LEO Weekly has Spotify playlists for each Listen Local column featuring selected tracks from each reviewed release. Check them out here!
Baptise
Demonstrations – EP
baptise.bandcamp.com
Baptise is one of those bands you can’t ignore. They just hit way too hard! Kind of like a runaway simi, get in the way and they’ll plow right over you. This is not a casual listening type of band – this is a grab a few beers, light one up, and lose yourself in the tunes kind of band.
There is definitely a strong New Wave of British Heavy Metal influence here. Motorhead vibes for sure, but also some solid early Iron Maiden and Judas Priest as well. Mix in a little late 80s thrash and hardcore punk, and you’ve got yourself a good idea of where Baptise is coming from.
Three tracks here, all demo recordings, but all sound like they were studio recorded, as sound quality isn’t lacking at all. Everything comes through clear and HEAVY!
I have no idea who said this, but in a Facebook post from June of last year, the band posted a snippet of a conversation with someone who said, “Every song sounds like it came from an obscure, unlabeled cassette tape you’d find in your grandpa’s den with his music collection. Inside the case is a folded Polaroid of him on a bike with a bad bitch sitting on the back who is not your grandma.” I hope that person is reviewing music somewhere because that is a brilliant, perfect description of Baptise’s music!
BARCLAY’S
Jur – album
linktr.ee/barrclayss
I thought I had a handle on BARCLAY’S, (band name stylized in all caps), from repeatedly listening to their debut EP To a Candid World. Then they released Jur, and their sound, which was already quite diverse, has grown even more. They once listed their sound as “feverdreamcore,” and that’s pretty goddamn accurate.
The six members of the band all have a background in jazz, and it shows. There is a strong free jazz backbone to all five songs on this EP, but this is not what anyone would call a jazz band or album. BARCLAY’S combines jazz, post-hardcore, indie rock, shoegaze, electronica, synth pop, lounge, and even hip hop to create a sound that is absolutely unique and downright amazing.
Not only are they able to take all of these influences and tie them together, but they’re also able to do so while crafting massive, catchy as hell hooks that reel you in and stay with you long after the music has ended. It’s like they’ve taken the best pieces of The Beatles, Sun Ra, Jeff Buckley, Pixies, Smashing Pumpkins, Radiohead, and God knows how many other great bands/artists and blended them all together. No, I’m not exaggerating.
BARCLAY’S are easily one of the most exciting bands in Louisville simply because you have no idea what the fuck they are going to do next. I’m not even sure they know until they do it. But the results are incredible!
Feral Vices
“Playing God” – single
feralvices.com
Alt-rock/post-hardcore duo Feral Vices return with their most explosive track to date. If you weren’t paying attention to them before, you will now!
Taking a classic rock, Jimi Hendrix-style bluesy riff as the foundation of this track, Feral Vices masterfully crafts it into their own unique sound and pushes it to the edge, then proceed to completely kick it over when the chorus hits, which sees vocalist/guitarist Alexander Hoagland doing some powerful screams. In the process, they’ve brought a hardcore edginess to their sound that I’ve never heard from these guys before, and I am really digging it.
I’m sure this is due, at least in part, to their working with producer Dom Maduri (The Callous Daoboys, Silly Goose, Surfaced) and having the track mastered by Jon Markson (Drug Church, Drain, Koyo). While Feral Vices have always had a full sound that is much bigger than most two-piece bands, the production here really brings it to a whole new level, and they’ve never sounded better! Fans of Queens of the Stone Age, Royal Blood, and Refused should absolutely take note.
“Playing God” is the first of five singles from their upcoming album Human Error, which is set for release in late September. The band was gracious enough to let me hear the full album in advance, and I gotta say you all are in for a real treat when it drops! They’ve progressed their sound, but without changing it. It’s the Feral Vices you know and love, just better! 2026 is going to be a big year for this band, so get ready!
“Playing God” releases on Friday, March 27th.
HIRT
Digital Tapeworm – EP
hirttheband.com
There are a handful of bands that, if you played their music for a room full of people, then asked them about it, you’d get wildly different answers as to what style of music they think this is, and what bands/artists they remind them of. HIRT is definitely one of those bands.
HIRT, who’s band name is taken from the first letter of each member’s name – Harley Wiseman (guitar), Ian Bottomley (drums), Ryan Scott (bass), and Tony Minzenberger (vocals, guitar) – combines elements of grunge, stoner rock, prog rock, metal, punk, emo, classic rock, indie, and alt-rock for a completely unique sound that is really hard to describe, as I am finding out while trying to write this. It’s familiar, yet distinct. This is one of those bands where I feel like I would be doing a disservice to their sound if I started throwing band names out there that I’m hearing pieces of.
The great thing about HIRT is that they are able to pull off their sound without coming off as weird or awkward-sounding. It’s not a bunch of styles and genres thrown together just for the sake of doing it; these are actual well-written songs. Each of the three tunes on the Digital Tapeworm EP follows a groove and melody that not only makes it unique, but easy to listen to and catchy as hell!
Check out the really cool music video for the title track on YouTube, animated by Nathaniel Rosenbarger of Aby Laby Land.
Dewey Kincade & The Navigators
The Dark Ages – album
deweykincade.com
Dewey Kincade & The Navigators are one of Louisville’s best-kept secrets, and that’s not necessarily a good thing. This is world-class music that should be packing venues worldwide. But if we’re talking local, they should have a featured spot at Bourbon & Beyond, and they should be playing The Louisville Palace and Paristown Hall to sold-out crowds regularly. This is arguably one of the best bands in Louisville and it seems like they’re being overlooked.
Although he flirted with a successful music career while living in NYC, that never came to be due to a number of reasons, and Kincade ended up moving back to Louisville to raise a family. The 14 songs that make up The Dark Ages were written as Kincade struggled to find his place post-music career. Or as he states on his website, they are “A meditation on navigating the world after the death of a dream.” Sounds bleak, but Kincade sounds anything but on this record. While the lyrics here are very introspective, the majority of the music here is upbeat, even downright joyful at times.
Kincade and his band of top-notch Louisville musicians (seriously, there are some heavyweights of the local scene on here) explore the boundaries of roots rock like no others with forays into classic rock, Southern rock, blues, folk, country, bluegrass, and even funk – and do so convincingly. There are no filler songs here; each of these tunes needed to be written, recorded, and to have a place on this album. And Kincade explains each song in detail on his website blog, which is a must-read while listening to this album.
If you’re not already listening to this album right now, stop reading this already and go do so now!
Lilac Whine
“Sex Wurk,” “Anything You Want,” “L’Amour Est un Chien”- singles
instagram.com/lilacwhine502
Since Pissed On is on an indefinite hiatus, and In Utero appears to be broken up, vocalist/guitarist for both bands, Davin Jones, has started a new solo project – Lilac Whine – and has already released three singles since September 2025.
I was sent “Sex Wurk” for review a few months back, but in that time, he has released two new singles: “Anything You Want” and “L’Amour Est un Chien,” both released on New Year’s Day 2026.
If you are expecting Lilac Whine to sound like Pissed On or In Utero…don’t. Not that Pissed On or In Utero sounded even remotely similar anyway. But Jones is a multifaceted songwriter, and apparently, his influences are all over the place. So it’s not surprising that Lilac Whine sees him going in a whole new direction: a mix of gothic rock and grunge, which is a genre I’m not sure exists outside of these three songs. Dark and melancholic, but with enough of a guitar crunch to really push it out of being categorized as goth. Sort of like if The Cure and Depeche Mode collaborated with Nirvana.
If it’s not already in the works, I’d love to see Jones put Lilac Whine together as a full band and start playing out, as I think this project would be embraced immediately by the local scene and certainly has the potential to grow even larger than that.
Loam
Our Haunts – album
loam-ky.bandcamp.com
Some albums just need to be experienced through headphones. Albums that are so immersive that once you put your headphones on or earbuds/AirPods in, they transport you into a world they create through soundscapes. Loam’s debut full-length Our Haunts is one of those albums.
Formed by husband and wife duo Dan and Devin Serke (Dan on guitar, Devin on vocals), who began writing songs together as far back as 2015, but it wasn’t until 2020 that they took on the moniker Loam and their sound began to take shape. By 2022, they formed the full band with Cadillac Young (Shitfire, The Foxery, solo artist) on drums and Dean Bryant (The Foxery) on bass.
Melancholic, brooding, even a little haunting, but at the same time beautiful, peaceful, and full of life. Weaving together elements of shoegaze, dream pop, alternative, indie rock, and lo-fi, Loam’s sound is really all their own. If I had to compare it, I’d say it’s loosely along the lines of Slowdive and Smashing Pumpkins’ more subdued songs with a hint of Radiohead in there.
Although I picked “Golden Hour” as one of my favorite local tracks of 2025, my favorites tend to change every time I listen to this album. 10 songs and they are all excellent. This is an album that needs to be experienced from beginning to end, so set aside 40 minutes, find a comfy place, put your phone down, listen with no distractions, and immerse yourself in the peace of Loam’s soundscape. It’s a beautiful thing.
Brian Moody
Brian’s Brain – album
push.fm/fl/brians-brain-brian-moody
I probably shouldn’t admit this, but I can be pretty biased when it comes to one-person bands. To me, there always seems to be at least one aspect lacking. It was with this mindset that I went into listening to Brian’s Brain, an album in which Louisville-based multi-instrumentalist Brian Moody not only took on all vocals, guitars, bass, keyboards, and drum programming, but also wrote lyrics, composed the music, and recorded all songs himself, (though it was mixed and mastered by Theodor Borovski at Slaughtered Studio in Moscow, Russia). To be honest, though, I wasn’t expecting much when I pressed play.
But I was wrong. So. Very. Fucking. Wrong!
What Moody has created is melodic, dark, atmospheric, and apocalyptic metal that defies categorization in any subgenre. Seriously, there are elements of prog, alt-metal, power metal, NWOBHM, thrash, groove, gothic, and even black metal. Imagine Ozzy’s later solo material, Mastodon, Gojira, Devin Townsend, In Flames, Amorphis, and Cynic all melded together. No, I’m not bullshitting you!
This is one of the very few albums I would call epic, but without being overbearingly so. These aren’t 15-minute-long guitar and/or keyboard solos trying to be passed off as songs. Instead, each track runs an average of about 4.5 minutes with solid melodies running throughout. These songs are incredibly well-crafted and executed, but at the same time approachable and catchy as fuck! Technical? Yes, but without beating you over the head with it. Brian’s Brain is comprised of nine powerful soundscapes that drag you in immediately and hold you there until the last note is played. Each song here is seemingly better than the one preceding it, ending with the absolutely crushing track “Madness Remains,” in which Moody’s vocals are a dead-ringer for Ozzy. Yes, really!
The album has recently picked up a lot of steam and is getting quite a bit of airplay and accolades worldwide, and for good reason. Simply put, Brian’s Brain is fucking astounding, and you need to hear it!
My Infatuation
“One Step Closer” and “Show and Tell (Frame of Mind)” – singles
myinfatuation.bandcamp.com
The Derby to Derby connection! One is from the Derby city (Louisville). The other is from Derby, England (pronounced DAH-be). Even though an ocean separates them, the unlikely duo of multi-instrumentalists Todd Groemling (Louisville) and Giles Gerry (Derby, England) joined forces via the internet to combine their talents into a singular band – My Infatuation – and have already released five singles since February of 2025.
Their fourth single, “One Step Closer,” is an upbeat, pop-inspired love song that has an 80s synth pop vibe to it without actually being synth pop, if that makes sense. But to further complicate this description, it also has a modern alt-rock feel to it. I went down a Spotify rabbit hole trying to find bands/artists this reminds me of and ultimately came up with…nothing. And that’s a good thing because this is an original sound. A free-flowing romantic song that doesn’t resort to pandering to any specific audience.
Their fifth and latest single, “Show and Tell (Frame of Mind),” grabs me as a mix of both “Ordinary World” and “Come Undone” by Duran Duran. Driven by a subdued funky bass line, “Show and Tell (Frame of Mind)” is a new wave-ish pop song that draws you in with its dark, mysterious, yet sexy undertones.
Bottom line, My Infatuation is creating some very special music, and they need to be on your radar.
Producing a Kind Generation
Degentrification – album
pakg.world
Easily the most productive band in Louisville, Degentrification marks PAKG’s seventh full-length release since 2019 (they’ve also released an EP and eight singles in that time as well). Here’s the thing, though, it’s all quality material. Seriously, anyone can churn out song after song with no thought behind it. But PAKG manages to pull off the seemingly impossible with track after track of well-written, expertly crafted, catchy songs. And all of this is in addition to the band members’ side projects. I don’t think these guys sleep.
The 10-song Degentrification sees the band sticking to their alt-rock roots, while at the same time expanding their sound with strong elements of classic rock, blues, soul, and funk. The easy comparison would be Red Hot Chili Peppers mixed with Gary Clark, Jr., and Lenny Kravitz. That’s at least in the ballpark as far as sound. But honestly, there is so much more going on here that they’ve really created their own unique thing.
Highlights include a newly re-recorded version of my favorite track of theirs, “Do Androids Dream?” Coming in a close second is the soulful “What’s Goin’ On? (YAM)” in which I am enamored by drummer Kym Williams’ inventive drum beat, which flows perfectly into the funky groove of “The Waves.” Other favorites are the slow burn of “Casualties (Of War)” and the heavy funk-based “About It.”
I don’t know that there has ever been a local band that fit together so perfectly. All three guys in the band feed off each other so well and flow together so ridiculously smoothly. If you’re not already a fan, Degentrification is a good place to start!
Scary Black / Virgin Birth
Split – EP
nevernervous.bandcamp.com
A darkwave split EP by two of the bands doing it best here locally. One song from each band, and they are both amazing tracks.
Scary Black, the solo project from Albie Mason, contributes the track “Drunk Angel Sanctuary.” Of the lyrics, Mason said in an Instagram post, “I reflect on my Christian upbringing as well as alcoholism, and how bars and churches relate in my head serving the same use.” The track is an uncompromisingly dark, heavy, guitar and keyboard driven soundscape that leaves you feeling a bit uneasy, as good darkwave music should. This reminds me of early Godflesh, but with Peter Steele from Type O Negative singing. It hits in all the right places.
Virgin Birth, the two-man project featuring Phillip Olympia and Jake Miller, contributes their track “State of the Art.” Regarding the lyrics, the band said, “It’s about how A.I. is quickly being accepted by society as the new norm, and how it’s destroying art.” Seeing as how they just released the full-length album Total Annihilation last year, I was worried this would just be a leftover, throw-away track, but that is definitely not the case. This is a seriously strong tune that blends industrial, darkwave, and a touch of EDM for a sound that is truly original to Virgin Birth.
Available as a digital download, or the preferred way: as a 7” pressed on transparent cobalt blue vinyl, limited to 250 copies, and stock is running low according to Never Nervous, so don’t wait!
Turner
Waterslide – album
linktr.ee/Turner.online
It’s not surprising to see that Turner and BARCLAY’S share a few of the same band members. If I were to put together a list of local bands that I could see doing something in music on a major scale, both bands would definitely be at the top.
Turner’s debut album Waterslide is 10 songs of unrelentingly catchy modern rock that has enough throwback elements to appeal to anyone of any age.
Modern rock is a generic term to throw this under, so take that with a grain of salt, as there is far more going on here. Influences of indie rock, alt-rock, grunge, early 2000s emo, punk, and even hip hop, and a bit of folk are all present, but without being derivative of any genre. I’m basically plagiarizing myself here from my write-up of lead track “Jump In,” but Turner takes the best of the 1990s, 2000s, 2010s, and today and mashes them together for a ridiculously addictive sound. Don’t believe me? Listen to “Hooking Up” and see if you are ever able to get the chorus out of your head.
There is certainly something to be said about a band that can go from dark and brooding to upbeat and downright poppy without losing the listener’s attention or throwing the flow of the album off, but Turner pulls this off in spades. And frontman Jesse Klapheke’s lovelorn lyrics are not only easy to identify and empathize with, but are also interjected with enough tongue-in-cheek humorous moments to keep the listener attentive and involved in each song.
Bottom line – and I’m plagiarizing myself again here – but mark my words, Turner is a future legendary Louisville band!
This article appears in March 1-24, 2026.