“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.

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.

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.

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.”

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.

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.