Yesterday was a big day with Magana completing her “Teeth trilogy” with the cosy core winter pop of the ‘Bad News‘ EP, and Frog launching vinyl and digital pre-orders for ‘1000 Variations on the Same Song.’ On top of that, Frog released the “MIXTAPE LINER NOTES VAR. VII” single.
Magana – ‘Bad News’ (Out Now)
‘Bad News‘ is Magana’s third solo release in a ten-month period, following the brilliant ‘Teeth‘ LP in March and the ‘DREAMS‘ multi-media project in October (available now from Hand Drawn Hand). Jeni wrote an essay about her “Ten Months of Teeth” for Atwood Magazine:
We would also like to thank The Alternative for premiering the EP, and God Is In the TV for premiering her ‘Hold On’ lyric video. Everything is better with independent sites like these helping us to share our work.
The brothers also issued the ‘MIXTAPE LINER NOTES VAR. VII’ single, which Danielle Chelosky of Stereogum was super kind about:
“If the rest of the album sounds like this single, then I’m in. “MIXTAPE LINER NOTES VAR. VII” is lo-fi greatness, the first verse name-dropping both My Chemical Romance and Big Star (taste). In the chorus, Daniel Bateman sings poignantly, “I can’t justify it, it isn’t rational/ I get high and cry it over broken Casios.” Amazing stuff!” – Danielle Chelosky (STEREOGUM)
The “Christmas Eve in Miller’s Point” film directed by Tyler Taormina (aka Audio Antihero alumni Cloud) was named the #2 movie of 2024 by Richard Brody for The New Yorker and it’s available now to stream too. I really recommend it.
I’d also like to dust off this gloomy guest feature I did for Various Small Flames last year:
Frog just released a surprise Christmas single. Thanks to you for supporting it, and folks like Pitchfork and Stereogum for covering it.
Following the critical and commercial success of their 2023‘Grog’ LP, cult New York Indie duo Frog have returned with a festive new single and announcements for a new LP and their largest tour to date.
“DID SANTA COME” single is the first preview of Frog’s upcoming sixth album,‘1000 Variations on the Same Song,’ which will be released in February and followed by a North America tour in March and April.
Frog have touched on the sadness of the holidays in the past with songs like “Wish Upon a Bar” and “Space Jam,”but new single, “DID SANTA COME,” leans into the season with newfound enthusiasm and naiveté, inspired by Daniel Bateman’s young son:
“This song is about my son when he was two years old at Christmas time. Every morning for 2-3 weeks after, he would wake up and ask, “Did Santa come?” Seeing the world through the eyes of your children makes it all very beautiful.”
Since Frog returned from hiatus in 2023 with the addition of Daniel’s brother Steve Bateman on drums, they’ve received significant critical acclaim and enjoyed a run of sold-out shows in the Tri-state area. These 2025 dates will see the band joined by Frog co-founder Tom White on bass and will take them to cities like Los Angeles, Vancouver, Seattle, Portland, Boise (Treefort Music Fest), and more for first-time-ever shows.
“Expertly crafted pop songs…It’s a real gem, and it already seems likely that DelaCruz has a big future.” –KLOF MAG
“It’s an EP that rewards careful listening, with the kind of nooks and crannies that only can come from an artist approaching their work with a sense of exploration rather than a paint by numbers fealty to any particular genre or sound. It’s the kind of project that invites multiple listens, and when you check it out you’ll want to make sure that at least once that you listen with headphones.” – THE ALTERNATIVE
“The EP is a work that celebrates restlessness and idiosyncrasy. DelaCruz’s songs are slight and sometimes sparse, yet they are never boring. Her melodies rarely move as expected, darting and drifting atop hypnotic mazes of instrumentation. Some of the record’s most blissful moments come as these tracks’ knotted guitar work resolves into soaring choruses, pivoting between unconventional indie melodicism and clear-eyed pastoral pop songcraft.” –UNDER THE RADAR MAGAZINE
“I gotta say I dig the vibe so far. I’m not sure whether to call it twee rock or indie pop or just straight up indie rock, but the execution is crisp, the emotion is raw, and I find myself enjoying the song every time it comes on.” – INDIE SHUFFLE
“The EP feels grounded, raw, and real—a snapshot of an artist in motion, unafraid to lean into the messiness of creation. It’s an honest, emotionally open debut that leaves you wanting to hear what’s next.” – GOD IS IN THE TV
Audio Antihero is very excited to be working with CIAO MALZ, the NYC-based project from Malia DelaCruz with James Chrisman (Sister.), and Felix Walworth (Told Slant / Florist). If you’d like to say “hi!” to Malia, all her links are here.
Released just 1.5 weeks ago, we’ve been thrilled with the response for the single, which has been put into rotation by KEXP, as well as receiving airplay from BBC 6 Music (New Music Fix), BBC Radio Scotland(Roddy Hart), NPR: WFUV (NY Slice), and found national airplay on Kosmos 93.6 (Fresh Unlimited).
I initially met CIAO MALZ in 2023 via this lovely cover of Frog’s“You Know I’m Down,” and while it’s horrifying to be old enough to release records influenced by the records I’ve released, it’s also a pretty special thing too.
Having returned from hiatus at the end of 2023 for ‘Grog‘ by Frog, and been inundated since with with life changes, an insane pet cockatiel, and Antihero PR campaigns, this new Audio Antihero is a work-in-progress, and adding the first new artist to the label’s roster since 2016 (unless you count the different projects of Ben and Adam Parker), feels really really good.
As ever, if you’d like to potentially review/interview/feature CIAO MALZ then contact me via Antihero PR!
Early Press for CIAO MALZ:
“Expertly crafted pop songs…It already seems likely that DelaCruz has a big future.” – KLOF MAGAZINE
“Over propulsive drumming from Told Slant’s Felix Walworth, DelaCruz laments her ability to “find new ways to disappoint her,” but I’m not sure overcompensation has ever sounded so good.” – THE ALTERNATIVE
“Malia DelaCruz is gearing up to release Safe Then Sorry in early December, and I gotta say I dig the vibe so far. I’m not sure whether to call it twee rock or indie pop or just straight up indie rock, but the execution is crisp, the emotion is raw, and I find myself enjoying the song every time it comes on.” – INDIE SHUFFLE
“The winning combination of voice, lyrical content, and overall atmosphere makes the likes of British indie-folk visionary Richard Dawson a fitting musical comparison for MALZ’s approach as the well-considered stylings of Elliott Smith and Jordana.” – ANALOGUETRASH
“The Ciao Malz sound pairs equal parts upbeat energy and probing introspection to explore themes of identity and love in young life….Lead single ‘Two Feet Tall’ introduces the project to the uninitiated, embodying the release’s unguarded nature with lush textures and a binding sense of forward motion.” – VARIOUS SMALL FLAMES
“CIAO MALZ has also dropped the fiery debut single, “Two Feet Tall,” a breakneck indie rock anthem fueled by frustration.” – HIGHCLOUDS
“It ripples with glistening guitar motifs, twitchy percussion, and bittersweet vocal melodies that bristle with an undercurrent of longing and frustration. It’s a delicious earworm, ripe with glowing homespun melodies that approach tender feelings at a cautious angle.” – GOD IS IN THE TV
We’ve been fortunate to receive a lot of wonderful press and airplay recently courtesy of folk like Post-Trash, WKDU, WIDR, RRR FM, Start-Track, Austin Town Hall, Various Small Flames, For the Rabbits, God Is In The TV, Sweeping the Nation, MP3hugger, and many others.
“It’s a refreshing plea in a world obsessed with irony and curated authenticity…There is an urgency to take care of the people around us, rather than a navel-gazing angst.” – POST TRASH
“My Best Unbeaten Brother triangulates a space between the baritone-led post-punk revival of Alligator, the quirked-up indie pop of Waited Up Til It Was Light, and the math-tinged emo of Charmer. In other words, Pessimistic Pizza is an absolute must-listen.” – THE ALTERNATIVE
“…Laconic vocal delivery against the spiky, agitated riffs that made The Fire Engines 1980’s Postcard Records legends as the tight angularity simply heaves with the best kind of faux jangle.” – JANGLEPOPHUB
“For anyone who’s ever stood at a crossroads, contemplating the leap into the unknown, let this album remind you that your choices are valid, your doubts are shared, and your paths are worth treading with a soundtrack as thoughtful as this one.” – JESSE’S BASEMENT
“The main point to take away from Pessimistic Pizza is that life changes; it has its difficulties, but it also has beautiful moments where we thrive and grow, with every story being different. That’s the beautiful part of being human.” – DISTORTED SOUND MAGAZINE
There’s also a number of great interviews and features with the band on sites and radio stations like Resonance FM, Music N Gear, Abominations, and more:
MAGANA has been continuing to get really excellent press for her recent ‘Teeth‘ album. The first of these that I’d to share is her brilliant interview with Giliann Karon for POST-TRASH:
She was also recently the “Me In 3” guest on BBC RADIO SCOTLAND with Jill O’Sullivan (thanks to Roddy Hart and Richard Bull):
The first new music from the Parker brothers since 2013, it’s a bit of a wild full circle moment for Audio Antihero, since the label was started around Nosferatu D2’s classic debut album back in 2009 (there’s a lovely Public Radio International story about that).
Released on March 25th, it has been wonderful to see so much great press continuing to come in for Magana’s stunning ‘Teeth‘ album. If you haven’t gotten around to it yet, then the following sites have you covered:
Magana’s‘Teeth‘ was the “Record of Note” on BBC Scotland’sRoddy Hart show last night. Roddy played three songs from the album and said a lot of lovely things about it. If you missed it live, you can listen to it via BBC Sounds.
Something extra nice about it was that Roddy and his producer (The Raging Bull) had clearly done their research and pulled some great stuff from the Jeni’s track-by-track feature for The Alternative:
If you’re enjoying Magana-centric radio, then please remember that her session for Leo Gilbert is airing all month long via Dandelion Radio and Mixcloud:
“Lyrically, Magaña visits some stark and dark places, describing it as “witchy rock,” but it all fits so well with her song constructions and her quite warm, subtle voice, making an excellent musical and lyrical contrast, as a cup of hot coffee and cold sparkling water do.”
Magana did a great interview with Firebird Magazine (you might remember them for their brilliant feature withFrog) where they talked ‘Teeth,’ Mitski, and her plans for upcoming ambient and orchestral music releases. Check it out here.
I was also fortunate enough to get to write another guest feature for Various Small Flames, this time reflecting on the memories and music of my time knowing and working with Jeni Magaña. It covers her better-known songs like “Inches Apart,” as well as compilation appearances, her CHUCK and Cloud covers, the pen pin pop project, and her more experimental work. This was a really nice experience for me so I hope you enjoy it too: “You Got Shit to Do: a Magana Restrospective By Audio Antihero Records”
“Feels equally at home in the era of doomy 60s girl pop and the modern age of dreampop and lushly-drawn indie music. Magaña’s vocals exude joy and pain in equal measure…” – Analogue Trash
“‘Teeth’ stands tall as tangible proof of the transformative power of music. With otherworldly melodies, evocative lyrics, and a production style that envelopes the listener, Magana offers a fourteen-track journey of healing and self-discovery.” – Broken 8 Records
“Magana has a dramatic, floating vocal style that puts her in line with a lot of the big “indie folk” acts of today, but it’s her embrace of more adventurous instrumentation that sets Teeth apart from the crowd more than anything else.” – Rosy Overdrive
Audio Antihero 