A Song For Friday: Tchotchke

Tchotchke delivers FUN on their new single. Also: stellar releases from Triathalon, Scott Hirsch, Camp Saint Helene, Aminé, and Alejandro Flórez.

If there is one thing I am NOT taking for granted in 2025, it’s FUN. The headlines and scrolls are dark out there, people, so if I hear something that brings lightness and brightness into my life, I’m going to value it all the more, which is how we get to Tchotchke. This is the trio of Anastasia Sanchez (drums, vocals), Eva Chambers (bass, vocals), and Emily Tooraen (guitar, vocals) that I discovered by connecting with Tooraen when she played bass with Aaron Mendelsohn’s Drinker in 2019. She was so sharp in that band and in conversation that I knew more was coming from her. When Tchotchke’s debut came in 2022, I celebrated it for serving up “one winner after another, clever, sunny songs with a slightly theatrical bent.”

But over two years later, I was starting to wonder if it was a one-off. Thank goodness that is not the case with this week delivering up the first salvo from a second album soon to come. Did You Hear? continues the wonderful whimsy of the 2022 material, with driving rhythms, a soaring guitar intro, gleaming vocals, and melodies that flow like a cooling waterfall onto my overheated mind. With production by The Lemon Twigs, the trio has cooked up a detailed track, with harpsichord, piano, and layers of guitars, satisfying all my ear candy needs. As the song goes on, Tooraen’s guitar just keeps finding new gears, cutting the sweetness of the bubblegum bridge like an expert surgeon. Dial up some much-needed delight below.

As blithe as Did You Hear? sounds, the lyrics hint at darker themes:

Did you hear
What he did to me?
Don’t repeat this, please
I couldn’t stand the shame

But in classic Girl Group fashion, it’s more in the interest of storytelling than confession, and does nothing to dim the fun. And that’s what Tchotchke is all about, a mission statement that extends to their clever videos and must-have merch. Add this Tchotchke to your mantle of musical joy today!

Listen to most of the songs for Friday here or below.

Also Out This Week

Triathalon - Funeral Music This is another New York-based trio returning after almost three years. But in the case of Adam Intrator, Chad Chilton, and Hunter Jayne, this is Triathalon’s fifth album and I never heard of them before. But the first single, RIP, drew me in with searing guitars, a draggy groove, and hazy vocals. The keyboard glitter only increased my interest. Clearly this is band after a specific sound and they nail it on song after song, making for a mood piece with no skips. While clearly in the indie rock vein, Triathalon cannily integrates grunge, metal, trip hop, and art rock into their sound. At least on this album. I wonder what the other four records sound like?

Scott Hirsch - Lost Padres Hirsch is a singer, songwriter, and multi- instrumentalist and the genius producer who helped shepherd many of Hiss Golden Messenger’s best albums. I so loved the variety - “from rootsy fingerpicked delicacies to funky Rhythm Ace-driven workouts” - of Hirsch’s 2018 album, Lost Time Behind The Moon, that it was on my Top 25 that year. He also put out a killer live set in 2020 and another gem of an album, Windless Day, in 2021.

Here we have another beautiful collection, distinguished by a lustrous, languid sound that shines with Hirsch’s lovely lap steel, Skyway Man’s spaced out synths, Matthew Douglas’s sax, and on several tracks, the glorious background vocals of Carolyne Dennis and Jade and Sharon Hendrix. Drummer Michael Urbano keeps the groove going in creative ways that don’t take the easy way out while never sounding difficult. Hirsch has a warm voice that conveys both wisdom and a wry view of life. The songs build on his deep knowledge of cosmic Americana going back at least to Gram Parsons and Gene Clark - and all the music that fueled them. The funky instrumental in the middle of the album captures Lost Padres perfectly in its title: Good Stuff.

Camp Saint Helene - Call For Me Following up on Of Earth and Its Timely Delights, last year’s sophomore release, this upstate New York band again showcases the remarkable vocals of Elizabeth Ibarra, surrounding her siren songs with witchy folk-psyche that seems to arise from the leaf-strewn soil of the Catskills. This EP is accompanied by a spooky film that fits the vibe perfectly. Get mesmerized.

Aminé - 13 Months Of Sunshine I praised 2017’s Good For You, the debut album from this Portland, OR rapper, singer, songwriter for showing off his big personality and his “serious way with a hook.” However, he lost me on his next album and a collaboration with Kaytranada, and I almost didn’t bother with this one. But I’m glad I did as it’s a return to form - or at least the form I prefer, with colorful beats, knowing nods to the his parents’ roots in Eritrea and Ethiopia, and even more variety than Good For You. There are hints at folk and psych rock, with features from Waxahatchee and the great Leon Thomas displaying a wide musical knowledge and interest. Finally, another Aminé album that’s good for me and probably good for you, too.

Alejandro Flórez - Beaches of Riches Flórez is a high-flying guitarist with an often biting tone and an adventurous compositional style that gives him plenty to chew on. Also dining out on his work are Dan Baker (saxes) and Satoshi Takeishi (drums), who are both on fire throughout this exciting collection. Flórez brings his Colombian heritage to the table and adds some electronic processing into the mix, building out and enriching the sound. But it’s that tried and true “jazz trio” interaction that makes this collection so nourishing.

The graphic above is based on a photo by Taryn Segal.