Brooklyn-based Kirsten Izer’s debut single of 2019, “One Year,” is a raw and evocative exploration of toxic love and lingering loss. The minimal arrangement consists only of a hazy electric guitar and Izer’s cool, smoky vocals, but its intimacy is what makes it powerful. Her sound’s moody, grunge-rock center relies on the emotion in her delivery, and Izer doesn’t disappoint. Dreamy layering effects amplify her impressive vocal range, drifting from dark and angst-ridden to light and ethereal quickly and easily. The lyrics, gripping and relatable, make plain the pain and longing of the instrumentation: “It’s our one year anni / But you don’t love me / You were never one for vulnerability.” The stripped arrangement allows you to focus on the lyrics, honest and heartbreaking, and lose yourself in the song’s lush dreamscape of sounds. “One Year” is hauntingly lovely.

Black Belt Eagle Scout is the soul project of Portland based, radical indigenous queer feminist, Katherine Paul. "Soft Stud" is the opening track off of her record, Mother Of My Children. The opening guitar is grungy and raw and identifies with the revolutionary woman not looking to back down. When Paul begins to sing there is a contrast that cuts like glass. Her voice is pure and emotive. The lyrics are simple but they ring out almost like a chant. It is impossible to not feel moved. 

"Write It On Your Heart" is the first single released off of Bad Bad Hats latest record, Lightning Round. The indie rock band based in Minneapolis, Minnesota is fueled by the break-ups, relationships, and longing love letters written by the effortlessly powerful front woman, Kerry Alexander. "Spare me your love / I don’t deserve anything / That’s how you made me feel / Traded me for a stranger, baby" the lyrics are sincere and hit straight at what it means to be young, in love and abandoned. The instrumentation is hyperbolically upbeat and welcoming with nods to 90s pop rock. Catch Bad Bad Hats in a city near you this fall!

Taylor Janzen is as honest as it gets. "Interpersonal" her debut EP out today, depicts a sojourner on a journey of self-exploration that diverges from the way life was approached during her religious childhood. In "Colourblind," Janzen sings of what it's like to live through the darkness of questioning God's intentions and even mental illness surrounded by people who don't seem to get it. Still with heart and unbridled power she sings, "I am bitter but just know this / I will not feel ashamed to exist." This noteworthy declaration reminds us that even if at the moment being alive in equivalent to being stuck, confused or mentally ill, no someone should be robbed of their human dignity. With artists like Julien Baker and Phoebe Bridgers paving the way, Janzen proves that this era of honest-to-God, women singer-songwriters is just getting started. Taylor Janzen's voices shines with quiet might and is not only to be heard but listened to. 

There must be something in the water in Brooklyn making our music scene better than ever.  Adler Hall, this five-piece from varying musical backgrounds, is no exception to this phenomenon. The band has restructured following their 2016 album Tourist, which plays around the edges of synth and experimentation while centered around the folk-like focus of storytelling. Coming together to write and record their unique take on modern chamber-folk  Adler Hall is back with their newest single "Teresa."

"Teresa," the lead single off their upcoming LP, Beware the Water, keeps much of the band's narrative foundation alive with lyrics like, “Tired of the fortunes you seem never to appear in / you smile at me, your teeth stained gray with the wine that I poured for you / though it’s nice you ask, it won’t change anything I see.” “Teresa” is clearly an important figure as these lyrics help portray a long and complex love story, one that has swung up and down and though the singer has run away from their love, she always seems to comes back. Wedding love ballad it might not be, but nonetheless, it is lyrically a beautiful song. Composer, Henry Hoagland builds upon the typical guitar-led folk song with a more strategic approach, incorporating electronic elements as well as fully utilizing the keyboard which they had only touched upon in their previous release. Beware the Water is expected to release this upcoming October and we're excited to see this continued development from the amalgam that is Adler Hall.

Most of us in NYC have been experiencing the woozy side effects of this scorching early-August weather, but for a moment let’s attempt to conjure the pleasant aspects of summertime (outside the city…). An ice-cold cherry red popsicle melting on your lips as you dip your toes in a perfectly chilled swimming pool while listening to Summer Like the Season’s latest track, “Wakey.” No other song by the electro-art rock quartet so fully personifies their name and general essence. The lead singer, Summer Krinsky has turned a tired name joke into a fresh sound, a dreamy sonic collage of floating synths, quivering bass, and warm, willowy vocals. The chorus’ lyrics, “It’s time to sleep / I’m wide awake in a daze,” remind us that we’re all living within the spinning wheel of our memories, and each day that passes is just another entry in our rotary index of diary entries. Like all of us, the Detroit-based group is trying to figure out how to get by and make some sense of the world in the best way they can.  Their aural patchwork of haunting melodies and nuanced harmonic textures is a testament to the creative capacity of sound. Sweater weather is still not in sight, so might as well embrace the heat and listen to Summer Like The Season’s “Wakey”.

Husband and wife duo Noel Heroux and Jessica Zambri of Mass Gothic are back again with their whimsy track “How I Love You” from their upcoming album I’ve Tortured You Long Enough. Sung by Zambri, the track is a pure love song featuring spare and simplistic guitar chords and endearing lyrics. In a dreamy and deeply personal tone, Zambri sings of how much she loves her partner and the pain she feels in her heart as she watches him leave for the day. Zambri's lush vocals serenade the listener when singing, “You wave goodbye just to be safe / I count the ways that I love you / I watched you go out my window / and count the ways that I love you.” Midway through the song, as distorted drums and synth are added, the feelings of deep love and pain amplify, keeping listeners in an emotional and dream state, like Zambri's as her lover recedes into the fade out. This stunning and fantastical goth-pop ballad will hit listeners hard and makes for a perfect addition into any out-of-the-box love song playlist.

After the passing of her dear friend, Pam, Jocelyn Mackenzie sought out to write a song to Pam's grieving husband. "Love Begets Love" is the beautiful product of Mackenzie's efforts, a song about the consistent readiness and availability of love. As if an echo of Pam's heart, Mackenzie spreads a personal and universal message about how love can grow and foster in the midst of hardships. Mackenzie's voice has healing elements in and of itself, but it reaches to new levels when accompanied by the colorful background vocals which in a way sound like a united band of caring friends reaching out to a loved one in a time of need. While the pain of loss will never be truly erased, this song is a reminder that there truly is consolation and hope in love. "Love Begets Love" is featured on a compilation album dedicated to Pam's memory called Songs for Pam which can be found on Burst and Bloom Records's bandcamp. New Yorkers, be sure to see Jocelyn Mackenzie during her residency at C'mon Everybody in Brooklyn on August 11, September 16, and October 13! 

Wild Pink’s “Lake Erie” is full of all sorts of meaningfully mundane details one has no choice but to notice while growing up in a small town. “Your body looks impossibly small when you hang your head and cry / Meanwhile people on Tumblr unpack neuroses,” singer John Ross observes. He is unable to shake the tiny details once so familiar to him — a particular intersection or the smell on a rainy day. It is as much a song about leaving as it is a song about home. “You thought you’d never get out,” Ross reminisces in the chorus before finally flipping to the first person to marvel at his own growth. The song has an Americana sound tied more to the road than to any particular place. A wistful pedal steel guitar pines over the old days on top of a rhythm section as unrelentingly steady as the passage of time, declaring that there is no going back.

Although Lucy Dacus believes Richmond band Spooky Cool should be renamed “Stupid Good,” the band currently has the perfect name to describe their haunting indie pop vibe. The newest single “Old Hair Mine” off their upcoming debut EP “Every Thing Ever” is full of nostalgic lyrics and vocal harmonies mixed with the instrumentations dis-harmonization and a constantly changing rhythmic backdrop. The product is an entertaining, intricate piece that feels timeless and futuristic. At the end of the song, the vocalists question over and over again “is anything real?” Not sure about that, but we'll keep wondering as we listen to this song. 

With a highly anticipated new record on the way, Odetta Hartman releases her last single off of the album. "You You" is the epitome of short and sweet, showcasing Hartman in all her old school charm but with a feel-good twist. While an Odetta Hartman track is usually embedded with experimental and genre-bending sounds, "You You" finds its strength in its sweet simplicity. Opening up with a hard-hitting electric guitar, Hartman's voice is a contrast of sorts with it's quiet strength and colorful timbre which remains the centerpiece of the song. "You You" is the kind of love song that doesn't feel crowded with frivolous emotions but rather heart and soul. "I want to run / to edge of the earth with you / it's perfect with you," Hartman repeats in the chorus, giving us a glimpse of her desire for an adventurous romance thats more about togetherness and less about the frills. Catch Old Rockhounds Never Die out on August 10!