CVC’s Underground Rundown 002: Wax Minds, Fraternity Twin, Alfred Banks
- Spenser Judd
- 23 hours ago
- 3 min read
The underground has never moved in straight lines.
Some artists are digging through the past to understand where they belong. Others are documenting the places they're standing before they disappear. Some simply kick the rehearsal room door open and let the amps scream until something honest falls out.
This week's Underground Rundown travels from Bremen to Brooklyn to New Orleans. Three scenes, three completely different approaches, one shared DIY philosophy: make something real before asking whether it fits.
Wax Minds — Welcome to the Funatic Asylum
Garage punk rarely asks permission to shred. Bremen's Wax Minds certainly don't.
Their debut album Funatic Asylum feels like somebody wired an old fuzz pedal directly into a cyborg’s nervous breakdown and somehow found melody inside the feedback. Across ten frantic songs, the quartet bounces between blown-out hooks, grimy guitars, and the kind of loose energy that only exists when a band cares more about momentum than a longboarder who’s out searching for new hills to bomb.
Rather than polishing away the rough edges, Wax Minds lean directly into them. Their jams blast off and occasionally threaten to derail completely before snapping back together at the last second.
There's a long tradition of underground punk embracing beautiful imperfection, and Funatic Asylum proudly continues it. It sounds like a Tascam was left in some late-night practice spaces, sweat-soaked club floors, and against amplifiers that have survived one too many basement shows.
Sometimes embracing the chaos is exactly what a scene needs.
FFO: SNOOPER, OHSEES, and Ty Segall.
Fraternal Twin — Looking Back Without Standing Still
Some anniversary releases exist purely to celebrate nostalgia.
Fraternal Twin's expanded edition of Skin Gets Hot feels different.
Instead of simply reissuing an old favorite, Tom Christie and company revisit the album with the perspective of musicians who have spent another decade growing into themselves.
Newly recorded versions sit beside demos and archival material, transforming the release into both a historical document and a snapshot of where the project stands today.
The original record quietly earned a devoted following because of its emotional honesty, and that quality still defines Fraternal Twin's music. Bedroom pop, indie folk, slowcore textures, and delicate arrangements never feel ornamenta. They simply exist to carry songs about memory, absence, friendship, and change.
The deluxe edition reminds listeners that growth doesn't erase the past. Sometimes it simply gives older songs new places to breathe.
FFO: Frankie Cosmos, Beach Fossils, and Death Cab For Cutie.
Alfred Banks — New Orleans Never Stops Moving
Every city develops artists who carry its rhythm wherever they go.
For Alfred Banks, New Orleans isn't simply home, it's embedded in every verse.
With YesterMonth, the Grammy-nominated rapper returns to deeply personal songwriting while pairing vulnerable lyricism with timeless production from Luther Vandals.
Singles like "Step Up" and "High Speed" hint at an album that values substance as much as technical ability, while balancing sharp writing, memorable hooks and cinematic visuals.
Banks has spent years earning respect through relentless touring and independent momentum rather than shortcuts, becoming one of Louisiana's most consistently compelling voices. His work continues to bridge introspective storytelling with the energy of Southern hip-hop without sacrificing authenticity for trend-chasing. The result feels grounded, confident, and unmistakably his own.
FFO: EARTHGANG, Boldy James, and Isaiah Rashad.
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