This is a bit of a bittersweet write-up, as this might the Fragile Canyon 's final release.  For those who don't happen to be in the loop, Fragile Canyons is an indie rock quartet whose name (and memes) usually precede the music they make. Earlier this month, it was announced that the band would be going on an indefinite hiatus because vocalist and guitarist Andy Engstrom is moving to Switzerland for the next three years. While the future of the band stays up in the air, they decided to grace us with one final release, Lavender . The release lulls you in with a false sense of security during its title track. "Lavender" feels like how we wanted the summer of 2020 to go. The track's twinkly guitars play with jam band grooves to create a free and easy love song. A midpoint solo is tight but still meandering, keeping everything light. Just as you settle in for a relaxing listening experience, the band switches things up.  Opening with a dissonant clang, Fragile Cany...

After the release of their 2018 EP Slow Dancing Beyond the Silverdome , the purveyors of folk-influenced indie rock, and resident meme lords,  Fragile Canyons  are back with their new single leading up to the new album Here It Is which will be out later this month. Playing like one long run-on existential thought, the album's title track "Here It Is" has the band waxing about the seemingly endless cycle of living in an imperfect world. Whether it's knowing that those in charge do not have your best interest in mind or having to take part despite knowing better, bandleader Andy Engstrom spends "Here It Is" wrestling with how flawed even the most responsible consumerism can be. Each chorus Engstrom comes to terms with this reality, and over a lilting, almost hypnotic instrumental Engstrom sings, "First accepting the blame / Then admit who you are / Where does your money come from." Here It Is will be out on Friday, November 15, and Fragile C...

The Florists - Prayer Starter Prayer Starter , the debut full-length from Minneapolis trio the Florists, is a Jackson Pollock painting. Tracks overflow with surrealist, theatrical glee, then immediately nosedive into chaotic noise. There's an honest-to-God five-minute post-punk experimental rap meltdown ("Churches"), and it slaps . Absurd, queer, hilarious lyrics flow in and out of the listener's consciousness like the math from that one scene in  The Hangover . There's a song about indie rock , and yes, it was one of the singles. It also has one of the best bass lines I've heard in a punk song in a while. They sample the 1975 and what sounds like the Roblox "oof." The Florists are loud. They're unapologetic. And they're one of the most unquestionably creative and independent bands in the Cities. Prayer Starter is out now. Listen below. Prayer Starter by the Florists Fragile Canyons - Slow Dancing Beyond Silverdome EP ...