Death and Taxes Mag

8 Inch Betsy will be releasing their posthumous sophomore album, The Mean Days, November 13 on 307 Knox Records. It will be the much-loved Chicago band’s first full-length since 2007’s This Time Last Time Every Time, andDeath and Taxes is honored to be premiering a track off the album: the blistering, emotionally raw “Uh Oh.”

“‘Uh Oh’ is like that moment where you realize the shit is going to hit the fan and you need to hold on,” bassist Eli Burke said of the song. That urgency is reflected in the recording, which begins with sharp, tense guitars before shifting into full-propulsion mode. Singer and guitarist Meghan Galbraith’s intense, howling vocals add impassioned weight to the song’s lyrics, which consider how tenuous a hold we actually have on the things we depend upon for stability and security: LISTEN HERE…

 

It’s raining in much of the country and it probably won’t be hot enough for us New Yorkers go to the beach this weekend, but that doesn’t mean we can’t cheer ourselves up with a bit of jangly surf rock from the West coast. Specifically: A song aptly named “California” by San Francisco’s Jet Trash, which premieres here today.

Created in the grand Californian tradition of garage pop, “California” is a fun little surf ditty with lovelorn lyrics and an airtight hook that manages to remain rough around the edges. It’s got echoes of Surfer Blood, Beach Fossils, Ty Segall and Mikal Cronin, masters of sweet and sour all. Listen below as you dream of sunshine and ice cream cones. It’s really going to happen, I promise. LISTEN HERE…