The corporate cats at Pitchfork recently paywalled their album reviews, but Seven Days doesn’t roll like that. Here are six reviews of new records by Vermont artists, from indie rock to hip-hop to ambient music.
Invisible Homes, When We Dead Awaken…
(Self-released, digital)
While listening to an old recording of his mother speaking, Burlington musician Sean Witters found the central theme for his new album, When We Dead Awaken… The first record from his Invisible Homes project in well over a decade features the voice of his late mother, Judy. “Say something before the tape runs out. You don’t have much time,” she says on the sprawling indie-rock opus “Sadako (Crane Song).”
Not long after his mother died, Witters, a senior lecturer at the University of Vermont, discovered he had a potentially life-threatening issue with his heart that required surgery and extensive recovery. Those events gave Witters a different perspective that informs the songs on When We Dead Awaken…: He’s a man looking at the world with fresh eyes.
With references to writers Adrienne Rich, Mary McCarthy and J.G. Ballard, Witters pairs highly literate and evocative lyrics with a rich sonic tapestry. Shades of Joy Division-esque new wave mix with electro-pop and an almost progressive strain of indie rock, occasionally straying into hip-hop beats and avant-garde side quests.
Despite the long lapse, Invisible Homes returns to the Vermont music scene with a bold, beautifully sad yet strangely hopeful record.
Key Track: “Pale Rage (for J.G. Ballard)”
Why: Witters takes inspiration from Ballard’s 1968 story “Why I Want to Fuck Ronald Reagan,” singing “All I ever wanted was to isolate with you / Hide out from the pyros like overloaded men.”
Where: invisiblehomes.bandcamp.com
Konflik, 3rd Q.T.R. Quote of the Raven
(AfterLyfe Music, CD, digital)
Roxbury, Mass., native and longtime Burlington hip-hop fixture Konflik dropped 3rd Q.T.R. Quote of the Raven at the end of last year. The MC, best known locally for his work with the band Belizbeha and hip-hop collective Eye Oh You, is a foundational rapper in the 802 scene. For his latest record, he once again teamed up with his brother: rapper, producer and VT Union cofounder NasteeLuvzYou.
Konflik’s third full-length album is a follow-up to his blistering 2022 release, Head of a Snake, Thumbs of a Thief. There’s no new formula at work on 3rd Q.T.R. Konflik returns as a classic boom-bap rapper, a bruiser with an erudite tongue and a clear love and understanding of hip-hop history and culture. With a throwback sound that never feels dated, Konflik and Nastee bounce through eras, equally assured in them all.
It’s a record brimming with confidence, top-notch production and Konflik’s deep-voiced dynamic flow. While he welcomes the odd guest verse from the likes of West Coast rapper Tash and Massachusetts MC REKS, Konflik has both hands on the wheel.
Key Track: “Ancient Chant”
Why: In a rare romantic moment from the gruff rapper, Konflik’s flow is in top form over a ’90s-era beat.
Where: konflik1.bandcamp.com
Two Baseballs in Space, Two Baseballs in Space
(Self-released, digital)
The self-titled debut from Burlington rock band Two Baseballs in Space is an unapologetic return to the days of grunge. The record opens with “And Redeem Me,” a hard-charging number built on big guitar riffs, pounding drums and a vocal from singer Henry Stowell that can only be described as Eddie Vedder-esque. The Pearl Jam singer’s baritone yowl became synonymous with the grunge era’s sound, often copied by imitators.
It’s been a long time since the days of Pearl Jam clones, and to be fair, Two Baseballs in Space aren’t exactly that. Their new album includes elements of indie folk on tunes such as “Travelin Man” and even power pop on “Drawing Blanks.” When pushed out of the grunge zone, Stowell’s delivery feels less angsty and the melodic power of the band shines.
That makes for an uneven record — perhaps unsurprising for a debut. The band commands excellent dynamics yet often goes for the most obvious choice, resulting in some derivative moments. But when Two Baseballs in Space go deep, as on album closer “Belong,” their potential is clear to see.
Key Track: “Double the Rain”
Why: The most innovative that Two Baseballs in Space get on their debut, the song vacillates between Maroon 5 funk rock and shades of jam.
Where: twobaseballsinspace.bandcamp.com
Sean Clute, Passing Landscapes and Lingering Imprints
(Self-released, digital)
As wind brushes the microphone and chimes echo across the mix, tension starts to build. Competing drones writhe around and over each other as the sounds shift from airy to earthen.
Thus begins Passing Landscapes and Lingering Imprints, the latest record of ambient music and noise from interdisciplinary artist, performer and composer Sean Clute. A skilled sound manipulator, Clute finds novel ways to create his sonic experiments. The almost synth-like contours on “Dirt Eaters” are the result of placing microphones into the dirt of his garden and mixing the sounds with samples of bells and a woodblock. A later section of the record titled “Imprints A” is constructed with the sounds of frogs, recorded one night from Clute’s backyard.
Clute, a professor of fine arts at Vermont State University, originally composed the album as part of a collaboration with artist Erin Ellen Kelly for her master’s thesis at Bennington College. The six movements center on his “dreams of traveling through vast landscapes,” he said by email. The album is a sound diary of Clute’s dreams, from the windswept fields of Utah to the crashing ocean of San Francisco to the evening chorus of his Vermont backyard.
Key Track: “Imprints B”
Why: Clute takes the entire record to that point, speeds it up and condenses it into a 2.5-minute track, an imprint of the album’s sonic journey before closer “Lands End.”
Where: seanclute.bandcamp.com
Moondogs, Tides and Seasons
(Aqua Bear Records, digital)
In the ’90s, the Vermont scene was rife with jam and roots-rock bands such as Assembly of Dust, RAQ and the Samples, who mingled Southern rock and Grateful Dead influences with summer festival vibes. The approach was so common that as it waned in mid-aughts, it felt like Vermont was actively changing its sound profile.
While indie-rock acts have reigned in recent years, at least one Burlington band flies the flag for that rootsy jam scene: Moondogs. The quartet’s latest album, Tides and Seasons, suggests newfound sophistication, with elements of jazz and psychedelic rock entering the chat. Most impressively, Moondogs have become increasingly adept at synthesizing their range of styles into a distinctive sound somewhere between jam rock and indie pop.
On tunes such as “Crystallized,” Moondogs let that sound spread out. Each member pushes the groove and takes their space, but it never comes off like a collection of dweebs soloing over each other. This is a band figuring out how to interact with its influences in original ways — the surest tack to avoid the copycat fate of so many Vermont jam-adjacent acts that inevitably get compared to bigger, older bands. The Moondogs sound like they’re stepping closer to their final form with every album. Tides and Seasons is their biggest stride yet.
Key Song: “Parasite”
Why: The band channels its inner Post Animal on this hard-rocking groove machine of a song.
Where: Spotify, Apple Music
Tall Tails, Extra Extra
(Self-released, digital)
Tall Tails are a new band made up of New England songwriter Chris White and Jericho producer and musician Jer Coons. The two actually went to Middlebury Union High School together but were unaware of their mutual musical destinies until a few years ago.
White approached Coons about recording an album, and the result is a long-gestating but utterly brilliant collection of indie folk and alt-pop called Extra Extra. The record’s eight tracks encompass Fleet Foxes-like folk power and Wilco’s brand of professor rock with a strain of experimentation running throughout.
White is a strangely funny songwriter, slipping beautiful little absurdities into his lyrics. Take the track “Outerspace Fireplace,” on which he sings, “If I’m not in trouble with Enterprise Rental / You and me, we’re gonna have a day / We’ll get lost in America / In this rented Ford Escape.” Yet beyond the humor, a sharp edge waits as the song reveals itself to be a lament for a lost friend.
It’s a stunning debut from White and Coons, who plan to continue recording together and assemble a live band.
Key Song: “Evening News”
Why: Trumpet player Connor Young makes a classy cameo on the breezy love tune.
Where: talltails2.bandcamp.com
This article appears in May 27 • 2026.
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