Missouri standouts Beth Bombara, January Lanterns, more offer new singles

Missouri musicians keep springing forward.

Three Columbia acts — and a St. Louis artist who has made Columbia one of her many homes away from home — recently released new singles; each track distills what has already drawn the artist ears, while showing off their continued momentum.

Check out these tracks and steep in the sound of our state.

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Black Bear Boxer, "The Paper Rebellion"

From the big heart — and well-tuned ears — of bandleader Derrick Cowan, Black Bear Boxer's latest glides, shimmies, buzzes and does and all the things a three-minute indie-rock single is supposed to be.

Close your eyes and you can imagine the song landing for listeners at a varied moments: as the base layer of an MTV Buzz Bin clip somewhere in the '90s; as a sunset jam floating over a fest like Glastonbury in the early 2000s; or as a Midwest anthem in spring 2023. All possibilities, all without the track ever feeling too much of one time and place.

Drawing strength from Many Colored Death drummer Shea Spence, "The Paper Rebellion" is always moving forward. Cowan's voice sounds like a beacon, calling listeners toward whatever light remains. Degrees of dynamic shift and the push-pull between catchy guitar tones and more pinpoint synths allows the song to enfold a number of colors and timbres without ever sounding like it's trying too hard.

Beth Bombara, "Lonely Walls"

Draw the circle as small or wide as you wish — St. Louis, the Midwest, these United States of America — Bombara is one of our most consistent songwriters. Ahead of a summer album release, she offers a lead single that is more quietly magnetic than immediate; and "Lonely Walls" works so well in its mission to heighten curiosity for what's next.

Opening on a guitar figure more gilded than the song's awakening mood, Bombara plays proxy for listeners who have felt the distance of the past few years. "I'm not asking for anything crazy / I just want to be with the one that I love," she sings in a voice like a jukebox full of country and soul records, finding each unique melodic bend.

An eventual guitar solo recalls Wilco's Nels Cline, more suggestive than saturating. Like much of Bombara's best work, "Lonely Walls" offers a few surprising zags, but feels right in place, right on time.

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Hang Your Hate, "Hang Your Hate" and "Brand New Nightmare"

Local heavy music outfit Hang Your Hate lands a staggering 1-2 punch with their new songs; creating both chordal storm clouds and moments of true nuance, these cuts illustrate the quintet's seemingly boundless rock competencies.

Somewhere between a buzzsaw and a war drum, guitars from Ryan Sapp and Luke Anderson break the door down on what, by title and default, is the band's signature song. In less than 2 minutes, the duo teams with bassist Dylan Riggs and drummer Brent Williams to create a volatile repeating rhythm, tailor-made for Garrett Curry's voice; Curry both delivers a guttural scream and sounds out a baritone lament.

"Brand New Nightmare" opens on even darker yet more melodic arpeggios and power-ballad vocals evoking early-aughts rockers like Staind and Deftones. The song vacillates toward, then grows fully into, more grinding gears, eventually picking up the speed of a punk-metal hybrid. So much of what makes the band intriguing fits into these four minutes, 42 seconds.

The January Lanterns, "Holding on for Dear Life"

Following their gorgeous debut LP "For the Kids, When They're Older," married duo Andrew and Kristen Camp expand their indie-folk sound by degrees on this single colored with shades of the evening sky. The ode to survival folds in a number of moving parts, each expressing a facet of the song's emotional through line.

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With a hand from veteran drummer JT Bates (Taylor Swift, Bonny Light Horseman), and united by the Camps' ever-intimate vocals, "Holding on for Dear Life" nimbly travels through delicate fields of sound, thoughtful turnarounds, swelling noise and crackling electric guitar. The song exists both as an affirmation of where The January Lanterns have been and an exhilarating promise about where they might go still.

Find each of these tracks through the artists' websites or wherever you stream live music.

Aarik Danielsen is the features and culture editor for the Tribune. Contact him at adanielsen@columbiatribune.com or by calling 573-815-1731.

This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: New music from Black Bear Boxer, Beth Bombara, January Lanterns, Hang Your Hate