D.C. has a rich musical history, but there’s still a chapter being written: what’s happening now. Indeed, there are tons of bands dominating the local music scene and DCist has only scratched the surface in our coverage of local music. Welcome to Listen To This, a new semi-regular feature wherein DCist’s music staff shares new(ish) and/or noteworthy music from local artists that they’ve come across.
Monument, “3 Musketeers”
Last winter, local emo quartet Monument announced they were calling it quits after seven years because one of their members, guitarist Anton Kropp, got a job offer across the country in Seattle. They had a farewell show and everyone bid adieu to the long-running, cherished band. One problem though: They just finished recording a brand new full-length LP.
Even though the band is defunct, they’re self-releasing the final record digitally on a pay-what-you-can scale on July 22. Today, they released the first track from the record, entitled Bros Canoeing (a cheeky callback to their first record, Goes Canoeing). The track, “3 Musketeers,” is a sneakily catchy tune, with a barrage of angular riffs and snaky melodies converging into a distinctly pop-punk chorus, with vocalist/guitarist Gabe Marquez desperately proclaiming “I’ll find a way / I’ll find a way.”
The band may be done, but perhaps it’s a statement that they’ll one day find a way to reunite again.
Teen Mom, “I’m In Love With His Dreams”
Don’t be fooled by they’re name, local indie-pop trio Teen Mom’s sound is the farthest thing from what you’d associated with the uber-popular trashy MTV show. With their latest tune, “I’m In Love With His Dream,” which first premiered at D.C. Music Download, the dream-pop trio are at their dreamiest and their fuzziest. A love of Creation Records-era shoegaze collides with more modern indie-pop sensibilities for the lo-fi track, which switches pace numerous times throughout the bouncy track.
Art Sorority For Girls, “Man With A Van”
Art Sorority For Girls, the solo project of Daoud Tyler-Ameen, plays the kind of highly bouncy, sugary-sweet power-pop that it’s easy to ignore how confessional and sometimes dark his lyrics can be. Take, for instance, his latest track, “Man With a Van,” which originally premiered on WAMU’s Bandwidth a few weeks ago.
In it, he sings about the anxiety and uncertainty of moving from one city to another, but you’d never guess that as the track is about as bouncy as a pop ballad can get. “And it’s nice to see you / And how have you been? / The man with a van is a friend of a friend,” the track’s infectious chorus repeats, almost forcing you to ignore the ominous character at the center. What’s it all mean? “It’s a coded message that’s a message to your future self,” Tyler-Ameen tells Bandwidth, “but you don’t have the wisdom to fully understand it.”
