Last November, Gossip Wolf half-jokingly referred to the pleasantly dank lo-fi electronica of local singer and beat maker Jenny Polus—then performing as Spa Moans, now as Jenny Pulse—as “rain-forest wave.” It wasn’t intended as a dis, though Polus says she’s “spent two years trying to figure out how to not be called a lo-fi musician anymore.” On her new album, Marmalade (out Friday, October 26, via New York label Drop Medium), Polus has moved out from under the ferns and into the club—her solid, effortless-sounding jams touch on acid house, electro, and disco. “While tape sound still inspires me,” Polus says, “all of these songs are intended to be ‘pop hits.’” This wolf thinks the glistening beats, smooth hooks, and layers of sensuous, breathy vocals on dreamy jams such as “Living Room” could fill a city block’s worth of dance floors! On Monday, October 22, Polus celebrates at the Empty Bottle on a bill with Gel Set, Profligate, and Z. Soniat.
On Saturday, October 20, all-woman Tokyo punk trio Tsushimamire headline a free show at Cole’s in Logan Square! They’ve been making gnarly, pop-forward songs since 1999, and they’re traveling the States to support their latest mini album, August’s Night and Morning. Vamos and Luke Henry open; the show starts at 9:30 PM. v
