a lo-fi drug jam by a crimefighting puppet dog

and yes, the week's best songs

Hello welcome to the Unskippables, where we really want to go to the frat that was blasting Björk in the 2000s?

Straight to the tracks and Good Links this week!

• Panda Panda Panda Panda Panda – Tom Breihan’s Number Ones column tackles Future’s imperial period, when SoundCloud rap dominated the charts, and the fate of Bobby Shmura through the lens of Desiigner’s one hit wonder

• At least SOME of the small things – Dan Ozzi wrote a book with Mark Hoppus! And you can pre-order it now!

• Don’t call it a comeback (no, really, don’t) – VICE Magazine is returning? Who asked for this? The copy in the announcement post doesn’t inspire much hope for this new iteration of my former employer, but hey, the world is better with more writer jobs than less?

• Colin Meloy you have 24 hours to respond – every Decemberists song

• Stream my new EP, but No Worries if Not

As always, you can follow along on our playlists on Spotify and Apple Music, which update every Tuesday along with the newsletter. Enjoy!

Snowmen – You Can’t Relate

Snowmen’s post-punk stomping debut single is incredibly charming, grinding its gears with nervous skitters and distorted chants. I’ll forgive the Moving Units-nicked bassline in the chorus as these are not sexy boys trying to have a sexy time – one of the main sins of peak dance punk – they’re stressed, they’re sweating, they’re freaking out, and the track is seriously addicting because of it.

S.C.A.B. – IDK New Reality

New York’s S.C.A.B. can hide behind the shoegaze guitars and dream pop textures all they want, but I know an arena-sized Killers chorus when I hear it! “IDK New Reality” is a proper anthem, and definitely one of the best choruses coming out of NYC’s new bands I’ve heard all year.

Ginger Root – This Will Be Our Year (Cover)

I was apprehensive about this take when I first saw it, mostly because I love the Zombies version so much, but Ginger Root find a really sick ELO/Jeff Lynne lane for the track, infusing more power pop into the track’s elegiac melody. Shout out to their telephone mic for the heavy lifting on the verses!

Mr. Twin Sister – Sensitive (Vocal Demo)

Mr. Twin Sister’s self-titled record dropped 10 years ago(!) and to celebrate, they released a bunch of outtakes, demos and b-sides for free download on their Bandcamp. “Sensitive (Vocal Demo)” is particularly delightful, dressed in DX7 piano and an arpeggiator slowly spinning out of control – but it’s also just a great reason to revisit the proper record, which is as sleek, funky and delightful as when it came out in 2014.

LSDXOXO – BRAND NEW

The new album from Berlin artist LSDXOXO balances lo-fi rap, drill, vaporwave and techno sounds, but “BRAND NEW” is pure ballroom house – bright 9th chord stabs and 909 clicks. LSDXOXO sounds great over the track’s classic sounds, and its jubilant bounce plays perfect counterpart to their distorted rhymes.

thhhh rowwww bback

McGruff the Crime Dog – Marijuana

Whatever you think this will sound like, it’s even better than you’d think. This is from a 1986 album of anti-drug anthems from McGruff himself, which seemed to aim for massive 80’s anthem but only armed with basic synths and tinny drum machines, The result is something far more interesting, with a heavy lo-fi John Maus/Ariel Pink vibe to the whole LP. “Marijuana” is particularly enjoyable, especially as it ramps to a whirring guitar solo, but the chorus on “Crack & Cocaine” has no business being this addictive (or laugh out loud funny) either.