Oh He Dead, Ugly

On 2023’s Pretty, D.C.’s alt-soul band Oh He Dead gave us the lighter side of love with tracks full of gleaming pop melodies and lyrics comparing relationship partners to cherry blossoms and honeybees (for real). On their follow-up, Ugly, things are no longer sunshine and lollipops. Actually, they’re downright … ugly. The album, released today, Aug. 23, was written and recorded prior to guitarist and co-founder Andy Valenti’s departure from the band earlier this year. (In an email, the band’s manager stated “In January, Andy moved on from Oh He Dead to pursue other projects.”) On Ugly, the band’s strongest attribute as songwriters is their ability to keep the listener guessing. Much like “Doll,” the opening track on the Foo Fighters’ 1997 album, The Colour and the Shape—aka Dave Grohl’s divorce album—Ugly’s first track, “John Song,” sets the tone lyrically. It’s short but not sweet, with lead singer CJ Johnson’s raspy tone asking “Tell me why?/ Tell me how?/ I let a love/ I let him go so easy.” While the majority of the lyrics on the album deal with the ups and downs of relationships, the soundscape expands exponentially with each track. “Strange Love” puts the listener through their musical paces, starting as an ethereal sunny pop song that quickly transforms into distorted guitars, denser drums, and even a firm tambourine shake enters the mix. On “Moonshine,” the guitars go from Tom Petty-esque to California surf (complete with handclaps) within the first minute and, good lord, there’s even a guitar solo (how old school!). “Is It My Love,” a slow, short groove, wraps up at a mere two minutes, and unfortunately, due to its brevity, lands like an unfinished musical thought. “Every Last Trail,” a contemplative acoustic ballad where Johnson, sounding a bit stalkerish, looks for a lost love, singing “I’ll hike up every last trail/ I won’t stop ’til I find you standing there.” By the time the album wraps with the five-and-a-half minute blues opus “Cover Me,” every emotion associated with heartache has been touched upon. Is it cathartic? Not exactly. But if you’re in the midst of heartbreak, and are looking for some musical companions to assist in your wallowing, Ugly will wrap you like a codependent musical blanket. Oh He Dead play at 7:30 p.m. on Aug. 23 at the Atlantis. theatlantisdc.com. Sold out. —Christina Smart

Fat Vaughn, Road To Riches

Northwest D.C.’s Fat Vaughn uses music to make sense of his own chaotic reality. A seasoned vet of the local rap scene, Vaughn has released more than 25 projects and dozens of singles since his 2016 debut EP, The Journey. His tunnel-vision approach to making and releasing music turned him into one of the most consistent artists in the city. He’s not concerned with landing on a Spotify playlist or trending on TikTok, and fame is a nonfactor. “Struggle, death, and the people I love is what motivates me to keep making music,” he tells City Paper.

On July 4, Fat Vaughn released Road To Riches, a six-track EP that provides a solid introduction into the MC’s reflective and vulnerable music. There’s a continuous theme of embracing the pain that comes with loss, and acknowledging one’s own flaws and shortcomings.

On “Self,” Vaughn mourns friends and family who tragically passed away, rapping, “Thinking bout my dogs and it made me drop a tear/ How the fuck you 6 feet deep/ You was just right here.” His struggle with death is even more prevalent on the closing track, “Stargazing,” where he details coping with the loss of loved ones, and persevering through hardships in their honor. His vulnerability throughout the EP is matched with candid honesty. On “For the Win,” he doesn’t shy away from his drug abuse and involvement in violent street culture. “15s, 30s, and up, I ain’t popping no 10s/ Stainless steel on my hip, nigga don’t wanna get cleansed,” he raps. Although Vaughn mentions living a dangerous lifestyle throughout the EP, he doesn’t glorify it with vulgar exaggerations and outlandish punchlines. His street-related bars are relatively sparse and come across as sincere and realistic.

Fat Vaughn is no stranger to singing, but Road To Riches finds the MC flexing his vocal chops. He sings every hook on the album, switches registers in his verses, and harmonizes his ad libs. The light coat of Auto-Tune on his vocals makes the sentiment in his heartfelt lyrics more palpable, and the project’s spacey and melodic production hammers this home. He’s using hip-hop to process pain, which explains his extensive discography. He’s not rapping for fame or money, he’s doing it to express himself. This attitude is clear throughout Road To Riches, reflecting Vaughn’s dedication to his craft and unrelenting spirit. —Amari Newman

Zen Warship, The Renewal

For Zen Warship’s second studio album, they’ve decided to capitalize on sounds sure to leave listeners bouncing to the infectious beats the band have become known for. But while The Renewal has the upbeat spirit of modern pop, that feel-good energy is only scratching the surface of the band’s musical influences and sounds. The seven-track release features a mix of funk-disco, funk-rock, soul, and ska elements.

The decision to emphasize these sounds on The Renewal, alongside deeper, introspective lyricism, came out of COVID. Zen Warship’s debut album, Anything That Grooves, was written before 2020 and relied on a grittier guitar and jazz-infused sound. While there are hints of these same elements in their newest work, joy is the overwhelming takeaway. Vocalist Preethy Kolinjivadi notes that the feel-good vibe was a result of the eight-piece band coming together again after the pandemic. Their first release was written by a smaller group while The Renewal gave more members songwriting credits and a chance to collaborate. The result has a more classic funk feel with nods to James Brown, funk-rock pioneers Parliament Funkadelic, Jimi Hendrix, and even the type of funk-soul-pop that Stevie Wonder helped to create. But it’s not all throwback beats. The band also credit Jamiroquai, Nile Rodgers, H.E.R., and Dua Lipa as influences. There’s no sophomore slump here. —Heidi Pérez-Moreno

Outerloop, EP 02 

It’s hard to believe that post-punk band Outerloop’s new EP is a mere 15 and a half minutes long. The EP, released on June 21, packs a dense and eclectic array of lyrics and instrumental layers into just six tracks. The wide-ranging release bears testimony to Outerloop’s expansive roots, from straight rock to jazz. EP 02 is Outerloop’s first multi-track release since parting with their old bassist in May 2022 (the band did cover Slant 6’s “Double Edged Knife” on a Dischord-inspired compilation featuring Teen Mortgage, the Dismemberment Plan, and other local groups in January). The subsequent addition of a new drummer, Marty Risemberg, and bassist Erik Sleight spurred the group’s subsequent departure from a consistently heavy rock sound into a more genre-bending direction. Risemberg, like vocalist Taisha Estrada, comes from a primarily jazz background, while Sleight brings sizable electronic experience to the project. The band step outside of their established sound in particular on “Electric Alibi,” a relatively sparse track with minimal rhythm and bass and delicate vocals compared to Estrada’s typical style. This restraint morphs into a sustained, fuzzy guitar drone on Sleight’s subsequent “bass solo.”

Perhaps most striking on EP 02 is Outerloop’s use of English and Spanish to infuse their lyrics with social commentary. On the second track, “Huracán,” they use the two languages to capture a power dynamic within Estrada’s native Puerto Rico; she sings in Spanish from the perspective of residents pushed out of their homes and in English from that of the land-grabbers: “No, I do not feel your pain/ You have 30 days.” While most of EP 02 is a listener-directed call to address issues like sexism and social media surveillance, Estrada also uses Spanish to turn inward. The final track, “Estremecido,” compares leaving a lover to Moses’ birth mother leaving him to float down the Nile River with guilt-laden lyrics like “Te dejé/ Estremecido” (“I left you/ Trembling”). 

Outerloop’s new EP may go in too many directions, but it does so with musical and conceptual integrity. From delightfully unpredictable instrumentals and moments of melodic dissonance to poignant subject matter, the project lays out a promising blueprint for perhaps more cohesive releases to come as the band continue to settle into their new lineup. —Dora Segall

Truth or Dare, “H.S.B.F.” 

If you’re looking for a pop-punk anthem to close out the summer, look no further than Truth or Dare’s debut single, “H.S.B.F.” Released on Aug. 9, the just-shy-of-4-minute track has the pulsing beats, sing-along lyrics, and sassy angst that makes you want to drive fast or dance while screaming the song’s chorus: “And if Virginia is for lovers/ And Maryland’s for fun/ Then D.C.’s for the kids who won’t sit still for anyone.” Truth or Dare is clearly a homegrown act. So is “H.S.B.F.,” which was recorded at 38North Studios in Falls Church, produced by Reese Clutter, who’s worked with D.C. bands Beauty Pill, and Cherub Tree, and mastered by Baltimore’s Mat Leffler–Schulman (Dan Deacon, Jon Batiste, De La Soul). It’s unclear who among these names is responsible for putting some more gloss on the band, whose three-track demo from January has a much fuzzier, granulated DIY sound that’s a little more punk grit than pop polish. 

“H.S.B.F.” stands for high school boyfriend and the song charts the course of teen romance and growing up. None of it’s groundbreaking, but the driving, and sometimes distorted, guitar gives you the thrill you listen to pop-punk for and shouting along with vocalist Tori—especially if you grew up in a small town like I did—feels especially cathartic. This is a track to listen to on your last road trip of the season or even on your headphones as you head out for a late August run. But it will certainly be best experienced live in a small venue where you can dance out your angst. Either way, it’s guaranteed to make you want to move. —Sarah Marloff

Strutman Lane, “Restless Nights”

Summer’s coming to an end and while I’m glad the record-breaking heat is dying down, I’m feeling restless. There’s so much of D.C. summer left to enjoy before Labor Day: outdoor concerts and movies, dips in your local public pool, bike rides, kayaking on the Potomac, sweaty Sunday mornings at the Dupont Circle farmers market, and more. “Restless Nights,” the newest single by pop funk band Strutman Lane, released July 19, is the perfect soundtrack to these last sweet dregs of summer. The band’s accompanying music video pulls back the curtain on the song’s recording and helps you see the funk instrumental arrangement come together. The song’s smart use of piano and saxophone is reminiscent of Stevie Wonder’s iconic “Superstition” and similarly makes you want to dance. —Serena Zet

Listen along to all these new tracks with our Spotify playlist.