(Cover art by PJ Rork ) Oh, how I've missed Lettering . The Chicago trio have blessed us with their first new music since last year's phenomenal Harbinger / Less Violent  EP. The two tracks only add up to just under six minutes of material, but Lettering packs as much punch as humanly possible in each. The A-side, "Corpse & Catholic," is bursting with waves of fuzzed-out guitars and emotive vocals. Defiance of one's past and the guilt of moving on fuels the intense energy. Instead of simmering in shame and complacency, the band fights back. The single's B-side, "Better Hell," kicks off with a drum pattern reminiscent of Foo Fighters' "My Hero." However, it doesn't dwell on it. Almost immediately, the band crashes in with another vigorous yet heavy song. Riff after riff builds the intensity to a shredding scream. Listen to "Corpse and Catholic" and "Better Hell" below, out now via Brace Cove Records .

Every once and a while, we extend our "local music" coverage to include bands elsewhere in the Midwest when they have a strong connection to our lil' scene here. Usually, this just means it's a Wisconsin or Chicago band signed to a MN label; in this case, it's Thank You, I'm Sorry . Until recently, TYIS was the solo project of Chicago singer/songwriter Colleen Dow. They wrote an EP of acoustic demos, the malta house demos , and released it online in March of 2019. It was really great. Now, to kick off 2020, they are releasing a re-recorded version of these demos, simply re-titled to The Malta House . Titled after the tiny Illinois town that Dow lived in while writing these songs, the EP is a hauntingly beautiful look inward at the struggles of mental illness and functioning in an inherently flawed society. If the EP's lead single, a re-done version of "How Many Slugs Can We Throw Against the Wall Until We Question Our Own Mortality," is an...

Let's be absolutely clear: Lettering shreds. The Chicago trio returns with their second single of 2019, following their contribution to We're Trying Records ' Midwest Split . As good as the song was, it was far too short. "YBP" is Lettering's more formal comeback, what with it being the first single from their forthcoming album Harbinger/Less Violent . "YBP" is dense even as it breezes by. Different compositional phases drift in and out of focus, like the wind getting caught in the heavy foliage of an elm tree. On the surface, the song is nonchalant; beyond that, it possess a very deliberate poise. It's a minor major chord in nearly four-minute form.  Fortunately, it is still familiar as the work of Lettering. The guitar work alternates between chimes and chugs and duels with classic, pleading vocals. It's just a bit more expansive than before. In my honest opinion, that's one of the most familiar "new album" tricks. Ta...