Peter caught up with Austin, Texas-based five-piece Amelia’s Best Friend, asking about their bandmate crossover with Motorsports, their influences, and what to expect from them in the remainder of 2026.
Head over to our website (or click the link in our bio) to read the Q&A!
@glixen and @trauma.ray made a stop in Portland to bathe the Hawthorne Theatre in a blanket of feedback and reverb.
Opening their set with the ethereal first track “carousel” off their new EP, Carnival, a catalog of potent and haunting tracks juxtaposed against a calming airiness, trauma ray swiftly let the crowd know what was in store for their performance. Tracks like “Clown” which possess great depth but taper into reverberating distortion give the impression of floating deep underwater. Then the band would seamlessly transition into a song like “Bishop”, a bouncy arrangement that eventually swells with varying tones before unleashing into a gut-punch groove.
trauma ray’s penchant for the details within the layers of cinematic sound translates to the live setting in a fun way. The audience could hone in on any component of a track and have a different reaction – plenty of people were seen crowd surfing throughout the performance but just as many could be found eyes closed, swaying gently to the sliver of melody peaking through the buzz.
Moving into a lighter atmosphere were Phoenix’s Glixen who play an emotional brand of shoegaze dotted with infectious pop sensibilities. Glixen is a great example of a young band that is both a product of and an impacting force upon the modern shoegaze revival. The band had this ability to blur the lines between enjoyer and performer; a group of artists that has an appreciation for the scene and the people that make it.
Glixen’s brash and warm rock accented with delicate vocals has shades of dystopian bedroom pop, an idea confirmed as singer Aislinn Ritchie, midway through the set, announced “it’s a fucked up world out there, so lets have some fun”. There’s sentiment seeped into their catalog as passion exuded from their performance, but the raw emotional weight combined with their catchy hooks like that of “medicine bow” makes their music so conducive to a live audience. Glixen could just as fittingly play a basement as they could an arena in the next few years and with a gorgeous 2025 album as well as one great single already out in 2026, the landscape is promising for the group.
@keepva & @moneykills__ in the comments.
Peter was lucky enough to grab 20-minutes of Shearling's time after their gig at The Lubber Fiend in Newcastle.
They chat about their debut album Motherfucker, I Am Both: "Amen" and "Hallelujah", the potential of their upcoming sister album, Shearling side projects, Alex Kent's obsession with a flightless bird, and something which occurred at the Lubber Fiend gig for the very first time.
Head over to Peter’s website (get there through all the usual means) to hear what they had to say!
*6-minutes of footage of Shearling making a LOT of noise shot at the Lubber Fiend gig included.
Frog came through Philly on April 19, 2026 in support of their new album Frog For Sale, and played a packed show at Underground Arts. Since their return to music in 2023 with GROG, the band has released three projects in the past year, truly making it known that they are back in business.
Before the headliners played, local rockers Fib treated the crowd to a half hour of unreleased music, with the only exception being the fan-favorite “PS” from their 2025 album Heavy Lifting. Go check out the BLIGATORY YouTube for a complete recording of one of Fib’s new tunes.
The New Rochelle, NY-based trio played tracks from their whole discography, reaching back for a few popular oldies like “You Know I’m Down,” “Judy Gardland,” and “RIP to the Empire State Flea Market.” However, the majority of their setlist came from the recent slew of projects, with tracks “COME COME COME,” “SPANISH ARMADA,” and “SAX-A-MA-PHONE” from The COUNT and “JUST USE UR HIPS” from 1000 Variations.
Fans already seemed familiar with the songs from Frog For Sale, which only released two days prior to the show (April 17, 2026). They sang along to “Je Ne Sais Pas,” “Best Buy,” and “All the Things You Get,” and begged for more as the set came to a close. It was awesome to see how passionate Frog’s fan base was post-hiatus, over a decade into their run as a band.
A standout attribute of Frog’s live performance was the snappy, somewhat feisty interactions between the lead singer Dan Bateman and his younger brother Steve, who plays drums. Dan called out Steve multiple times for ‘messing up’ the songs and ‘not being ready’ upon starting a new one, which gave the set a comedic and slapdash edge that was enjoyable, yet a bit uneasy.
For a full video of Frog’s “COME COME COME VAR. XIV” performance (the first of which to hit the platform), visit our YouTube channel! Big thanks to @audioantihero for helping us make this happen, and check out the new album Frog For Sale!
Photo, video, and words by @atticusdeeny
1/4 of the year done already… y’all got any AOTY contenders yet? Here are the projects we enjoyed the most from March 2026.
Cover photo: The Scythe by Brock Fetch, via @lomavistarecordings & PH Recordings
On February 24, BLIGATORY had the chance to chat with Landowner vocalist and songwriter Dan Shaw.
The Holyoke, Massachusetts-based five-piece recently released their fifth album—and first for Exploding In Sound Records—Assumption.
Chatting with Dominick, Shaw spoke on the unique and minimalist approach of Landowner’s style of punk, the deep appreciation for independent labels and all those supporting DIY music, and some themes of the band’s latest record.
Assumption is out now! Watch the full interview on our YouTube!
not an April Fools’ post, but a Music Rules post—here are 20 albums we here at BLIGATORY are looking forward to this month
APRIL 3
• Bon Iver - VOLUMES: ONE via @jagjaguwar
• Earl Sweatshirt, MIKE, & SURF GANG - POMPEII // UTILITY via @10k.global / @tancressidarecords
• Robber Robber - Two Wheels Move the Soul via @firetalkrecs
• Thundercat - Distracted via @brainfeederrecords
APRIL 10
• Lime Garden - Maybe Not Tonight via @soyoungrecords
• My New Band Believe - My New Band Believe via @roughtraderecords
• Prism Shores - Softest Attack via @meritoriorec
• Sparkler - Glidewinder via @alacarterecords
• Squarepusher - Kammerkonzert via @warprecords
• Treeboy & Arc - GOOSE via @cluerecords
APRIL 17
• Accessory - Dust via ACX
• Choncy - Trademark via @feelitrecordshop
• Frog - Frog for Sale via @audioantihero
• Kathryn Mohr - Carve via @theflenser
• This Is Lorelei - Box for Buddy, Box for Star (Super Deluxe) via @dbldblwhmmy
APRIL 24
• Angelo De Augustine - Angel in Plainclothes via @asthmatickittyrecords
• Crying Loser - The Ick via @trappedanimalrecords
• Friko - Something Worth Waiting For via @atorecords
• Zin - Levitation Frequency via @craftedsounds
APRIL 29
• duendita - existential thottie via 10k
a handful of fire from February 🚒
The first big month of releases for 2026 has concluded, and here are the albums and EPs that we have been the most into so far. Let us know your picks from February below!
Cover photo: Ratboys via @newwestrecords
#newmusic #2026music #bestnewmusic
new month alert
MARCH 6
• Denzel Curry - Strictly 4 the Scythe via @lomavistarecordings
• Dutch Interior - It’s Glass (EP) via @fatpossum
• Flying Lotus - BIG MAMA (EP) via @brainfeederrecords
• Knats - A Great Day in Newcastle via @gearboxrecords
• Powerwasher - Pressure (EP) via @strangeviewrecords
• Various Artists (Cameron Winter, King Krule, Olivia Rodrigo, Sampha, and many more on this charity album) - HELP (2) via @warchildrecords
MARCH 13
• Cashier - The Weight via @juliaswarrecs
• James Blake - Trying Times via @goodboyrecords
• Kim Gordon - PLAY ME via @matadorrecords
• Powerplant - Bridge of Sacrifice via @arcanedynamics
• Sweet Pill - Still There’s A Glow via @hopelessrecords
MARCH 18
• Various Artists (Friko, Horsegirl, Lifeguard, Sharp Pins, and more on this comp commemorating the current punk/indie rock scene of Chicago) - RED XEROX via @desertislandrecordings
MARCH 20
• Asian Glow - Arin Cot
• Gladie - No Need To Be Lonely via @getbetterrecords
• underscores - u via @momandpopmusic
MARCH 24
• True Green - Hail Disaster via @spacecaserecs
MARCH 27
• Courtney Barnett - Creature of Habit via Mom + Pop
• Fcukers - Ö via @ninjatune
• Snail Mail - Ricochet via Matador Records
• Stuck - Optimizer via @explodinginsound
Philadelphia’s Kicker released their latest album Eurostep in September of 2025. Worlds of Indie splendour await those willing to tune in. In the usual fashion that these things work, @pipjr3927 had the questions and Kicker had the insights.
Head over to our website (or click the link in our bio) to read the Q&A, where Kicker touch on the Philly music scene, influences on Eurostep, and plans for 2026.
