Category: Post-Punk

Josh da Costa Interview

Photo: Tonje Thilesen

I first became aware of Los Angeles-based musician Josh da Costa back in 2018. It was a year when I went through a lot of life changes, and it was my third year of running “MELT Reviews.” I fully immersed myself in music and live shows that year. I would take the Amtrak from Hanford, CA to Bakersfield, then take the bus all the way to L.A. for numerous shows. One of these shows was Geneva Jacuzzi at “The Echo,” which was a fantastic show, but one of the opening bands that really blew me away was CMON (Confusing Mix of Nations.) Their blend of New Wave, Post-Punk, Electronic, and Neo-Psychedelia was irresistible, and all of these very pleasing sounds were coming from only two people, Josh da Costa and Jamen Whitelock. I instantly became a fan. Fast-forward two years to 2020 and “CMON” now have a debut full-length album out. However, 2020 was, well, 2020. The pandemic derailed every band’s tour schedule, including “CMON,” and Josh da Costa also went through a lot of life changes, which prompted him to revisit music from his adolescence and “get deep into some of the gear I’d had lying around for years but overlooked.” Over the following years Josh DJed around LA, shared a myriad of underground tracks on his “Confusing Mix” show on “NTS Radio,” and performed with various bands including Drugdealer, MGMT, and Jessica Pratt, and during this time he began writing and recording his debut solo album New Wave Graveyard, which is set to be released on July 24th via “Stones Throw Records.” I had the opportunity to interview Josh about his upcoming record via email, and he gave me some very in-depth answers regarding his creative process, what inspired the record, being signed to Stones Throw, and much more. 

Steven Sandoval: I want to start this off by saying I love the new record. I think it’s a perfect amalgamation of everything that makes 80s and 90s music so enticing. It’s varied, but cohesive and features a distinct sound that’s very much your own, as opposed to being a complete emulation of certain bands or styles. You’ve described this album as a “greatest hits from a parallel universe, classic songs from an alternate reality.” Can you elaborate on that? Are their specific bands or genres of music that inspired you while recording this album? 

Josh da Costa: As you so eloquently put it, I’d like to think it’s an”amalgamation of everything that makes 80s and 90s music so enticing”. That’s pretty much my area of interest, or rather my obsession.

Steven Sandoval: Did you play all of the instruments on this album? 

Josh da Costa: With the exception of Daryl Johns who played bass on “Tissues” and some programming assistance from Jamen Whitelock, yes I played all of the instruments on this album.

Steven Sandoval: Do you plan on touring to promote this album? 

Josh da Costa: Yes!

Steven Sandoval: This is your first album since signing with “Stones Throw Records,” which celebrates its 30th anniversary this year, and has released some iconic albums, Madvillainy being one of them, which is one of my favorite Hip Hop albums. How did you get signed to Stones Throw, and how has your experience with them been thus far? 

Josh da Costa: I had been working on a bunch of songs for a good few years and was looking to find them a home. I sent Peanut Butter Wolf a folder of about 20-25 songs and to my delight he agreed to release them. I’ve known Wolf for a while now through my involvement in the LA weirdo indie music scene and also through DJing at his bar the Gold Line which is in our sort of shared neighborhood of Highland Park. It felt like a very local connection that I wanted to try and honor if possible.

Steven Sandoval: The album’s opening track “Skygirl” is a banger and reminds me of bands like “The Stone Roses” and “The Charlatans,” which brings to mind the Madchester scene of the late 80s – early 90s. Were these bands an inspiration, and can you tell us what this song is about? 

Josh da Costa: Yes, those bands and that scene / sound was the biggest inspiration on “Skygirl.” That song is about falling in love, plain and simple.


Steven Sandoval: The track “Tissues” is an ode to anxiety and depression, two things a lot of us know too well, and you lyrically nailed the feeling of living with these things perfectly. If you don’t mind me asking, are these things you too live with, and if so, how do you control them amongst touring, making music and being surrounded by large groups of people? 

Josh da Costa: Yeah I live with those things but I wouldn’t say to a crippling extent, for which I am grateful. However that song had been kicking around my mind for years without any real lyrics and one day I was like OK I *have* to finish “Tissues.” So I set out to write it properly and when it came time I think I was in the mood to try and embody the feeling that the music was conjuring inside of me, which spoke to that part of my emotional makeup. Because those feelings are definitely in there and in certain moments or phases of my life I can succumb to them for sure. It can be pretty harrowing when they kick in, for instance, on tour because being on tour can put you in a pretty existential state and depending on the touring party, can be quite uncomfortable. But to be honest, tour sometimes is a convenient escape from the woes of daily life at home, which can also be pretty existential I guess, except you’re not distracted by tons of people and you’re not keeping busy, moving from place to place- you’re just at home. And I typically work from home – as a matter of fact most of the songs on this record were recorded at home – so to have to be able to stay focused and motivated when surrounded by your daily reality at home can be a little challenging, especially if depresh’ and anx’ are rearing their ugly little heads. How I control them? Not totally sure I do other than sticking to a loose routine that usually consists of me going to the same café every day and ordering the same iced cappuccino and then bugging my friend at his shop around the corner for a little chat – socializing and being around people is kind of my drug of choice. Classic extrovert shit I suppose. Nuzzling up against my cat Thomas helps. Going for walks or drives with my girlfriend and coming home to watch some X-Files before bedtime is just what the doctor ordered. I used to love going to record stores but sometimes those actually make me more sad. Can’t explain it but sometimes it just feels heavy.

Steven Sandoval: “96 Year Old Girl” is one of my favorite tracks off the album. I read that it was written one night “after getting really high, ordering Dominos, and watching Terminator 2, and reckons with not feeling seen by a loved one. Can you tell us more about that? 

Josh da Costa: I mean that’s pretty much the story right there. That song is special to me – I think it definitely achieves something that I admire in other songs which is that it sorta defies genre or conventional structure but still manages to flow nicely and evoke something mysterious. Mystery or intrigue is a really hard thing to manufacture but I think I kinda bottled some of that with this one by illustrating some kind of a scene and some kind of a person. Like who is she? And then the chorus has a different perspective since I’m not addressing the 96-year old girl but addressing “you”. So it has some funny shifts and quirked up imagery that I think gives people something to think about and the textures are cool too. But all of that came about by experimenting after having had a lot of time and space to digest lots of ideas and melodies and then when I had a window to myself one night, I kicked back, relaxed with some’za and some T2, and felt inspired so l went for it.

Steven Sandoval: “Cordelia” is such a luscious and dreamy track. Who exactly is Cordelia? 

Josh da Costa: Cordelia is my girlfriend. But at the time, Cordelia was just my roommate. I met Cordelia outside of a show one night after my house had recently burned down and I was looking for a new place to live. She had just moved to town and needed a roommate so I threw my name in the hat. She graciously accepted me and I felt so honored that I wanted to pay tribute in a song. The plot eventually thickened, but I’ll leave it at that. I was also inspired by the record label “Cordelia Records” and figured it would be a great way to pay homage to both this special person and this special label.


Steven Sandoval: The album is titled New Wave Graveyard. What inspired the name? 

Josh da Costa: My friend Douglas Mcgowan inspired the name, which I had actually inspired him to say out loud one day by proposing a compilation of fairly obscure 80s songs that I was fixated on at the time. I thought it had a nice ring to it and I sorta put it in my back pocket. Eventually I felt like it applied nicely to my album.

Steven Sandoval: You’ve lived in Los Angeles for awhile now right? How much of an impact does it have on your music, and has it changed at all since you first moved there? 

Josh da Costa: I’ve lived in LA for over a decade and its had a profound impact on my music. In fact, I feel like aside from being kind of a facetious way of describing my album, New Wave Graveyard is more of a reference to my perception of LA – the sort of hollowed out carcass of this shiny, new, and exciting future city as depicted in TV & Movies and pop culture in general throughout the entirety of my childhood. It has changed though, and what used to be a little grimier and sketchier now feels a little more safe and sanitized. Of course, that is a mixed bag, and not really a can of worms I care to open but let’s just say if I were to say I miss the old days, I am sure someone else would be quick to point out that by the time I got here it had already changed a lot anyway.

Steven Sandoval: You’ve also played drums for various bands including “Drugdealer” and “MGMT.” How does being behind the drum kit differ from recording solo material? 

Josh da Costa: It differs in many ways but ironically the way in which it differs the most for me is that I am pretty unfussy with drumming on my own material because I know that there is so much other work to be done that I try to spend as little time on the drum performances as possible. I inevitably end up editing the hell out of them anyway, so maybe that’s foolish, and maybe I should put a little more effort into exploring my drumming abilities on my own songs but I think I just need there to be something solid and predictable so I can just get cookin on the other parts I need to lay down.

Steven Sandoval: I’ve listened to your “Confusing Mix” show on “NTS Radio,” and I’m very impressed with how deep your knowledge goes when it comes to underground and obscure music. How do you discover these artists, and just how big is your record collection? 

Josh da Costa: I discover music primarily through three different channels – through friends, through going to record shops and digging, and through youtube. Occasionally the algorithm will surprise me but not too often. My record collection used to be bigger but it’s still fairly chunky. I haven’t counted in a while but it’s .. something.

Steven Sandoval: Any chance we’ll hear new “CMON” music in the future? 

Josh da Costa: It’s anyone’s guess as far as new “CMON” goes. Jamen and I stopped working together in 2020 and briefly jammed again a couple of years later. The last time we got together to make music felt super organic and inspired and even though it sounded completely different from what “CMON” sounded like it sounded extremely true to our shared musical vision. So even if we were to produce more music together, it’s likely that it wouldn’t sound like anything we’ve done before.

Josh da Costa’s new album New Wave Graveyard drops July 24th via “Stones Throw Records.”

Pre-order: https://joshdacosta.bandcamp.com/album/new-wave-graveyard

Mazmere Releases New E.P. “David”


England-based artist Jake Sinetos’ last release under his “Mazmere” project dropped 6 years ago. It was an E.P. titled Mbjdebnrbm, and it was an uncompromising release that tackled such topics as mental illness and recovery, while the instrumentation featured noise-driven Post-Punk that perfectly provided a backdrop for the unsettling but honest lyrical themes. Now, “Mazmere” has returned with a new E.P. titled David. This one is very personal. This release is about his cousin David who has passed away, and it’s a touching tribute. “I’ve worked on the song on and off since he died a few years ago, never really feeling I’d got it where it needed to be. Every time I thought it was finished, I’d end up pulling it apart again. This version is the closest I’ve come to getting it right. The track was produced by H.A. Eugene of Brooklyn glitch duo Business 80, whose ideas and patience helped shape it into what it eventually became. It also features beautiful acoustic guitar and bass from Amyas Varcoe and electric guitar from Ian Evans, both of whom brought something special to the recording.” This release also features the track “I Can’t Hear You,” and it’s an Avant-garde wall of sound that’s as soothing as it is discombobulating. “Run” is a live track that features Rob James on drums, who has sadly passed, and it provides a glimpse into what Mazmere’s live shows must be like. This release closes with a remix of “David,” which is a beautifully bizarre reimagining that is both dreamy and nightmarish. According to Sinetos, he hadn’t planned on releasing these songs together, but upon realizing they’re all connected to the same thing, it just felt right. It’s a beautiful tribute to those who are no longer with us, and that’s something we can all relate to.

Listen to “David” here: https://mazmere.bandcamp.com/album/david

Album Review: Downtown Boys – Public Luxury

Rating: 7/10

It’s been 9 years since the last “Downtown Boys” album Cost of Living was released, and 11 years since the band released their groundbreaking debut Full Communism, an album that made waves in the Punk scene and rallied against capitalism, sexism, homophobia, and exploitative labor conditions. That’s right, they’re as Punk as Punk gets, and 11 years later these things are still being fought by those who are tired of oppression, so a new “Downtown Boys” album is completely necessary. Their new album is titled Public Luxury, and according to the band, the title means “everything for everyone,” reminding us that we as the people have the power, and in a time where things seem hopeless for many of us, it’s important for artists to provide a sense of beauty and hope to prevent us from falling down the rabbit hole of nihilism. Musically this album is business as usual, which isn’t a bad thing by any means. Lead singer Victoria Marie’s raucous bilingual vocals that jump from Spanish to English are as sharp as ever and bring to mind Punk legends like Poly Styrene or Kathleen Hanna, the music still features frantic guitars and saxophone lines, but this is the most polished the band have sounded, without sacrificing the band’s signature rawness. However, there are some tracks on this album that depart from their usual sound a bit, and these tracks are where the band sound truly rejuvenated. “Yellow Sun” is a New Wave-tinged vibraphone-filled track that has a bit of a Post-Punk Revival sound, “You’re a Ghost” is a hard-hitting Industrial track that speaks out against ICE, and the album’s closing title track features a dreamy mix of synths and piano, creating ethereal atmospherics that reflect the optimistic theme of the lyrics. Though the band have solidified their status as Punk’s most relevant and exciting acts, I hope they continue to experiment like this in the future, because I feel like this is a natural progression for the band. A lot of us identify with the band and their anger toward all the things that keep us oppressed, but it’s hard to stay optimistic in these dire times, but the band’s message of hope is refreshing and we need more protest music like this that has a perfect balance of pointing out corruption and hopeful optimism. 

Written By: Steven Sandoval


Album Review: Station Model Violence – Station Model Violence

Rating: 8/10

Nowadays a common misconception about “Post-Punk” is that it’s all dark and goth-adjacent, which reduces the genre’s artistic and experimental history of incorporating elements of Funk, Industrial, Pop and Krautrock to something that’s just dark and moody. Sure Gothic Rock derived from Post-Punk, but not all Post-Punk is Goth. Though that misconception can be frustrating for Post-Punk scholars, there are bands that still understand the assignment when it comes to continuing the artistic, intellectual and anti-commercial ethos of the beloved genre. Australian band “Station Model Violence” are one of those bands. Consisting of members of bands such as Total Control, Den, and R.M.F.C., “Station Model Violence” have crafted a fantastic debut album that harks back to 80’s Post-Punk, when the genre evolved into a more pop-oriented style often called “New Wave.” That’s right, this album is more Psychedelic Furs than Gang of Four. This album sounds like it came from a band who frequently performed at “The Batcave” in London in 1983. This album sounds like what “Zero Le Crêche” would’ve sounded like had they stayed together. Despite the band’s obvious Post-Punk influence, that influence doesn’t turn the music into a gimmick. These are tunes that also dive into psychedelia, Krautrock inspired 4/4 drum rhythms, and dark but soothing walls of sound topped with smooth as Hell saxophone. The pulsating rhythms will put you in a trance, which leads to a hypnotizing experience. Sure the band acknowledges the Post-Punk and Goth forefathers, (“Cliffs” is a dead ringer for Bauhaus’ “King Volcano”) but this is a solid album that’s entirely their own, and I feel like they’ll somehow top this record in the future. 

Written By: Steven Sandoval

https://staticshockrecords.bandcamp.com/album/station-model-violence

Donzii Announce New E.P “Kaleidoscopic,” Share New Single “Bird”

Formed in Miami, Florida, “Donzii” have been making music as far back as 2018, crafting an infectious blend of Post-Punk, No Wave and Industrial. Today the band have announced a new E.P. titled Kaleidoscopic. According to the band, the E.P. will be released “slowly like a waterfall with the second single arriving May 2026, followed by additional releases leading into the full project.” The first release from the E.P. is a banger titled “Bird,” which was inspired by a dream lead singer Jenna Balfe had where she had figured out how to fly. “She thought it was insane and incredible, but no one seemed to bat an eye or care. Rather than a commentary on ego- this dream reflects the often disaffected approach people have toward the wonder of life. It’s not just about driving a car to work and buying shit. Life is an ecstatic ecstasy! Every breath is so insane and precious. Bird is an expression of wanting to maintain that wonder and share it” says the band. You can listen to “Bird” at the link below:

https://donzii.bandcamp.com/track/bird

Furrowed Brow Share New Single “The Endless Shouting Tomorrows”

You can always count on a band like “Furrowed Brow” to drop music that knows no bounds, which separates themselves from any of their contemporaries, even the ones that might welcome them with open arms. Why does this work in their favor? Well, they’re uncompromisingly themselves, less worried about building their “brand,” and more focused on exploring their endless wit and inventiveness comprised of sardonicism and commentary on the absurdity of our species. Their new single “The Endless Shouting Tomorrows” delves further into what makes them so enticing without straying into monotony. In fact, this is by far the most concerned the band have sounded viewing modern living through an isolated lens, but in doing this, the band maintain that element of dark humor that’s oh so delicious to feast on. You can listen to “The Endless Shouting Tomorrows” below:

Album Review: Broken Baby – Late Stage Optimism

Artist: Broken Baby

Album: Late Stage Optimism

Genre: Alternative Rock/Indie Rock/Post-Punk

Label: Poor Man Records

Rating: 8/10

There’s a bone I’ve got to pick with major music publications. For awhile now “Rock” and its countless subgenres have been neglected by your favorite cool and contemporary music blogs and publications, and this stems from the misguided belief that “rock is dead.” Now I’m not here to scream “Rock is not dead!” like a character straight out of a Wayne’s World movie, but the negligence that plagues the modern Rock world is more problematic than you think. Rock is not the zeitgeist, and it hasn’t been for over a decade. In fact, the last movement to reach commercial success other than the short-lived Garage Rock Revival scene of the early 2000s was the Nu-Metal movement, and I’m not even going to mention how embarrassing that is. This is problematic because the countless bands in the Rock world whether it be Post-Punk, Alternative Rock, Garage Rock, Punk Rock, Indie Rock etc. aren’t being pushed to the masses enough, and this failure falls on major streaming platforms and their poorly curated playlists, and most contemporary Rock stations whose heaviest or most cutting edge band they play is “Twenty One Pilots.” This unfortunately leads to less exposure. That isn’t to say Rock bands aren’t thriving in the underground. In fact, this gives countless bands the chance to garner a more devoted fan base, which will weed out the trend-hoppers, and the internet is so vast that you can discover as many bands as you want at anytime. I just would like to see more music publications providing a more in depth analysis when covering Rock bands. This has got me thinking that L.A. based duo “Broken Baby’s” new album Late Stage Optimism would have topped the charts had it been released in the 90s or early 2000s. Not that the album is derivative or overly nostalgic, but there was more of a respectful focus on Rock music in those times. However, don’t misconstrue my old man yells at cloud rant about contemporary Rock music as charity or a ploy to get you to feel sorry for Broken Baby and other bands of their like, because Broken Baby are doing just fine with their explosive, fun, thought-provoking, and infectious music. Their sophomore album Late Stage Optimism is their best work by far, and the perfect example of how to correctly combine attitude driven guitar Rock with Pop sensibilities. The Pop elements come from lead singer Amber Bollinger’s catchy as Hell vocals, and I do mean catchy. She has crafted some of the most sing-along-able choruses I’ve heard in a very long time, but along with those catchy hooks lies her sharp and witty lyrical content. These lyrics refuse to stay in one spot, they tackle important topics but the album never gets too bleak or serious, which may be a reflection on how we awkwardly approach touchy topics or try to exit certain conversations with a nervous laugh, and this might be a complete misinterpretation, but I feel like the frequent sense of humor on this album satirizes the try-hards out there who speak out against injustice but freeze up when confronted with the real deal. A track like “Madonna’s a Dick” has no business being that catchy given the fact that it’s about the unfair treatment women face in the entertainment business where they’re sexualized and faced with double standards, but if you want people to listen, sometimes you have to lure them in with straight-forward catchiness. However that sense of humor and sense of fun are far from performative, because it’s evident that the two have a natural sense of humor. Just listen to the opening track “Get the Piss Up” and you’ll know what I mean. The track is a celebration of those moments when you’re having the time of your life dancing and raging with friends. The catchiest track on the album “Manic Panic” has some clever wordplay that inspires me to write better, not to mention the line “Nada Surf with you” on the closing track “Hand Heat” still blows my mind. These multi-faceted lyrics have prompted me to over-analyze, and the journey has been frustrating and immensely enticing, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. Is the track “Meaniac” about men victimizing themselves and labeling women “mean” when they don’t get what they want? Is the track “Cloud Coverage” about escapism and the many vices we use to bury vulnerability? Am I completely misinterpreting these songs? Am I really being over-analytical? All of these questions arise while the music sounds fully-fleshed out with just two primary members, and this is the result of guitarist and backing vocalist Alex Dezen’s eclectic guitar stylings. This is some of the most unique and utterly infectious guitar work I’ve heard on a record in quite a long time. I believe this album will forever remain timeless. Though it has elements of genres that will remind you of an older era, it still manages to sound modern and features topics that will remain relevant for a very long time, and who can deny the addicting personality this album offers? If there’s an album that can get the masses to pay attention to the Rock world it’s this one, and I feel like this is the step in the right direction, but don’t simply lump Broken Baby in a category, because Broken Baby are Broken Baby, and no one else.

Written By: Steven Sandoval

IDLES Announce New Album “Crawler,” Share New Single “The Beachland Ballroom”

IDLES will release their follow-up to their critically acclaimed album Ultra Mono on November 12th via “Partisan Records.” The album is titled Crawler, and is coproduced by Kenny Beats. The band have also shared a new single titled “The Beachland Ballroom,” which is a massive departure from their previous work. About the track, lead singer Joe Talbot states “It’s the most important song on the album, really, There’s so many bands that go through the small rooms and dream of making it into the big rooms. Being able to write a soul tune like this made me go, fuck , we’re at a place where we’re actually allowed to go to these big rooms and be creative and not just go through the motions and really appreciate what we’ve got. The song is sort of an allegory of feeling lost and getting through it. It’s one that I really love singing.” You can watch the music video for “The Beachland Ballroom” below:

Album Review: Amyl and the Sniffers – Comfort to Me

Artist: Amyl and the Sniffers

Album: Comfort to Me

Genre: Punk Rock/Post-Punk/Alternative Rock

Label: Rough Trade

Rating: 8/10

As of late, I’ve been trying to stay away from the easy and often uninspired mention of the pandemic when it comes to my write-ups of new music, but the fact of the matter is, it’s nearly impossible, and maybe a little irresponsible to not mention the impact COVID and lockdown has had on the music scene. Whether it be the frequent cancellations of tours, or the music that has been created as a reaction to the stir craziness of isolation, we’ve hit a point where the whole music world has collectively been forced to endure the same thing, so of course the mention of COVID is inevitable. An album that epitomizes the feeling of wanting to punch the walls or to be able to do something as simple as driving to your favorite spot to order fucking fish and chips is “Amyl and the Sniffers'” new album Comfort to Me. The Australian quartet are no strangers to riotous Punk Rock highly energized and ferociously enticing, but what happens when you take that same energy and lock it in a house with no access to the things in the outside world that create normalcy in everyday life? That energy gets amplified of course. The band wrote the majority of this album during lockdown, and the proof is in tracks like “Hertz” and “Guided by Angels,” tracks that convey the feelings that are brought on by isolation, and even those moments of existentialism like on the track “Capital.” “Existing for the sake of existing, meaning disappears,” shouts lead singer Amy Taylor on what is possibly the heaviest track on the album. Those guitar riffs, they bring to mind Kill ‘Em All era “Metallica” every time I hear them, which perfectly echoes the nihilistic nature of the track. Lockdown played a role in this album no doubt, but merely labeling this a “lockdown album” would do a disservice to the band, because the subject matter will resonate with anyone at any point in time. Divisiveness isn’t anything new. We faced it even before the pandemic. Marginalized people have always been victims of prejudice and hate, having to fear walking home alone late at night or just simply being themselves out in public. It’s an unfair reality that fortunately has been brought to light in recent years, but still continues to be smothered by social norms that stifle any progress or innovation, so it’s important to have anthems such as “Freaks to the Front,” “Choices,” “Don’t Fence Me In,” and “Knifey” to inspire and to speak on the anxieties many face on a daily basis. Though the album doesn’t break new ground sonically, it still sounds fresh in a genre that continues to inspire many, and the lyrical content consists of the most important subject matter that people shouldn’t just skim over.

Written By: Steven Sandoval

Amyl and the Sniffers Share New Single “Hertz”

We’re approaching the release of “Amyl and the Sniffers'” new album Comfort to Me, which will drop this Friday via “Rough Trade Records,” and today the band have shared one last single before this release titled “Hertz.” Much like their previous singles “Guided by Angels” and “Security,” “Hertz” is a fired up rager residing in the Punk spirit the band is known for. Lead singer Amy Taylor shouts “Take me to the beach, take me to the country” with immense aggression that prompts one to believe this is a reflection of the stir crazy 2020 we had, and for many, continue to have this year. You can watch the music video for “Hertz” below: