Welcome to the first issue of Crocodiles! Well, almost. I’ve done something like this in a few variations — a short-lived podcast (The Rthm), a shorter-lived blog (the original Crocodiles) and weekly Instagram stories. I really enjoyed doing the weekly Instagram stories but in order to keep myself sane, I had to lose Instagram’s number.
Each week I’ll be sending along a little missive that will include new music I’m enjoying this week. I’ll also be including the occasional long-form essay whether that’s about the music industry, a long-form review, or just something silly.
With all that out of the way, again, welcome to the first issue of Crocodiles.
New this week
Ace by Madison Cunningham
(Indie Folk) Her first album since winning a Grammy and doing a collaboration album with Andrew Bird, Cunningham takes a step back from classic 3-piece guitar-focused songs to stretch her composing skills filling tracks with piano, reed instruments and string arrangements. At times intimate, and others spacious, Cunningham confronts love and heartbreak in all its forms. The song Wake features Fleet Foxes and that really does contextualize the sound of this album.
Blight by The Antlers
(Indie rock) A very subdued album that mourns humanity’s impact on the earth. Confronting how we interact with the world and how it is destroying everything we love, Peter Silberman has created something truly beautiful and devastating.
Self-Titled by St. Paul & The Broken Bones
(Soul) After taking some experimental detours over the last couple albums, their new self-titled album is very much a return to form and is an absolute treat to listen to. If anything, please do yourself a favor and listen to Fall Moon.
Feels Like Hell by Weakened Friends
(Alternative) There are a lot of things I didn’t have on my 2025 bingo card, but Buckethead featuring on a relatively small indie band’s record was definitely not on it. This album is full of great angsty grungy rippers.
Air Is Getting Stranger by Spawner
(Indie rock) Spawner’s debut album melds some really interesting sounds. There’s some grunge, shoegaze and goth influences here all tied to a heavy anchor of despair.
Let me know what I missed! Yell at me for using the wrong genre! Tell me I’m pretty! Whatever you want, you can reply to this email.
Have a great week!
Love,
Harley