Three Track Week #30: When First Impressions Change
- Anne
- Aug 16
- 7 min read
Three releases that sound one way at first, then reveal something else when you stay with them.
Ballyhoo!, Cusk and Forget Them Wendy don't sound like obvious neighbors. One arrives with big guitars and a chorus made for shouting along, another turns fragility and unease into something almost hypnotic, while the third lets a summer afternoon drift by before quietly changing the mood. This week's Three Track Week 30 brings them together through that contrast - three releases that sound one way at first, then reveal a little more once you stay with them.
This week's tracks are available in our playlist INDIENOXZINE | Selections, updated weekly on Spotify.
Ballyhoo! - When The Title Lies
"Slowly Dying" is probably not the song I expected from the title. It sounds much more alive than that. The drums and electric guitars come in with a lot of force, and the bassline immediately gives the track some weight. The vocals are clear and the melody is easy to catch, while the guitars keep adding little accents around everything. There's a strong punk feeling to it, but I also kept hearing something more post-hardcore in the way the guitars hit.
Sound / Mood
The guitars are probably the first thing that stayed with me. They're distorted, loud and really strong throughout the track, while the drums are incredibly on point. The bass gives everything another push underneath. Then there's the chorus. It's very easy to sing along to, and the hook sticks around after the song is over. The whole thing makes you want to move. There's a lot of energy in it, but it doesn't feel chaotic. Everything seems to hit exactly where it should. I also liked the little scream in the bridge. It's not there for long, but it changes the feeling just enough before the song goes back into its big melodic side. And honestly, the title keeps throwing me off. "Slowly Dying" sounds like it should be dark or depressing. The song is actually pretty uplifting. It feels like the kind of track that could have a room jumping rather than standing around looking miserable.
Why This Matters
There's something funny about a song called "Slowly Dying" being this much fun. But I think that's part of why it works. Ballyhoo! aren't trying to make the title dictate the mood. They take something that sounds bleak and turn it into a big, energetic pop-punk song with a chorus people can actually shout together. After nearly twenty-five years as a band, that sense of immediacy is interesting too. They're still making music that feels built for people to react to in the same room, rather than trying to prove how much they've changed.
Context
"Slowly Dying" is the final preview of Ballyhoo!'s tenth studio album ”Bad Summer”, due August 28 via Right Coast Records. Produced by John Feldmann, the track follows earlier singles including "Thunderstorms", "Cali Girl II" and "I Guess I'll Go Fuck Myself", showing another side of an album that moves between pop-punk, alternative rock and big sing-along hooks. Ballyhoo! have been independent for nearly 25 years and recently completed their first European tour, including appearances at BrakRock and Punk Rock Holiday. They return to North America later this month, with further dates alongside Bowling for Soup.
🎧 Stream "Slowly Dying” on Apple Music · Follow Ballyhoo! on Instagram
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Cusk - Looking Straight Into The Feeling
There are songs that tell you exactly how you're supposed to feel. Cusk seem much more interested in keeping that unclear. Across their debut EP, a voice can sound fragile in one moment and completely in control in the next. A song can feel intimate and then suddenly become loud, distorted and almost theatrical. Nothing stays in one emotional place for very long. That's part of what makes Cusk so interesting. The songs don't really tell you whether you're hearing weakness, anger, sadness or strength. Sometimes it's all of them at once.
Sound / Mood
In “Blu tac piano” the guitar sets the tone immediately, with the drums slowly joining the riff. When the chorus arrives, everything gets bigger. The guitars and drums fill the track, while the vocals become almost theatrical. Then the violin comes in, and suddenly the song feels a little disturbing in a way I really liked. The vocals are probably what kept me most interested across the EP. They move between sounding very inward and suddenly much more open. Sometimes they feel fragile, sometimes strong, sometimes almost accusing. You don't always know which one you're hearing, and that makes the songs more tense. “Did it make you cry” starts with strumming guitar and a much more melancholic feeling. The vocals stay fragile, with harmonies appearing in the pre-chorus, while the song occasionally moves away from the usual structure. By the second verse, the drums become more intense and start pushing everything forward. "Beauty Queen" goes even softer. A small guitar riff, a few fragile words and drums sitting far back in the mix. “Don’t change I love you” picks up the pace with strumming guitars, while "Dooms Banjo" starts atmospherically before opening into a much fuller arrangement. Each song has its own shape, but the emotional intensity stays there.
Why This Matters
There is something interesting about music that doesn't tell you exactly how you're supposed to feel. Cusk leave enough uncertainty in the vocals that weakness and strength can exist at the same time. You can hear someone pulling inward and then suddenly pushing back. That feels particularly fitting for a band whose songwriting comes from fragments, improvisation and playing together rather than from finished songs being brought into the room. The music has that same sense of discovery. It doesn't always feel like everything was decided in advance. There is also something quite intimate about the EP. The songs don't just sound emotional; the performances make them feel exposed. You get the impression that you're hearing something personal without being given a neat explanation for it.
Context
Cusk is the London alt-rock duo of Esmé Creed-Miles and Evie Hilyer-Ziegler. The pair met at an improvisation night at The Shacklewell Arms and developed their collaboration through voice notes, poems, melodies and playing together. Their different approaches - Hilyer-Ziegler's precise string work and siren-like vocals alongside Creed-Miles' looser rhythm guitar and androgynous lyrics - shape the EP's shifting character. Their five-song debut EP ”Cusk” is out now on The Bird Records.
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Forget Them Wendy - Letting Summer Drift By
Some songs make you want to slow down a little. That was my first reaction to "Apple Pie". It has that feeling of a long summer afternoon where nothing really needs to happen yet. You can just stay where you are for a while.
Sound / Mood
It starts very simply, with soft vocal hums and relaxed strumming guitar. Laura James' voice is warm and clear, and everything around it feels loose and easy. The drums sit far enough back to keep the song moving without disturbing that feeling, while the bass follows with a really relaxed line. There are some higher guitar sounds tucked into the pre-chorus, but they never interrupt the mood. Then the chorus comes in and the melody just floats. It's catchy, but in a very soft way. The whole thing feels like lying somewhere in the sun. Or sitting outside with a piece of apple pie and absolutely nowhere you need to be.
Why This Matters
I like that "Apple Pie" doesn't seem to be in a hurry to tell you what it means. Even Laura admits she doesn't really know what "Life's an apple pie, let it float on by" means, only that the line somehow feels important. That actually makes sense for a song inspired by those hazy summer days that seem to stretch forever. We tend to think of summer as something carefree, but it never really lasts. The song knows that somewhere underneath all the warmth. And that's where Forget Them Wendy get interesting. They describe the project as being about owning who you are even when you're not completely sure who that is. "Apple Pie" has some of that uncertainty too. It doesn't seem interested in pinning everything down.
Context
Forget Them Wendy are Newcastle-based songwriter Laura James and Edinburgh-born producer and guitarist Oliver Price, now based in London. Their sound draws on 90s records by bands including The Cranberries, Smashing Pumpkins and The Breeders, combining indie-pop melodies with grunge influences and playful, self-aware songwriting. Forget Them Wendy are currently working towards their debut album, releasing the songs one at a time while still debating the final track order. Their previous music has already picked up attention from BBC Introducing, with "Dead in the Water" named one of its Tracks of 2025 and "Plug It In" selected as Track of the Week.
🎧 Stream "Apple Pie” on Apple Music · Follow Forget Them Wendy on Instagram
Three artists. Three very different ways of pulling you in. Ballyhoo! do it with big guitars and a chorus that demands to be shouted back, Cusk leave you somewhere between fragility and strength, while Forget Them Wendy turn a lazy summer feeling into something a little stranger. None of these releases stays exactly where you expect it to. And that might be the reason all three are worth another listen.
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