of the 10 tracks celebrate womanhood from a vivid, unexpected angle...

HAYLEY AND THE CRUSHERSVintage Millennial(Eccentric Pop Records) This self-described trio of “poolside glitter trash” retro rockers may have made the most California album you’ve heard in a while. While the oldies-leaning glam pop initially seems simple, subtle complexities build and speak to a spectrum of influences: Shannon and the Clams blended with Lookout! Records, the Go-Go’s, and a dash of the Gun Club—the result being like wearing a favorite vintage ’60s statement dress mixed with some of your new ASOS order. With subjects that range from...

Leave it to SoCal punks Bad Cop/Bad Cop to tell us exactly what the world needs now. No, it's not simply “love sweet love,” but it is at least partly that. The band's new album The Ride (out June 19 on Fat Wreck Chords) trades the band's signature angry roar for a more sweet and sour mix of emotions, even delving into the territory of self-love (don't worry, they can still do it with a guttural snarl when they want to). BUST is thrilled to premiere the band's second single, “Pursuit...

LES AMAZONES D’AFRIQUEAmazones Power(Real World Records)      An innovative and acclaimed supergroup of Malian musicians and activists, Les Amazones d’Afrique assembled around a shared cause for gender equality and eradicating ancestral violence. Their second full-length album, Amazones Power, continues to champion their mission through deeply rhythmic and expressive songs, each sung by a different vocalist. Exploratory in nature, the album combines classic pan-African styles with current pop and electronic elements that break away from basic song structures and put focus on the melodies. There are also...

Peerless percussionist and righteous feminist rapper Madame Gandhi is bringing her music to the masses Madame Gandhi’s record release party for her EP Visions had all the trappings of a cool-as-shit happening—a sick Hollywood location, insanely stylish attendees, Instagrammable neon signs—except one: alcohol. Later, over dinner on the rooftop of a building in downtown Los Angeles where she’s based, Gandhi relays the reason for her rule that band members aren’t to drink before or during a performance. “I want to give the audience the gift of...

JJ Mitchell and Hana Elion, who make up New York’s Overcoats, didn’t plan on releasing and promoting their second record in the midst of a global pandemic—despite, as they point out, the “apocalyptic” themes on The Fight (out now). And just over two months ago, Alaina Moore, one half of Denver duo Tennis, was kicking off a nationwide tour in support of her band’s sixth album, Swimmer. (All tour dates have since been postponed.) Mitchell, Elion, and Moore are all feeling the effects of the current crisis. “I feel...

If you didn’t know better, you might think Ashley McBryde was an overnight success. Girl Going Nowhere, her 2018 major label debut, received the sort of accolades and awards that many musicians only dream of. In addition to scoring McBryde a Grammy nomination for Best Country Album in 2019, it was championed by Rolling Stone, NPR, and The New York Times (among others). Perhaps most impressively, it helped her win the New Artist of the Year award at last year’s CMAs. But McBryde’s success story was far from overnight. She released...

THE SESHENCyan(Tru Thoughts) The Seshen’s CYAN is an idyllic 2020 entry point for the Bay Area group, as it’s both futuristic and nostalgic. Harnessing the power of electronic soundscapes with accents of house and dance-pop vibes, CYAN is a pleasantly diverse experience—from the ambiently rhythmic opener, “Take It All Away,” to the woozy closer, “Wander.” The in-between is a sonic journey; cuts like “4AM” flow beautifully, and the high-energy “Close Your Eyes” makes way for the smooth “1000 Lights.” It’s no wonder why CYAN arrives with...

FRANCES QUINLANLikewise(Saddle Creek)   Frances Quinlan just wants to be heard. So it’s fitting that the Hop Along frontwoman’s solo debut is a sincere meditation on our struggle to communicate. On the empathetic “Your Reply,” she tries to understand an unresponsive partner, while the guitar-driven “A Secret” has her trying not to make a fuss over a detached lover. With its cacophony of synths, digital beats, and harp, “Rare Thing” sounds like a lost Carly Rae Jepsen demo that yearns for a love that gives instead of...

Inside the kaleidoscope of Josie Cotton's psychedelic songbook, every pop culture reference holds an unexpected meaning, every late night B-movie a deeper story to tell. Today, BUST is thrilled to premiere Cotton's grooviest track to date, “Girl in Gold Boots,” inspired by the 1968 film of the same name, and what Cotton has herself has described as “one of the worst movies I have ever seen, in which insanely bad dancing hits an all-new low.” That's right. Grab the popcorn and don't you dare skimp on the...