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.
I’ve always believed that talent can come from anywhere and that you might find something you love when you least expect it. That’s why, for the past couple years now, I’ve periodically taken the time to explore Bandcamp, the self-publishing music platform, in search of new music. The practice has resulted in me discovering some of my favorite albums that remain consistent parts of my musical rotation today.
That said, with any medium that anybody can access, there’s a lot of noise as well. So, with this new column, my job is to filter out that noise and present five of the best and less heralded releases to hit Bandcamp over the past month. This first edition includes music from around the world and across the genre spectrum, so check them out below and maybe you’ll find something that you love, a “Where has this been my whole life?” album that deserves more attention.
5. Tuyo — Pra Doer
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Pra Doer is the debut release from Brazilian “futuristic folk trio” (as self-described in their Google-translated bio) Tuyo, and across these four tracks, the group, consisting of Jean Machado and sisters Lilian and Layane Soares, sound wise beyond their experience. Aesthetically, the album has an artificial divide between two themes: The “futuristic” with tracks like album opener “Conselho Do Bom Senso” and “Amadurece e Apodrece,” and the “folk” of the other two. The album opener is particularly strong, a song with booming drums, ambient vibes, and vision.
4. Miles Canady — Prince Pastel
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The memes are right: Quality hip-hop is harder to come by on Bandcamp than it is on Soundcloud. Arlington, Texas rapper Miles Canady is one of the few and the proud, though, and he just dropped his latest release, Prince Pastel. Rocking all pink like a 2018 Cam’ron, Canady purveys a sound self-described as “pastel trap,” and that’s a pretty accurate start. Tracks like “Arizona” and “Tell Your Friends” have a satisfying low end with airy synths and Canady’s endearing sing-song rapping laid on top, making Prince Pastel a fun time in six tracks.
3. Basil Oussaint — Sur Appel
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It’s easy to dive into experimentalism and get lost in a sea of nonsensical song structures and sounds that you have to try really hard to like. Montreal-based electronic musician Basil Oussaint manages to avoid it on Sur Appel (French for “On Call”), though, his new album of psychedelic, dance-y synth pop in the vein of Yeasayer or Animal Collective. The songs are in French, but that’s not a distraction in any way, since the main appeal here is how his voice works with the head-bobbing hazy electronica of album highlights like “Les Mouvements Érotiques” and “Se Laisser Surprendre.”
2. WARM — WARM Pt. 2
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New York shoegaze group WARM previously told Uproxx that “Home,” from their new EP WARM Pt. 2, is a song about love. Even if you can’t make out what they’re saying, that message still comes across because the song and EP are like love in a couple ways: When you’re in it, it’s like nothing else matters, your heart might start to race, and it feels good. The band creates huge environments with these four tracks, especially on album opener “Stay,” which lures you in with ambient guitars before explosively blooming into a brick wall of distortion and goosebumps.
1. Bell’s Roar — We Carry Us
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2017 was full of confident and kaleidoscopic pop albums from the likes of Lorde and others, and now, Bell’s Roar (real name Sean Desiree) has put out a fresh and engaging record of that ilk. With an airy voice reminiscent of Rhye’s Milosh, Desiree floats between genres and ideas, whether its The xx-like atmospheric indie on album opener “We Carry Us,” the jubilant electronica of “Celebrate,” or the futuristic R&B of “We Shape Love.” It’s also worth noting that with this album, Desiree hopes to do some good: In support of the record, Desiree (a QTPOC, queer trans person of color) will embark on the Art Funds Art Tour, which aims to “[provide] grants to queer and trans artists of color one concert at a time.”
