5 Charms 06.26

Or Does it Explode? – Realities Disguised as Symbols (Madison, WI; 2026)

Everything I don't know
I learned from the best
Everything I taught you
I stole from the rest

Madison's ...Or Does it Explode? has written a lot of new music over the past few years. They released a full length album, albeit in a more alternative rock direction than Realities, and an 6-song EP, both last year. They play a lot of shows, traveling and performing with indie, punk, and rock bands across the state and into Illinois and Minnesota. Realities Disguised as Symbols is the result of all of that recording and performing--a tightly wound, post-hardcore noisefest of tense and brooding songs. Realities is their strongest album yet, with their pummeling rhythm section given the opportunity to carry the songs into heavier directions than they have been able to capture on a recording before. Part of the emotional weight of the album is in the shared vocal duties of Katya, whose warmth is matched by the brittle screaming of guitarist and songwriter Shawn Bass. The three songs made available before the album release reveal the band moving away from their midwest emo influences into a solidly post-hardcore mode with gnarly bass lines, lots of weird starts and stops, and the kind of extended breakdowns that lead to cathartic bursts of instrumental noise. The full album releases on June 18. Pre-order the album, then listen to the volatile energy of "Baby's First Rorschach Test."

Tape and Tears – Grace of Any Kind (Appleton, WI; 2026)

Everybody wants you to be somebody until you're somebody they hate

Tape and Tears writes classic folk punk music: breathlessly fast lyrics, layered banjo, frantic acoustic strumming of guitars and ukulele. It's working class music, based both on sea shanty and pub music sing-alongs and Violent Femmes-style busking. The Bandcamp lyric listings on the songs include chords, so you can not only sing along, but also learn how to the play the songs. This small gesture really gets to the heart of how these songs are built for community and empathy, stripped of pretense and bleeding with honesty. There is a nice mix of solo-ish acoustic songs and full band songs, all of which are a collaboration between songwriter/singer Gilliana Hope and instrumentalist Quiver the Busker. Songs like "The Stream," "Mothers and Daughters and Mothers," and "Run On Sentences" showcase Hope's confessional songwriting, detailing her struggles to fit into a world filled with broken homes, over-medicated folks, and apathetic small town crowds. Even so, Grace of Any Kind is sort of a hopeful record, looking for connection and community through music and shared suffering. Get the chords and play along.

Bitch Creek – Bitch Creek (Milwaukee, WI; 2026)

I know a place along the river
Cicadas howl and the trees do shiver

Bitch Creek is a scuzzy but warm folk album--like that knotted and bunched up quilt you keep up at the cabin. And like an old blanket, the strings are sometimes tattered and threads a little worn. This is lo-fi folk. Traditional. It's not rock music (although "Living to Die" does have a nice swing to it) and reminds me of early 00s folk revival music like Gillian Welch and even Fleet Foxes. It's an all-acoustic record, anchored equally by the conversational and syrupy voice of Liv Weiss and the dueling fiddles of Helena Rose and Molly Korinek. Bitch Creek, the band, could just as easily play a set in the street as on a stage, no need for mics or amps and the power of these songs is in their raw, timeless energy. A 6-song EP is a nice introduction to an artist's music, and Bitch Creek (the album) has 6 really strong songs. Opener "Cicada" starts with haunted a capella vocals, then launches into a full mountain music jam. Lead single "Animal" has a quiet rage while album closer "Eating Paint" is a beautifully melodic pop song featuring full drum kit. Download the record, then head out to go see them live. Bitch Creek is:

Songwriting, lead vocs/lead guitar: Liv Weiss
Backup vocs/rhythm guitar: Gigi Kliesmet
Fiddles: Helena Rose and Molly Korinek
Bass: Helen Bozic
Drums: Kelsey Kaufmann

Paul Otteson – Alright, I Get It, Alright (Madison, WI; 2026)

Trouble comes a thistle on the wind, a
fear beneath your skin, a
Lover you can't trust enough to
Fully let her in, a

Paul Otteson writes deceptively gentle songs, his voice fragile and stark as bird's breath. But his lyrics cut to the bone, whether he's remembering Wisconsin's troubled history (2013's Prairie du Chien) or extolling the dark joys of the natural world (2014's Lonesome Loon collection). This is real songwriting, digging at language with fingernails exposed and polishing words and phrases with saliva. What I mean to say is: I really like this record. Otteson has written some of the best songs of his decades-long practice. Beautiful tunes like opener "Let Me Borrow Your Knife" and "I Hate You as I Love You" have no parallel in the contemporary indie folk scene. Joining him on this record are the incomparable strings of Mary Gaines (cello) and Chris Wagoner (violin), whose feather-light and gorgeous playing perfectly matches Otteson's vocal vibes. The rest of the instrumental and vocal backing is courtesy of his longtime collaborators in Faux Fawn. There is not a single song here that begs to be heard first--this is an album that needs to be heard as an album. Sit down, shut off the lights, throw your phone off the balcony. The vinyl release is on Thursday, June 18 in Madison. Otherwise, I suppose you'll need to download it. So maybe go back and get your phone and call your lover and beg them to listen to Alright, I Get It, Alright.

Fellow Kinsman – Break Room (Milwaukee, WI; 2026)

Believe when I tell you friend, I need a cigarette
Hold my hand while I'm crashing, so I know I ain’t dead.

Studio-based songwriter music is beautiful, with its meticulous arrangements and focus on lyrics, but there is nothing like the sound of a band where the singer and instrumentalists each bring their own personalities and artistry to the songs. True musical and artistic collaboration is hard to find, but Fellow Kinsman locks in and takes us there on the new album Break Room. Pieces of genres float in and out of each track, starting with opener "Find a Way." It starts out like early 00s indie sleaze, then morphs into a soul track, but by the end fuzzes out into a shoegaze-adjacent rock tune. This is alternative jam music with incredible grooves on every song as well as places where the guitar descends into an emotional darkness. Highlights include "Cash It In" with everyone adding to the maelstrom--from Will Hansen's (Old Pup) wandering pedal steel to Duwayne Davis's psyched out drumming. Break Room is really fun album, rewarding multiple listens and just begging to be heard live. Catch Fellow Kinsman this summer at a Milwaukee venue or elsewhere in the state, including a stop at the Shitty Barn in Spring Green on July 18. Fellow Kinsman is:

Nate Kinsman: Vocals and guitar
Will Hansen: pedal steel and guitar
Erin Bagatta: vocals and keys
Cleo Jackowick: bass
Duwayne Davis: drums