Chasing Fridays: Snõõper, MGNA Crrrta, High. Q&A, more Live punk, recorded pop, loud rock, emotive electronica, and an interview with some talkative shoegazers.

@elienis.bsky.social's recent Q&A with High. pushed me to revisit Lilys this week - I guess I was wrong about them because 1994's "Eccsame The Photon Band" is hitting me hard - check em' both out here: www.elienis.com/chasing-frid... & frontierrecords-lilys.bandcamp.com/album/eccsam...

Chasing Fridays: Ninajirachi, Knocked Loose, flyingfish Q&A, more Hyperpop vs. indie sleaze, hardcore vs. hip-hop, shoegaze vs. emo. Or something like that.

Wrote about:

-Knocked Loose and Denzel Curry's "Hive Mind" unexpectedly winning me over

-Ninajirachi's incredible live show, hyperpop in 2026, and where she sits relative to Snow Strippers

-Katzin's freak-folk debut 'Buckaroo'

-Plus, a Q&A with shoegaze star flyingfish about going emo

SPEED WEEK part 4: my fave writers' fave fast songs Beep beeeeeeep speed week continues at a blistering pace. Today we've got the favorite songs of some of my favorite writers (and one of my favorite graphic designers) about music! All of whom you can ...

SPEED WEEK THURSDAY - GREAT WRITERS PICK GREAT FAST SONGS!

www.ienjoymusic.net/speed-week-p...

Fuckyeah

Chasing Fridays: xaviersobased, Poison Ruïn, E_Death Q&A, more Surveying rap's underground, checking in on hardcore, and going deep with a witch house scene report.

For this week's Chasing Fridays I wrote about:

-Elevating to xaviersobased in a Dollar General
-How Poison Ruïn won me back
-katmoji's invigorating "tweemo"
-Rekrucify's brutalist hardcore

Plus, a CRUCIAL witch house scene report/Q&A with E_Death.

www.elienis.com/chasing-frid...

Of Note 022: Bowie's Blackstar anniversary, Marisa Dubice interview, Justin Townes Earle biography Howdy folks! The new year has kicked off with a wealth of great music writing. This month’s selections have put me in a time machine or some kind of liminal,...

Of Note 022 is out!

Highlighting work from:

@natechinen.bsky.social on Blackstar
@elienis.bsky.social with M. Dubice
@jonbern.bsky.social's JTE bio
@stevenhyden.bsky.social on Pitchfork
@ericdharvey.com on Bob Marley
@tombreihan.bsky.social on The Greatest
@marissarmoss.bsky.social asks a question

Chasing Fridays: The Femcels, Clothesline From Hell, GUV Q&A, more Are two crazy girls from London indie-pop's new vanguard? Is indie-rock still great? Does Madchester's spirit live on? Lemme tell ya.

For this week's Chasing Fridays I wrote about:

-The Femcels' likeably off-putting indie-pop
-Clothesline From Hell's subversively clever pop-rock
-New ones from Horse Vision, Gollylagging, and bill.

Plus, a colorful Q&A with Ben Cook of GUV.

www.elienis.com/chasing-frid...

Good point! yeah I agree it's a refreshing approach in many regards

Chasing Fridays: The Femcels, Clothesline From Hell, GUV Q&A, more Are two crazy girls from London indie-pop's new vanguard? Is indie-rock still great? Does Madchester's spirit live on? Lemme tell ya.

For this week's Chasing Fridays I wrote about:

-The Femcels' likeably off-putting indie-pop
-Clothesline From Hell's subversively clever pop-rock
-New ones from Horse Vision, Gollylagging, and bill.

Plus, a colorful Q&A with Ben Cook of GUV.

www.elienis.com/chasing-frid...

PAPER | Pittsburgh Alliance for People-Empowered Reporting

Pittsburgh deserves worker-centered journalism. PAPER is raising funds to research, support and build out exactly that. I've joined several meetings and can say there is enthusiasm, community support and now grassroots money behind it. Learn more and contribute here: ourpapernow.org

Otto's done a few shorter, more casual interviews over the years, but nothing as extensive or revealing as what he gave to Chasing Sundays. I learned he's a really thoughtful, peculiar, and special figure who's committed his life to music for all the right reasons. The real deal.

I get dms on Discogs every year from people trying to buy OTTO's 2020 LP 'Clam Day' off me. He's had a cult following for years, but until today's P4k BNM for 'Peanut' (his best), his recent drift into drowsy, mystically warm psych-folk has gone nearly unnoticed outside of RYM.

I called Otto to try and unmask an elusive yet pivotal figure in the ongoing intersection of indie-rock and electronica. I knew his old songs were TikTok famous, but I didn't know the full extent. The conversation that transpired truly astounded me. So much crazy lore uncovered.

Otto Benson talks Memo Boy, TikTok trauma, and healing by singing to strangers "This machine kind of plucked my music, without my knowing, and used it to create these weird pockets that I feel feed on depressed youth."

For the first time, Otto Benson (fka Memo Boy and OTTO) opened up about how his astronomically popular teenage bedroom project became the Pepe the Frog of indie music.

A wild story about TikTok, trauma, starting over, and seeking offline connection.

www.elienis.com/otto-benson-...

Megadeth: Megadeth Read Eli Enis’ review of the album.

Can't put a price on peace, but I did put a score on the new and final Megadeth album over at @pitchfork.com. Genuinely had a blast interrogating the Mustaine mindset.

pitchfork.com/reviews/albu...

Chasing Fridays: Sweet Boy, Fatal Realm, Holder Q&A, more On internet-native emo, brutal death metal infiltrating hardcore, and good bands with dumb names.

For this week's Chasing Fridays I wrote:

-Trend reports on internet-native emo (via Sweet Boy) and brutal death metal's presence in hardcore (via Fatal Realm)

-Reviews of Zachshots' twee and Maria Somerville's remix EP

Plus, a Q&A with screamo-core stars Holder.

www.elienis.com/chasing-frid...

Subscribe to Chasing Sundays Real music criticism, essays, and interviews.

On the topic of good websites that cost $5/month...

Every week, I review music no one else is writing about, dig into genre/scene undercurrents with a degree of detail that's nearly unrivaled, and ask artists questions no one else is asking them.

Your $5 goes a long way: www.elienis.com/subscribe/

Marisa Dabice on Mannequin Pussy's next album, AI backlash, burning out, and speaking up "It was a sad realization, but I think it’s unfortunately true in this industry: at the end of the day, no one's looking out for you except for you."

I had a long talk with Marisa Dabice about Mannequin Pussy's next album, their AI video controversy, burning out on tour, speaking up about the genocide, 10 years of 'Romantic,' the band's early years, and much more.

Chasing Sundays subscribers can read it all.

www.elienis.com/marisa-dabic...

thanks!

Marisa Dabice on Mannequin Pussy's next album, AI backlash, burning out, and speaking up "It was a sad realization, but I think it’s unfortunately true in this industry: at the end of the day, no one's looking out for you except for you."

I had a long talk with Marisa Dabice about Mannequin Pussy's next album, their AI video controversy, burning out on tour, speaking up about the genocide, 10 years of 'Romantic,' the band's early years, and much more.

Chasing Sundays subscribers can read it all.

www.elienis.com/marisa-dabic...

Chasing Fridays: Slayr, Sin Against Sin, Trauma Ray Q&A, more Rage-rap, Ratboys, Rate Your Music-core, and more.

It's Friday. I wrote about

-Slayr's rage-rap revamp
-Sin Against Sin's murderous second demo
-Ratboys being an exception to my alt-country burnout
-Sword2's dogshit emo-rap
-And more hardcore, electro-rap, & slow-gaze

Plus, an interview with Trauma Ray.

www.elienis.com/chasing-frid...

There we go 👏

100-song playlist: Big Thief, Jane Remover, dexter in the newsagent, more Plus: torqued shoegaze, icy electro-pop, slugging hardcore, swagged-out rap, frigid slowcore, etc.

I made another 100-song playlist of new-to-me music and blogged 10 highlights by Jane Remover, Big Thief, Dexter in the Newsagent, Shlohmo, Olivia O., and some others that no one's ever written about.

Read the blurbs and browse the full playlist on Chasing Sundays.

www.elienis.com/100-song-pla...

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette to Shutter After Workers Held Longest Strike in the History of U.S. Newspapers Block Communications just closed its Pulitzer Prize–winning newspaper, but its workers hope to keep local journalism alive, with their strike paper in hand and support from residents and officials

My first for @dropsitenews.com: after a grueling three-year strike, workers at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette returned to work in victory. This week, the 240-year-old paper’s wealthy owners decided to shut it down. open.substack.com/pub/dropsite...

Chasing Fridays: Syracuse hardcore madness, Home Front, Carson Clay Q&A, more Reporting from the frontlines of a NYD hardcore matinee. Also: good punk, bad rock, nice dream-pop, and interviewing Sign Crushes Motorist's cloud-rap alter ego.

Chasing Fridays is back. Wrote about:

-Seeing 15 bands at Syracuse's NYD hardcore matinee
-Home Front's protest synth-punk
-Getting Dream Fatigued
-Bellcave's elegant dream-pop

Plus, a Q&A with Sign Crushes Motorist's cloud-rap alter ego Carson Clay.

www.elienis.com/chasing-frid...

Gonna try to be on this site a lot more in 2026, but I also recently made a Chasing Sundays Instagram where I'm promoting my work, posting what I'm listening to, and documenting other run-ins with music (physical media, live shows, etc.).

Give it a follow if IG is your thing.

Karly Hartzman on Wednesday getting heavier, 'Yep Definitely' years, biggest regrets, more "I don't want to get more singer-songwritery. I want to curate a space for people to go nuts at a show."

For my last piece of 2025, I had a long, personal convo with Karly Hartzman. We talked about the next Wednesday album, the band's early years, how she's handling their growing popularity, her evolving music taste, regrets/successes, and much more.

www.elienis.com/karly-hartzm...

Wish we could've gotten the Albini Wednesday record tho :(

Lmaoo

I already liked this band, but I like them even more now that I know their leader's favorite bands are Swirlies and Unwound