Sudanese and Scottish singer/songwriter Eliza Shaddad is building a catalogue of intricate, intelligent rock songs. Her latest single "The Man I Admire" finds her in a dream, standing in a burning home, waiting for this man to "save her from the smoke, but he takes off his shirt instead." The sincere intersection of desiring protection and mutual affirmation from a man, all the while understanding your own legitimacy and ability to protect yourself, is a subject rarely broached in feminine songwriting. Eliza executes this masterfully here. This song is an empathetic peek into the heart of a woman standing in front of a man and asking him to adore her with no caveats. It's true vulnerability, and the lyrics of the first two verses—feeling scared of the dark and being alone in a burning room—illustrate this beautifully. The theme is so succinct and yet totally complete. That's what makes Eliza's poetry so excellent. 

Shaddad's first LP, Future, was released in 2018. "The Man I Admire" is one of four singles released this year ahead of her second album The Woman You Want. Pre-order The Woman You Want here, and look out for the UK-based singer on tour this summer. Photo by Flore Diamant.

37d03d, the fledgling Bon Iver-associated label, has put together an eclectic and exciting roster in their short time as an entity, with previous releases spanning everything from art house rap to a self-proclaimed folk supergroup. Their latest release comes courtesy of multi-instrumentalist, producer and arranger CARM, and his self-titled debut album is a meticulously constructed musical soundscape. Album opener “Song of Trouble” is assisted by Sufjan Stevens, and his typically profound and plaintive lyrics are a welcome accompaniment to the deliberately subdued instrumentation that backs him. The icy synths and horns that serve as the track’s foundation are a testament to CARM’s unique approach as a producer, and the triumphant swelling of strings and horns that complement Sufjan's trademark croon towards the end lends a meditative, almost religious quality to the song—and like any good prayer, I have been returning to this track on a daily basis. Photo by Shervin Lainez.

The creative mind behind BOYO, Robert Tilden (they/them), has yet again fashioned tracks that balance uplifting beats and grounding lyrics in their second LP of 2020, Alone Together in Los Angeles. This record further illustrates their sonic development and growth as an artist. Emotionally, this record comes with a much desired brighter feel, a contrast felt to the anxiety, albeit beautiful, that was so prevalent in their first LP of 2020, Where Have All My Friends Gone? which pulled so much from their experience of dealing with the uncertainties of facing a 2017 medical scare.

For Alone Together in Los Angeles, that anxiety seems to have slipped away while still keeping the lyrics that question and comment on the nostalgia and realities of life. In "Analyze This" specifically, a light but stirring chord adds an extra layer of playfulness to the bit of comedic commentary that the lyrics themselves give. Tilden’s interest in social anxieties is felt as they sing on our day-to-day interactions and the way one might look back on moments and scrutinize the minute details – something we all found ourselves doing while stuck in quarantine. “You could laugh, choose to laugh / Analyze this, analyze that,” a reminder that it can all be a joke and a memory unless you let it keep nagging you in the back of your mind until you go mad. 

Tilden has even said they drew from Stephen Malkmus for this song, and it’s an influence that’s easily heard in the pairing of the socially observational lyrics paired with the upbeat and catchy chords reminiscent of Malkmus’ "Juliefuckingette" or "Ballad of a Thin Man." Photo by Tanner Lemoine.

Some people find joy in the electric buzz of city lights at night, pleasant company and the serendipity of figuring out what happens as you go. Others prefer to ride that midnight roller coaster more on special occasions than every weekend. Oftentimes, though, those two people are friends. Or lovers. Or significant others. French Cassettes' "City Kitty" is a slick groove that stands at the precipice of both, weighing the glamorous tug of the nightlife against the equally strong desire to curl up with someone you love on a couch for a nice night in. The track opens with washy guitars and an enigmatic vocal line that’s hard to distinguish under reverb and a fuzzy telephone vocal effect. Soon the bass comes in like a siren coaxing your body into moving with a will almost its own. The lyrics, meanwhile, beg the listener to consider spending a night at home. But how could you, when there is dancing to do and music to groove to? So what if you end the night feeling a little bit too old for this, trading every sunrise for a few hours of sleep? But sung to the right tune, staying in sounds tempting and pleasurable in its own way. After all, you can dance without inhibitions in your living room just as easily as any bar out there—or at least, you can with "City Kitty" on the radio. Photo by Nikki Neumann.

Beloved Brooklyn-based pop-duo Great Good Fine Ok and folk-pop soloist Yoke Lore have collaborated to create an enchanting recognition of the trials which come with the risk of love and trusting someone outside of yourself. Gliding in with a few incandescing synth notes and the atmospheric voice of Great Good Fine Ok vocalist Jon Sandler, what is a melancholy concept becomes that of a balmy and gleaming, yearning of hope. Yoke Lore’s signature, diaphanous banjo plucking dresses this track with a refreshing, subtle folk sound. The honest lyrics of “You Don’t Look at Me the Same” paint a picture of a relationship wherein the love has grown tired and is teetering on the line of moving on or putting in the work to sustain unity, and leaning into the latter. Photo by Shervin Lainez.

Whimsical and sprinkled with cosmic dust, Su Lee's "Wide Awake" is what dreams are made of. Soft keys and even smoother vocals guide you through the verses about longing and trying to reach out for someone who feels the same. It's maybe the universal feeling of being alone together, of "smiling but crying" or the thought that we're all under the same stars, wishing to touch them at the same time. South Korean singer-songwriter Su Lee might be new to our radars but she isn't new to writing about overpowering feelings that connect to people beyond physical distance. Her music is meant to make you feel or to give a voice to all the things you already feel. The artist's first project to hit the outside world like a storm was the music video for the single "I'll Just Dance," which perfectly encapsulated the feelings of millions of people stuck at home, slowly losing their minds. In a way, her new single "Wide Awake" approaches the isolation again but rather than being inside of her own head for too long, the music decides to reach out and reconnect with every other insomniac human out there. Photo by Su Lee.

The latest track from Brooklyn-based musician Soft Glas (Joao Gonzalez) sets you adrift in a sonic sea of spaced-out guitars, skittering drums and layered production. From the start, “Cyclones” commits to a buoyant dream pop vibe—the extensive reverb washes and waves throughout while stacks of vocals constantly interweave with one another. The result: a track with a light, floating atmosphere propelled forward by Gonzalez’s crisp drum work. Throughout the haze of the song, Gonzalez grasps for something solid. The chorus, “Holding on feels right / I don’t want to waste more time,” suggests a desire to stop delaying and to latch on to what is important. It’s a resonant sentiment at a moment when days seem to slip into one another. Photo by Jillian Gomez.

Misty Mtn goes deeper and darker as they pull away from the city in their newest single, “These Lights.” After spending the last few years going from Brooklyn to LA, the indie pop duo has returned to the Pacific Northwest. They dive into the melancholy and brooding of the holiday season with change and turmoil seeping into every moment. The song was inspired by the feeling of seeing your home once it’s no longer yours, “these lights, these lights / got me so depressed / cause this ain’t my house / and I had to trespass.” Misty Mtn stays true to their ability to make sad songs that still have an uplifting quality to them. Sometimes they achieve this through the message, but with “These Lights,” the production brings a warmth to the cold subject as it twinkles in the verses and soars when it hits the chorus. It’s not self-indulgent in its melancholy, counteracting the sad visual of the loss of a childhood home with the inferred joy of the holiday as they repeat “Merry Christmas” over soft angelic vocals at the close. Photo by Kelsey Talton.

Losses of any sort can make happy homes seemingly crumble into empty sanctuaries. The homes, although boisterous with life and new beginnings, become a catalyst for the occupants’ aching nostalgia over the person or thing they’re now devoid of. With every sorrow-driven piano key and powerfully executed vibrato, Jovan Perez explores the boundless aches of lamentation in his latest release “feel again.” Guided by a melancholic piano that sends shivers down the spine, the track takes listeners through the painful ups and downs of reminiscing on a past connection. There’s a story-like structure to the song that aids in the evocation of fervent emotion portrayed by Perez both lyrically and vocally that is unique to the young artist’s sound. The 20-year-old carries with him a revivifying soulfulness that is youthful in delivery, yet timeless in essence. Despite the track portraying the heart-wrenching perspective of an individual trapped within their own nostalgia, Perez has share that he wants listeners to “let this song serve as a reminder that these feelings are normal, and to try to find happiness and purpose in the present you’ve been gifted with.”

“Feel again” is Perez's third officially released track, and his second this year. The New York-based singer, songwriter and producer has already garnished the attention of fans via his covers on YouTube and is continuing to build his own empire within the music industry.