“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.

Happy Single Release Day to Good Night Gold Dust! The indie electronic quartet hails from Mankato, Minnesota and consists of members Laura Schultz, Colin Scharf, Zach Arney and Michelle Roche. Across GNGD's repertoire, guitarists Schultz and Scharf switch off on lead vocals, providing dynamic emotional texture from track to track. Prior to the release of their six-song EP, It Could Have Been You, the group gifts us with the gorgeous single, “In Water.”  Schultz takes the reigns on “In Water,” opening the song with the simple yet confrontational line, “You’re someone new / You’re someone different.” “In Water” is about what Schultz describes as "identity formation... How we change and how we keep changing.” She’s both delicate and fierce as she delivers the song’s poetic verses, exuding influences from the queen Björk and indie rock goddess Karen O. The song explodes in the last chorus as syncopated 808s drive the crisp guitars and cosmic electronic sounds home. In a magnificent choir of carefully layered harmonies, Schultz’s sings over and over again “It's changed and still changing.” Lean into the changes and let Good Night Gold Dust take you away with this unique and dreamy soundscape.

When Ciaran Lavery is accompanied by a string section and gentle harmonies, as he is in the original version of “Wicked Teeth,” the horrors he depicts are hidden beneath a layer of gorgeous production. But here, in a solo session backed by only the sparsest piano chords, it’s impossible to miss lines like, “I see you sharpening your claws / I can feel them in my sleep.” There is no less beauty in such a simple arrangement, rather the beauty is in his ability to confront his deepest fears alone, utterly exposed. “I could never stray from you,” he nearly whispers, addressing the powerlessness one might feel in an unhealthy relationship or at the hands of personal demons. As the song progresses, he finds his footing and becomes bolder in his piano playing. The questions of the first chorus — “Would you sink your wicked teeth? Would you lock your jaws down tight?” — sound almost like a challenge in the second. Sink your teeth in, lock your jaws down, even that can’t stop him.

John Isaac Watters, the vocalist of Rainstorm Brother, used to work as an architect. When listening to the careful arrangement of “Fire You Light,” the second track on the folk-rock duo’s new EP, Part One, it’s easy to understand why. His vocals are a little bit The National, a little bit Modest Mouse and a lot of vibrato, acting as the foundation around which all the other instrumental sounds are built. Classic elements of crooning folk merge seamlessly with experimental synths and percussion that evolves into something almost orchestral, leaving the listener with a song entirely in its own genre. The opening synth, which can best be described as a violin being played backwards, sets the tone for the unconventional mash-up of sounds, but with a traditional structure and a time signature fans of indie pop will be familiar with, “Fire You Light” will appeal to a wide-variety of listeners.

Brooklyn indie-pop artist Sedona aka Rachel Stewart releases her new single "Same Sky" today. Its sultry and jazzy elements compliment Sedona's standout voice that recalls 90s pop star greats. The song is Sedona's second released track following up last single "Call Me Up" which too showcases an eclectic artist that's bringing back everything we loved about the 90s. As a rising star in Brooklyn, it only makes sense that Sedona has a style of her own that matches the uniqueness of her sound. In "Same Sky" hear a twist on a romantic and lovelorn pop song that's tied together with spacey synths and enveloping background vocals. Sedona's debut EP Home Before Dawn arrives next summer and we're looking forward to more of her well-crafted jams. (Photo by Leona Johnson)

Brooklyn's Cape Francis is out with a new single titled "Nobody" off of his upcoming record. The song lives in a realm that is light yet pensive giving it a special kind of power. Kevin Henthorn talks about the background of the song telling us that "living in New York City can be incredibly overwhelming, especially coming from my home state of Maine. Living here, it feels like there's always someone else in a 30 foot radius of me at all times. Even if they're in a different apartment, through the walls, someone is always there. More and more I've been feeling the need to get out, which is why  "Nobody" is a song centered around escapism." The need to feel alone whether in your thoughts or physically is universal and speaks to who we are as human beings, needing both social interactions and solitude. In a genre that Henthorn labels as post-folk, Cape Francis finds themselves giving us the reflective nature of a folk song, with the modern and intricate sounds of the indie world. Be sure to check out our Buzzsession with Cape Francis that be on the look out for more music to come! 

The members of Vern Matz are self-proclaimed Radiohead fanatics, and the influence of Thom Yorke’s softer side is evident. “Systematically Gone” lets the listener revisit the sweet dreamlike state evoked in Radiohead’s “High and Dry,” but singer Danny Belgrad himself evokes the art rock heroes of a decade prior. R.E.M. sang, “Sometimes everything is wrong / Now it’s time to sing along,” and Belgrad channels Michael Stipe (quite convincingly) to describe a character singing away the toughest moments of their life, their “factory hours.” The subject’s stubbornness has left them “stuck on shore,” and vague questions like “Is it too much? / Will you ever stop?” convey an utter bewilderment with the decisions that they have made to take them so completely off course. With “systematic” echoes and jarring drum fills, the choruses, though still sweet, are frantic in a way that suggests the whole system itself is breaking down.

Loyal Lobos' debut EP releases today with soft-rock song "Burn" as its stand-out. It’s a song you can’t help to sway to and her youthful vocals drive the somber lyrics home. The LA native’s voice carries a relatable longing felt by her words and heard in her voice. The lines "You hold me just like my mother does, it hurts like hell / You broke, so watch me burn again" evoke a particular and familiar sadness. The simple percussion and guitar push her echo-y vocals to the forefront of the track with a slightly haunting aura as they intensify into the chorus — a feeling almost like finding something you thought you’d lost. Loyal Lobos' “Burn” is a sad song well-done. 

Miya Folick’s “Premonitions” is just the song for your next self-reflective midnight drive home. Folick strikes a delicate balance between contentment and yearning on this title track off her debut LP. Posing her deepest of existential questions to her listeners, the LA artist challenges herself and the audience to be more open with each other and themselves. Over an understated bass line and some lush synths, she sings, “If you ignore the darkness/then you miss the point of life.” “Premonitions” is a call for honest introspection and self-acceptance. Folick’s raw vocal delivery could be compared to a Strange Mercy-era Annie Clark, which is reason enough to dig into this track and others on her new record. The production is careful, intricate but accessible, just like indie pop records from Mitski and Japanese Breakfast. Folick’s record is fresh, fearless and ready to soundtrack your end of fall self-reflection. Give it a try!

Dutch-Ghanaian singer-songwriter Nana Adjoa recently released new EP A Tale so Familiar, a gorgeous collection of songs, with "Simmer Down" being the closing track. As an electric guitar and a piano usher in a calming and almost lullaby-like tone the themes of stories and nostalgia flood the song. The first verse gives us the setting of a comfortable house where records are spinning while the inhabitants eat "sweet bread" and drink "ageless wine." Adjoa refers to it all as "A tale so familiar," giving us the notion that something that once good and comfortable has now ceased to exist. There is a sadness to the song that is undeniable but it's coupled with a feeling of idllyic peace, as if living in past memories somehow makes them alive again. With her enwrapping voice and well-crafted lyrics, Nana Adjoa is the exactly kind of artist that we love to shine light on. Take a listen to "Simmer Down" to see for yourself.

"Out On A Trip" is the latest single by Chicago rock & roll band, The Evening Attraction. This tune was recorded straight to analog and produced by Twin Peaks', Colin Croom. As a listener you feel the pulse and the progression of the well-crafted lyrics. "Awake in a dream / But the night's not ending / You think you're asleep / But your eyes wide open / You know who you are / But now you're forgetting." Each verse paints an abstract picture, an out of body experience. But the chorus is repetitious and clever in a way that brings you back realizing it was just a trip, and it's all in your head. The Evening Attraction is creating music lyrically that is contemporary enough to stand amongst its peers but melodically respectful of the classics. The Farfisa Organ is reminiscent of the late 60s with vocal harmonies to match. These boys are the ones to watch. Stay tuned for more new music coming in early 2019.