Every Friday, Case the Producer rounds up the most exciting new tunes in music and serves them up in one easy-to-find blog for you, the Q101 Crew Members.
Bleachers: Tiny Moves
Hot off the heels of an electric performance at Q101’s Twisted XMAS, Bleachers are back with a new single in support of their upcoming self-titled record. The low-key, four-minute track sounds unapologetically like Bleachers. It lacks the boisterous chants of “Modern Girl” but still finds a way to get stuck in your head, even after just one listen.
Cage the Elephant: Neon Pills
It’s been four years since we got new music from Cage the Elephant, but the Kentucky-born band are finally back. “Neon Pills” is hopefully just the first of many new Cage songs we get throughout 2024. With appearances lined up for festivals like Bonnaroo already lined up, we can’t wait to see this band return to form this year.
glass beach: Plastic Death
glass beach (stylized lowercase intentionally) is an odd band. Their first album, aptly titled the first glass beach album, caught fire in the world of emo DIY and indie rock. It took them half a decade to usher new material into the world, but 2024’s Plastic Death is worth the wait. I could wax poetically about all of the faux-genres that this record pulls from. It’s jazzy when you least expect it, heavy exactly when you need it, and chaotic in a comforting way. If you are looking to widen your listening pallet, it’s hard to go wrong with glass beach.
Green Day: Saviors
The year of Green Day is upon us.
Still seven months away from their date at Wrigley Field with The Smashing Pumpkins, Rancid, and The Linda Lindas, Green Day is kicking off the year with their 14th studio album, Saviors. You first heard “The American Dream Is Killing Me” with Brian & Kenzie on Q101. Since then, the band has continued pumping out singles, most notably “Dilemma”, the band’s strongest track since 2009’s “21 Guns”. Saviors proves that the punk rock icons still can pack a punch. At 15 songs in 45 minutes, Green Day put their best foot forward with Saviors.
Mumford & Sons: Good People
I did not have Mumford & Sons working with Pharrell on my bingo card, but here we are. The stomp-and-clap standouts are back and they’ve revamped their sound with the help of one of the most iconic producers in music.
Neck Deep: Neck Deep
Ahead of their upcoming show at The Salt Shed, this Welsh pop-punk band is back with their fifth studio album. Like we’ve come to expect from this band, the self-titled record is packed full of energetic, engaging tracks that harken back to a time when MTV2 and Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater had a presence in mainstream culture.
Sleater-Kinney: Little Rope
The Carrie Brownstein-led indie rock legends have returned with their first new record since 2021. Little Rope offers more of the same for a band that has now spanned generations. Intense songwriting and beautiful arrangements make Little Rope a standout in the band’s lengthy discography.
