On Air Next: Hot releases from Fontaines D.C., Odonis Odonis and Body Meat

As the weather heats up, hot releases have been rolling in and hitting the Radio 1190 airwaves. This week, we’re spinning loads of new music that you should check out.

Dublin-based post-punk band Fontaines D.C. released their debut album “Dogrel” this week on Partisan Records. Throughout “Dogrel,” frontman Grian Chatten laments about Dublin, expressing both disdain and pride for his hometown. “We’re proud to be Irish in a sense,” Chatten says. “It feels nice because Ireland is such a historically underdog country.” The nostalgic and jangly guitars, deadpan vocals, and vivid lyrical imagery leave a lasting impression on first listen. Something about Fontaines D.C. sets them apart from a lot of modern post-punk bands. I can’t put my finger on what “it” is, but they have it. Maybe it’s the songwriting, the perfectly crafted timbre of the instruments or the emotion behind the lyrics, but this band feels special. I was thrilled about this release, and you should be, too.

Toronto trio Odonis Odonis recently released the EP “Reaction.” The shoegaze turned post-punk turned industrial electronic band has certainly evolved over time. This album and their previous release, “No Pop” from 2017, both seem to follow a similar sound — gothy industrial music. The short, four-track “Reaction” certainly leaves you wanting more. Each track is quite literally oozing with an eerie darkness, but the driving kick-snare beats keep your feet moving throughout. While the lead singer screams in your ear, absurdly distorted synths dance around your head over the steady dance beat. This record is a goth masterpiece; I look forward to dancing to it in my favorite goth nightclubs.

Body Meat released the album “Truck Music” this week. Previously a local Denver band, Body Meat moved to Philadelphia last year and drastically changed their sound in the process. The band previously was a more straightforward math rock band that heavily used midi instruments and drum triggers to accompany odd time signatures and add unique textures. With Body Meat’s latest release, there is a notable shift away from any form of rock music and toward experimental pop and hip-hop. The textures of the synths and drum textures are glitchy and unconventional, but the vocals are drenched in auto-tune and follow a more classically pop motif. Body Meat still leans on odd time signatures and polyrhythms as they did in their previous music, but they incorporate these ideas in a completely new way. The combination of so many conflicting genres and sounds, although uncommon, still works together beautifully. This album feels like it is on the forefront of the next generation of pop music, and it is always exciting to watch artists grow and change.