Laura Marling surprised everyone earlier this month when she announced her new album, Song for Our Daughter, was coming out much earlier than expected, and she dropped the first single, “Held Down,” right away. Lyrically, the song deals with a disappointing communication breakdown between two people that are healing at different speeds: just as one is finally ready to be held down, the other runs away (and, in this case, leaves only a short letter). “And I just meant to tell you that I don’t want to let you down,” Marling sings in response to the letter, massaging the regret of her own inaction with cool vibrato. But for a song about separation, the emotional impression of “Held Down” is one of measured optimism by the end. Maybe it’s that we can tell Marling has learned a lesson from her misfortune (“Seen or unseen, say what you mean”), and that the loose confidence in her vocals and guitar work tells us she is going to be okay. But I suspect the real comfort comes from the solidarity and empathy in Marling’s all-lady backup chorus, who by echoing Marling’s words throughout seem to say, “You’re good, you’re okay; we got you.”

Halima, New York City-based R&B songstress, continues to skillfully fuse together electronic music with bedroom pop and soul to create something both new and nostalgic in her latest single, "Do Better." The track is a reflective self-love ode with an upbeat hook that complements her soulful and warm R&B voice. With catchy, heartfelt lyrics like, “I’m bet betting on love to keep up / When the going gets tough, I won’t let ya down / When you having bad days, Imma be around,” Halima expresses to listeners that it’s time to finally put herself first. With its retro beats, consistent, bluesy guitar lines, and well-blended harmonies and vocals, “Do Better” is an uplifting track with the ability to pull you out of any funk—reminding you that you too “can do better.”

“Heart Attack” is a carefree grunge-rock anthem from LA-based band Sego. It’s a track off the quartet’s newest record, Sego Sucks, out now via Roll Call Records. The name originated from an internet troll, but according to vocalist Spencer Petersen, it has come to embody the ethos of the album. This is certainly true of “Heart Attack,” which is immersive and atmospheric in its loud, low-fi production and gritty instrumental tones. It’s an accessible sound, like listening to a well-loved tape of a classic rock demo, led by a sharp snare and an electric guitar reminiscent of The Strokes. The arrangement’s devil-may-care attitude extends to the vocal, crooning and imperfect with a doubled effect, so it sounds like Petersen is shouting the melody straight through a rowdy crowd. In the chorus, he sings “Live fast and die last,” personifying the mood in one line. Bold and bright, “Heart Attack” is a song meant for big speakers and no inhibitions.

After the success of her debut album Pendulum released last year, Aisha Badru is back again with her latest single "Enough". The song is off our her upcoming EP Road to Self which is set to release this summer. While her first album delved into heartbreak and its side-effects, Road To Self focuses on Badru's process in discovering her intrinsic self-worth and the healing that it brings. In "Enough" she offers us this newfound wisdom as she urges, "don't be afraid to fall."

We've come to love Badru's forthright lyrics coupled with her soft and whispery vocals, both elements that further fuel the other. In "Enough," Badru uses analogies from nature to compare to our personal journey of self — "If it didn't rain would the trees rise from the ground? If it didn't hurt would you be this strong now?" These references to nature also show glimpses of Aisha’s passion. If you've ever had the pleasure of hearing her live show you will probably know about the love she has for taking care of the world and its inhabitants. When she's not writing songs, she's growing her own fruits and vegetables and as of recent, beekeeping. Within this artist is a passionate, quiet strength that is harnessed into her songs and her own colorful and generous life. The Wild Honey Pie is pleased to remind you that Aisha Badru will be playing at Welcome Campers next month!

Lady Lamb, the fantastical moniker that came to Brooklyn singer-songwriter Aly Spaltro in a dream, already alludes to a talent for constructing worlds through the use of nuanced imagery. On her newest record, Even In the Tremor, Spaltro continues to do so utilizing a newly inward turned lens to expand her memories into poignant and sometimes wry musical recollections that flutter with her unique instrumentation and cadence. The mid-record track, "Without A Name," is a somber, shape-shifting thing that feels a little like heartbreak and a little like home. A reimagining of an older tune that has now found a place amongst her most recent works, Spaltro pierces the sanguine ache that comes with the realization that your love might be misaligned with the canon of time. Concise, heartbreaking observations—“wouldn’t it be grand to hold your hand out in the snow and not feel how cold it all is?”—are accompanied by swells of violin, piano and reverberant harmonies. The tune ultimately evades pessimism. It finds buoyancy in sweetly optimistic melodic turns at the bridge. Culminating with an overarching sense that the joy that love brings us will always prevail, even in the face of a less than desirable reality.

Producer and multi-instrumentalist Stephen Wilkinson, better known as Bibio, introduces his upcoming record Ribbons by sharing “Old Graffiti,” one of the project's distinctly groovy singles. The track beckons to the funk and sensuality of his 2016 release, A Mineral Love—incorporating its woozy psychedelic melodies that are informed largely by R&B and jazz. With sauntered guitar strums and bass hits under an immersive melodic key line, Wilkinson molds a modern collage of sound that has an organic quality despite his heavy electronic influence. All of this lies on a pulsing samba rhythm that enters like a calming breeze and fades out, like old graffiti. Ribbons is out April 12th via Warp Records.

Montreal-based indie rockers Winona Forever deliver their brightest, funkiest songwriting yet on their new single, “Gazing.” A celebration of dancing alone in your room to your favorite song, “Gazing” is filled with playful melodies that don’t subscribe to the conventions of traditional indie-pop but still hook you with the tenacity of a radio hit. A groovy guitar line and a tight, cool percussive rhythm open the song with a head-bopping beat that blends 70s psychedelia and contemporary bedroom pop. The vocals glide in, pleasing and easygoing, and the lyrics set a simple scene we can all relate to: “Dancing all alone / I am in my room / spinning and twirling.” What unfolds is a colorful and unpretentious arrangement of lively but nostalgic sounds at the place where jazzy rock meets synth pop. Complete with a collection of horns and a surprising bridge, this is a song for fans of Rex Orange County and catchy melodies. The groove is contagious; before you know it, you’ll be dancing in your room, too. “Gazing” is a single from the band’s self-produced debut LP, FeelGood, set to be released on June 7. In the meantime, check out the official music video for “Gazing” to learn the choreographed dance.