10 top Milwaukee albums and songs for February 2024, from Myaap, Trapper Schoepp and more

You'll see a couple of albums from our recent list of essential Milwaukee rappers in this month's roundup of the best new Milwaukee music — plus releases from Milwaukee natives who are teaming up for a homecoming release show Feb. 3.

These are our 10 favorite new albums, EPs and songs from Milwaukee artists to check out this February, listed in alphabetical order.

'Bambi,' Trapper Schoepp

In the wake of the Milwaukee Rep's world premiere musical "Run Bambi Run" about Lawrencia Bembenek — with music written by Violent Femmes' Gordon Gano — Trapper Schoepp was inspired to pen music chronicling the bizarre case, with a dusty, fiddle-and-mandolin-sprinkled Americana arrangement fit for its pulp novel-like circumstances (or an episode of "Fargo").

'Big Myaap, Not the Lil One,' Myaap

Myaap has become a chief ambassador for Milwaukee's lowend sound, displaying its crossover potential with an ABBA-sampling single that had celebs dancing along on TikTok before it got pulled from streaming services. She's still having a blast with the sound on her new EP — "Smackin" slaps hard — but she also plays with new tempos, bringing loads of chemistry minus any processed polish, atop tracks like "Sha'Carri" with a "Humble"-like beat.

'Every New Beginning Comes From Some Other Beginning's End,' The Hatchets

Justin Otto is obsessed with contradictions, as the title of the Hatchets' sophomore album suggests. "I could be her jester/I could be her prince," he ponders on "Window." "Sometimes I wear a crooked smile, other times it wears me," he sings on "Bad Way." "You're feeling surrounded, and you're feeling alone," he suggests on "Cool Kids." Sentiments like these create a tantalizing tension, enhancing the absorbing indie pop-rock arrangements. (Spoon and Death Cab for Cutie come to mind.) And when Otto settles on a metaphor, it's a knockout — like his realization that the horses he emulates on "Carousel" aren't actually running, but merely stuck with "frozen expressions."

'Here Comes the Panic,' Something To Do

Something To Do kicks off its latest album with a song called "Sweet Caffeination!", but the band's rousing ska sound is more rejuvenating than any mere cup of caramel macchiato. The feel-good love tune "Sports Montage" and the humorous ode to human irritation ("No I Don't Want to Hear About Your Tattoo") are par for the course for the tongue-in-cheek ensemble, but there's a surprise at the end via "Legal Abortion," a blistering call to arms for women's rights.

'In the Pocket,' Social Cig

Bittersweet nostalgia seeps into the five songs on Parker Schultz's latest Social Cig release, like the way he reminisces about simpler times watching "Star Wars" movies with a loved one on the sweet, shuffling "Pizza." But there's a sense of future nostalgia, too, like on the rollicking, wide-eyed "Wonderin'," when Schultz is caught "surfing on a moment" and seems to realize this present moment will slip into a distant memory in due time.

'It's Final,' Sin Bad

The punk band broke up in 2019, but it turns out it wasn't the end. Before disbanding, the trio recorded four songs recently unearthed for a final, appropriately titled EP, giving Sin Bad an opportunity to end things on top. Well, almost end things. In honor of the release, the trio is reuniting for one last show at the Cactus Club Feb. 6.

'Mindstate of Luxury,' AyooLii

In a Journal Sentinel interview, the Milwaukee rapper proudly described his style as amateurish, and the raw, anything-is-possible nature of his lowend sound is a lot of fun. But like his sometimes-collaborator Certified Trapper, AyooLii's output has been so staggering that some refinement, apparent on his latest tape, was inevitable — although the more thoughtful melodies haven't snuffed out AyooLii's chaotic charm.

'My Children Are Going to Hell,' 9 A.M.

A word of warning: The latest album from Phatanoune Doungvilay, aka PD, can be upsetting, especially the soft-spoken, lyrically disturbing "I Hope There Isn't an Afterlife," the unsettling final track "Everything Is Better When You Die," and "Decaying Old Manners," inspired by a mass shooting. The pain is palpable, its release through song cathartic, and the artistry — from the Cure-like "Will This Save My Life" to the lush, symphony-seasoned "A Love Letter to Revenge" — is inspired.

'Try Not to Laugh,' Graham Hunt

Graham Hunt consistently was one of Milwaukee's most reliable songwriters when it came to sweet and sticky pop hooks, as frontman for Midnight Reruns. That band's behind him, and Madison is his latest home, but Hunt's songwriting has expanded further on his latest and best solo album. Each song grabs you with infectious and unexpected synth textures, coupled with singalong choruses as emotionally ripe as they are irresistible. Hunt is heading back to Milwaukee for a release show at the Cactus Club Feb. 3.

'You Got Nowhere to Go But You're Going There Tonight,' Rustbelt

John Chiaverina may have brought his hip-hop act Juiceboxxx to an end, but through the more rock-leaning, guitar-and-synth-driven Rustbelt, he's still specializing in his distinct style of grimy, bleary-eyed ennui. He'll also be at that Feb. 3 show with Graham Hunt, to celebrate the release of his own four-song EP, and everyone will get to leave the show with a free Rustbelt cup.

"Must-Hear Milwaukee Music" runs on or around the first of every month in the Journal Sentinel and at jsonline.com. If you have a new album, EP or song coming out, contact Piet Levy at plevy@journalsentinel.com for review consideration. Follow him on X at @pietlevy or Facebook at facebook.com/PietLevyMJS.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: 10 top Milwaukee albums and songs for February