A consistent theme of my late thirties is that I’m discovering or appreciating bands that I could’ve already loved in my twenties. (I definitely should’ve listened to more Jawbreaker 15 years ago.)
Latest late discovery is Beauty Pill out of Washington, D.C. They started out as a postpunk/indie rock band on Discord Records, grew progressively more artsy over the years and took a number of left turns when the music scene expected them to go straight ahead. Their music is artsy, wordy, expressive, and odd in way that I really like. A compilation of their Dischord Record material is being reissued as Blue Period. I stumbled onto the release via Bandcamp Daily and it’s a great intro into their discography. My favorite track so far is “Lifeguard in Wintertime”, but that might be a seasonal effect.
The Tiny Desk Concert below is also a good introduction, the standout for me there is “Exit Without Saving”. A commenter on YouTube called the set “hands down, the most grad student band I’ve ever heard”. Accurate. I should’ve started to listened to them in grad school
Blue Period is out via Ernest Jenning Record Co. and on bandcamp. .
CLARITY AND CHAOS 