Laney Tripp - La La
Our final Quadio song of the week is “La La” by Florida-based, up-and-coming indie darling Laney Tripp. With drowsy, meditative sounds and smooth, balmy vocals, Tripp takes you on a walk along a breezy seashore. As the track progresses, you look around and realize that, even though this uncharted beach is desolate and wild, you can’t help but feel a deep sense of comfort and security. It feels like home. “La La” hits your ears in the same way: it feels effortless yet purposeful. Laney succeeds in combining the rich inner monologue that she carefully dissects within the four walls of her childhood bedroom and recording space with the overwhelming dynamics of the outside world. All of this combined with her drowned-out yet crisp, twirling production and surprising compositional choices make for an infectious tune. “La La” is a chilled-out bop, and we’re so thankful to Quadio, the new college student-driven streaming service, for introducing us to such a promising artist that will likely be on our radar for years to come.
— Andrea de Varona on May 1, 2020Whitney - Used To Be Lonely
Chicago indie-rock outfit Whitney’s newest single “Used To Be Lonely” sounds like a slow summer drive through the country. A blend of folk and indie rock, the song fits in well with the last two singles—building a believable world for their upcoming sophomore album Forever Turned Around. The track starts with minimalistic piano and fingerpicked guitar before Julien Ehlrick’s recognizable voice joins in. It builds to eventually include a more stylized electric guitar, a gentle driving drum, and a chorus of horns that somehow refrain from overpowering the track. In a sea of sad songs, "Used To Be Lonely" lends some optimism without throwing it in your face. It addresses the fear that your current state of happiness may one day disappear—“I’m afraid you’re letting go / cause the only life I’ve ever known / Used to be lonely.” The instrumentals push the song to sound more optimistic than panicked. "Used To Be Lonely" is a languid declaration of a fear that is usually kept secret—something that is hard to escape and ignore but mustn’t be dwelled upon. If you think too hard about losing happiness, it will become a self-fulfilled prophecy. It is helpful to realize that just like leisurely summer drives, nothing lasts forever.
— Corey Bates on August 26, 2019Fake Dad - What's Wrong? Pt II
Lustrous and smooth, “What’s Wrong? Pt II” is a transient jam that basks in that hazy, dream-like state between sleeping and waking. The new track from Brooklyn indie duo Fake Dad is actually a remake of their first single, with brighter, more vivid production and a groovy, head-bopping hook. Jazz-infused keys and vibrant, spacey synths transport you to a world where sounds are more stimulating and everything shimmers under starlight. The arrangement is crisp and dreamy, with the sort of intimate style and psych-rock instrumentation that will appeal to fans of Crumb or HOMESHAKE. Andrea de Varona’s vocals, velvety and dynamic, bring the theme of disorientation to the front of the arrangement by singing about displacement and false awakenings. “What is wrong with me? / Been chasing after something I don’t believe.” Atmospheric and bright, “What’s Wrong? Pt II” reflects the curiosity surrounding fragmented consciousness. Check out the accompanying music video, which features dinosaurs and wonderment, on their YouTube page.
— Britnee Meiser on August 23, 2019Meija - Laugh It Off
After producing and penning music for indie greats such as Your Smith, and Bay Ledges as well as pop powerhouses like Adam Lambert and Quinn XCII, it seems it was finally time for Jamie Sierota to go solo. To that end, the latest from his solo project as meija,“Laugh It Off”, comes fresh off the heels of his last track, “Buttons”, and explores the complicated way we respond to vulnerable moments. This fresh and summery track makes use of classic 80’s drum machines and a nylon string guitar along with less conventional accents like glass bottles and bongo drums. Of the song, Sierota remarks about how “some things are too serious and hurtful to shrug off, even if that helps you avoid an uncomfortable conversation.” The juxtaposition of a more serious topic with a lighthearted sound was his ingenious way of “making something hard to say easy to listen to.”
— Jazzmyne Pearson on August 23, 2019Yianna - If I Never Left
Pensive and soulful, Yianna's latest, "If I Never Left" joins both "Heavy Waters" and "Hard Pill To Swallow" as her latest single before the heavily anticipated release of her debut EP. With a hopeful and emotional tone, this introspective track looks back at how the experience of a broken and unhealthy relationship can build one into an even stronger person than before. The titular lyrics "If I never left / I would be a different person than I am today" certainly evoke a feeling of triumph from a familiar pain. Powerful vocals and writing take this track to the next level and its R&B undertones make for a smooth sound that certainly has us excited for her next release.
— Jazzmyne Pearson on August 23, 2019Kat Lee - Isn’t Up to Me
With “Isn’t Up to Me,” Kat Lee makes a departure from her usual work fronting the rock group Tiny Gun. The NYC based artist creates a solemn acoustic tune that weaves through internal conflict—ruminating on the powerlessness that can accompany relationships. Lee brings us into her world immediately with concrete details, “On Halloween, you slept on my side of the bed / scared you off with all the thoughts I have inside my head.” The song explores the things we wish we could say and change. Lee sings over softly plucked acoustic guitar and sparse production—allowing the focus to land on her gentle vocals and introspective lyrics. "Isn't Up to Me" is a soft song about a type of sadness that many people feel. The sadness of wanting someone but not wanting to try too hard, lest the feelings not be reciprocated. The addition of a lower harmony in the middle of the song adds a depth that pulls the focus even more to the clarity of Lee’s vocals. The effect on her voice in the bridge makes her sound slightly muffled like an old recording, as she sings “Leave me on the porch again / maybe I’ll see you in New York again / and I will stay inside your memory / I will be your secret memory.” “Isn’t Up to Me” is the first track off of Lee’s solo debut EP Catch and Release.
— Corey Bates on August 22, 2019Evan Nachimson - Waffles
Start your morning with “Waffles,” the feel-good new single from Brooklyn-based artist Evan Nachimson. Complete with a funky hook, upbeat keyboard melody, and infectiously catchy beat, “Waffles” is the perfect mid-tempo bop to keep you moving (and grooving) easily through even the darkest days. Nachimson’s vocal, clear and pleasing, is an inevitable burst of sunshine, and his lyrics, which start with coffee and waffles, hold surprising depth: “I used to tread in negatives / They’re easy to hold on, harder to move on / Disregard the evidence and the good going on.” The central message is simple and accessible: to be happy, live day by day and just keep looking up. That message is embodied in the instrumentation, which is lush with fun, psychedelic synths, and pumping, R&B-style percussion. “Waffles” is a happy and hopeful track that's worth playing on repeat.
— Britnee Meiser on August 20, 2019Clairo - Softly
Bedroom pop phenom Clairo blossoms into a refined, yet unflinchingly sincere songwriter on her debut album Immunity, released August 2 via FADER label. With "Softly," Clairo gives queer girls an outlet to dance around their bedrooms full of youthful infatuation. It captures the subtlety of a soft brush of fingers and stolen glances in the early stages of an innocent crush without the pressure of labels on a relationship or sexuality. Wistful lyrics over a lax, off-rhythm guitar melody improvised by Rostam further the song's whimsical energy. "I got this feeling / Telling me girl, I gotta know," she croons in a way that young queer girls can look up to, while also tugging at the heartstrings of older queer girls who felt confused and repressed. As a children's choir echos "I don't care what they say" in the background, Clairo asserts that she's exploring her sexuality on her own terms; she's "doing it differently," and although some look down upon queer love, this blissful feeling is the only thing that matters.
— Ysabella Monton on August 20, 2019Someone - Playground Love
Indie pop artist Someone’s new song “Playground Love” sounds like walking through a dream. The opening track on her new EP, Airspace, showcases ambient, spacey synths, twinkling, reverberating keys and raw guitar tones working together to create soft, pumping mood music. Someone’s vocal, sung just above a whisper, is dark and velvet-smooth as she beckons her lover like a siren: “I’m your high school lover / And you’re my favorite flavor.” She holds your attention as the instrumentation builds, even when it’s not clear where her voice ends and the strings begin. The lush composition is mysterious and surprising, using slapping percussion and deep, swinging bass to give the song a pulse while amplifying the strings to emphasize the song’s hopeful, emotional center. Perfect for those quiet, contemplative hours of the night, “Playground Love” is soothing and surreal.
— Britnee Meiser on August 19, 2019Maude Latour - Ride My Bike
19-year-old pop songstress Maude Latour is making music for the ears that spent their final years of grade school filtering every experience through the low-humming draw of Lorde’s Pure Heroine. Today, the college freshman (who plans to be the first president to perform at her own inauguration) shares her latest single, “Ride My Bike.” Catchy and expansive, Latour’s vocals sulk through vocoded harmonies before erupting into a chorus of dance-y, bubblegum brightness. If “Ride My Bike” is meant to sonically characterize the very same runner’s high the song celebrates, it succeeds. An optimistic ode intended for getting one out of their head and into their body, keeping still becomes near impossible when set to the refrain’s effervescent lyrics and pulsing house beats. “Have I told you that I’m really fucking scared to die?” Maude divulged on her earlier single, “Superfruit.” “Baby for the very first time / I’m not afraid to die,” she amends with her latest and most energetic release.
— Lindsay Thomaston on August 19, 2019Jesse and Forever - Hologram Lover
“Hologram Lover,” premiering today from Brooklyn-based songwriter and instrumentalist Jesse and Forever, is a lush and full amalgamation of pulsing, eerie soundscapes and catchy, head-bopping beats. The track is just two minutes long but has an arresting composition, packed most notably with nostalgic samples, a groovy bass line, and grungy, rippling guitar. Jesse Scheinin’s vocal—dreamy and wistful in a hypnotic soprano—is transfixing as it guides you through the arrangement, keeping you hooked even though specific lyrics are sometimes hard to make out. Hazy, atmospheric moments awash in oohs which are offset by strikingly clear lines like “You can lie to your friends but you can’t lie to me.” It’s a distorted but pleasant listening experience where latching onto the vocal forces you to lose yourself in the arrangement, and once more, you’ll love every second of it. Surrealist and vibrant, “Hologram Lover” is a unique and carefree party song.
— Britnee Meiser on August 16, 2019