Indigo De Souza - Kill Me
Indigo De Souza’s mission to find joy and light while dealing with the hardships of being a human continues as she gears up to release her upcoming sophomore album Any Shape You Take. After two three-track EPs and a single called “Nomoah” in 2018, the Asheville artist then put forward her self-released first full-length I Love My Mom in that same year, on which she examined her loneliness and confronted mental health struggles and the various forms that love can take. Those ideas bleed into her new music as well, but in this new effort, De Souza takes them on with a more collective tone. Of the upcoming release, “Hold U” is an invitation into a warm community that celebrates and embraces everything that a person can be, while in “Real Pain,” she shares the anxieties that form while trying to find genuine connections and the compassion you need to hold for yourself.
Her explosive first single “Kill Me,” though, is a clear example of her humorous, smart lyricism and continuous energy. It’s filled with charming self-deprecation, emotional leftovers from an all-consuming relationship and a search for relief. Her clear, fearless voice hits steadily as she cheerfully sings about an unhealthy attachment: “Baby, darling, devil, I love you / I love you, I love you / Kill me in the morning.” For her, death is a positive escape compared to the exhausting state she barely manages to exist in. The admissions only become bolder and firmer as she charges on: “No one asked me to feel this fucked up/ But here I am, fucked up.” As the music video mirrors, De Souza seems to be happy in acknowledging that darker truth. Her open-book perspective and endearing candidness shine through vividly and are nothing but welcomed. Any Shape You Take comes out this Friday, August 27 via Saddle Creek Records. Photo by Charlie Boss.
— Meredith Vance on August 25, 2021Thomas LaVine - Open Sea
The last thing he wanted to do was leave her, but the water cried for him in all of its stupid thundering pale blue. He was comfortable; his bare ass in the sand, her bare ass in the sand, their hands interlocked. Her tears were saltier than the sea’s. She wasn’t much of a swimmer, but the boy practically grew up with gills for skin. He drove her crazy, and she drove him home. But their car was as foreign a mode of transportation to them as a watery wooly mammoth or a Bowhead whale. They were young—young as they would ever be, and they were white—white as porcelain or milk. The sun shone hard on the nude beach. He cupped her miniature face in his large palms and, thirsting, slurped up her tears, his moppy black hair tickled her forehead. She wasn’t scared anymore. They weren’t going home. They were going into the open sea, she knew now, she could tell by the lighthouses in his eyes. He stood first, naked as he was on the day he was born—a day she would come to celebrate—and took off running, splashing, shouting, sensing, sending. She laughed, and she followed.
Thomas LaVine lifts listeners into the sentimental Wedding Crashers scene when Owen Wilson and Rachel McAdams have a heart-to-heart on the beach. That’s how good of a job the indie-folk artist from North Carolina carries out on “Open Sea,” a song that reads like a moment, dedicated to lovely decisions and the best of both worlds.
— Mustafa Abubaker on August 3, 2021Clairo - Reaper
There are moments in Sling, Clairo's newly released sophomore LP, that feel so eloquent and personal, I have to remind myself that I haven't accidentally accessed someone's private voice memos. "Reaper" is one of these transcendent, mature and especially affecting moments on the record. A love letter to her mother (and the prospect of motherhood in and of itself), "Reaper" was the first track Claire Cottrill penned for the album. I'll refrain from over-explaining that this album is musically distinct from its predecessor Immunity—I'll let you have the pleasure of delving into it yourself. But it's worth mentioning, for this song in particular, that Clairo is emerging as an excellent folk writer. She's clearly drawing inspiration from some of the best Americana acts of the last century, emulating everyone from Joni Mitchell or Crosby, Stills and Nash to Fleet Foxes. But don't misunderstand: Cottrill is hardly a copycat. She's carving out a sound and a voice that is entirely her own.
I, like a lot of young people during the pandemic, had the opportunity to be home with my parents for a while. Reacquainting myself with them as an adult was inspiring and hard, and most frequently filled me with a sense of hope. It is this broken hope, a hope that comes from deep, empathetic understanding, that Cottrill communicates so effectively in "Reaper." This is why it resonates so deeply with listeners. This shattered but aspirational reaching toward life reverberates through the entire record and is punctuated in the frail, little pockets of her expertly sewn lyricism. "I'm born to be somebody, then somebody comes from me / I'll tell you about the Rabbit Moon and when to keep walking" are some of my favorite lines from this track, and are all the more permeating through Cottrill's signature soft vocals.
Clairo's ability to empathize so specifically with the speakers of her songs makes her one of the wisest and most interesting young performers right now. Sling was well worth the wait. It's a clear reflection of the hard work and thoughtfulness of an expert writer honing her craft. Photo by Adrian Nieto.
— Hannah Lupas on July 29, 2021Nathan Bajar - Big Body
Summer 2021 is ripe for nostalgic indulgence as the vaccinated emerge, unblinking into the sun after more than a year of darkness. Enter interdisciplinary artist Nathan Bajar, whose Bandcamp profile description reads humbly, “i take pictures & make music :~)”—an oversimplification of his accomplishments in both fields. The emoticon at the end is just one of the many analog touches that frame Bajar’s overarching aesthetic. A quick glance at his past album artwork, all awash in wistful pastels, reveals faded family photo collages and handwritten titles scrawled across college-ruled paper. It seems the entirety of Bajar’s work is an ode to his family life and upbringing, and his latest release, “Big Body,” is no exception. While the track’s inviting lo-fi quality, soulful vocals and summery bassline will pull you in immediately, the lyrics reveal Bajar’s fondness for his old “beater.” As portrayed in the accompanying (and equally nostalgic) music video, the beater in question is none other than his beloved Yukon XL, a “beautiful wreck of gray” whose “days have been better,” especially now, with memories of “twenty in a ten-seater” more than a year behind her. Bajar chooses to indulge in nostalgia’s warm glow by taking the old girl out for “one more joy ride.” Take a cue from him and let “Big Body” and its dizzying background harmonies, swimmy guitar and retro beats be the soundtrack to your summertime indulgence of choice. Photo by Kirsten David.
— Karyna Micaela on July 29, 2021Runnner - Monochrome
The project of LA-based multi-instrumentalist and singer/songwriter Noah Weinman, Runnner has been steadily growing a fanbase since the release of their first single in 2019. Now, two years and a global pandemic later, they are releasing their anticipated debut album Always Repeating with Run for Cover Records. The opening track “Monochrome” has all the hallmarks of the magical sound of Runnner: raw and clever songwriting, heart-tightening vocals and dynamic acoustic instrumentation. The soft picked banjo and acoustic guitar create a perfect synthesis for Weinman’s emotive vocals and lyrics to flow through, while the tight drums accentuate the changing movements of the song. A meditation on a past relationship, the lyrics follow through a tapestry of memories, in black and white like an old film. As Weinman reaches the end of his memories, he reminds us that they are often warped by our emotions and nostalgia as he sings, “I’ve been trying to draw you with my eyes closed, you’re not gonna like how it turned out.” Photo by Silken Weinberg.
— Sofia Soriano on July 29, 2021Half Waif - Fortress
Singer and producer Nandi Rose has been releasing music under Half Waif since 2014. Her latest album Mythopoetics takes a mythological view of events from her life and her family, like a potpourri of stories passed down through generations. The fourth track “Fortress” centers around the anxiety of a loved one leaving, however inevitable it may seem. Produced alongside Zubin Hensler, the song is a luxuriantly layered gem of synth-pop. Rose’s siren-like vocals sit atop the garden oasis of synthesizers, ethereal and honeyed. The song’s bridge is a grand explosion, like fireworks of sound as the chorus repeats like a plea for life. As the last flare of the instrumental fades out, Rose’s vocals are left with the sound of an acoustic piano and swelling pads as she sings two simple phrases that manage to evoke so much: “I guess this is all for you / My bet is, it's all for you.” Photo by Ali Kate Cherkis.
— Sofia Soriano on July 28, 2021Frank Mighty's Hotline - Rakefire
Hailing from Toronto, Canada, Frank Mighty’s Hotline makes neo-psychedelic earworms. With a choppy lo-fi piano intro making way to a 2-beat pattern grove and falsetto vocals, “Rakefire” is quick to grab your attention. An Old English insult, a rakefire is defined as a person who overstays their welcome, something this song will never do. Frank Mighty’s Hotline’s soulful voice pairs beautifully with the verse’s minimal melancholic instrumentation, while acoustic instruments usher in the song’s triumphant chorus. The song’s lyrics deal with the fear of not wanting to become a rakefire, like the people you’ve distanced yourself from. “I like the stuff you do just to stay relevant” sums up the song’s look at those who are unable to let go of the spotlight in today’s media and popular culture landscape. While the chorus, “I don’t want another rakefire in the house that I built with my own two hands,” is a self-reflective look at the rakefire in ourselves. Photo by Jenn Stevens.
— Sofia Soriano on July 28, 2021Crumbsnatchers - One Call
From the Knoxville, Tennessee quartet Crumbsnatchers, “One Call” is a sun-drenched, high-energy rock tune, infused with some modern psychedelic influences. The group’s name comes from frontman Sam “Guetts” Guetterman’s experience at a faith-based juvenile detention camp when he was 16 years old. The group’s sound is as unique as its name, shaped by a wide array of artists and genres. With its bouncing bass line, tight drums and catchy melody, the song is the epitome of a head-bopping summer track. The melody and harmonies are reminiscent of early surf-rock, making their way down the scale. Despite its catchy upbeat instrumentation, the song’s lyrics lament on a love lost: “I only wanted to make one call / Nothing I could ever say could ever bring my baby back home.” The juxtaposition of the lively instrumentals and the contemplative lyrics makes the song the perfect candidate for crying while on your drive to the beach. Photo by homermixesmusic.
— Sofia Soriano on July 28, 2021Aziya - Marathon
As any relationship begins to fade, there comes an impending shift from thinking you might need to leave to actually going through with it. “Marathon,” off of London-based producer and songwriter Aziya’s newest record We Speak of Tides, manages to embody the intensity of that decision and the electrifying energy that pours out of it. In the beginning, an echoing guitar backs Aziya’s soulful vocals before the drums come crashing on in, placing emphasis on her passionate and self-assured lyrics. By the second verse, she's created a cinematic soundscape, and whether that's an angsty-teen-rebellion breakup scene or the climax of an action movie, I can’t bring myself to care—Aziya’s bellowing call of empowerment has me drawn in. “Marathon” is the kind of song that is best appreciated through noting its details: the chamber harmonies sprinkled throughout, the sonically dramatic halts and crashes, and Aziya’s dominating vocal delivery blend eloquently together to create a track that is as earnest as it is kickass. Whether it's “Marathon” or any of the other emotionally abundant tracks on We Speak of Tides, Aziya’s dynamism and charm offer something that everyone can latch onto. Photo by Zachary Chick.
— Jenna Andreozzi on July 27, 2021Miloe - Solo (Lous and the Yakuza cover)
The beauty of the international and intersectional language that is music is hearing another person, someone you've never met, express feelings that feel so intimate to you; a reminder that as separate as our experiences may be, we often share the same hopes and anxieties. When an artist loves a song so much they choose to create their own version of it, it is like experiencing the same emotions from a different perspective. Miloe’s cover of “Solo” (originally by Congolese/Belgian artist Lous and The Yakuza), is a prime example of how music allows us to feel more connected to not only the world but ourselves. In the music video for the song, shot alongside his parents, Miloe has a conversation on diaspora and the cultural shift in immigrating to a new country. With references to The Democratic Republic of Congo’s 1960 independence from Belgium and the continuing trauma and racism, the song’s lyrics discuss the lasting impact of imperialism and colonization on Black individuals. The vocals are precise but still highly emotive as the song asks “Why is black not a color of the rainbow?” Photo by McKayla Chandler.
— Sofia Soriano on July 16, 2021LUMP - We Cannot Resist
LUMP, the collaborative effort of UK musicians Laura Marling and Mike Lindsay, are back with their upcoming sophomore album Animal. While both artists are known for having a folk-inspired sound, LUMP is distinct from their individual work; the single “We Cannot Resist,” with its pulsing synths and drum machines, showcases LUMP’s unique sound. Marling’s voice has a special quality that comforts as it draws you into every word she sings. Hushed whispers usher in the cogent and compelling vocals, while the tension of the verses builds with gradual intensity to a chorus of staccato distorted guitar riffs. The driving track covers how intense every emotion feels when you’re young; when life feels both promising and ominous. The duo’s songwriting showcases their ability to create sharp, witty and dexterous lyrics, floating in an apocalyptic world of young love, freedom and discovery. “We Cannot Resist” will have you reminiscing of the time when you were “kids on the run.” Photo by Steph Wilson.
— Sofia Soriano on July 16, 2021