Jelani Aryeh - From These Heights
As we’re continuing the strife to uncover a new “normal,” we can’t help but settle in the uncertainty that these past few years have left us floating within. So much has happened and so much has changed all from behind the confines of the four walls that we call home. For the moments when the sky feels like it's falling and you need someplace to plant your feet, the San Diego-raised artist Jelani Aryeh offers his latest drop, “From These Heights."
Uniquely its own entity, "From These Heights" both separates itself from modern music and sows new roots for the music of the future in a quick 3-minute go. Aryeh reorients early 2000s indie rock to suit our time of need. Featuring existential lyricism and that good ole’ stripped-down garage band sound, this gem channels the energy of music in the past to invoke worldwide change for the future.
Aryeh began crafting this track during the pandemic, at the height of civil unrest, sharing on his Instagram: “I made this song with Alex Craig of Slaters last May...George Floyd had just been murdered, and the riots were just starting to take place. It felt like there was so much chaos + uncertainty in the air and it seemed like everywhere you’d turn there was something threatening your livelihood. It was like everyone was trapped in a box of mayhem with no exit. I know that's still the case for a lot of you and many others around the globe. At the least, I hope this song can ease your feelings and give you somewhere to settle yourself. Even if that’s for 3 minutes.”
The young Black and Filipino artist has been making wide strides in the industry since 2018, with his track "Daunt" catching fire in the hearts and ears of alternative indie lovers. Aryeh is a trailblazing creative, never ceasing to hone his craft or personal growth, both of which evolve with each new release. “From These Heights '' is the third single from his forthcoming debut album I’ve Got Some Living To Do and merely a preview of the young artist’s musical dexterity and effortless ability to transform hearts and minds. See for yourself. Photo by Zamar Velez.
— Bianca Brown on May 27, 2021
Annie DiRusso - Nine Months
With sharp, striking honesty, Annie DiRusso crafts the kind of letter we all write to our exes but never have the guts to send in her latest single “Nine Months.” The instrumentation is textured, vigorous and emotionally charged, mirroring the build-up of anger represented in the lyrics. Through words, the song chronicles everything from the couple’s first meeting (“The first thing you said the night we met is I was beautiful”) to the fiery, impassioned fallout that results from a bad breakup (“I took my time now I know what it was / So don’t you ever say we were in love / You ruined my life for nine fucking months”). Arguably, the most important—and impactful—lyric of the song arrives in the chorus, as DiRusso devastatingly sings, “And every time I think of you / I hate I didn’t run away / Cause I never thought / I’d be the girl who stayed.” As everyone who has been in a toxic relationship knows, no one ever thinks they’d stay in a miserable relationship until they find themselves in that very situation. By offering up this relatable story, though, DiRusso will certainly make a lot of people feel that they aren’t alone. Listen to “Nine Months” wherever you stream. Photo by Lily Lee.
— Paige Shannon on April 7, 2021
Valerie June - Stardust Scattering
"Stardust Scattering" opens heralded with drums that come closer and closer until they settle underneath gentle rhythm guitar and fade into a background pulse. It sounds like a summer rainstorm, percussive taps on roofs and window panes turning into song as the stream of raindrops becomes steadier and heavier. Valerie June’s voice layers on itself in ethereal harmonies, like a cool breeze bringing in momentary relief from August heat. Twinkling keys drop in like raindrops in a puddle. Swelling brass begins to ebb and flow like thunder, rolling close then far again. The track sits somewhere between sorrow and euphoria, with the lyrics delicately touching loss as often as buoyant optimism. Joy is nestled among grief, like stars in the middle of the desert: shining, hopeful and also so far away. It’s a beautiful addition to Valerie June's latest album, The Moon and Stars: Prescriptions for Dreamers, out now via Fantasy Records. Photo by Lelanie Foster.
— Allison Hill on April 6, 2021
Lightning Bug - The Right Thing Is Hard To Do
“The Right Thing Is Hard To Do,” the latest offering from New York-based, indie-rock group Lightning Bug, is a sprawling tune full of warm and honest moments. From the start, the track feels bigger than the confines of a pair of speakers. The towering guitars and singer Audrey Kang’s tender yet confident vocals bring the country-adjacent track to Grand Canyon proportions. Within these confident vocals, Kang is calling for fundamental change within the world she sees, “The right thing is hard to do / When you’ve got so much to lose / Still in fear, it’s hard to move / When you’ve got so much to prove / Doubt / Ebbs and flows / Well, I’ll let it flow,” questioning whether we really ever know if the right thing is being done.
“The Right Thing Is Hard To Do” is the lead single from Lightning Bug’s upcoming album, A Color Of The Sky, out 6/25 on Fat Possum. Photo by Ingmar Chen.
— Jonah Minnihan on April 6, 2021
Jesse Gold - R.I.P.
The funniest part about putting in work to improve oneself is that you rarely notice the fruits of your labor until someone else points it out. Those small steps that have to be taken every day to reach a goal are invisible to the outside world, but once that change is made more evident, it can be startling to look at just how much has altered in the process. Jesse Gold’s newest single, “R.I.P.,” is a slinky pop-leaning statement piece about the musician taking pride in how far he’s come, both as an artist and a person. His smooth tenor is a fitting match to the bouncy synths and funky bassline that accompany him, and the earworm melody that serves as the track’s centerpiece belies a natural pop sensibility. The confidence and comfortability that Jesse has cultivated are apparent in his delivery throughout, and that extra degree of assuredness acts as an effective reinforcement of the track’s core message: if you believe in yourself and put in the time, the end result will always be something you can take pride in. Jesse's debut EP, Stupid Hours, is being released on May 7. Photo by Arman Saturday.
— Alec Bollard on April 2, 2021
Chloe Berry - Breakfast
It's rise-and-shine with Chloe Berry's charming new single “Breakfast.” The twenty-year-old NYC artist cooks up a delightful bedroom pop treat filled with bright guitar strums, syncopated drum beats and hazy vocals à la Frankie Cosmos, Clairo or beabadoobee. “Breakfast” serves as a single for her upcoming EP, Blueberry Jams and makes for an endearing and easy listen—but much like Berry's music, it also packs a good punch. The song, while structurally simple, also manages to be quite unpredictable. The combination of retro background vocals in the style of 50s pop, its swift rhythm changes and overall low-fi textures makes the whole track shine and come alive.
Berry now records with her partner and producer Sam Poon (aka Spoonuel) but says she’s been making music since she was seven years old—and it shows. She’s a gifted songwriter and has the kind of sharp, smokey voice that can easily translate beautifully on stage. As an upcoming artist, Chloe Berry is one to definitely look out for. Photo by Sam Graff.
— Alejandro Veciana on April 2, 2021
Ethansroom - Tides
“Tides,” a new release from Ethansroom (solo project of William Ethan Fortenberry) is a sonic letter to everything we know we shouldn’t think about yet find ourselves ruminating upon regardless (“Shouldn’t think about it / But I’ll do it anyway / I’ll just start from / Further back / So I don’t get carried away”). The cyclical track mimics its title, with layers of banjo, guitar, mellotron, soft synths and steady drums churning over Fortenberry’s gritty-yet-smooth vocals. The atmosphere of the track—similar in feel to acts like Novo Amor and Adam Melchor—recalls days much like those now in early spring, that stretch further their hours of light over the horizon, making amber shadows on our walls. As the world warms, we feel nostalgic for summer suns past, and we push these thoughts away during daily monotony until we are alone under the moon and free to dream (“I’ll come back at the crescent / Give it another try”). In all its soft-glowing edges, “Tides” reminds us that sometimes there’s a reason we can’t stop thinking about something, a lesson there to learn—we just may not grasp it until the tide turns over and we start anew. Photo by Landon Edwards.
— Heddy Edwards on April 1, 2021
Japanese Breakfast - Be Sweet
The first single off of Japanese Breakfast’s forthcoming third studio album Jubilee, set for release on June 4, “Be Sweet” sets the tone of upbeat optimism, finding joy and freedom in forgiveness. In “Be Sweet,” singer/songwriter Michelle Zauner explores the courage it takes to be honest with oneself, to swallow one’s pride, to own our desires, and to have faith in their manifestation and, ultimately, to forgive. The Seoul-born, Oregon-raised, Philadelphia-based artist masterfully fuses her own contemporary musical style with sparkling synth sounds reminiscent of the universal favorites of the 80s: think Thompson Twins, Tears for Fears, The Cure. In her ever-distinct vocal style, sweet in its own right, Zauner takes us on a journey of forgiveness—from being caught up in our feelings and overthinking the truth, to letting someone back in after they’ve recognized their mistakes, ultimately acknowledging that it’s not too late, that the love there remains.
The song’s title, “Be Sweet,” appears as a command throughout the chorus, as Zauner declares over and over, “I wanna believe in you / I wanna believe in something,” and the urgency of this mantra is profoundly felt. We all need something to believe in, and sometimes (or often) that comes with the risk of being hurt or let down. Despite all of that, “Be Sweet” is an ode to forgiveness and hope, and with both a memoir (Crying in H Mart) and a full-length album set for release in the coming months—and a light at the end of the pandemic tunnel for all of us—Zauner’s optimistic sound on this track is extremely well-founded. Photo by Peter Ash Lee.
— Maya Bouvier-Lyons on March 31, 2021
Juliet Quick - No Future
These are our Glass Years, and Juliet Quick courageously shares the story of our grieving generation through her latest EP of the same title. Minimalist stems ebb to build the surf-rock eulogy that is “No Future.” Will love be enough “when the sea swallows us?” How defeating it is to be one person—one woman—with all of the love for our Earth mother and only some of the power it might take to save her. The feeling is immortalized here in crystalline synths, guitars that embrace and a voice reaching to be heard through the mix’s gentle bellows. This is a stewardship serenade that grants permission for moments of silence while simultaneously inspiring action. Photo by Hannah Solomon.
— Daphne Ellis on March 31, 2021
RILEY MOORE - gold
Gold carries a lot of warm connotations, of something pure and valuable and beautiful. It’s among the softest of metals—easily flattened out into a delicate leaf, melted and reformed, or otherwise reshaped. It’s highly sought after and valued by virtually everyone who holds it. Occasionally imitations arise, and some are sold as the real thing for how much they look alike. Love is likewise, or at least that’s what RILEY MOORE hints in his newest single “gold.” The whole track drips with vulnerability, from the gentle acoustic guitar texture to the yearning harmonica. The lyrics paint someone who yearns to be reshaped, smelt into something beautiful and valued, no matter how painful. After all, isn’t it a sign of love how readily you can accept someone else’s thoughts into your feelings and let them shape you? Couldn’t love be alchemy, turning hearts into gold? Moore’s warmhearted voice seems to hope so, spilling over with tenderness that is perhaps as undeserved as it is pure. The love bubbling under every syllable nudges up a wonderful thought to the surface. Maybe love is being tenaciously open to heartbreak, even when it is happening to you as you sing. Photo by Lauren Lundy.
— Allison Hill on March 30, 2021
