Blue Canopy is the newest project of Portland-based musician Alex Schiff. "656" is Blue Canopy’s first-ever release, and it is a single that will be appearing on the band’s forthcoming album Mild Anxiety dropping April 17. "656" is high-energy, its full-bodied sound inspiring motivation in all of us. However, a closer listen reveals a somberness lurking behind the track's spirited instrumentation; its lyrics describing “crippling anxiety” and the defeat of an ending relationship. New York City, a place where finding solitude in hardship is historically difficult and Schiff's former home is the backdrop of "656". In this sense, the tone of the song is not mismatched to its message, but rather, its most clever feature. "656" highlights a frustration that every New Yorker harbors at some point; that despite what you’re going through in your personal life, the city’s pace does not slow. Think of it like crying on the subway—it won’t stop a performer from dangling on the rails with their speaker on full blast.

Indie surf rock band The Vaughns grab our attention and make a declaration of love in their latest single “Shout.” The New Jersey-based band have created a sparkling track full of infectious, shimmering guitar lines and catchy choruses that don’t fail to put a smile on listeners’ faces. According to lead vocalist, Anna Lies, “'Shout' is this last-ditch effort of declaring love, and attempting to keep someone’s attention before moving on. Influenced by the best of 90’s slacker rock married with indie pop melodies, the song builds to a spectacular chorus that shouts, begs, and pleads for love. As if that wasn't enough, every note in the track’s bright guitar line seems to reverberate with sheer uncensored happiness—building comfortably to one of the most joyful guitar solos you will ever hear.

"Ghostride" is the 2nd single from Crumb's anticipated debut album, Jinx, which will be self-released by the band on June 14th. This latest song features a mesmerizing combination of apathy and heartbreak, encapsulating the band’s singular blend of psych-rock and jazz. Listeners are quickly lulled into a daze by a dreamy guitar loop, followed by a repetitive and hypnotic drumbeat. This sensation is immediately validated by Lila Ramani’s voice droning, “the slow beats rock me back to sleep, keep me on automatic.” Ramani’s vocals hover over the top of a swirling mix of keys, bass, synth, and drums that faithfully echo her shifting mood. The lyrics and the melody mimic each other throughout the song; Ramani’s voice remains bored and impassive as the song takes on the guise of a soothing lullaby. It then quickly slides into a straining and eager tone, as the music swells to reflect the anxiety of watching a love slip between your fingers and being unable to stop it. The true heartbreak of the song comes in the final lyric of the chorus, when Ramani laments, “People come and people go but I stay.” When the chorus comes around for the first time, Ramani is unable to fully deliver the line—making it all the more tragic when she finally gets the words out and leaves them to hang as the song slips away as hazily as it began.

A door opens to a new future after the loss of something once beloved on "Loss & Relax," one of two recently released tracks from Portland songwriter Katherine Paul of Black Belt Eagle Scout. A compelling account of the strength of community and the resilience of the human soul, "Loss & Relax" finds Paul seeking comfort in memories of moving water and the cyclical nature of life—"oh, the loss of you / brings me to / a place that I call home." Beginning with a buzzing melodic guitar riff and airy vocals, the song moves through its varying cadence with confidence. Eventually ruminating in the intensity of memory and nostalgia, "Loss & Relax" builds to a conclusion that is both rock & roll and reverie.

“Palm Trees,” the newest single from indie-folk rocker Photo Ops, is the musical equivalent of a road trip down the Southern California coast. It’s a fitting sound for Terry Price, the singer and multi-instrumentalist behind Photo Ops; “Palm Trees” was written after he and his wife moved from Nashville to Los Angeles. A sun-soaked rumination on wealth and loneliness, it’s the second single from Photo Ops since the release of his 2016 LP, Vacation, and it’s undeniably his most feel-good track. There’s an infectious sense of optimism at the core of the arrangement—the upbeat percussion, shimmery guitar, and reverberating piano compliment the smooth, light vocal, making it impossible not to at least sway along to the beat. The lyrics are just as bright: “Palm trees taste the sunlight down the street / Sailboats on the horizon, they don’t mean a thing.” Photo Ops sings about witnessing the unnecessary excesses of materialism while thinking about what really matters in life: the people in your life. “Palm Trees” is a catchy, atmospheric single filled with beautiful melodies, and it’s here just in time for summer.

“Noise” is the first single from Brooklyn-based Zsela’s as-of-yet unnamed debut EP, making the attention she has received from outlets like The New York Times and Vogue all the more impressive. Somewhere between Florence Welch, Moses Sumney and Kate Tempest, but still floating on a plane of her own, Zsela’s opening statement is a promising debut from a singular talent. Her captivating delivery keeps ears glued to her devastating lyrics, like passersby slowing down by a roadside accident, singing, “They’re packing up the pieces / Of a broken love affair / And making it look easy.” Producer Daniel Aged, whose live performance and session recording credits include John Legend, Beck and Blood Orange, is a master of subtlety, leaving Zsela room to explore the track’s space vocally. “Noise” opens with an arrangement of soulful piano chords more akin to the ambience of a poetry reading, emphasizing Zsela’s rhythmic delivery, before showing off a full orchestration of flourishing instrumentation as the song reaches its crescendo.

Vancouver based production duo Potatohead People continue to combine cosmic themes with spacey synth pads over a thumping, dance-inducing beat in their latest single “Iced Tea.” The duo teamed up with fellow Vancouver artists Radina Vee and giorgi to create a refreshing song that touches on heartbreak, past relationships, and the things that remind us of old flames. The track is full of funky and winding bass lines that brilliantly stand out against its persistent percussion and catchy vocal lines. Radina Vee and giorgi's smooth and sensual vocals entrance listeners as they describe being reminded of a past relationship and how they “can’t even drink iced tea” without thinking of their old love.