Half-Ukrainian musical jack-of-all-trades Pasha Pear drops a hallucinatory new dance single

Born to a Ukrainian mother and a Russian-Armenian father, Chicago-based musician Pasha Petrosyan grew up living in Moscow during the school year and Kyiv every summer, till his family moved to the suburbs of Chicago when he was 11. Since moving into the city in 2013, Petrosyan has become a jack-of-all-trades in its independent rock and pop scenes: his pursuits have included singing and playing guitar for scratchy postpunk band the Crustations and psychedelic art-pop outfit Flash Flash Comfort as well as drumming for shoegaze trio Not for You. Ever since he was a freshman in high school, when his English was still rough and he had to make connections through music, he’s been making solo electronic sounds, and for the past few years he’s been doing so under the name Pasha Pear. On Sunday, March 27, he released his first single in more than 20 months, “Clinging,” whose sound he says is “heavily inspired by 90s Eurodance tracks as well as industrial music, with the addition of guitar and bass to give it a more organic vibe.” The track perfectly melds dream pop with winsome, tuneful new wave, a la the Psychedelic Furs in their classic movie-soundtrack era.

^{“Clinging” is out on Bandcamp and will hit other streaming platforms on April 6.}

Gossip Wolf’s been champing at the bit anticipating Malci’s follow-up to his fantastic 2019 album, Papaya! Last Wednesday, the Chicago rapper-producer and Why? Footclan member dropped a mixtape by Black Seinfeld, his new duo with Why? affiliate Fluidi-G. On Season 1, the two rappers play well together, with Fluidi-G’s relaxed and satiny flow complementing Malci’s puckish, knotty one; the sample-based collage of their backing tracks is likewise a study in contrasts, flitting between calm and cacophonous. Season 1 also features appearances from two of Malci’s Why? brethren, Free Snacks rappers Joshua Virtue and Ruby Watson. Gossip Wolf hopes Black Seinfeld runs for at least six seasons and a movie!

^{Black Seinfeld’s Season 1 includes guest appearances by Joshua Virtue, Ruby Watson, and FiveDollarMinimum.}

Last month, the Reader declared Hallogallo Chicago’s “best zine documenting a teen indie-rock scene.” If you want to get a sense for that scene yourself (and pick up a copy of the zine), then you’re in luck: on Wednesday, April 6, Beat Kitchen hosts Hallogallo Fest. The all-ages event will showcase the collective (with performances by Lifeguard, Dwaal Troupe, and Post Office Winter) and celebrate a brand-new issue of Hallogallo. Tickets are $10, and the show starts at 7 PM.

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