“Honeysuckle” is a dark folk masterpiece in balance from Austin-based Margaret Chavez (Marcus Striplin). The track opens with hypnotic guitar arpeggiations that draw you in like waving wildflowers drawing honeybees. Then come the lyrics, which paint vignettes of tragedy that seem initially at odds with the cheerful guitar melody. As the song progresses, the track unfolds into a retrospective of loss and love. Each verse relays another heavy anecdote of someone the narrator has loved and lost in some form. The stories that hit the hardest are underscored with dark, warbly synths that make you feel as though you are being teleported into the world of memory. The lyrics are so heartbreaking, it would be easy for the song to sink into sadness as deep as Striplin’s beautiful baritone voice; however, the buoyant guitar lines keep the song in the realm of bittersweet. It will be exciting to see what else Margaret Chavez has in store on their sophomore album “Into an Atmosphere," due to release July 31, 2020, via We Know Better Records.

Parisian space-folk trio Oracle Sisters have been dropping chic, glam nuggets since their inception earlier this year. Their heavy-eyed licks and stormy vocals have already drummed up an impressive collection of notable champions in the press world. Comprised of Lewis Lazar, Christopher Willatt and Julia Johanssen, the band employs a stripped-down approach to their productions yet manages to convey a lush and original sound that conjures up the late-night, ephemeral vibes of the Paris underground. Their latest single, "From Kay's to the Cloisters," is Oracle Sisters' most sparse affair to date, indulging their deep love for the Scottish folk tradition. The expansive arrangement allows the group to flex their visceral storytelling muscles, furthering their moody aesthetic with little more than an acoustic guitar and crisp vocal.

The far-out sounds of indie singer-songwriter Alara are cast in an alluringly rosy glow on “Bringing You Down.” Her second single of the year is a dreamy, 80s-inspired slow jam that feels as glittery and ephemeral as a high school prom. Lovely and emotional, the track is lush with spacey synths, soft, throbbing drums, and Alara’s soothing vocal lulling you through the melody. Evocative of Lana Del Rey, her voice is warm and sensual, and listening to every crooning “ah” feels like you’re falling under a love spell. Because of this, the song feels dreamy even when the lyrics tell a more sobering story: “You were just a child / Life kicked you around / And what you’ve kept inside / Is what’s bringing you down.” Thoughtful and darkly romantic, “Bringing You Down” precedes Alara’s debut EP, Dying is Half the Fun, which will be released early 2020.

Expansive singer-songwriter and producer Tanya Vora perfectly captures the repressed urgency and unpredictability of falling in love on her new single, “Dusty.” Atmospheric and chill, the track has a groovy melody with a catchy, lo-fi beat, and subtly evokes the kind of desperate physical longing that comes from wanting to know every single part of someone else, but not being sure if they feel the same way. The cool, r&b-inspired arrangement is nostalgic and fresh, emphasizing Vora’s unique and surprising instrumental through her clear, intimate style of production. The track’s tempo embodies love’s inevitable volatility; you think you know where things are headed, and then, out of nowhere, it changes. What begins as a quick, pulsing exploration of intimacy slows down to something moodier and more sensual, and every moment is intoxicating. Vora’s honest lyrics emphasize that feeling: “Lie next to me / Let me feel your love / I’ve been sick of you / I’ve been needing you / And my days have turned to dust.” Ultimately, “Dusty” contains all the excitement and emotion of early love while sparing you the pain of potential heartbreak, because you already know it will never leave you.

Elusive and ever-experimenting with sound, singer golda shares a delicate narrative about dissatisfaction with identity and the road to healing on her new single, "Wish I Was Someone Else." The track opens with soft strings that bleed immediately into an exposition about feeling trapped by the past. Lyrics like "hereditary fear" and "side effect of my immigrant family" breathe life and specificity into the song–sharp and personal details that tread heavy on the heart. Confessional feels like a fitting description of what golda is allowing us to experience here. The production balances crisp guitar while also possessing a deeply urgent bassline that carries the track start to finish. Complacency has plagued the singer since she was young–internalizing everything from her surroundings and erasing her ability to make choices for herself. The entire mood of "Wish I Was Someone Else" evokes a feeling of urgency that comes to a crescendo towards the end that lyrically desires for an easy out–to become someone else–but instrumentally feels richly optimistic. The LA-based artist releases her debut EP this November with tracks smooth, introspective, and essential to have on repeat.

Frances Quinlan is such a singular force—in her lyricism, in her guitar playing, and of course in her voice—that Hop Along’s identity and sound are inseparable from hers. The group even started as her solo project until she was eventually joined by her brother, drummer Mark Quinlan, and now a full band. The evolution of the band’s sound from then to now is astonishing, though not totally unforeseeable. Elements of a track like 2012’s “Laments” hint at the beauty of 2018’s “Prior Things” or the infectious groove of the same album’s “Somewhere A Judge.” But Quinlan now returns to her solo roots, releasing “Rare Thing” as the first single from her upcoming true debut solo album, Likewise, due out in January. And it should come as no surprise that the song is, without a doubt, a Frances Quinlan song in every way one might expect. Every member of Hop Along played on the track, and guitarist Joe Reinhart was heavily involved in its production. “Working with Joe on this made me able to better see that the guitar is just one vehicle,” Quinlan said of the alternative sound palette, “There are so many others to explore.” True to form, Quinlan sings about a microscopic moment, a dream about her niece, and follows her train of thought through her unmistakable brand of snarling poetry, managing to “stay small by making giants out of strangers,” before reaching her cathartic conclusion: “I have to stop myself and admit I am happy.”

Chris Rovik’s newest single “Dama” burns slow and steady with the grief of a future that will never come to fruition. The Brooklyn-based artist chronicles the swirl of thoughts that accompany the end of a relationship with lyrics that are devastating in their specificity, “keep me tucked away somewhere deep inside / take the child’s name that I gave to you when you were mine.” The production is heavy, dark and full without becoming burdensome. The persistent drums and driving bassline from collaborators Jonny G and Moah respectively are grounding in their consistency—allowing the rest of the track to flow in and around while still staying cohesive. The use of harmonic vocal layering creates a disorienting effect that feels like walking through a thick fog. “Dama” stays true to the droning alt-rock sound that Rovik cultivated in his debut EP Let Go, which he released earlier this year.