Is there anything more typical of music publications in the 21st century than waiting for an indie rock band to fail miserably with the release their second record? Don’t let them tell you “Sideways to New Italy” is lacking something important. The new Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever album has all the melodies and hooks you need to survive this festival-less summer so you can pretend everything’s fine. We’re adding a fourth sentence to this paragraph because it seems like it’s mandatory to reference the Go-Betweens and/or the Feelies every single time we talk about this band.
Plus: new tracks by Run The Jewels, DJ Lycox, Pop Dell’Arte, No Age, Lithics, Ohmme, Dougie Poole, Whiskey Wolves of the West, Swampmeat Family Band, Crystal Shipsss, Helvetia, Muzz, The Clientele, LA Priest, Becca Mancari, Sarah Louise, Brigid Mae Power, The World of Dust, Samantha Crain, Camille Delean, Modern Nature, Mt. Joy, Joan Shelley, and Torres.