M.A.G.S. is the solo moniker for Buffalo-bred multi-disciplinary artist Elliott Douglas. His style seamlessly glides between genres ─ from funky garage rock to minty alt-pop with a punk-inspired energy. The release of his third full-length album Destroyer in 2023 via Smartpunk Records pushed Douglas into a more textural direction, dripping with flavors of post-punk while keeping his genre-bending melodies. Written by Douglas and produced by Jay Mass (Defeater), the album is about having to destroy yourself in order to grow and move forward – an extremely relatable phase in one’s life.
M.A.G.S. released his first solo record in 2015, an EP titled Cellophane, and his self-titled LP arrived two years later – securing a seat amongst the most prominent indie/alt-rock artists. With his new batch of music, Douglas displayed marked growth in vocal prowess, overall musicality and lyrical bite through the release of 2020’s Lost Tapes EP.
Dougals’s universal appeal feeds his success, and it’s never at the expense of his art. Elsewhere in his blossoming catalog, songs like “Mvp” and “Hi Tops” zig-zag from visceral, gnarly heavy metal to lo-fi folk-rock, respectively; his musicianship is a marvel to witness, each entry building on the last with refreshing acrobatics.
Barely Civil
Barely Civil, Midwest emo players who actually live in the region, are here to unravel their own mythos. Like any third volume, their latest LP isn’t so much a sequel. It’s a reappraisal of how their subconscious dreads crystallize into raucous, and sometimes restrained, moments of thawing clarity.
I’d Say I’m Not Fine sees the group — now joined by Aux Doucette on bass — injecting more melodic groove and energy into what was already an exercise in catharsis. Again produced by Chris Teti (TWIABP, Fiddlehead), it’s a more cohesive, collaborative effort that reaches for nostalgia as much as it attempts to negate it. Here, they finally complete their sentences—if not with confidence, at least the hooks sink in.
