Oscar Wilde once said,“Consistency is the last refuge of the unimaginative”. What does that have to do with my infrequent contributions to this blog?  Who the hell knows, but I will say that the silence is over, the computers have been rebooted, and the club is open, or something like that. Welcome to the 1st installment of Hit The Post, a weekly segment collecting new and forthcoming releases from artists deserving of our collective attention. This week we say farewell to Chicago’s noise pop titans, Geronimo!, hello to rising guitar pop heroes, Downies, and check in with locals New Dog.

Last Saturday Chicago noise pop concern, Geronimo! played their final show at Beat Kitchen, 3 days before the release of their posthumous, Buzz Yr Girlfriend: Vol. 4 – Why Did You Leave Me? released by the the estimable Exploding In Sound Records The trio of guitarist Kelly Johnson, keyboardist Ben Grigg and drummer Matt Schwerin went out in top form issuing the stunning 3 track EP that marks the bands most accomplished and sonically arresting output. Geronimo! existed for 7 years and issued 3 full length LP’s and 3 EP’s as part of the Buzz Yr Girlfriend series will be dearly missed. Their final track Fires of Hell does everything right, intelligent lyrics, dynamic rhythms, and dense layers of guitar fuzz. The excellent new EP is a a bittersweet consolation  to the reality of knowing I’ll never see these songs performed Live. R.IP. Geronimo!

Since 2011 Ridgewood, NJ Double Double Whammy imprint has been home to some of indie pops finest offerings. With releases under their collective belts from Frankie Cosmos, Radiator Hospital, and LVL UP, DDW has become one of our go to labels and for good reason. Earlier this week DDW issued Widow, the debut track from Downies a band featuring members of the aforementioned LVL Up as well as Porches. Widow introduces us to Downies with a concise blast of guitar fuzz and gargantuan pop hooks.

Anar Badalov formally of Travels and Metal Hearts has singed on with iconic pacific northwest label, Kill Rock Stars for the release of his second New Dog LP. The forthcoming, Classic Ballroom Dances will be released by KRS on June 2nd and follows 2013 No Dog debut, Lost Weekend. Badalov recorded the album alone in his apartment as he did with his debut, he describes the process, “Not having someone to lean on, musically, is both terrifying and doubly rewarding. You work at your own pace, and set your own rules.” The advance track is a beauty, check the ominous balladry of The Airport Lobby, below.