Caulfield: Under the Influence (Independent Release)
Atlanta’s trap scene called, and Caulfield answered. The rapper has carved out his own space in Athens hip hop, declaring on the EP’s namesake track, “It’s been a minute/ Been itchin’/ I’m back in the kitchen.” In addition to radio-ready fare like “They Don’t Know,” featuring verses from Dictator and Squalle, Under the Influence has some downright dirty gems in “Zoom” and “2 Legit” that provide a pleasure-focused counter to the EP’s opening salvo.
Future Lives: Mansions (Soft Magic)
The latest project from former King of Prussia songwriter Brandon Hanick boasts a lineup that includes members of Drive-By Truckers, Velveteen Pink and Boulevard. The band’s debut album takes Hanick’s melody-driven songwriting and infuses it with an ambling, pastoral quality befitting a shaded, porch-prone respite. Look no further than the airy pedal-steel lines of “California Vibe” or carefree bounce of “St. John’s Fair” for easy, breezy soundtracking.
Lavender Holyfield: Rabbitboxing Midnightmouth (Cloud)
Comprised of some of Athens’ most essential experimental musicians—including members of The Olivia Tremor Control and Bubbly Mommy Gun—Lavender Holyfield’s first full-length deftly balances talents and personalities in a surrealist smorgasbord of atmospheric texture, off-kilter melody and starry-eyed lyricism. The psychedelic lilt of “Where Do Those Lasers Go?” and cinematic build-up of “Yellow Crowned Night Hero” point to a group whose relatively short time together belies its chemistry.