The bite of cyanotype’s newest single is worse than it’s bark. Today, the Brooklyn-based duo composed of J.C. Vargas and Silvia K. shared “wish sometimes”, an emotionally blistering track cloaked in something pretty, wilted, and deceptively gentle.
The fickle tone of its title bleeds into the entirety of the track, as “wish sometimes” carves itself into a perpetually liminal space. Robust melodic bones offer some sense of an anchor, but beyond that the song feels restless; living entirely on the fence of something else. That is not to say it is chaotic – in fact, “wish sometimes” is eerily temperate. It cultivates poignant and stirring tensions without ever turning to cheap tricks or dramatic juxtapositions, speaking to cyanotype’s astute songwriting, and the duo’s ability to deliver visceral unease through more delicate routes.
“wish sometimes” was mixed by Sonny Diperri and mastered by Dave Cooley. Accompanying the single is a video that toes a similar line between unsettling and beautiful. Featuring Skyli Alvarez and makeup done by Lee Coco, the video, mirrors the raw and emotional feel of the track, and nails an aesthetic seeped in gothic motifs and cyber influence. You can watch it below.
As a small music journal, we rely heavily on the work of independent tape labels to discover and share the incredible artists that we have dedicated this site to. Today, the ugly hug is highlighting the work of our friends over at Musical Fanzine.
With a focus on joint audio and zine releases, Musical Fanzine is a DIY record label from Providence, RI run by James Walsh. Running with the tagline “keep queer punk not corporate”, the label has grown into a mighty collection of pop song day dreamers, punk rock lamenters and DIY swooners alike, all built upon that simple pleasure of sharing and discovering awesome music. With a catalog reaching back to 2015, MFZ has been a home to artists such as susie derkins, DUMP HIM, ORTHODOXXER, hidden driver, wavers,Who Brought Opie, mini golf water feature, time thief, and Looser, with some exciting adventures on the horizon.
We recently got to talk to Walsh about starting the label, making zines and Providence Popfest 2026.
“This 2026 label sampler features songs from past, present, and future Musical Fanzine releases. It was put together specifically for readers of The Ugly Hug.”
James Walsh and Zoë Wyner of Musical Fanzine (Time Thief)
Your vision for this label was to combine the work of releasing an album with the art of a curated zine. What is your relationship with zines and what made you want to include this passion with a label?
Books and music were sort of my two respites from the world when I was growing up. At some point, they kind of naturally merged in my mind before I even knew what a zine was. I started going to record stores and buying physical media in middle school, and I was always so stoked when an album would include robust liner notes. Those liner notes became my way of getting to know a band. I didn’t have access to a computer with internet at home until I went to college, so the most accessible way to find information on a band was through liner notes, lyric sheets, and all that. Those kinds of things became very important to me.
I learned about zines proper for the first time when I was 14. I remember finding this webpage that had excerpts from a bunch of old Kathleen Hanna zines – April Fool’s Day, My Life with Evan Dando Popstar, some Bikini Kill stuff. They all totally blew my mind wide open and had me questioning everything I thought I knew at the time. Later, I made friends with folks who wrote zines and volunteered at zine libraries – the very first DIY spot I ever started booking shows at was also a zine library (Flywheel in Western MA). I’ve written a few, but not enough. Mostly, I’m just an enthusiast.
What makes a good physical accompaniment to an album?What is that creation process like?
I started out by conceptualizing zines as sort of extended liner notes. I personally love when zines include lyrics, tabs, inspirations, band pics, all that. That said, it’s also really cool to me when bands do something totally unexpected with their zines. There are so many folks in bands who are incredibly creative in other ways – visual art, writing, etc. I’m always super stoked for those elements to be incorporated and to see what folks want to do. I think I’m still just looking to get to know a band in a different way via their zine.
In a nuts-and-bolts sort of way, the process is pretty simple: usually a band will make a zine, totally dealer’s choice, send me the master (digital or physical), and I’ll deal with printing and assembling with Zoë’s help.
You started this label in 2020 and it went through a handful of changes since. What were your goals in the beginning and how have these shifts influenced the way you approach making and sharing music, as well as the way you run the label?
The label started as a vehicle to release the vinyl version of my old band’s (DUMP HIM) first (and only) full length record. We were working with a label who was able to offer us help with a run of tapes at the time, but not records, so we decided to do that part ourselves. When it started out, the label was intended to be collectively run by the band, but we kind of stopped doing stuff together around when the pandemic hit. Everyone else mostly moved onto other things and the label kind of became my baby.
DUMP HIM by Jonathan Vahid
As far as goals go, it was really important to us to put out music by queer folks, and it was pretty important to me that releases came with zines as often as possible. There were, of course, certain labels I was really inspired by – Sarah, Mr. Lady, K. MFZ has definitely stuck to the first goal, but the second has become tricky. It turns out that it’s kind of a lot to ask that a DIY band churn out a zine to go alongside a record that they just finished putting a ton of work into. Sometimes, it just isn’t realistic – I get it! I always encourage it, but if a band can’t make a zine it’s not the end of the world.
One exciting change is that I think I’ve finally figured out a good formula for DIY releases through a long process of research, trial, and error. So now I can produce CDs and tapes in-house (can’t do that with records though, but luckily my bandmate Tyler makes GREAT sounding lathe cut records over at Audio Geography). I’ll sometimes still get tapes pro-duplicated and CDs pro-pressed, but as costs for raw materials have gone up it’s become a lot harder to make small runs of tapes financially feasible for the label and still affordable for the folks who’d like to buy them.
So, now I have this nice Nakamichi deck that I’ve been hand-dubbing releases on in real-time. It’s well maintained and sounds pretty fucking good. I figured out a way to stamp directly onto tapes that’s kind of pad-print adjacent. I also recently bought a CD duplication tower that has changed the game for me. Zoë is a visual artist and has had a lot of great ideas in terms of packaging; she sort of leads that aspect of things and does a lot in terms of designing layouts and assembling artwork/j-cards/liner notes.
MFZ HQ
I think handmade stuff has kind of developed a stigma in the past decade, even though it can be just as good in many ways as the pro-dubbed stuff if you have the right equipment/materials and do your research. I have so many cassettes from the 90s / early 00s that are handmade that I have no complaints about, but it feels like bands don’t think that’s cool anymore. So, when I do something handmade (which is about half of the time now), I’m trying to make everything the highest quality possible to kind of push against that stigma.
What are some of the releases in the MFZ catalog that have stood out to you? Whether that be from joy, a learning experience, etc?
This is such an interesting question! It feels wrong, like picking my favorite cat or something. I’ll choose some milestones.
Susie Derkins
One release that I don’t think ever got its full due is an EP by Susie Derkins called How to Talk. It came out in fall 2020 when the whole world was hibernating. It’s 5 tracks of really great indiepop (I’ll disclaim here that I played bass on it, but that was more as a utility – I loved the band so much and wanted them to keep going, they needed a bassist, I play bass, all worked out). All of those songs were primarily written by my friend Sam Stoakes who was very much inspired by bands like Talulah Gosh and also P.S. Eliot/the Salinas catalog.
mini golf water feature at Bleak Outlook
Another release that stands out for me is the Mini Golf Water Feature discography tape/CD that came out last year. This label started out as a vehicle to put out my own music and my friends’ music. The process of working on MGWF discography was the first time I was working with a band that I hadn’t met anyone in (Ollie from Hidden Driver plays in that band, but we somehow hadn’t met in person until a while after this release). That was kind of a milestone for me, and super encouraging. It was great working with them, folks in that band are super multi-talented in art and music and audio engineering, and I think they’re doing something super original and cool with their tunes.
Hidden DriverPhoto by Ed Zeitz
You recently hosted the Providence Pop Fest this past May with an extensive and exciting bill of artists from all over. With your intention of the line up, as well as creating a space that prioritized perspectives of queer and trans folks and women in indiepop, what were your goals from the jump? What was that organizational period like for you?
You kind of hit the nail on the head with our goals from the jump when asking this question: the whole point really was just highlighting women / queer / trans folks who make music in the realm of indiepop, etc. That’s something we kind of mentioned on our website and stuff, but we didn’t want to make a big deal of. The queer, feminist, kind of punk aspects of indiepop are what has really always drawn me to it. Like the Huggy Bear/Comet Gain connection, or the Atta Girl EP by Heavenly or like, I don’t know, the entire fucking concept of All Girl Summer Fun Band. Or a band (one of the greatest) being named Henry’s Dress. I could probably go on all day, but point being: indiepop is way more feminist, way more punk, and way gayer than I find some people expect, or sometimes seem to make space for. So I guess we just wanted to help facilitate the creation of a space that felt good to us, and hopefully to others. No genre gatekeeping, no celebrities, and lots of women and queer folks.
Speaking of genre gatekeeping, it was pretty important for us to include peripheral types of music, not just what folks think of when they think of indiepop. We both believe pretty strongly that there are so many ties between indiepop and other subgenres in terms of people who make the music – lots of folks in “indiepop” bands are in post punk bands, synth pop bands, hardcore bands, and so on. It feels silly to make up a definition of a whole genre, and then gatekeep anyone who doesn’t fit our strict definition. We both played Athens Popfest in our old bands, and genre-expansiveness was an aspect of Mike’s curation we both really loved. Pylon Reenactment Society actually headlined that fest too the year I played! I think our experiences in Athens, GA set a really great example in terms of what exactly a popfest could be sonically.
Providence Popfest 2026
The Hobknobs by David Paterson
Pylon Reenactment Society by Emma Tavares
Good Flying Birds
Dear Nora and Mirah by Emma Tavares
Beachplums by Emma Tavares
Jeanines by Emma Tavares
Touch Girl Apple Blossom by Emma Tavares
Sun Urchins by Emma Tavares
Cursor by Emma Tavares
Lightheaded by Emma Tavares
Mesh by Emma Tavares
Galore by Emma Tavares
Malasada by Emma Tavares
The Sofites by Emma Tavares
Future Stories by Emma Tavares
Hidden Driver by Emma Tavares
Linda Smith by Emma Tavares
Nova One by David Paterson
Sweeping Promises by David Paterson
Now coming off of the success of the fest, how was it? What did those three days mean to you? Any particular moments stand out to you?
I’m not quite sure how to articulate how much those three days meant to me. I’m not a person who cries often, and I teared up at least three times. The fest felt really good, kind of like a convention of like-minded folks who were all into similar types of music (and as far as I know, had similar politics). One thing that has really stuck with me from that weekend is the environment of support and solidarity that every single band, AS220 staff member, volunteer, and attendee had a part in making happen. It felt like this little multi-generational DIY utopia in the midst of some of the toughest times in the world around us.
Show Flyers from Past MFZ Eventsand Shows
Do you have anything planned for MFZ in the future? What are you looking forward to?
So much! Well, first off, there’s next year’s popfest which we’re already planning for. And I have a few releases lined up! I’m doing a sort of reissue / expanded edition of Older Brother’s EP from last year, The Devil Hangs Around, in early June! Older Brother is one of my favorite bands going right now, and they happen to be from Providence, so I’m really excited to work together and feel super lucky that they said yes when I asked them if I could make them some tapes.
Older Brother
There’s also a lot more in the works that isn’t set in stone yet. I might be putting out a cassette reissue for one of my favorite indie pop bands going right now, which I’m really stoked about. time thief is working on our first full length record, which I assume MFZ will be involved with putting out in some way. Otherwise, I’m just trying to be braver about asking bands if I can put their stuff out.
Written by Emily Moosbrugger | Photo Courtesy of Touch Girl Apple Blossom
Every week, the ugly hug shares a playlist personally curated by an artist/band that we have been enjoying. This week we have a collection of songs put together by the Austin-based band, Touch Girl Apple Blossom. Emily also got to chat with the band after a March gig in Asheville, in which they discussed their new record Graceful, released earlier this month via K records.
About their playlist, the band shared;
“Music.. the acceleration of the heart-situation. A bird’s feather floating in the wind could land anywhere, but it landed right here in my hair. Nothing makes me feel more lucky. I call my baby on the telephone when I’m down and he sings a song to me. Nothing makes me feel more lucky.”
The trip Olivia Garner sings about on “Vacation” the third song on Touch Girl Apple Blossom’s Graceful is nothing like the album’s title suggests. Springy riffs twirl around jangly, bouncing guitars setting the bubbly indie-pop backdrop for nasty sunburns, fighting in public and long nights staying up worrying. Garner’s saccharine vocals float through the thick layers with a fluttery lightheartedness as the dreadful scenes unfurl, before she sings: “Well I tried/ Couldn’t find out/ Just how to be Graceful.” Her cool delivery holds a hint of giddiness, making what would be a casual shrug feel more like a quiet triumph.
Touch Girl Apple Blossom is a four piece band based in Austin, who recently shared their first full-length album Graceful. They formed after Garner visited El Paso for a show where she met drummer Charles Powell, who she joined that same night for a karaoke performance of “Drive” by the Cars. The pair parted ways for another several years after that, and in the meantime Garner was getting to know bassist Dustin Pilkington through events he organized in the Austin scene.
One of the recurring shows he hosts features bills composed entirely of bands playing their first-ever gig – for a while, every time he put one of these together he messaged Garner to ask when she was planning to finally start a band of her own. So when Garner decided to start reaching out to potential bandmates, she knew just where to look. “He was the obvious answer,” Garner said of Pilkington. Soon after, Garner, Powell, Pilkington and guitarist John Morales all convened in-person for the first time at the first Touch Girl Apple Blossom practice.
In their earlier days, the songs were mostly written solo by Garner and Morales in their homes and then taken to the other members to be filled out and polished. Since the release of their EP in 2023, their process has become much more collaborative; members will share loose snippets of ideas in their group chat to be brought to practice and pieced into full songs as a group. “When we wrote the EP it was kind of just John and I, and they helped us bring it to life, and then the record was like our actual project together,” Garner said.
Similar to Garner’s revelation on “Vacation,” the band found letting go of expectation would push them into new, more earnest territory. “We wanted to be a certain kind of band, and then with this album, it’s kind of like we wanted to write Touch Girl songs,” said Powell. On “Heart-Go”, the first song the band wrote post-EP, and their most unabashed, heavy-rocking to-date, stuttering feedback and the fast-paced rumble of Powell’s drums lay the groundwork for an opening line that encapsulates the band’s growth in a new direction. “The pen got tired of writing down these things to say to you/ Scratching out, scribbling around the truth.”
In their shows, an imperfection is never treated as a limitation, but a chance to play with the energy in the room – an opportunity approached with a charm and excitement similar to bringing a newly broken bone to school and letting your friends cover your cast in doodles. “I’ve started
to scream when I get nervous because people will just call and respond. You know, people will just do it back, which is sort of a perfect distraction from the song. People will just fixate on that and before you know it the song’s over and you got through it,” Garner said. In a similar way, the band opens the song “Dream From an Eyelash” with a chorus of ‘ahs,’ a tactic they newly established as a way to make that part of their set more comfortable. “That’s a song that I didn’t want to play for a long time because it’s hard for me to hit that note right off the bat,” Garner said. “So they generously have started to just sing it so we can sort of practice before we have to start.”
Throughout Graceful, the band’s first release in which lead vocals are traded between songs, each songwriter’s distinct, sentimental voices complement one another, stitched together like devotional pieces of patchwork. On “The Springtime Reminds Me Of…” Garner swirls in and out of a daydream, bouncing from one starry-eyed musing to the next before slipping away cunningly, leaving us to spiral into the dreaminess ourselves: “I must go, I can’t say no/ The world keeps turning/ The springtime reminds me of…” But where Garner leaves room to fill in the gaps, her bandmates draw us in a little closer, sketching their memories in the adoring details; a clock ticking at the pace of a heartbeat, the extra space left in a lover’s coffee for cream. On “Back ‘N Forth, Garner’s hopeful chants and swooning “la’s,” are sprinkled throughout a nostalgic picture of “the back and forth of a tireswing,” dancing around the lines with the weightless rise and fall of the image they describe.
On many of these songs, these wistful imaginative spells are the narrators’ greatest strengths in the face of uncertainty. The song “Tell” opens with the line, “Make enough to eat/ Most importantly I still have those same dreams,” opening the album with the fearless spirit that is carried throughout. The energy on Graceful, an album brimming with brisk, dancey pop is sustained by an unflinching optimism, a belief in holding onto those dreams and letting go of the rest. The dreaming comes to a head on the penultimate track, “I’m Lucky I Found You,” a slower outlier on the album expressing a deep gratitude for a long-anticipated love over a sweet bed of acoustic riffs and warm cello accompaniment. The verses recount a long series of changing seasons and unanswered questions that dissolve at the euphoric exclamation: “love is back and it’s in my arms!” It’s a revelation bringing fresh clarity, sung with the gushiness and giddy confidence of someone who knows that whatever comes next, they won’t be facing it alone.
You can listen to Graceful out now, as well as snag a copy on vinyl or CD via K Records.
This past April, on a cold, rainy afternoon at an outdoor market in Somerville, MA, I met up with guitarist, bassist, and vocalist Jon Wallis to talk about the debut release from his project Jonny Tex. “I needed to prove that I can make simple rock music,” said Wallis about Mark of Cain, the four track alt-western and indie rock EP about characters inspired by his time in Austin, Texas, where he spent most of his life before moving to Boston in his 20s. The debut is a long time coming for Wallis, who says he’s always wanted to have a rock project of his own. But it took leaving Texas and his Southern Baptist church behind, getting fired from a music residency at a local bar in Boston, and losing a laptop with over 400 demos to get here.
It’s not easy to stand out in 2026 as an indie rock band, but from my first Jonny Tex set last fall, I was hooked. Drawing from a broad array of sonic inspiration, Wallis certainly has a way of writing catchy, full sounding rock music. On Mark of Cain, the guitarist focused on his lyricism, and it shows. The four tracks feature parables and vignettes that touch on “an inherent absurdity or sinfulness that everyone has.” Said Wallis, “It’s a motif found in everything.” Hence Mark of Cain.
But Wallis brings this Christian motif to his music through humor and self awareness. “I’ve always been more inspired by the western caricature than country music,” said Wallis. “I like the silliness of it,” he said, before describing how the second track — “Bill” — is about his neighbor from growing up, a “frumpy Texas single guy”, who “says his life is awesome but it really sucks, which is a thing that a lot of southern men do,” he adds.
Wallis, for his part, grew up in a Southern Baptist church, leading worship music nights as a teenager who had previously spent time playing music with friends. “[The church] kept being like, oh you can be a youth leader,” said Wallis. “It was all bullshit.” Wallis decided to leave the megachurch and ultimately left Texas in 2021. “I realized anywhere I moved in Texas, my entire community would be people I [knew from the church].” He opted for Boston despite not knowing a single person who lived there. “It paid off. I love Boston.”
Photo by Lena Warnke
After arriving in Boston, Wallis spent time “gigging around,” including playing with Philly-via-Boston group Hereboy and post-rock/noise band Pew Pew. Along the way, Wallis managed to get a residency at a local bar, covering “beer country songs from the 90s” under the moniker “Jonny Tex and the Lone Stars”. Said Wallis, “I would get my friends to play with me [often on instruments that were not their first instruments]. One day they were like, you guys get so hammered on stage, you play too long, and nobody’s really enjoying this except y’all.” And thus was the end of the residency. “We stopped, and then I was like, okay, we’ll be an originals band.”
To his credit, by this point Wallis already had a laptop with over 400 demos that he had written and recorded over the years. That is, until the laptop crashed. Instead of devastating him, Wallis said this freed him up to start releasing music with “songs that I kind of just remembered writing that I was excited about” or new songs that he’s written since. “So that was like 3 years of practice pretty much.” I asked if he ever tried to get the laptop fixed, to which he responded, “I still have it. I just… I cannot. It feels kind of nice.”
Last year, Wallis released a double A-side via Happen Twice — Heifer/Cherubhead — with songs that he wrote after he decided to focus on originals. Within five months of getting fired, he was in the studio with his buddy Marshall Pruitt, recording four songs. The duo chose two that they felt were good enough to release. “It felt really important to record in Texas, those songs about Texas,” said Wallis. Wallis noted that on everything he’s recorded, he’s played nearly every part aside from a couple keyboard parts on the singles, and drums — played by Kyle Duggar of Virginia Creeper on the singles and Corey Camara of Spirit Ghost on the EP. He emphasized how important it is for him to make the recording sound as much like what is in his head.
Jonny Tex in full band format. From left: Charles Peterson (keys), Harley Spring (guitar), Corey Camara (drums), Holly Foster (bass), Jon Wallis (guitar, vocals). Photo by Lizzy McEleney.
Wallis spoke glowingly about his producer, Pruitt, whom he has admired since high school from his work with Austin bands Close By and Duncan Fellows. Wallis shared about how Pruitt has pushed his songwriting. “He’s pushed me to make songs to be more clear… It’s forced me to think about selling a song rather than a vibe… It’s been encouraging to work with someone who’s like ‘We can’t bury the vocals. We have to make a good sounding record.’”
For Mark of Cain, Wallis brought Pruitt up to Little Nice in Lincoln, RI last July to record songs that he started working on just 6 months prior. “I wanted to just try to make straight rock music that sounds good so I could prove that I could do it,” said Wallis. “Two guitars, bass and drums, and just me singing.”Mark of Cain might be the debut from Jonny Tex, but don’t expect this EP to define his sound. “I think the singles [“Heifer/Cherubhead”] kind of indicate that I have an ambitious mind.” Indeed, “Heifer” with its odd, whirling startup sounds that persist throughout; “Cherubhead” with its drum machine sounding kick and high hat and overdubbed guitars that sound like a large dying animal. Wallis mentioned that after Mark of Cain, we can expect some “weird ass shit” from him. “I go into every song with no mission. I think that’s something I value so much is really letting the weird sounds in my brain translate to pop music. I want the music I make to be singularly me.”
You can listen to Mark of Cain by Johnny Tex premiering here on the ugly hug.
Joe Glass is a bonafide first-and-last-namer. Two syllables, boom boom. Besides having a hard name to forget, he’s never needed a persona or re-brand for his solo project. His music tells us exactly who he is. Back in January when he announced the release of his first album in four years, Snakewards, he described it as “13 scrap-rock sketches straight from the heart to the gut,” before posing the rhetorical question: “Maybe we can keep rock’n’roll alive for one more day?” I don’t think rock’n’roll is anywhere near kicking the bucket, and Snakewards—which, in 2026, sold out on cassette tape almost immediately—proves that we have nothing to worry about. Snakewards possesses a sense of urgency, spontaneity, and sincerity nonetheless: each track clocks in at three minutes or, more often than not, less. This no-filler, no-frills, (dare I say no-skip?) album is a jubilant reintroduction to Joe’s songwriting skills and good taste. He isn’t trying to bare his soul or convince you of anything, he’s just trying to make music that he would want to listen to. His lack of inhibition and general air of confidence make his “sketches” of situations and characters, like “Oscar’s Midnight Ride” or “The Man Who Lost His Diamond,” feel like they were drawn in pen instead of pencil on scratch paper singed by a Bic lighter.
In pursuit of “keeping rock’n’roll alive for one more day,” Glass has assembled a live band made up of some of Chicago’s finest, who happen to be his longtime friends, guitarist Joaquin Cervantes (Soaps), bassist Cormick Costello (Intoner, Plug Three), and his younger brother, Warren Glass (Receiver) on drums. I imagine it’s hard to find the right people to help you execute your creative vision as a solo artist—it surely takes a lot of trial, error, and trust—but Joe Glass has definitely struck gold.
With a song or two left in Glass-Beagle’s (kickass) set, Joe and I pull on our coats and head out the back door. We decide to talk on the Racine Avenue side of the venue as opposed to the Clark Street side because it’s 10 p.m. on a Thursday in Wrigleyville and there’s already a line down the block for Jeff Mills at Smartbar. Before the door even closes behind us, we rummage through our respective pockets/purse for our cigarettes. We’re both smoking Marlboro Golds. I start recording and the first 30 seconds of the audio—which I have to cut for time—consist of me rambling about my postgrad-quasi-existential-crisis. (I have no recollection of how we got on this topic. Sorry Joe.)
JOE GLASS: I dunno, a lot of people are doing wayyyy less cool shit.
I sigh. I pivot:
ELLA HARDIE:Well, you’re doing a lot of cool shit…in the scheme of things… Like, you just got back from touring in Europe [with Sharp Pins] a day and a half ago.
(I probably should’ve mentioned this in the intro, but Joe Glass also plays guitar in Sharp Pins, Kai Slater (of Lifeguard)’s solo project. He’s booked and busy!)
JG: Yeah…
EH: I really want to hear about that, but I’ll start with the same question I start every interview with: How would you rate your set tonight out of ten?
JG: Tonight…? Honestly, tonight’s like an eight and a half, nine? I just felt good about it. It was a thirty minute thing, so… Sometimes when you have to play, like, an hour, you may delve into territory that you’re not, like, super psyched about—even if it’s good or whatever, it’s just not fresh to you—but we only had thirty minutes. We opened with two new songs—like, very new—and then we played some old songs from previous years… Yeah, no, I felt really good tonight.
EH: Do you like Gman? Have you played here before?
JG: Yeah, I played a Minivan show here once a long time ago—
(I used to see Minivan stickers all over the place—the one I saw most often was one in the Big n’ Little’s (RIP) bathroom on Belmont. The first (and only?) time I saw Minivan play live was at Old Bookclub back in 2023, where they played a cover of “The Man in Me” by Bob Dylan as their encore. I remember approaching the stage after their set and saying: “THAT WAS AWESOME I LOVE BOB DYLAN” and Joe replying with: “He’s a poet.”)
EH: Damn, rest in fuckin’ peace.
JG: I dunno, I think Gman is an underrated space because hipsters are pretty adverse to going to Wrigleyville to see music, but I think the sound is really good, the room is really good, there’s two bars, it’s, like, a clean place, it’s kinda unpretentious—
EH: Yeah, the Wrigleyville of it all…
JG: Yeah, but it’s next to the Metro and it’s historic and really nice… I had actually just booked my own show here in about a month and then I got put on this bill. I mean, I’m glad to do it! I think the Gman Era is beginning…
EH: Yeah, that’s what I was gonna say, you’re kinda bookending your tour here. Like, you just got back from tour, you just played a show here, and you’re about to go on another tour that ends here… How do you feel about touring?
JG: I mean, I love touring. It’s a total manifestation of my childhood dreams, basically. I think touring—once I started doing it, like, kinda seriously—it’s just like all experiences that you think you’d enjoy, then you get to experience it… It’s not that I don’t enjoy doing it, I really love doing it, it’s just—
Anddddd unfortunately this is as far as I got into transcribing this (insightful and wonderful and 40 MINUTE LONG) interview before it decided to never play ever again.
3/7/2026 (via Instagram):
@ellahardiee: So I have terrible news
Our interview was pronounced Legally Dead at the Apple Store yesterday
(The audio file got corrupted)
@j0eglass: Wow
That sucks lol
Just have to do another one!
JOE GLASS (BAND) TAKE TWO:
This interview features Joe Glass (guitar/vocals), Warren Glass (drums), Joaquin Cervantes (guitar/vocals), Cormick Costello (bass), my beloved friends Cordia Ritz and Linnea Cheng, and local legend Jason Shapiro (for a second toward the end). It has been edited and condensed for clarity.
The show’s over and Joe’s manning the merch table while I try to rally the rest of the troops. Warren, Joaquin, and Cormick are all smoking outside, inadvertently commingling with the crowd in line for Boots’ 4th Birthday Party at Metro next door. At some point, Joaquin notices their finger bleeding and goes inside to deal with it. In the meantime, I run to grab Joe from the back and we walk out the door onto Racine Ave away from the noise of Clark Street. It’s a remarkably familiar situation: once again, within the first ten seconds of stepping into the warm, false-spring air, we both light up Marlboro Golds. We get halfway through our cigarettes before everyone eventually gathers in a circle on the sidewalk. We’ve finally arrived at a moment of redemption and the stakes feel weirdly high…
ELLA HARDIE: God willing, this will be normal—
Everybody starts laughing. The stakes no longer feel high.
EH: Hey guys…
JOE GLASS: Hello…
EH:We’re back…
JG: Again…
EH:Indeed… How is everybody feeling?
Joe, Cormick, Warren, and Joaquin all respond with their own version of: “Good!” “It was a good show!” “It was a good set!”
EH: How would everyone rate it out of 10…? We can go in a circle—
WARREN GLASS: 7, I’d say.
JOAQUIN CERVANTES: 7, really?
JG: It’s like, an individual thing—
JC: Ohhh—
JG: I felt like we sounded really good—
WG: Ok, maybe 7.5 actually—
JG: Back-pedaling!
WG: I am back-pedaling! Because I realized I did good today!
JG: Yeah! I think so!
JC: I was gonna give it like a high 8 or something… I just nailed most of my parts…
JG: I would say, like, a 7.86…?
CORMICK COSTELLO: I like whole numbers, so I’m rounding up with the 8.
JC: Me and Corm were off on the left side rockin’ out, it was fun.
EH: Have you guys had a 10 recently? This is the last stop of your tour, was there a 10 while you were gone?
EVERYONE:St. Louis—
JC: St. Louis was a 9—
CC: Yeah, St. Louis was the best one—
EH: What was special about St. Louis?
JG: Well… it was, like, a pretty small room, and there weren’t that many people there but they were excited, and it seemed like there were more people because of the size. And it was at a place called CBGB, which is hilarious—
EH:In St. Louis, Missouri?
CC: Don’t worry, even the people in St. Louis are confused about it—
Laughter.
JC: Real friendly, salt of the earth people there too. I talked to so many random people—
JG: Unlimited liquor n’ booze—
WG: “Unlimited liquor and booze…”
JG: Wait, unlimited liquor and beer, so… maybe that was part of the excitement…
EH: How does it feel to be back in Chicago after being on tour?
JG: Very good! I love Chicago, it definitely still wins out as The Best City in America to me. I really liked Cincinnati though, I could move there someday… but it feels very good to be back! I’m excited for it to be warm enough to swim, that’s kinda where I’m at.
CC: Yeah, being on tour just really made me appreciate the people here and how into everything they are. Like, we saw some stone-faces at some of these places and I don’t think you really get that in Chicago.
JG: Yeah, agree.
Joaquin nods.
JC: It’s definitely the Real America…
JG: …Chicago?
JC: No, the rest of America—
EH: What kind of venues were you playing? Was it house shows, bars, proper clubs?
JG: One house show—to, like, a bunch of fake goth kids at U of I in Urbana—and the rest of them were clubs but, like, maybe more DIY? One of them got canceled because the toilet overflowed—
EH:Is that why…? I saw that on Instagram and I was wondering what happened…
JG: Well, I just said it was because of plumbing, but I’ve been learning recently that a lot of my Instagram stories, people are like… “I don’t know what you meant by that—”
Laughter.
JG: Like, I made a post about this Nashville guitarist that we were watching on my birthday, who’s just a honky-tonk guy that plays seven days a week or something, and he was literally the bestguitar player I’ve ever seen. But I posted this one video of him that was just, like… soooo mediocre that people were like “Is this a joke…?” Even my mom was like, “Ok…? How many guitar players have you seen? This guy is not that good.” But I was just like, “This guy is amazing!!!!”
Everyone cracks up.
JG: And then we paid a guy to do a rap about me for my birthday—
EH: Oh, happy belated! When was your birthday?
JG: March 17th.
EH: St. Patty’s Day! Ok! Twenty…four?
JG: Twenty four… oldhead…
I turn to Cordia.
EH: That’s gonna be you soon…
CR: I don’t know if I can do it… Is it ok? Will I be fine?
Joe shrugs.
JG: I do feel better than when I turned twenty three—
CR: That’s all I can really ask for—
JG: But yeah, we asked this guy for a rap for a dollar—that’s his thing—and then he started the rap and he’s like, “We need a beat!” and he started playing his guitar, and then he came in with the hook, which was “IT’S JOEEE’S BIRTHDAYYY” —
(I wish I could embed the audio for this part:)
JG & JC & WG & CC: “OH YEAH, YEAHYEAHYEAHYEAHYEAH”
JG: And then he starts freestyling and we’re all like: “This guy is a genius.”
Laughter.
JC: He’s like: “[guitar noise that would be impossible for me to write out]”
JG: Just like, this white guy with a backwards baseball cap—
EH:How old was he…?
JG: He was probably like 29—
Warren, Joaquin, and Cormick all concur. Cordia, Linnea, and I all go:“Ohhhhhhh.”
EH: I thought you were gonna say, like, 56—
JG: So then this other guy comes up, and I’m kinda sitting there like, “Woah, that was so sick.”
CC: We were all jammin’ out—
JG: But this guy comes up, and he’s like, “Hey, let me get next,” and we were like, “Ok, let’s see what he’s got—”
CC: He goes, “My name’s Smoke—”
WG: No, it was just “Smoe!”
“Smoe” gets us good.
JG: And we’re all like, “Smoe… Okayyyy…” And then he starts playing and he’s like, “IT’S SMOOEE’S BIRTHDAYYY—”
JG & JC & WG & CC (same tune as before):“NANA-NANA-NANA-NANA”
JG: It was, like, the exact same thing. And then we left. So that made me feel slightly less special… He did the exact same hook for a guy with the same name as me… almost.
Everyone dies laughing.
JC:Smoe…
EH: Alright, how did this band form, as it stands right now?
JG: Well, I’ve been through a lot of iterations… four bassists and three drummers now… Joaquin’s the only other guitarist I’ve had, and for a little bit I had a guy playing piano—
JC:You did?
JG: Yeah, but really for a very small amount of time. ‘Cuz I was trying to sound like Wilco—
Laughter.
JG: I was doing solo stuff for a long time and then my friend Brennan from back home lived above Cole’s Bar, so you could make a lot of noise because they were making so much noise, and that’s where we’d practice. So he was my drummer, and then Tyler from Soaps [and Poolish] became my bassist, but then Tyler moved back to The Valley for the summer and I needed to find a new bassist… And then my friend Kevin actually played bass for one show… and then I just asked Cormick to do it—do you remember when that was?
CC: It was some Attic show—
JG: Yeah, it was kind of a while ago, but I was just like, “Do you wanna do this?” and you said yeah, and then I wanted one of my shows to be really good, so I asked Joaquin to play, and they played, and then the crowd’s reaction to your double-tele-thing made me be like, “Yeah, that should be what it is from now on.”
JC: Yeah, that was punk.
EH:And then your brother, of course—
JG: Oh, sorry—
Laughter.
JG: In my head I’d already said it! But Warren’s just my brother and he’s one of the best musicians I know, so it was kind of natural. I just asked him to play and he said yes. He’s been the best drummer. We have a specific brotherly connection that I think yields to a really good live show. He’s also in Receiver, which is a really good band.
EH: What were some of your favorite bands growing up? I assume you two were raised on the same stuff…? And the same question goes to all of you, honestly—
CC: Why are we answering this? He’s writing the music!
(Cormick makes a good point here: this isn’t a typical “band” interview, seeing as this is Joe’s solo project, but it’s still a group interview…)
EH:I guess that’s true, but I’m still curious! I mean, Joe wants you all here for a reason, you’re all friends and you’re all very compatible musicians, some of that has to come from similar backgrounds and similar tastes, y’know?
CC: Yeah, fair enough.
JG: I dunno, it changes a lot when you’re little… When I was really little, I definitely really liked The Beatles and The White Stripes and Nirvana. And then as I got older, y’know, I got into Television and Buzzcocks and all that stuff… and Wilco…
EH: Are your parents into Wilco? I feel like everyone’s parents are into Wilco around here—
JG: I mean, my dad lived in Chicago for a while so he liked Wilco… He was good at exposing us to stuff that he was just checking out, whether or not he was super into it—
EH: Like, more of a “form your own opinion” kinda thing and less of a “this is the greatest band ever and should be your favorite band ever” kinda thing?
JG: Depends… Some of the bands he was really into I was like… I don’t know if I’m really into this… But also he was a college kid in the ‘80s so he really liked The Replacements, and I love The Replacements. He definitely showed me some really cool stuff.
I turn to Warren, who’s literally wearing a Replacements shirt:
WG: I had an interesting pipeline… My first fixation was Michael Jackson—
CC: That’s awesome.
WG: And then it was, like, Daft Punk. And then like, new-wave to Mac DeMarco, as it goes—
EH:Classic situation…
WG: Then toward the end of high school I started getting a little more into Chicago music specifically, a lot of stuff that everybody here is interested in, and I gave it a chance and I loved it.
The wind picks up and I pass Joaquin my phone so their voice can be decipherable:
JC: The first music I remember listening to was stuff my dad showed me, like Elvis Costello and U2 and The Clash… it was their version of “I Fought the Law,” and the Elvis Costello “Pump It Up” video… I mean everything just comes out of that. And I have to mention U2, I just fuckin’ like it now, who gives a fuck?
Laughter.
JC: I like hooky guitar parts, and I like punk, and I like—
JG:Country music—
JC: Country music, yeah! It’s more like… you just find what you like in everything. Like, it could be commercials or Katy Perry or Sun Ra.
JG: Agreed. Definitely.
JC: And jazz…like, the hooky kind, like Coltrane—
WG: I was into a lot of Japanese-jazz fusion in high school—
CC: Like ‘bop and cool shit, that’s what you were into—
JC: Like ‘80s Chet Baker—
CC: I listened to a lot of jazz in high school as well… but like, rock-music-wise, I got, like, obsessively into Talking Heads and The Smiths. Those are two bands I could probably sing every lyric to any of their songs. Now I’m into the weird pop side-projects of punk bands, like Big Audio Dynamite or The Style Council, which are from The Clash and The Jam, respectively.
JC: I feel like we have to say, like, allAmericanmusic, like, the garage bands of the ‘60s—
CC: I just named two British things, but sure…
Laughter.
JC: No, but like, the ‘50s songwriters, everybody that was writing hooks of all kinds and then putting weird production over it. That’s what early country music was like too—
JG: Yeah, because all that music is way more…. it’s formulaic, but at the time was a little bit more mind-boggling than it is now. Because it wasn’t pastiche, y’know? It was traditional, but like, the Burrito Brothers or something, they were doing things that were more subtle maybe than now… Now it’s a lot of two-chord music, so it leads to it seeming more ambiguous because there’s less resolution. Like, the chord progression doesn’t really complete itself a lot of the time—in a traditional way, at least. But back then, a lot of them were better at the classic way of writing something. Y’know what I mean?
CC: Yeah.
JG: I like both though.
CC: I feel like I have a good, formulated idea on, like, your most recent music—
EH: Do tell…
CC: Ok, it sounds silly, but his most recent record, Snakewards—really good, I love playing it—and I feel like what Joe’s going for, to me, it’s like a study in genre, and what can you do with the tried-and-true tropes of all rock music and work it into one… coalition.
A beat. We all nod. I think we all agree.
I turn to Joe:
EH: Do you feel like you were doing that? Consciously? Subconsciously?
Everybody starts laughing.
JC: “How much of a Genius are you?”
More laughter.
JG: Umm… Yeah, well, I don’t like to—
(He’s humble.)
CC: In a slacked out way—
JC: Like a tattered flag—
JG: Well… I would agree, sort of—
CC: I’m not saying this in a really scholarly way—
JG: No, but I’d agree, I was definitely trying to make a mixture… Some of the songs I thought I did something that was its own thing, a little bit not done, but I was more trying to rely on my own songwriting voice and trying not to overthink making it so unique.
EH: I actually just noticed this today—maybe I’m totally missing something—but Slither [2022] and Snakewards [2026]… Do you consider them spiritual sisters…? What’s going on with the reptilian imagery? Why is that calling to you?
JG: Well, my brother, my dad, and I used to go catch a lot of small animals, like geckos when you’re down south, or frogs and turtles and snakes, so I think I just kinda like little animals, I dunno. But I wasn’t thinking about Slither from a snake perspective, I was just like… Well, that was my Emotional Album and I just felt like that word was fitting… it’s kind of an emotional word? And Snakewards was just a lyric I came up with and I didn’t know what to call the album for a while, and I just thought it was cool because it’s not a real word.
EH: It is now…
JG: Right… But then I realized they were both snakes and I had, like, a panic attack, like: “I do not necessarily want to be The Snake Guy—”
Laughter.
JG: But sometimes you’re just gonna do something and you’re not sure if it’s cringey or not, but it’s cooler to just do it regardless. And if you own it, I think it’s better than if you’re being too calculated about just being as cool as possible. So I just stuck with it—
Joe gets interrupted when Jason Shapiro comes around the corner!
JASON SHAPIRO: You guys were awesome!
Joe, Warren, Cormick, and Joaquin all say “thank you!” and “you too, man!”
JS: Thanks for havin’ me, it was fun—
JG: We’ll do it again soon—
JS: For sure—
JG: That was probably my favorite Jason Shapiro set. That banter tonight? Really, really good, your timing was genius—
JS: Thanks man!I played so many shows this month that I learned some stuff…
JG: You’re dialed—
JS: I’m a little bit dialed in, believe it or not—
JG: I believe it!
He walks away. Everyone says goodbye.
EH: Ummmm—
JG: We’re comin’ off the snakes question… and that’s all I have to say about that! I don’t know why it happened but it did!
CC: Is he gonna hat-trick it or is he not?
CR: One more snake!!!
JG: “Diamondback…”
JC:“Bellycrawler!”
CR: “Snake Eyes…”
JG: “Lucifer…”
Laughter. Joe nods.
JG: It is weird to have two as a theme and then like… I don’t know what the next one’s gonna be called—
JC: Just pick another critter, man.
.
***
EH: Ok, now here’s a classic topic that I’m sure all of you were expecting in some capacity, but let’s talk about the Chicago DIY scene. How did you get into it, how could other people get into it, how have you seen it change over the years?
JG & JC: You just have to go to shows! That’s all!
JG: And just be receptive to other people and what they’re doing—what you think is better than what you’re doing—without losing your ego 100%. Just be willing to recognize that you’re in the third biggest metropolitan area in the U.S. and there’s gonna be people that know what they’re doing more than you. Getting a big head about what you’re doing isn’t any better than just looking around and being like, “Ok, I’m gonna be myself but also acknowledge the correct way to achieve what you want to achieve,” y’know what I mean? It’s hard to be like, “I’m not really good enough yet” in music and beyond…
JC: I think the really interesting part of the question is how we’ve noticed things change, and I think—for me at least—before, it was all DePaul bands and it was friends-based, like, “we’re just all gonna do our own thing together,” and I don’t think people really want to do that as much… I think now we’re at the age where everyone has to get serious about their—OH MY GOD I’m still fucking bleeding everywhere—
We all look at their finger. Yep. It’s still fucking bleeding everywhere.
Overlapping exclamations of concern, disgust, and amusement:
JG: Did you cut it on the string…?
JC: Yeah, I did—
JG: That’s badass.
Jaoquin laughs. We move on:
EH: Obviously I’m looking at this as someone who’s been in the periphery of this for years and not someone really in it, playing shows, like you guys are… But I do feel like bands getting bigger, Bookclub going more Legit—and on the opposite end, other DIY venues like The Attic and The Society not throwing shows anymore—kinda changed the landscape for me, like the places I started going to in the first place are gone now… But a ton of new venues and bands are always popping up? I dunno, I guess I’m just curious how you’ve observed it.
JG: It’s a hard question—
EH: Sorry, it’s barely a question—
CC: It is a hard question… I think the Bookclub thing just made people think about their future differently, maybe… I mean, we all loved going there—we’ve definitely talked about this before—and maybe it’s literal or maybe it’s metaphorical, but us using that place as some, like, kid college scene, and it becoming something completely different from what we were interested in kinda forces you to grow up a little bit, and forces you to think about what to do with the music scene differently. But I also think we’ve all broadened our scope a little bit in terms of who we play with and what kind of shows… I dunno, I go to way different shows now than I did when I was in college.
EH: So I guess it’s all just a product of getting older more than anything else… We were ultimately all underage when we started going to shows, so the DIY spots were all we really had…
I sigh.
EH: And now we’re kinda old…
(Mind you, we’re all 20-24.)
JC: I just kinda feel like now people are into a lot of different things, so you can do whatever you want and people will usually show up for you. I’ve had a really simple experience in that way, I think. You go to shows, people are nice and you like all the same stuff, and then you go and make stuff together, y’know? It’s a tale as old as time. It’s beautiful. It’s fuckin’ beautiful.
EH: It is beautiful.
I turn to Warren.
EH: Well, you’re younger, right?
WG: I’m 20! I just got here!
EH: So you have a different perspective, for sure—
WG: I do! I mean, I saw my brother go from, like, college-indie-bands to getting involved with Lifeguard and Kai [Slater] and Horsegirl and stuff. I think it’s how it was for everybody, you can’t help but be a little inspired by it and a little intimidated by it.
EH: Do you feel like the goalpost has shifted at all?
WG: Yeah, a little bit—
CC: Warren, you’re definitely hanging out with a good group of people right now.
WG: Yeah! I dunno, I started going to shows that Joe would play and that’s how I met my bandmates from Receiver and I’m good friends with the people in Current Union too. There’s different subgroups of people but they’re all part of the same thing.
***
EH: Alright, we’re pushing 30 minutes…
JG: Yeah, let’s do one or two more, we still have to load out—
EH: Oh shit, you do! We can also wrap it up—
JG: No, no, we’re good—
EH: Ok, if you say so… Be honest, would it be super lame of me to be like, “What’s a question you wish you were asked?” You don’t even have to answer it, I could just put it in my pocket for something down the line…
A beat.
EH:You can say yes, it would be super lame—
JG: I don’t know… it’s not a bad question necessarily—
JC: I think the essence of it is, like, a final word thing—
EH:That’s kinda what I was going for…?
JG: Well, sometimes I feel like music journalism is pretty referential, like, a lot of comparison-based stuff, which makes sense because it’s the quickest way to describe something that already exists—which is totally fair—but I think it’s refreshing to be asked what you personally really like about music and what you take away from it and what inspires you, broader than just other bands… ‘Cuz I like a lot of other bands but I really like my own music, I’m trying to make stuff that I like.
EH: Like, “I wish this already existed so I’m going to make it exist—”
JG: Yeah. And you fall short sometimes, but that’s kinda the whole pursuit. You just keep going and keep trying to find newer sounds, and how you do it is always gonna be different from somebody else, so it’s, like, constantly entertaining. Usually it just starts with guitar, or maybe a lyric, but I’m at the point right now where I’m just trying to write good songs. I think in my next album I’m gonna try more guitar-layering stuff again and use some different production elements… like, get a piano on it—
Laughter. Nice piano callback.
***
EH: Alright, closing notes? Things you’re looking forward to? Bands you want to shout out?
CC: Thanks to Barreleye for hangin’ out with us for a week—
JG: Barreleye’s the best, they’re really great guys and fantastic musicians, put them on. They can’t play that much because Joe, the bass-guitar guy, he lives in London, so it’s hard for them to do shows—
Written by Shea Roney | Photo Courtesy of Thomas Dollbaum
Every Wednesday, the ugly hug shares a playlist personally curated by an artist/band that we have been enjoying. This week we have a collection of songs put together by the New Orleans-based songwriter, Thomas Dollbaum.
Dollbaum is set to release his next album, Birds of Paradise, later this week; a collection that rears through restless thoughts, unfettered folk tunes, old conversations and the sweats from last night’s whisky. Although bound to the past, Dollbaum’s writing becomes synonymous with the scenery and its dwellers as he drives forward, the telephone poles tallying the distance that grows between him and what’s being left behind. It’s not an album of regret, or one of hope for that matter. But rather one dedicated to finding ground below your feet for the first time in a while. One of flubbing around on the guitar until a familiar melody squeaks out. Where memory becomes a practice of good faith and mark of a life lived.
Written by Mae Capaldi | Photo Courtesy of Wishbone
After playing a handful of shows at the Hideout and Hungry Brain, “Spout” comes as the first single from indie folk-inspired band Wishbone. Based in Chicago, the band includes Avery Riel on guitar, vocals, and violin, Gabe Lewis (Porch Music, neighbs) on bass, vocals, and clarinet, and Mat Shiley (Porch Music, Big Fans) on drums. We got to talk with Wishbone about their recording process, their aspirations, and got a little philosophical with it.
“Spout” opens to an ambient soundscape of violins with Avery’s picking layered overtop. They play the guitar slowly and eventually start speeding up, mimicking water dripping, then streaming, then rushing out. Written by Avery the summer after graduating college, “Spout” shares the experience of falling in love and the surprise and hesitation that someone’s sincerity can cause, saying “you’re so kind…how can I do the same for you? Can I do the same for you?” Their voice starts timid— “I know love is real ‘cause I’m full of it/But you’ll never get me to admit”—and then soars almost immediately after, like the “breaking dam,” they reference. Mat mixed the track while taking a class with Philip Weinrobe, recording engineer for artists like Adrianne Lenker and Billie Martin, and It’s easy to hear Phillip’s influence in the mixing as they shape the landscape of the song.
Listen to “Spout” out ow!
While “Spout” describes a romantic relationship, as a debut single it also embodies the group’s growing connection to each other and their community. At their live shows, while tuning between songs, the three banter with the audience and share poetry, extending their kinship to the listener. “Yes, we’re practicing for things and recording and taking things seriously, but the focus is that we’re having fun…we spend time at rehearsals playing hacky sack…if we feel good as a unit of friends, then the music will also feel good because it’s just an extension of that collective unity,” Mat shares.
Mat and Gabe met sharing a locker in first grade and have played in bands together since middle school. Avery brought their songs to the two and they had their first rehearsal a little over a year ago; “Gabe and Mat already have such a foundation of playing with each other…they’ve been very motivating…when I get in my own way.” As Gabe puts it, one of “the most important things when I’m making music with others is to feel comfortable, period. And also feeling comfortable to suck.” While Gabe also initially threw out “If you had fun, you won” as a joke, this little quote—taken from a poster above the gym doorway of their & Mat’s elementary school—perfectly sums up the ethos of the band.
To close – in true collaborative Wishbone fashion – before you head to the next article or song, here’s a poem from Mat:
wishbone
wish on a penny wish on a star wish on a wishbone broken hard though when it comes to push and shove can’t help but think I’m rich in love few friends, a band, a pickle in hand not much beats it in this here land I’d rather keep the bones together my love a wishbone, always forever
“Spout” by Wishbone is out today, and you can catch them live tonight at Apricot Vintage at 8pm for their single release show.
Every Wednesday, the ugly hug shares a playlist personally curated by an artist/band that we have been enjoying. This week we have a collection of songs put together by the Kingston-based band, $500.
Composed of guitarist Ian Donohue, bassist, vocalist Kaitlyn Flanagan and drummer Lilly Griffin, the trio released their debut record, Twelve Eyes, back in the Fall of 2025. Take any song off that record, you’ll find that these tracks tussle with both color and grit as $500 play off of what’s given to them. At times it can be unforgiving, reeling through the complexities of self, love, apathy and perception. But Twelve Eyes plays out like a daring vestige, as gritty instrumentations hum and pound with the prowess of a neighbor’s old lemon car hitting a pothole. When played out, these songs become a presence to hold on tight to, formative at the heart of some back-pocket-rock, but sobering in the likes of the band’s veering convictions, ecstatic deliveries, and big heart.
About the playlist, the band shared;
“hello music enjoyers – here is a playlist of tunes we queued up a few weeks back for our drive out to record what’s gonna become our next release.
no theme really, just some stuff that has been rocking us recently. this music best appreciated with 500 cups of coffee coursing through your system. do not forget to eat your banana.”
Coining the new genre of “Lemon Rock”, Neptune’s Core return with the term’s inaugural use, as the Chicago-based band share their brand new single, “Lemon Car” out today. Neptune’s Core is a band of two sets of sisters: Hannah & Sofie Richter; Jackie & Kaitlin Cywinski, who have been playing together for nearly a decade. Filling out countless shows with their contagious energy, as well as getting a handful of releases out into the world, Neptune’s Core have made their mark on the city and beyond. But with its vibrant voicings and tightly drawn convictions, “Lemon Car” feels like the next big step for the band.
Photo by Braeden Long
“You’re my lemon car, I will love and covet you”, Sofie Richter sings, the track’s melody feeling carbonated amongst the light and playful instrumentation. Pretty soon, feelings of love, trust, uncertainty and obsession become synonymous with a click track and some slicked back rock and roll, as Neptune’s Core levy the playing field with ecstatic synth layers and a variety of vocal harmonies giving texture to each of these thoughts. Once Richter asks, “Will you be mine?”, its repetition makes the question lose itself amongst the commotion the band commits to, rendering whatever its answer to be almost unsavory. And through it all, with the check engine light flashing, and a bit of smoke coming from under the hood, Neptune’s Core blends the care that comes from years of friendship, with the excitement of whatever is next, to give them every reason to confidently ditch the car and run to wherever they need to be.
Watch the accompanying music video for “Lemon Car” made by Jack Massucci.
Listen to “Lemon Car” out now out now via Shuga Records.
the ugly hug 