Like Houston’s Black Congress, Atlanta’s Whores bash out some bruising tunes heavily indebted to the best of nineties noise rock, from cover to crushing content. The band’s debut ep, Ruiner, lands somewhere between Helmet, the Jesus Lizard and the lesser-known Barkmarket, and fans of the unholy racket made by those bands should take note. Thanks to the man behind Austin’s own noise-rock maestros, Followed By Static, for hipping los grillos to this one.

Ruiner is out now on vinyl via Brutal Panda Records. Check it out here. Or head over to Whores’ Bandcamp page to grab a digital copy.

I suppose there is a certain irony to a band that goes by the moniker Heartless Bastards releasing an album on Valentine’s Day. And to take it further, the album is called Arrow–as in that thing Cupid shoots into heartless bastards in order to change their heartless bastard ways. But there ain’t nothin’ ironic about Erika Wennerstrom and company’s gritty, sweeping take on Americana rock ‘n’ roll. Led by Wennerstrom, the Austin-by-way-of-Ohio band has, with its more recent output, traded its mostly straightforward, grungy blues for a sound that is, in general, less physically raw and more meditative, yet no less epic in emotional scope. This is due in large part to the power of Wennerstrom’s voice as well as her songwriting skill and talented backing band, and it’s as true as ever on the band’s latest.

Arrow is out February 14 via Partisan Records. Check it out here.

The album is currently streaming in its entirety via NPR. Listen here.

Florida’s The Band In Heaven lay down some seriously sinister shoegaze psych that never forgets to deliver its menace with plenty of fuzz-coated melody. The band’s latest, Sleazy Dreams, is a 4-song 7″ ep that alternates between a guttural, droning grind (“Sleazy Dreams,” “Summer Bummer”) and more sedate psych (“If You Only Knew,” “Sludgy Dreams”). Landing somewhere between psych and noise contemporaries The Black Angels and Pop. 1280, The Band In Heaven take listeners on floating-cloud trip that never gets too high above the grit of the streets below.

Sleazy Dreams is out now via HoZac Records. Check it out here.

Folks may recall that back in August of last year, los grillos touted the debut ep, Come Clean, from Brooklyn’s Gross Relations when it dropped as the debut release from Raven Sings The Blues Records (label offshoot of the always excellent blog). Now from Gross Relations comes a brand new tune, “Cut The Final Scene,” that features the band’s trademark blend of melodic keys and fuzzed out guitar. Ever-prolific, Gross Relations is hard at work on its feature-length debut with plans to release it some time in 2012. Until then, here’s some proof that a little studio polish doesn’t have to shine away the rock edges…

Austin’s incomparable, incorrigible band of badass badasses, The Golden Boys, are set to drop their latest and, from what I’ve heard, greatest, rock ‘n’ roll rumpus, Dirty Fingernails. The advance single is “California,” and it’s a perfect blend of the band’s organ-grinding, garage rock sensibilities and hook-filled, pop rock capabilities. You wanna hear some kick-ass, can’t stop playin’ it rock ‘n’ roll? This is it.

Dirty Fingernails is out March 20 from 12xu. Pre-order it here. Or wait for the date and grab a copy at the record store featured on the album’s cover, the similarly incomparable and incorrigible Trailer Space.

The album lands