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.

Mons Vi delivers another smooth, ethereal track that works its way into your head with “Come on Violet”. Singer-songwriter Matthew Hershoff blends emotive narratives with his take on atmospheric pop to create something truly unique in his third single released this year. “Come on Violet” is a tribute to a friend and a story of loss stemming from addiction. Hershoff creates a melancholic, reflective moment in time with his strong, poignant lyrics. His words perfectly encapsulate the feeling of looking back—“Spin on a beam at the top of the moon / run through old scenes that once felt brand new / You never notice the things you lose.” As time passes, it’s sometimes hard to believe where we are and realizing what’s actually changed around us. But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t stop and take a moment.

Kate Bollinger’s bouncy title track from her most recent EP I Don’t Wanna Lose is an anthem for indecision. Her honey-dipped voice nearly hides the struggles of a person trying to adjust to adulthood, while still feeling like a child at the same time—“I was a child once / I still am one / I know it / But I just turned twenty / And I feel time slipping by.” Bollinger's voice is soothing, and her words are relatable. If you’ve ever been paralyzed by the fear of realizing you’re a real adult person who is responsible for the rest of your own life, “I Don’t Wanna Lose” pretty much sums up that feeling. Bollinger wonders, “So what if it's all / My decisions / Or my indecision / Oh, I just can't pick one.” Amidst all the chaos and stress, she realizes she has something or someone really good in her life and she wants to hold on to the feeling that brings—“There is so damn much that I'm afraid of / You give me so much to be afraid of / But I don't wanna lose.” While the lyrics are heavy, the song is light and breezy and almost makes you forget whatever you were worried about.

Oslo-based artist girl in red’s (aka Marie Ulven) newest track "i’ll die anyway." is a three minute and twelve-second glimpse into an existential crisis. The 20-year-old bedroom pop artist plays down the melodrama with new wave-inspired guitars and her edging on monotone vocals. The story of self-doubt, omnipresent anxiety over the future and creeping despair is achingly familiar as Ulven launches into the chorus, “I reach for me, but I’m not there / I always wonder why I’m here / it’s fine it’s ok / I’ll die anyway.” If you didn’t listen to the words, you could think it was an upbeat song as it builds from verse to chorus with gradual precision. Each instrument fills in to create a track worthy of tapping your foot along to as you overthink your place in the world. "i’ll die anyway." is the first track off of girl in red’s forthcoming sophomore EP Chapter 2, which follows last year’s successful debut Chapter 1.

Singer-songwriter Adam Melchor turns heartbreak into a celebration with his newest single "Joyride." The poetically joyful meditation on moving on opens with a trumpet fanfare before paring down to Melchor’s clear vocals and simple acoustic strumming pattern that highlight the narrative quality of his lyrics. He analogizes the process of moving on to the loss of an old family car. Maybe it didn’t run as well as you wanted, but the memories related to it make it hard to let go. There is a mature clarity as he sings, “things were going our way / but they kept going until they were gone.” The nostalgic track leans towards remembering the good while embracing the reality of its departure. "Joyride" is the first single since Melchor’s sophomore EP release Plan on You, which came out earlier this year.

19-year-old, Philly-based Christinna O just released her debut album, Girl in Passing, and its stand-out track, “Don’t That Make You Mad,” calls out anyone who delights in watching others fail. The track is a smooth, grooving melody that shows off the young artist’s skills in R&B and poetry. A funky, jaded guitar riff and chilled-out tambourine taps introduce the song before Christinna O dives right into her title line—“I still find the beauty in it, don’t that make you mad?” Her message is clear from the beginning: success is the greatest revenge against someone who wants to see you fall. The compelling and catchy track reminds us not to waste our time worrying about what other people are doing. In the song, she wonders aloud, “what about your happiness?” before driving her point home with the line, “don’t you miss your own dream tripping over me.” Christinna O’s prowess as a spoken-word poet is evident in her lyricism (lines like “And I can be sweet with my tongue but I can draw blood if I want”) as well as her cadence, which builds and drops like a rollercoaster ride. In the end, she laughs off her critics with a repeated, “oh you mad, huh?” and lets us know that she’s not worried about anyone that’s worried about her.