Agriculture is a Los Angeles–based band channeling ecstatic black metal into something spiritual, grounded, and definitely present. Emerging from the city’s noise scene, the band coalesced into its current form with Dan Meyer, Leah Levinson, Richard Chowenhill, and Kern Haug. Their music fuses the searing intensity of black metal with Zen Buddhist thought, queer history, and devotional songwriting. The result is a sound that resists algorithmic flattening and demands full attention. Their process is rooted in community and persistence: songs are written, dismantled, and rebuilt together. The Spiritual Sound, their new full-length, builds on the radiant extremity of their previous releases and pushes further: music not for escapism, but for confrontation and catharsis. This is not a vibe. It’s a demand.
Rhododendron
Rhododendron is a band from Portland, Oregon. Formed in early 2019, they take sonic cues from old-school math rock and post-hardcore along with a healthy dose of post-rock, drone, jazz and whatever music they might be listening to.
They have spent the last five years dialing in a sound that is both a reflection of their eclectic music taste, while also being entirely their own. The music is dense, technical, and dynamic; relying on Gage Walker’s dexterous basslines, Ezra Chong’s noisy, effects-laden guitar and occasional shrieks, and Noah Mortola’s relentless drumming to get their point across.
The band has released both an EP and LP and are hard at work preparing their sophomore full-length record that is slated to be released in 2025.
