Crate Digging is Uproxx Music’s monthly exploration of the depths of DIY music distribution platform Bandcamp, in an effort to unearth some hidden gem albums that just might find their spot among your favorites.
The Grammys and music festivals might not be super about women, but this week’s installment of Crate Digging sure is. This wasn’t even by design as a sort of affirmative action move: I browsed Bandcamp and it just so happened that four of the five best albums I came across this month were by a diverse range of talented female artists making pillow-soft lo-fi, raucous rock and roll, and adventurous pop. The dudes who made the list this time around brought their best as well, since the sole male-fronted album is a wonderful dose of emo that manages to sound like it really belongs in 2018.
5. Johanna Baumann — Peach
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Lo-fi music has been done to death at this point, partially because the barrier to entry is so low: It’s literally supposed to sound like it was made in your bedroom. It’s for that reason that the market has been flooded with lo-fi acts not worth a damn, but Johanna Baumann isn’t one of those. The Michigan artist is delicate without being weak, sparse without being boring, and low fidelity without being low quality. Lo-fi might not even be doing what’s going on here justice, as there are some pretty fleshed out arrangements in a Neutral Milk Hotel sort of way, like the trumpet and other flourishes on album highlight “Buddha Bear.”
4. Grace Vonderkuhn — Reveries
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For those of you familiar with every single indie label, you might recognize Egghunt Records as the early home of Lucy Dacus, who is totally blowing up and having a moment right now. Now it seems to be the case that the Richmond, Virginia label is an incubator for women who rock, because the new album from Grace Vonderkuhn does just that. That’s especially evident on “Worry,” a distortion-drenched garage rocker with hooks and tempo changes that’ll make your head spin in the best way.
3. Rich People — Grace Session
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Philadelphia’s Rich People are firm believers in the power of a soaring emo hook, and committed to reminding the world just how epic the genre can be. The two singles are a fine microcosm of what’s happening here: “Back Step (All The Real Girls)” reaches post-rock-like swells, while “Fierce Grace” also builds up to a head-bobbing and melodic chorus that firmly cements emo in present day. This is all led by the smooth and powerful vocals of singer Rob Rich, who plays the role of frontman with all the confidence and ability necessary to let these songs take off as they do.
2. Hannah Epperson — Slowdown
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Epperson is an artist I had come across before, and Slowdown, the follow-up to her excellent 2016 release UPSWEEP, appears to be a spiritual successor to its predecessor, given the similar artwork aesthetic. A sort of concept album about two characters named Iris and Amelia, Slowdown sees the Brooklyn-via-Toronto Epperson purveying a St. Vincent-like sense of indie pop experimentation, playing with song structure and instrumentation in an infinitely consumable package. Ultimately, Slowdown is an album that challenges as much as it instantly pleases.
1. Anna Klein — These Days
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Talent can find itself underappreciated in its time, so this is me doing my part to prevent that from happening with Saskatchewan native Anna Klein. She did everything on this album, including self-produce, and the venture turned out tremendously, and that’s coming from the rare music critic who tries to avoid hyperbole. Slowness in music is often associated with non-productive sluggishness that lulls to sleep more than it inspires introspection (sometimes in my mind, anyway), but that’s not what Klein is about. This is meditative bedroom pop of the absolute highest order.
She’s able to combine ethereal atmospheres with alluring pop melodies, perhaps most notably on “Reminds Me.” The album thrives on ambient electronic instrumentation paired with smooth and evocative vocals, like Lana Del Rey meets Beach House meets the warm reverb of a centuries-old cathedral (not to mention that she can pull off an enchanting Mac DeMarco cover, too). These Days is a triumph, and you should listen to it.
