Truth be told, I wasn’t able to pick up anything on actual Bandcamp Friday due to reasons but got around to getting a few things that I had earmarked. Here’s a sample of some of them.
Tougher Than The Rest by Nation Of Language
We saw Nation Of Language play at The Commodore here in Vancouver recently, and they were absolutely fantastic. They are currently on the “pick it up, no questions asked” classification if it shows up on Bandcamp, including a two-song EP like this. If you like 80’s new wave or synth-pop in general, Nation Of Language.
Packaging by Packaging
This is one of those picks where I heard about 45 seconds of a clip from KEXP’s Instagram of a live performance Packaging did and instantly grabbed my attention when the algorithms served it up to me. And it was actually an ad for a show they will be playing in Vancouver later this month. That’s what made me check Bandcamp for more, and here we are. Seattle-based post-punk with a hint of shoegaze.
Days by The Mountain Goats
The Mountain Goats are one of those bands that are always going to take you for a ride with their music and punch you in the face with the lyrics if you’re not prepared. Quiet and folky to loud and electric, this seems like the billionth album that they’ve released over the decades. The track titles alone got me to add it to the cart.
Sharevari (featuring Nancy Whang) by Aiden Noell
Speaking of Nation Of Language, this is a single that member Aiden Noell put out with Nancy Whang of LCD Soundsystem featured on the track, which I love Nancy in LCD as well as her collaborations with The Juan Maclean. We watched a KEXP performance on YouTube that explains how that came to be, but talent recognizes talent. Made picking up all three of Aiden’s singles an easy choice.
Sound Of The Bay by Sandy’s
I picked up one of Sandy’s albums a long time ago, probably a random pick on another Bandcamp Friday, and found myself often checking what song was playing when listening to things on random to find it often being one of theirs. Listen to their track “Sunken Cathedral” with a great set of headphones and see if their layered, synth-pop hits you like it did to me.
There’s five from what I got (after but close to) on Bandcamp Friday for August, 2026.