"Material Girls only come out at night. The Atlanta sextet indulge in glam and goth while maintaining a percussive no wave edge on their new album Leather. It’s a pointed balance, but the combination comes naturally for these gutter dwelling creatures who cut their teeth on the sweaty Atlanta nightlife, and is enough to summon the ghosts of CBGB and Andy Warhol. The 8 song record explodes with post-modern sleaze and over the course of 30 minutes, the band ride a wave of malaise towards a decrepit paradise. After a promising 4 song EP and a year spent touring, including a few dates supporting the B-52s’ Cindy Wilson, the gang is sharper than ever thanks to the addition of guitarist Robbie Rapp (Muuy Biien) and bassist Meghan Dowlen. The Siouxsie-inspired shrieks of Dowlen are a particularly sharp dagger in the Material Girls arsenal, which alternates between squalling psychedelia and apocalyptic post-punk. Echoes of Richard Hell and Pere Ubu flow through nihilistic lyrics, uncaged performances, and inventive riffs. Leather is a study in contrasts, an illustration of Material Girls ability to deconstruct the tired tropes of punk while pushing DIY music to new heights of zoned in, drugged out chaos. On the surface, this experiment is artistic and abstract, but the visceral energy of Material Girls leaves no room for hazy intellectualism. They vomit on expectation with makeup smeared faces, toying with desire, and keeping the listener tied up in Leather. Out July 2nd via Irrelevant Music (US) & Exag' Records (EU).

"Ask vocalist JayCub Lake (Muuy Biien) when the Pleasure Point was conceived and he’ll obliquely tell you the group has always existed in some “shape or form.” But while that may possibly be true in the abstract philosophical sense, the reality is the trio morphed out of the experimental Athens group CottonMouth whose last release was the 2014 hr ep. Since then, Lake and his Pleasure Point cohorts, bassist Bobbie Rapp (Material Girls) and DJ EA Shorts, have moved to Atlanta and started concocting a hazed-out hybrid of murky hip-hop, smooth funk, contorted pop and whatever else the threesome have discovered swirling around their proverbial kitchen sink. Give a listen to “half-way,” the first single from the trio’s upcoming American Singles, and there’s quite a bit to unpack, a cavalcade of reference points to explore if you so choose (check out that sly slice of West Coast G-funk the follows the chorus). But mostly you’ll discover a steady flow of woozy beats and narcotic grooves that expand, contract, and then dissipate like so much blunt smoke. At times, it’s difficult to decipher whether the group is just goofing on their own version of seductive, late-night R&B, or if everyone is just really faded and reveling in the moment. Truth be told, I’m not sure it matters. Either way, it’s is a spellbinding listen, perfect for early morning smoke sessions or aimless midnight drives. As for the Pleasure Point, it will be interesting to see how the project develops and evolves in 2018. There is the new record to look forward to, of course, and a couple of release shows, but look beyond that and things get a little cryptic, not unlike their music. “we plan to perform!” Lake exclaims over email about the trio’s future plans. “we plan to make u shake ur butts! we hope to help u escape ur bubble and think critically about messaging and perception. are we losing that ability or is it still able to be saved? we don’t have very many answers but we gots lots of questions! just like u!”" -Immersive Atlanta

At this point in his tenure, you might think Michael Myerz would be running out of axes to grind. With three albums ready for release, and a slew of singles and videos in the works, the rapper’s well-publicized prolific streak remains very much intact, but if “Affirmative” is any indication, Myerz hasn’t lost his appetite for proving any would-be critics and haters wrong.“The song is honestly just about me fed up with a lot of shit (typical angsty me),” Myerz explains via email. “Well, I think that has always been the case haha, I don’t know… [I] honestly just wanted to rap over the beat and show off my ‘skills’ for anyone who thinks I can’t rap. I always feel like I have to prove something and then the other half of me is like ‘FUCK THAT,’ so with the last line ‘Ouch he’s an asshole, THAT IS AFFIRMATIVE’ is in a way me telling everyone either you are on this Myerz train or you are not, and if you are not then I have no time for you.”Rapping over a wavy, jazz-inflected beat produced by Florida electronic musician Sundrenched, Myerz certainly sounds charged-up as he fires off daggers for any one who seeks to dismiss him or question his talent and motivation. “Only can look tough when you’re with your clique / Ain’t really getting nothing done / Tax write-offs, cause you ain’t shit,” he spits at one point with a mix of both hostility and a kind of maniacal glee.Directed by longtime friend Devlin Bolton, the video highlights the track’s dark and stormy mood by framing Myerz in shadow and casting him in a dim bluish light. There’s nothing by the way of narrative—just the rapper cutting loose his frustrations in front of the camera. With a running time of just 1:46, the minimalist approach is enough to hold your attention, allowing the viewer to focus on the barrage of rhymes and lyrical barbs Myerz is hurtling out.