Nick Acosta started publishing New Morality Zine in 2014 and launched a record label, also called New Morality Zine (NMZ), in 2018. Since then the label has attracted a cult following among fans of hardcore, alt-rock, and shoegaze. In 2022, NMZ partnered with Texas label Sunday Drive Records for a two-day joint showcase. Madison Woodward, who helps book Los Angeles punk fest Sound and Fury, reached out to Acosta to kick-start the showcase, which was held at Programme Skate & Sound in Fullerton, California, the weekend after that year’s iteration of Sound and Fury. Ever since then, Acosta has wanted to put together another NMZ concert, and luckily for us, the next one is in Chicago—specifically at Cobra Lounge on Thursday, July 18.
This came about because Empire Productions owner Shane Merrill wanted an NMZ showcase to be the official preshow for Empire’s annual two-day punk and metal festival, the Rumble. NMZ has more than 100 releases to date, so Acosta had a lot of bands to choose from—and he decided on a lineup that would strongly rep Chicago. “I know there are going to be so many people from out of town, and so many out-of-town bands,” he says. “I feel like sometimes the bands on the NMZ roster that are from here don’t get the limelight. So I was super excited to stack the bill with hometown heroes.”
Three of the five acts at the Rumble preshow are local and have put out new music within the past year or so. First on the roster are Porcupinewhose debut LP, the June release All Is Vaporgrafts screamo irascibility and metal heaviness onto fire-breathing hardcore. Headliners Si Dios Quiere have most recently dropped Summer Promo ’23a steely two-song single that yokes together beatdown hardcore breakdowns, metallic riffs, and concrete-cracking vocals. In the middle of the bill, sandwiched by California’s Jinx and Ontario’s Mile End, Chicago posthardcore unit Demo Division combine shoegaze guitar riffs, sinewy punk rhythms, and alt-rock melodies on the May EP Sunken Skin.
Acosta aligned his booking choices with the Rumble’s emphasis on hardcore, but hardcore is only one of the areas where NMZ excels. Shoegaze is enjoying a resurgence right now, just like hardcore, and the label’s expertise with both genres is serving it well. In February, NMZ released Under Soundthe debut album from Minneapolis shoegaze group Prize Horse, and last month Stereogum named it the 11th best album of the year so far.
Acosta has had to evolve the way he runs NMZ as it becomes more successful. “I walk a fine line of being like, ‘I want to stay super DIY,’ or ‘Do I need to level up a little bit to maintain a status?’” he says. “I find myself walking a tightrope act in the middle. So that’s what I’m trying to balance—like, still feeling, seeming, and looking DIY, but making sure I’m supporting and taking care of bands and conducting myself in a way that is leveled up.” Acosta has recently begun outsourcing publicity, and he’s in the process of transitioning NMZ’s physical inventory to the wholesale distribution operation of Massachusetts label Deathwish Inc.
From a curatorial standpoint, though, NMZ remains the kind of label it’s always been. “NMZ is by and large informative of my tastes,” Acosta says. “I’m sure you can find a through line of the bands and releases and be like, ‘Oh, Nick was really into this in 2019. Nick was really into this in 2022.’”
Recent releases from the three Chicago bands playing at NMZ’s Rumble preshow.
On Thursday, July 18Chicago rapper-singer Rich Jones headlines the California Clipper to celebrate Sour Dubhis charming, playful full-length collaboration with Nebraska producer Sinai. Jones has assembled a hell of a lineup for his party. Sketch185Denmark Vessey, the O’My’sand Manasseh with Semi-Cycle open; Frances Farlee spins. Tickets are $10, and doors open at 7 PM.
Rich Jones’s collaborative album with producer Sinai, aka rapper Sleep Sinatra
The fourth annual From the ’Go Fest is nearly upon us. “When we started, we had no idea that it was going to turn into what it is now,” says festival cofounder Zuri Yearwood. During her junior year of high school, she and her best friend, Xiah Bryant, “wanted to create a space where our peers could enjoy our art, celebrate our art, connect with each other, and promote unity amongst the creative community.” At the time, they were participating in youth programming run by south-side media nonprofit True Star, so they brought their idea for a new music festival to True Star founders Na-Tae’ Thompson and DeAnna McLeary-Sherman.
“When they came to us with the idea, we were totally shook and afraid, to be honest,” Thompson says, laughing. “In true alignment with our mission, we listened to the young people and said, ‘OK, let’s figure it out.’” So far, they’ve been able to figure it out four years in a row, with a growing bill each time. For the 2024 version, True Star tried something new: it held open mikes throughout the year and chose a few outstanding participants to hit the festival stage.
Thompson says she understands the challenges that south-side festivals face as they scale up—in the past couple years, the Silver Room Block Party and Hyde Park Summer Fest have both called it quits due to rising costs. She feels blessed that From the ’Go Fest continues to succeed, and she’s happy that it’s been a safe haven for young Chicago creatives to showcase their art in their own communities. What makes From the ’Go Fest so special, she says, is that “it’s for young people, by young people.” This year’s From the ’Go Fest will be held on the campus of the DuSable Black History Museum on Saturday, July 27. Vic Mensa headlines, and the bill also includes a wide array of local artists and DJs, among them 16-year-old viral sensation Star Bandz. Tickets are free, and to make sure you can get in, you should sign up for yours online.
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