“Radio Player” is a haunting and inspired new single from Salt Lake City’s Josaleigh Pollett, who is making their debut for Audio Antihero.
FFO: Sharon Van Etten / Half Waif / Why Oak
The Noisy – ‘The Secret Ingredient Is Even More Meat’ (Cassette & Digital)
A deluxe, expanded edition of the cult Philly group’s debut album.
FFO: Japanese Breakfast / Jay Som / Chappell Roan
The Noisy Live: Nov 2nd @ Liminal Space, Philadelphia, PA / Nov 5th @ PhilaMOCA, Philadelphia, PA (Philly Tenants Union Fundraiser) / November 9th @ Launderette Records, Philadelphia, PA (Album Launch)
Frog – ‘THE COUNT’ (Vinyl & Digital)
Frog return with their second full-length album of 2025.
FFO: Twilight Singers / Modest Mouse / Daniel Johnston
Glitchy Indie artist Leilani Patao shuns streaming and the algorithm on their gorgeous label debut.
FFO: Grumpy / Katie Dey / Caroline Polachek
Leilani Patao Live: Nov 8th @ The Living Gallery, Brooklyn, NY (EP Launch / DiskDrive Physical Media Celebration)
Nov 14th: Tiberius – ‘Troubadour’ (Cassette & Digital)
Non-binary-led Boston-based “Farm Emo” group mix Alt energy with rustic warmth on their label debut.
FFO: Greg Freeman / Frog / Pinegrove
Tiberius Live: Nov 13th @ Radio Bean, Burlington, VT / Nov 14th @ The Apohadion Theater, Portland, ME (W/ Dead Gowns & Bagcatcher) / Nov 15th – Warehouse XI, Boston, MA (Album launch W/ Winkler) / Nov 20th – A.I.R., Albany, NY / Nov 21st – The Rug Club, Philadelphia, NY / Nov 22nd – Cassette, Queens, NY (W/ Paper Lady & Dolly)
Avery Friedman just published a gorgeous live studio session version of “New Thing“ ahead of her August 10th show at Elsewhere (Zone One) in Brooklyn, NY – Tickets.
Avery’s ‘New Thing‘ album is out now, with cassette copies available, and vinyl coming soon via Softseed Music (plus, their exclusive variant version is available for pre-order here).
Recent highlights have been an interview with Joseph Jr. Mastel of Out Front Magazine, the second-oldest independent LBGTQIA+ publication in the USA, and a wonderfully in-depth radio feature with Windsor, Ontario’s CJAM courtesy of Absent Sounds.
“If you’re into intense, dreamy, subtly imaginative singer-songwriter-ly pop, people like Squirrel Flower or maybe the softer moments of Big Thief, don’t miss the debut album by the Brooklyn singer Avery Friedman. Her songs are a cocktail of anxiety and uneasy beauty with chiming, ringing arrangements that really get under your skin.” – NPR MUSIC (All Songs Considered)
“New Thing is going to be one of our albums of the year.” – ANALOGUETRASH
“Her full-length debut, New Thing, is a work of raw singer/songwriter confessionalism, evoking the knotted melodies, homespun arrangements, and searing edges of musicians like Squirrel Flower, Babehoven, or Adrienne Lenker.“ –UNDER THE RADAR MAGAZINE
“The promise you are left with as a listener, that there is a beauty in uncertainty and becoming, that flowers that die will surely grow again.” – THE LINE OF BEST FIT
“It’s not PR spin when I tell you that’ll be a contender for a spot on my AOTY list.” –ON REPEAT RECORDS
“Damn, I adored this record. I loved the writing. So image-rich and vivid, each song feels like its own universe. This is to say nothing of the diversity of soundscape – truly felt like a Writers Album.” – HANIF ABDURRAQIB
“New Thing, the scarily accomplished debut album from Avery Friedman, is all about change and growth…Friedman inhabits a complex emotional realm where nervousness can coexist with (and inform) ideas of sexiness, sadness, tenderness. Her world is fragile but appears to have arrived fully-formed.” – KLOF MAG
“New Thing is as much about community as it is Friedman’s individual journey. The album will thrill those who yearn for the days of sad indie bands in Williamsburg clubs. While Friedman and her band might be further along on the L train, they’ve moved past the detached melancholy of that cohort and instead utilize the same musical strains to confront and move beyond the pain that holds them back.” – NO DEPRESSION
“Friedman captures the uncontainable mess of being alive – the beautiful, brutal blur of becoming.” – ATWOOD MAGAZINE
“If you’re looking to fill your musical roster with one of our favorite up and coming indie pop artists, look no further than Avery Friedman!” – THE HONEY POP
“Hidden gems occasionally shine brighter than polished diamonds. Enter Avery Friedman, who’s debut LP New Thing presents itself as a labor of love. Plenty of stakes present themselves in debut efforts, but Friedman stands before audiences fearless – 5/5” – NEW NOISE MAGAZINE
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:
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
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
“Brutally vulnerable and beautifully breathtaking, ‘Teeth’ is as visceral and raw as it is dramatically layered: Magana’s sophomore album is an uncompromisingly intimate and spiritual rock record reckoning with trauma, inner connection, the fragility of the human experience, and what it means to be alive.” – Atwood Magazine
‘Teeth’ is released on Monday the 25th of March and it’s available for pre-order via Bandcamp. Its singles are available on Spotify.
Magana also recently spoke to South London’s Joyzine, which is another great interview worth reading:
There’ll also be a great in-depth interview with Magana on Saturday on the Hello GoodBye Show on London’s legendary Resonance FM. The show airs in London (FM & DAB) and Poland, plus it’ll be available to stream worldwide online. Check the link below for times and details.
Forever busy, Jeni Magaña is back on the road with Mitski now so if you’re going to any of those shows (dates here), please be sure to wave. She also played upright bass on the new single, which you can check out below:
FROG W/ HORSE JUMPER OF LOVE ON MARCH 23RD (FREE, NY):
Frog will be playing a free show with the amazing Horse Jumper of Love on Saturday (March 23rd). It takes place at the Blue Room on the Sarah Lawrence College campus. The event is hosted by the college’s WSLC radio station. Pretty cool.
Frog have released their first live performance film, “Unplugged and Unhinged.” This film by Jarod Walker was released on March 8th via the band’s new Patreon where they will be premiering audio and video recordings of their shows going forward. A free seven-day trial is available.
Frog will also be touring the Northeast (Philadelphia, NYC, Boston/Somerville) this month, tickets and information are available at Songkick and Bands In Town.
Magana – “Break Free” Single Out Now:
Magana’s“Break Free” single is out now – available on Bandcamp, Spotify, etc. It’s taken from her ‘Teeth’ LP which is out on March 25th.
Antihero PR: Max Blansjaar – “Anna Madonna” Single Out Now:
A quick update from the world of Antihero PR, I’m working with Beanie Tapes on the upcoming debut album from Max Blansjaar. ‘False Comforts’ was produced by Katie Von Schleicher and Nate Mendelsohn and will be released on June 21st.
Maganahas announced ‘Teeth,’ her second album, which will be released on March 25th (to coincide with the Worm Moon’s peak illumination) through Audio Antihero and her own Colored Pencils imprint. Magana is the solo project of multi-instrumentalistJeni Magaña, who has spent the last few years on the road as bassist for Mitski (from Jimmy Kimmel toGlastonbury) andLady Lamb, as well as working with Emily Moore as one-half of the pen pin pop duo.
Spun from Magaña’s meditations and synth experiments, ‘Teeth,’ which she describes as “Witchy Rock,” is unlike any of her past works. An album about “regrowth and a new view on the world,” its sound touches on Acid Folk, Alternative Pop, and even Krautrock as she tackles the bleakest and most brutally honest subjects of her songwriting career.
Bateman from Frog did an in-depth interview with Absent Sounds on CJAM 99.1 FM (Windsor & Detroit). It’s available now to stream on demand. Weadee and Weajue have a great show with a lot of really good guests (Fucked Up / Chris Walla) so check out their archive.
Frog Live (Philadelphia / NYC / Somerville):
Frog will be playing in Philadelphia, PA; NYC, NY, and Someville, MA, between March 14th and 16th. Tickets and info for all three shows can be found via Songkick.
Airing originally via BBC Radio Scotland on Tuesday evening, you can now stream Bateman’s “Me-in-3” song selections via BBC Sounds for the next month.
Airing originally via FM & DAB radio through London’s Resonance FM (and Pawarota Radio in Poland) on Saturday afternoon, this in-depth interview can now be streamed on Mixcloud.
This was actually Frog’s second appearance on deXter Bentley’s Resonance FM show, having played a live session for them back in January 2016 (as seen in Alex Coppola’s“Kings of Blah” documentary).
This week’s show though even features “Slayer on a Sunny Day” by My Best Unbeaten Brother, who you’ll be hearing a lot more from pretty soon. But if you haven’t heard already, are a new trio featuring Ben and Adam Parker of Nosferatu D2, Tempertwig, and Superman Revenge Squad.
Audio Antihero artists have a long history of appearing on the Hello GoodBye Show, with a few examples preserved on Spotify:
Audio Antihero 