1) Fuck Buttons, Slow Focus. “Andrew Hung and Benjamin John Power have broken swiftly from their trademark charred-Casio joy-fuzz and humid trance-out grooves, opting to conjure darker moods: a hazy gurgle of gloom-house, some quasi-industrial scuzz-grinding, and the type of synths that could score a VHS-garbled B-movie bloodfeast.” (via SPIN, with track-by-track commentary from the band)

2) Hieroglyphics, The Kitchen. “Oakland underground rap legends Hieroglyphics have returned with their first collective album in a decade, The Kitchen. With an assist from Sacramento DJ crew the Sleeprockers, the new set functions as a mixtape combining brand new material with various recordings from the crew’s last few years hustling behind the scenes. The continuous blend bumps, grooves, and jitters with soulful loops and acrobatic turntablism, naturally functioning as a perfect platform for the lithe rhymes of the group: Del the Funky Homosapien, Casual, Pep Love, Domino, and Souls of Mischief.” (via SPIN)

4) Gogol Bordello, Pura Vida Conspiracy. “Those raucous gypsy punks of Gogol Bordello have cooked up their sixth studio album… Produced by Andrew Scheps (Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Mars Volta) and recorded in El Paso, Texas… Frontman Eugene Hütz said in a release that his music has a motive: to explore human potential. ‘And that’s my main interest in life,’ Hutz said. ‘Everyone knows there’s something inside of us that we’re not using. How do we get it? How do we reach it? Every single person knows that there’s something and nobody knows what it is. So at one point I said to myself, I’m gonna get down and get it.'” — Billboard (via Pitchfork)

5) Zorch, Zzoorrcchh. “We heard from Austin’s Zorch back in February when they shared the maximal pop explosion that was ‘We All Die Young’… Keyboardist/singer Zac Traeger and drummer/singer Shmu apply that same exuberant and experimental take on the YOLO Doctrine across their entire debut album, Zzoorrcchh, out July 23 via Sargent House. Traces of Animal Collective, Dan Deacon, Hella, and Jaga Jazzist can be heard, as can the glitched bliss of chiptune music and the indomitable thrust and pacing of punk. But considering the incredible verve that these two apply to swirling up their influences, the end result is truly their own.” (via SPIN)

6) Postiljonen, Skyer. “While dreamy, dewy pop has been the rule rather than the exception in recent years, this Scandinavian trio feels more like the successor to a specific regional tradition that includes Swedes the Embassy, Air France, and jj… Led by singer Mia Bøe, multi-instrumentalists Daniel Sjörs and Joel Nyström Holm wield unabashedly smooth saxophones on achingly idyllic recent video selection ‘Atlantis’ and ethereally reinterpret Whitney Houston on ‘All That We Had Is Lost.'” (via SPIN)

7) Coke Weed, Back to Soft. “Coke Weed’s ‘Anklet’ [is] a ‘languidly gnarled psych-rock’ tune reminiscent of Pure X, Real Estate, and Galaxie 500. That fuzzy slow-burner hails from the Maine-based band’s upcoming third album, Back to Soft, which was produced by Nick Stumpf (Cavemen, French Kicks) and is due out July 23. Now, the carefully ambling quintet — co-led by songwriter Milan McAlevey and singer Nina D. — have shared their newest LP in its entirety… [unfurling] 10 tracks of hypnotic rhythms, dusky boy-girl duets, and slow-motion fireworks.” (via SPIN)

8) Zoos of Berlin, Lucifer in the Rain. “Zoos of Berlin are a Michigan band whose urbane but skewed style of art-pop has few immediate peers, though Roxy Music, the Sea & Cake, Destroyer, and Berlin-era David Bowie are clearly in their family tree. Zoos of Berlin’s 2009 album Taxis introduced the group’s meticulous omnivorousness, stitching up glam, jazz, Afrobeat, postpunk, krautrock, and more into its baroque tapestry. Lucifer in the Rain… turns those varied influences in a more sweetly melodic direction, [as heard] on twinkling, ascending opener ‘Above the Air’ and majestically jittery ‘I Went Too Shapeless in the Night.'” (via SPIN)

9) Kevin Gates, Stranger Than Fiction. “Less than six months after releasing his standout mixtape The Luca Brasi Story, Louisiana native and Atlantic Records signee Kevin Gates is back with a brand new project in Stranger Than Fiction. The mixtape runs long at 18 tracks, but packs a punch, filled with Gates’ vivid storytelling about bandos and bitches (see: the Juicy J-featuring ‘Thinkin With My Dick’). Stranger also boasts guest appearances from Wiz Khalifa, Migos and Starlito.” (via XXL)