When an artist sounds like where you come from, it can be an immediate, visceral kind of connection, and such is the connection I’ve found with Ali Holder’s track, “Reborn.” The pillowy organ, slow rhythm guitar, and ever-so-slight drawl on this track had already transported my heart to my hometown of Austin, TX before my mind had time to recognize the nostalgia. Growing up in Austin, I always assumed that no matter where you went in the world, you’d find singer-songwriters on every street and in every restaurant, every day of the week. I thought it was a basic part of shared human experience, like fending off grackles or getting unlimited free refills of unsweet iced tea. And from the ubiquitous, strumming masses of my youth, I have come to recognize there is absolutely an “Austin sound.” To me, it's a sound that I will never be able to shake as long as I live; to many, it’s inextricably linked to the strong, warm breezes of July evenings; and if you want to know what it can mean to you, well—I’d start here with Ali Holder.

Adam Melchor puts his guitar to the side for his newest single “30 Minutes.” Instead, he opts for a gentle piano-centric offering that lives somewhere between melancholy and hope. Melchor’s voice climbs and falls with the turn of each phrase as he tells a story through short insights into a relationship, just enough to create a world where the listener can fill in the blanks, “every time you eat alone you say that you think of me / cause I used to say that’s what I like.” He turns what could be a sad song into something with at least a seed of hope—singing, “I just need a person who will hear just how I’m hurting / when something not so pleasant hits the fan.” “30 Minutes” is off of Adam Melchor’s newest EP Summer Camp out February 28.

Stripped back and sweet, “Man of Weakness (Acoustic)” is a gorgeous and raw rendition of the original. First released with a full arrangement as part of Your Smith’s 2019 EP Wild Wild Woman, this track carries its own with nothing but guitar, soft keys, lovely vocal harmonies, and raw emotion. Like a cool breeze on a warm summer day, the arrangement is light and pleasing, and this is due in large part to Caroline Smith’s clear, dynamic vocal, which is vaguely reminiscent of Sheryl Crow, and acts as the song’s most powerful instrument. In the lyrics, Smith paints an evocative picture of endings and all the emotional baggage one has to carry as a result: “I can't believe this, I can't deny it, I thought I'd beat this / And now I'm laughing 'cause I was acting / Like I ever stood a chance to win this time.” Through the relatable lyrics and a brighter melody, Smith reminds us that heartbreak is temporary, but good music will always be there.  Introspective and soft, “Man of Weakness (Acoustic)” is a hopeful tune for gentler days.

New York-based Modern Diet’s new track “Post Grad” astutely captures the disillusionment of growing older. Its subject feels detached from the passage of time, comparing himself to Sisyphus, a Greek mythical figure doomed to push a boulder up a hill for eternity. However, the song itself refuses to remain stagnant; while it begins melodic and airy, its lightheartedness is eventually disrupted by a biting guitar riff that incites the start of the track's decomposition. From this point, the energy builds steadily, at times returning to its initial softness only to reject it again, until it approaches a cheerful and choral end that feels like a final liberation. However, the listener soon finds that the narrative of “Post Grad” is circular, and that despite the battling sounds that seemed to have met their end, its narrator has not actually broken free. Rather, his farewell suggests that he has resolved to push his boulder into oblivion: “I have to go have to go, I have a boulder to push.”

Fresh off their debut EP, Satya delivers “Soil,” a tune that feels cozy, intimate, and jazzy. Feelings created by the track's bare-bones production. Verses with just guitar and Satya’s elegant vocals offer more room for those vocals to impress—something they have no trouble doing. These tiny flourishes in tone and texture could get lost in a more produced song but here you can feel every single thing. The additional layers of vocals in the chorus hug the track without obfuscating its simple beauty. As “Soil” waltzes on, the bridge finds Satya trading lines with a trumpet, both filled with so much heart. Again, the space the song leaves for these two to shine gives it such a human element. And to say nothing of the 19-year-old’s songwriting would be a shame. Satya shares powerful and emotional messages with blunt clarity across the entire EP—"Soil" acting as a lighter, encouraging song, stepping through the confusion and darkness of life into a brighter future. It’s all just so beautiful. The Oakland artist has created something special with their EP Flourish Against Fracture, which dropped at the end of January 2020.

New York-based indie-pop duo, Overcoats’ “Fire & Fury” is an anthem of perseverance. It starts small with a focus on Hana Elion and JJ Mitchel’s signature harmonies that blend so perfectly at times their voices feel like one. It builds slowly into the chorus when their voices are joined by a simple yet full synthesizer arrangement punctuated by precise guitar riffs and piano fills. It’s a song meant for a triumphant movie-montage tinged with nostalgia as they sing, “I’ve been fighting but you’re still at the party / is this the part where you don’t even know me at all.” The dynamic track never sits within one sonic space for too long, it rises and falls from verse to chorus—reaching its peak within the bridge as they repeat, “we’ll get through it” like a prayer. “Fire & Fury” is the title track on Overcoats’ newest EP out earlier this month.

There’s a difference between moving on and moving forward. The reality is that memories stay with you, but after a while, they tend to mix in with new moments and take on new shapes. Was what happened in the past really as it seems or, as Marian Hillappropriately titles their new single, “was it not”? The fiery, dark-pop duo, who have championed their brand of sparse, heavy-hitting production and indulgent songwriting continue to do what they do best on this new track. Complete with Samantha Gongol’s sultry, emotive vocal and Jeremy Lloyd’s minimalistic production, this song takes just the right amount of space to reflect upon a past relationship with its moodiness. It’s also completely club-ready with Lloyd’s signature 808-inspired beats and vocal chops that keep a hypnotic groove while Gongol’s vocal is spotlighted for its lush sensuality. In a press release, Lloyd explains the feeling of limbo that the song highlights, “[This song] is about considering a relationship from long ago—remembering how we were so in love, and that person was everything to us, only now when we think about that one time...was that moment them?” Or was it not?

“Womxn” is a song for every womxn. This fresh release from British singer-songwriter Låpsley tells a coming-of-age story meant to give hope to those experiencing doubt or going through a time of transition and change. She has gone on to say that the choice to use the womxn spelling was to be inclusive of the LGBTQ+ community which she is a part of. Being in your 20s is a weird and often frightening time and this song was written at a period of just that for Låpsley. She released the track alongside a statement that it was written about “having trust in the passage of time.” Through quite a personal narrative Låpsley is able to capture messages of strength and self-belief that can be shared and understood by a great range of audiences. "Womxn" is the first single from her upcoming album Through Water which is set to be released on March 20, 2020.

Following the announcement of their collaborative album, respected artists/instrumentalists Tom Misch and Yussef Dayes have released their first single in anticipation of their LP. “What Kinda Music” is actually a perfect title for the track, which explores the type of sounds that these two will be putting out in their album. With Misch’s smooth vocals and production style and Dayes’ drumming mastery and experimental touch, the combination is inevitably hypnotic and sleek. The execution feels jazzy and modern, with an electronic heavy influence and flicks of addictive drum beats that could play on repeat, deep into the night. Misch’s voice creates a sweet, breezy environment and perfect backdrop for Dayes’ creative flow to live in. It’s a perfect synergy of experimental and well-executed hooks. You can look forward to more of this on their LP, which has features from Freddie Gibbs and Kaida Akinnibi, set to release on April 24 via Blue Note Records.

Pluck an acoustic guitar. Gentle. A little funkier. Good, loop it. Keep going. Start clapping. Throw in a whistle—like an actual referee’s whistle. Hit record. Dan & Drum are all over the place in the most fascinating way. They’re spending the first half of 2020 releasing an EP every month, each showcasing a different genre from their eclectic palette—genres like Suffer Funk and Bubble Rap, to name a few. The first single “Curious George” is what they call, aptly, a Wonder Jam. Built on top of one continuous loop, it still refuses to sound the same twice, expanding and contracting with wide eyes and an open mind. Try to spot the different sound effects as they pop up or try to locate every vocal backing track, like an audio version of I, Spy. Dan Schechter, the Dan half of Dan & Drum, takes the manic energy of a seasoned freestyler spitting five fingers of death and bottles it up, pockets it and doles it out in measured proportions. He sits pleasantly on the very fine line between a thoughtful crooner and an auctioneer selling street corner newspapers on the radio like the side effects will make your eyes fall straight out of your skull. “The customer’s always right,” he sings knowingly, but he can sell anything.