Dig ‘in: Heaven, Ribbon Skirt, Le Pain
Check out what the No Wristbands team is listening to and what’s in our show calendars this month on our latest Dig ‘in.
INCOMING
Heaven - Dream Aloud (Little Cloud Records LP)
Context can be malleable. Take for instance the circumstances surrounding NYC trio Heaven’s recording of their third album, Dream Aloud, that was undertaken at frontman’s Matt Sumrow’s home studio during the pandemic. “It was created as a vision of hope and dreams, an escape from the reality that was before us,” Sumrow explained to Atwood Magazine. Jumping ahead from the pandemic to the current shitstorm political climate, its designs are equally applicable to both circumstances.
The collective embrace Sumrow was aiming for kicks in immediately with the welcoming opener, “I’ll Let You In.” Elsewhere, the title track announces Heaven’s intentions: “Searching in the evening / Find a way to dream aloud / I don’t know what you wanted me to find / A way to break down and leave it all behind.” The band’s balancing of shoegaze textures and pop opulence ensures a soft landing. “Spinning Around You” and “A Magic All Our Own” slow the pace with a calming, hypnotic presence. Calling Dream Aloud their most somnambulistic release to date, Heaven aren’t so much sleepwalking as they are trying to settle the troubled, unconscious mind. -Bruce Novak
Ribbon Skirt - Bite Down (Mint Records LP)
The pernicious effects of colonialism include creating cultural vacuums, whereby historical connections are eradicated and a sense of self is manipulated. Montreal resident Tashiina Buswa is from the Indigenous Anishaabe First Nations peoples that first settled in the Great Lakes region. After previously calling their group Love Language, which also includes multi-instrumentalist Billy Riley, drummer Lan Thockchom and bassist Lucas CA, they rechristened themselves Ribbon Skirt after the First Nations garment that symbolizes cultural identity, pride and resilience.
Buswa’s fighting spirit is captured on “Off Rez,” as she challenges: “They want 2000’s Buffy Marie / They want my status but they’re getting my teeth.” Sainte-Marie, a singer-songwriter and social activist who championed Native American causes, has been called out recently for her false claims of Indigenous ancestry. The driving “Wrong Planet” comes next with Buswa confessing that “It’s getting harder not to feel so abandoned.” Personal responsibility comes to the forefront on the bouncy “Look What You Did”—a forgive but not forget remembrance full of both lingering hurt and passing ambivalence. Bite Down is ripe with emotional complexity, of trying to exist in world that resists recognizing your true self—it imparts a message of being seen and heard despite all obfuscation. -Bruce Novak
Le Pain - Dirge Technique (Slouch Records LP)
Sisters Madeline and Olivia Babuka Black were enamored with Cartoon Network’s Powderpuff Girls growing up. When their father gifted them the Mark Mothersbaugh-produced compilation, Heroes and Villains, from the show it opened up a new portal for their love of music, exposing them to artists like Shonen Knife, Dressy Bessy, Frank Black and Mothersbaugh’s Devo. “I want to celebrate imagination, whimsy, and humor with our music,” Madeline explains. “Powderpuff Girls are a guiding light, reminding me that writing from a place of fun is a relevant and important approach.”
Following tenures in other bands, drummer Madeline (Yucky Duster) started collaborating with multi-instrumentalist Scott Rosenthal (Public Practice) in Brooklyn, inspired by her French language lessons and admiration of Serge Gainsbourg. The pair would soon relocate to LA, where they met up with bassist Alan Everhart (Dummy) and Olivia (Peel Dream Magazine), who would serve as Le Pain’s vocalist, keyboardist and additional guitarist.
After premiering a number of digital singles starting in 2021, Le Pain just released their ten-song debut, Dirge Technique, this month. True to Madeleine’s intent, Dirge Technique is a fanciful pop pleasure that alternates between French and English lyrics. The group’s beguiling blend of ’60s girl group harmonies, French pop and C86 indie sensibilities comes off as both opulent and understated. Whether they are delving into the exoticism of “Étendue,” the jaunty lilt of “Running of the Bulls,” or the breezy textures of “Is That How You Want Me To Feel?,” their music is hard to resist. As they so succinctly express themselves: “no le pain, no le gain.” -Bruce Novak
UPCOMING
Los Campesinos!
Where: Metro / Directions
When: May 29, 7:00 PM
In contemplating whether to restart the band after releasing their last album, Sick Scenes in 2017, and playing their last gig in the summer of 2022, Gareth David-Paisey considered their current relevancy—not wanting to be pigeonholed as legacy act. Concluding that they continued to influence newer acts, a decision was made to commence recording All Hell, Los Campesinos! 7th album that was released last July. When the record reached number 14 on the UK Album Chart, their first to crack the top 40, the action was well validated.
David-Paisey’s inventive wordplay creates an open invitation for mass audience singalongs. He’s equally adept at expressing exuberance as he is conveying heartbreak. Midwest Emo’s influence on the Cardiff, Wales-based Los Campesinos! has provided a longstanding connection with Chicago and a nurturing atmosphere. For a group that’s often cited for its cult status, the passionate response they’ll receive with another swing through town reinforces their well-earned staying power. -Bruce Novak
The Wedding Present
Where: Empty Bottle / Directions
Do Division Street Fest / Directions
When: May 29, 9:00 PM
May 30, 8:45 PM
The Wedding Present burst out of the gates from Leeds some forty years ago with the adrenalized singles “Go Out and Get “Em Boy!” And “Once More.” Their music was urgent and vital and peppered with the soul-baring romantic honesty of frontman David Gedge. Wedding Present alumni now number in the thirties, but Gedge maintains a singular presence that keeps the band relevant regardless of personnel. He reportedly maintains such a DIY ethos that he personally books their tour van and is given over to whimsical ideas, such as releasing twelve monthly vinyl singles for the year 2022 under the project 24 Songs that pays homage to their audacious Hit Parade series thirty years prior. Their present tour celebrates the 35th anniversary of their sophomore album Bizarro, that might arguably be considered as their finest moment. This will be Wedding Present’s first Chicago sighting since their 2018 Lincoln Hall appearance. The Empty Bottle show with the fabulous Tubs opening is sold out, but fear not, both bands will be reappearing the next day at a stacked Do Division Street Fest. -Bruce Novak
Georgia Maq
Where: Do Division Street Fest / Directions
Beat Kitchen / Directions
When: June 1, 7:30 PM & 10:00 PM
Georgia Maq, the former guitarist and lead singer of Camp Cope has gone through many changes since 2019. That year found her stepping out from the comfort of the power emo of Camp Cope and venturing more towards the pop end of the spectrum with her excellent solo release Pleaser. In 2020, she returned to nursing as COVID raged, and released more solo material (“Cold Summer”), continuing to showcase her less screamed, more polished vocal style. 2023 signaled the end of the road for Camp Cope following one last excellent record, Running with the Hurricane, and not long after, Maq moved to Los Angeles. What hasn’t changed over the transformative years is Maq’s lyrics. She continues to shine a light on injustice in the music scene (“The Opener”), taking men to task for abhorrent behavior (“Joe Rogan”), and searching for a sense of belonging (“Tropical Lush Ice”). As she embarks on a tour with fellow L.A. power-punkers Illuminati Hotties, it’s fair to speculate if this is the start of a new album cycle for her. The breadcrumbs are there: stories on Instagram of being in the studio, learning banjo, line dancing to country music. New music and a continued exploration of her musical interests seem imminent. This is all to say that the opportunity to see Maq twice in two days is surely not to be missed. -Mark Joyner
UNCOVERED
Pictoria Vark - Nothing Sticks (Get Better Records LP)
In the late ’90s there was an indie rock scene focused on introspective, emotionally raw lyrics and unconventional vocal styles, and, depending on who you were seeing, the possibility of a math rock influence with arpeggiated melodies. This scene came and went, its core audience getting older, replaced by new iterations. But the music of this era was embraced by the TikTok generation and re-named “Midwest Emo” due to a lot of the bands being scattered across the Midwest specifically.
Enter Victoria Park, a young guitar aficionado who moved to Chicago from Iowa, and despite being from a completely new generation has distilled Midwest Emo to its core essence, cracking the formula and producing some of the best in its vein in a decade or better. Serving as the bass player for the band Half Gringa, Park releases music under her own songwriting project, Pictoria Vark, and on her second album has truly come into her own as a songwriter. It’s a brilliant album with twinkly guitars, heartfelt lyrics, and interesting storytelling. Park takes the reins as Midwest Emo’s heir apparent, a previously male-dominated space, conquering them as their queen. -Bobby Evers
We recommend listening along over at our Spotify page. Here’s this week’s content: