Local Music Singles Roundup: April 2025
Local Music Reviews
It’s hard to be witty on command, and even though I get a couple of days (even weeks) to think of good intros for the section of the mag that I hold closest to my heart, sometimes I have to throw up my hands and say I got nothing — nothing but six excellent singles from six killer local bands.
Balduvian Bears
“underworld”
darkTunes Music Group
Street: 02.14.25
Balduvian Bears = The Sisters of Mercy + Twin Tribes
Balduvian Bears wields the power of necromancy with their enticing vocals and desolate, existential post-punk sound. Their new single “underworld” embodies this alluring darkwave tone with an upbeat, melancholy beat and a slight delay and decay in vocals, setting a perfect spacey ambience. “underworld” describes a tale of being enticed by wickedness, as it coaxes the listener into an endless void, with lyrics like “Follow your eyes / Take a piece of me tonight / I fall in line / See you on the other side.” Off the beaten path, Balduvian Bears’ charming new single is perfectly curated for those who want to feel a sense of darkwave nostalgia. Perfect for goth night at the club or most suitable for some sort of video game, “underworld” is universal in its sound, and is worth checking out. —Litzi Estrada
HVXLII
“S&M”
Self-Released
Street: 02.14.25
HVXLII = Ayesha Erotica + Adam Lambert + DJ Sammy
Do chains and whips excite you? Did FKA twigs’ latest album awaken your “24hr Dog” and submissive fantasies? Or do Oklou’s choke enough and Lady Gaga’s Mayhem have you fiending for more EDM-infused pop music? If you answered yes to any of these questions, you probably would’ve been lobotomized in the ‘50s — and HVXLII has a hot, raunchy new track for you! Using rhythmic synths, the Salt Lake City-based pop/rock vocalist and DJ revives a filthy pop duet, originally performed by Rihanna and Britney Spears. Serving bright and resonant Adam Lambert-esque vocals begging to be chained up, whipped and gagged, this remix of a remix is one for all the local deviants on FetLife, the pretty rave girls and gays who prefer Club Try-Angles. In our red state where oral and anal were still illegal for nine years after bad gal Riri first gave us “S&M,” HVXLII gives Utahns a second chance to catch up to the culture — so don’t miss out this time. —Arthur Diaz
Still Fighting God
“Parasite”
SFG Records
Street: 02.14.25
Still Fighting God = Ramones + Nirvana
Valentine’s Day got just a little bit lovelier this year with the release of Still Fighting God’s newest single, “Parasite.” A harsh, distorted single that sounds like a combination of both Bleach-era Nirvana and Misfits, the track also takes me back to “People Who Died” by The Jim Carroll Band with its walking bass lines. Maybe throw some Green Day in there for good luck as well. As the newest single dropped since the group’s 2024 debut EP Purgatory Inc., “Parasite” proves they still have some gas left in the tank. The emo world of the late ‘80s feels written all over this track, especially in the lead vocals that carry us into a kickass guitar solo that has no business being on this song. The accented guitar palm mutes create a fun, defiant pop-punk jam that knows exactly what it wants to be. —Jake Fabbri
The Lingo
“Tumblin’”
Hoodoo Mesa Records
Street: 02.14.25
The Lingo = The Lemon Twigs + Orville Peck
The Lingo’s new single “Tumblin’”does just that: It tumbles along, like a tumbling tumbleweed. The track plays out like a lazy Western in a dusty ol’ town with a shimmering, tin-sounding guitar so sharp you could cut yourself on it. The vocals are delivered in a Todd Rundgren, 1970s-era way with a little Nick Lowe, Brit pub rock thrown in the mix. The vocals ride on top of a twangy, surfy instrumentation with a country stomp that would sound at home coming out of any juke box in the country. The track shakes, rattles and rolls. “Tumblin’” is a Western song for beach kids and late-night bonfires. It’s a soundtrack to draining beer kegs on the outskirts of one-horse towns. It’s also a song for taking your boots off, putting your feet up and watching those tumbleweeds tumble along. —Russ Holsten
Spencer Kilpatrick
Pretty Good to Me // Resolutions
Self-Released
Street: 02.11.25
Spencer Kilpatrick = Corinne Bailey Rae (Gregory Alan Isakov + Ray LaMontagne)
Swaying with gentle, fingerpickin’ good coffee house acoustic vibes is Southern Utah native Spencer Kilpatrick’s latest EP, Pretty Good to Me // Resolutions. Different from Kilpatrick’s uptempo, psychedelic, cowboy jazz sound with California-based band The Sand Gators, this duo of songs reveals the singer-songwriter’s relaxed, beachy, Bahamas-esque capabilities. Lyricism in “Pretty Good to Me” is simple and sweet; a long-time love who has “been through hell and back” is reminisced upon and deemed still, as the title suggests, “pretty good to me.” In “Resolutions,” Kilpatrick lists a series of goals, like prioritizing eating healthy and spending less time on the phone, while simultaneously laying out the irony of also wanting to enjoy delicious foods and stay connected “to the people who make me whole.” Amidst this contradictory existence, Kilpatrick hopes that everyone “Finds some peace / Because that’s all you need to do better” — and this EP is certainly peaceful in spades. —Libby Leonard
Tariq Abou-Bakr
“Hold Your Ghost”
The Proper Way
Street: 02.14.25
Tariq Abou-Bakr = Noah Gundersen + The Lumineers
You know that Robert Pattinson song? You know the one. The one that both Twilight haters and lovers made fun of for years. Abou-Bakr captures the same kind of extremely sentimental picture here with “Hold Your Ghost,” except you can actually understand what he’s saying. It’s sweet, as he endearingly sings about a beautiful woman above a finger-picked acoustic guitar. The woman is the one pictured in the album art — a collage of sightseeing memories with the two of them. People satirically made fun of Pattinson’s song because of his yell-ish vocals. Abou-Bakr’s vocals are a lot more refined and clear, carefully placed and full of falsettos. In all, I think the two songs are just similar because of the proclamation of love they both give. I always liked Pattinson’s song for that reason, and look at him now. Everyone knows the lover boy becomes king of the world. —Mary Culbertson
Read more Local Music Singles Roundups:
Local Music Singles Roundup: March 2025
Local Music Singles Roundups: February 2025