Last week, I Did My Taxes For Free Online, the new album from Spring Onion, a.k.a. Catherine Dwyer (of Remember Sports), was released via Sleeper Records. Tomorrow evening, All Night Diner host will be hosting its release celebration. One inherently gravitates toward the open-book, observational songwriting. There’s a delicate yet unfiltered honesty as these journal entry/stream of consciousness songs capture personality that can be applied universally. That knack to create concise, impactful imagery, accentuated by illuminating laidback touches of melodic instrumentation, gives these brief episodes a big impression. Snake Boy Gang, a.k.a. Madeline Rafter (formerly of The Original Crooks and Nannies), whose album Spit was also released via Sleeper Records, endears with a candid quirkiness. 2nd Grade, a new project from Pete Gill of Friendship, and the fuzzy-pop of Mortal Combat (featuring Remember Sports’ Jack Washburn) round out a billing you won’t want to write off. – Michael Colavita

More local artists to check out this weekend…

All Night Diner (Please contact one of the acts or venue for more info.) SAT Spring Onion (Record Release), Snake Boy Gang, 2^ndGrade 

Johnny Brenda’s (1201 N. Frankford Ave.) FRI A.M. Mills, SUN Che (Release Party), Pulgas, Madam Data, Astro Nautico (DJ)

Boot & Saddle (1131 S. Broad St.) SAT Pilkington

Kung Fu Necktie (1250 N. Front St.) FRI The Public Administrators/DJ Deejay, SAT Todd Fausnacht, Frankly Lost/DJ PHSH, SUN Stereo League

PhilaMOCA (531 N. 12^th St.) FRI 7^thVictim

Underground Arts (1200 Callowhill St.) SAT Gondola

The Fillmore Philadelphia (1100 Canal St.) FRI The Disco Biscuits, SAT The Disco Biscuits

World Café Live (3025 Walnut St.) FRI Upstairs John Vettese/The Naked Sun, SUN Orchestra 2001: Zappa’s Radical Classical Roots

The Fire (412 W. Girard Ave.) FRI Mesmeric Haze, Jesse Gimbel, SAT Moonstriker

MilkBoy Philly (1100 Chestnut St.) FRI Jah People, Among Criminals, The Hook, SAT The Underwater Sounds, Nik Greeley & The Operators

Ortlieb’s Lounge (847 N. 3^rd St.) FRI Don Babylon, Brother Nino, SAT Satellite Hearts, Dirty Dollhouse, SUN Supine

The Barbary (951 Frankford Ave.) FRI St. James & The Apostles, Canyon, Wasted Arrows, Bohemian Mule/Drones for Queens, Night Raids, SAT This Way to the Egress, Gringo Motel

Bourbon & Branch(705 N. 2^ndSt.) FRI Ryan Corcoran Band, Stella Ruze, SAT Moscow Girls, Tetra, The Commonwealth, SUN Lady Parts, The Jumping Juvies

Silk City (435 Spring Garden St.) FRI Bo Bliz, Low Budget, SAT DJ Deejay

Fergie’s (1214 Sansom St.) SUN Rusty Cadillac

Connie’s Ric Rac (1132 S. 9^th St.) FRI Endless Taile, Looseleaf, OOLALA, Bong Hits For Jesus, Alright Junior, SAT Eye On Attraction, Chet Williams, Sylis P.

Frankie Bradley’s (1320 Chancellor St.) FRI Ben Aire, SAT Ed Christof, SUN Jawns: A Burlesque Tribute To Steven Spielberg

The Grape Room (105 Grape St.) FRI Riverside Odds, Socko, Mr. Lisp, Egocentric Plastic Men, SAT Teeth, Presidential Top Knot, Mikey Potato

Ardmore Music Hall(23 E. Lancaster Ave.) FRI Bazmati Vice

Long In The Tooth (2027 Sansom St.) SAT Exmaid (Record Release), Dialer

The Pharmacy (1300 S. 18^th St.) FRI Adam Travis & The Soul, The Side Chicks, SAT Eight, Plot/Iron Wind

No Face Studios (5213 Grays Ave.) FRI Moros, Black Urn

Tralfamadore (Please contact one of the acts or venue for more info.) FRI Rentboy, Yeenar, Blushed, SAT Elison Jackson, Queue

The Sound Hole (Please contact one of the acts or venue for more info.) SAT Wyoming (EP Release Show)/Jawncarlo, Fred Beans, David Attias, SUN Trash Knife, Neophobe

Planet Phitness (Please contact one of the acts or venue for more info.) FRI Friendship, Bury Your Fish

First Unitarian Church (2125 Chestnust St.) FRI Roger Harvey, Augusta Koch, Anika Pyle, Bobby Barnett, Jeff Riddle SUN Crossed Keys

HH Ranch (Please contact one of the acts or venue for more info.) FRI Mage Hand, Countdown from Ten, Impressionist, Nakama

We thought that this release might be apropos for today. And for those who are stressfully working to make the dreaded deadline, I Did My Taxes For Free Online, the new record from Spring Onion, a.k.a. Catherine Dwyer (of Remember Sports), may or may not be what you need, while you wait for the damn IRS site to work properly. Direct, unveiled narratives establish an endearing level of trust, as what initially appears to be bare instrumentation blooms, revealing its melodic beauty. The album is out now via Sleeper Records, and All Night Diner will be hosting Spring Onion’s record release celebration this Saturday, April 21, with Snake Boy Gang, 2nd Grade, and Mortal Combat. 

Spring Onion, a.k.a. Catherine Dwyer, is set to release a new album, I Did My Taxes For Free Online, on April 13 via Sleeper Records. On the release, Dwyer enlists the aid of Remember Sports bandmates Carmen Perry and Jack Washburn as well as Santi Slade and Peter Gill (Friendship, Hour). The album’s first single/title-track quietly cracks the door, as an acoustic guitar pattern sets the course and the warm whine of pedal steel reinforces, beckoning inwards. A personal narrative of embracing/valuing the mundane activities of daily life follows. The musical fabric appears simple at first; however, the components mingle in a cohesive, shimmering manner.

Thank you, all, who tuned in yesterday to Y-Not Radio for The Deli Philly's takeover, and extra special thanks to Josh T. Landow for the invitation and support over the years! Below is the playlist that I shared, and if you haven't taken a listen to it yet, please feel free to do so now and enjoy. As always, I hope that you discover your new favorite artist and latest obsession. You deserve it. TREAT YO SELF! - Q.D. Tran

The Retinas – “Accident”

Abi Reimold – “Morning”

Eric Slick – “The Dirge”

Allison Crutchfield – “Rose Knows”

NAH – “Same Fucking Line”

RemoteControl – “Wasteland”

The Writhing Squares – “Astral Trane”

The Afterglows – “Born Again”

Spring Onion – “Egg (Driving Song)”

Cherry – “Alligators”

Jo Kusy – “New Devil Beat”

Honey Radar – “Ft Wayne Mermaids”

Them Jones – “Outburst”

Queen of Jeans – “Rollerdyke”

Suburban Living – “Lovely Times”

LOUDS – “Speak”

Residuels – “Valley Of Fire”

Catherine Dwyer, also known as the guitarist for the alt-rock outfit Sports, offers fans the perfect soundtrack for summer feelings with the release of her solo EP Please Relax. Recorded under the moniker Spring Onion, her new album is DIY at its best. Mostly written and recorded within the walls of her Philadelphia home, Please Relax is an intimate portrait of yearning, infused with dream-pop nostalgia, heartfelt riffs, and candid poetics.

“Egg (Driving Song),” the EP’s opener, unfolds with an Aimee Mann-meets-Girlpool earnestness. Telling the story of a commute clouded by desire, the song is a catchy confessional, with lines like “I'm sorry for what I said and didn't say” and “I'll write songs about my flaws/cause that's a way to self absolve.” The lo-fi grit of Dwyer’s anthem instantly tugs at the heartstrings, transforming even the most jaded listener into a hopeful romantic with each iteration of its fuzzed-out beats.

That sentiment is extended on "Chili". Twangy chords are quickly followed by Dwyer’s straightforward but evocative vocals, bringing to mind Built To Spill’s “Carry the Zero” and B-sides by indie darlings like The Babies. The track, although laidback, is unflinchingly sincere, the steady build of its instrumentation, urging its audience to actively listen and exist in the moment. The hissing snare and piano of “Poem 3 (Piano)” cast a similar spell, making each reprise of “but I don’t live alone” a testament to the millennial plight of finding solace in a shared space, while the EP’s title track and atmospheric closer serves as a suitably melodic mantra to calm the anxieties and emotional side effects of living.

Despite its brevity, the openness of Please Relax is astonishingly raw and brave. Listening to her songs will remind you that you’re not alone. - Dianca London