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Pine Barons - Reaper
Pine Barons - Reaper

Pine Barons - Reaper


On “Reaper,” a song off their recently released album Mirage on the Meadow, Pine Barons combine psychedelic instrumentals and vivid lyrical imagery to deliver a haunting track that truly rocks; perfect listening for this, the spookiest of seasons. The tone is firmly established within the first few seconds, as a series of long atmospheric tones from the synth drape themselves over the drum and guitar lines. Before the lyrics come in you have already been set on a meandering walk through the dark forest in your mind. 

Songwriter and vocalist Keith Abrams cleverly illustrates the concept of scattered thoughts in the pre-chorus where, utilizing different production effects, he plays two intertwining inner monologues: one perpetually questioning, and one confident in its defeatist statements but not offering any answers. From this back and forth bursts the hook, which delivers everything you could ask for in a great rock chorus. It’s melodic, it’s powerful and it stays with you long after the song has ended. For much of “Reaper” there is an expertly curated sense of movement, like some physical manifestation of inner anxieties is stalking you at a distance. The closing guitar solo and coda, which layer in melodic callbacks from earlier sections, bring about a feeling of envelopment, like that fog of fear has finally caught up and engulfed you. Photo by Chris Sikich.

Emerson Obus on October 23, 2020
Eric Cannata - Lonely Beast

Eric Cannata - Lonely Beast


“I didn’t want to give myself time to overthink,” says Eric Cannata about the process of recording his upcoming EP. He decamped to a studio outside of Los Angeles with session musicians he had never met and recorded five songs, mostly live, in just two days. “Lonely Beast” is a product of that simplicity and spontaneity, a quiet weekend morning kind of song. Cannata, in his lullaby voice, is most moving when describing minor details, the types of things we pay such close attention to ourselves but would never dream of letting anyone else know the extent of our awareness.“Windows cracked / I’ll hear you when you come right back,” he sings, and you can imagine him counting the seconds. Everything in the track is gentle, from the steady fingerpicking to the wavering pedal steel, from the chord changes to Cannata words. But it’s so hard to tell, as it always is with loneliness, if that gentleness is a sign of contentment with a quiet weekend morning or resignation that it will be yet another quiet weekend morning.

Daniel Shanker on February 21, 2020
Tame Impala - Breathe Deeper

Tame Impala - Breathe Deeper


Tame Impala’s Kevin Parker spent his 2015 album Currents exploring the intricacies of his already-tight relationship with psychedelia, aiming to take us on a spiritual journey through his subconscious. Five trips around the sun later, Tame Impala is still continuing to navigate through life's full range of emotions by exhaling a little with “Breathe Deeper,” off of Parker’s smooth yet vitalizing new album The Slow Rush. “Breathe Deeper” explores one of the more complex human emotions: matters of the heart. Parker discusses themes of self-confidence while persuading the song's subject to unwind a little, over six-and-a-half minutes of soaring dance grooves. Tame Impala still has one foot in the psychedelic door; his beloved roots are flowing under the surface of “Breathe Deeper,” reminding us it's possible to stay true to ourselves while experiencing positive self-growth over jovial sounding grooves.

Taylor Hodgkins on February 21, 2020
Local Nomad - Love is Gone

Local Nomad - Love is Gone


Local Nomad dive into what happens in a relationship when the love is gone in their latest track, "Love is Gone." The single carries many of the band's signature sounds including, Michael Desmond's warm and soulful vocals, dream-like synths, and glossy drum beats that manage to keep you grounded. Throughout the song, we hear about what happens when a long term relationship ends suddenly and feelings of pain, adaptation and freedom that come with it. According to Desmond, he wrote "Love is Gone" after his six-year relationship ended over a phone call and wanted the track to be harsh, funny, and authentic. These feelings are incredibly evident throughout the piece, but especially so in the song's final chorus as Desmond emotionally sings the lyrics, "No, I don't know you anymore, my chameleon girl. You're changing your mind all of the time...you think I'm color blind."

Alessandra Rincon on February 21, 2020
Tennis - Matrimony II

Tennis - Matrimony II


Indie-pop duo Tennis released their fifth album, Swimmer, on Friday, and it’s a glitzy, atmospheric fever dream you’ll never want to wake from. Full of vibrant, emotional tracks that emphasize the deep musical synergy between husband and wife Patrick and Alaina Moore, all nine songs are rich with explorative arrangements, groovy hooks and inquisitive lyrics. The most impressive song on the album though, and perhaps of Tennis's entire career to date, is “Matrimony II,” a grand, sweeping ode to love and the ten-year musical journey that Patrick and Alaina have shared together. “Matrimony II” highlights all of Tennis’s strengths while weaving in sonic elements the two haven’t previously experimented with: Patrick’s cool guitar riffs over Alaina’s classical piano meet lush strings and a harpsichord; tight, full drums and groovy bass make you feel like you’re swaying on a beach in 1972; and Alaina’s voice, gorgeous and ephemeral at the top of her register, sounds like a hypnotic and cozy lullaby. The arrangement makes for a unique ballad with production that’s crisp and shimmering, like the evening sun hitting the ocean, and the lyrics are just as warm and wondrous: “I could never find something better / I even changed my name / By my side in every kind of weather / I'll never be the same.” Honest and vast, “Matrimony II” is bewitching, and it will make you believe in the power of love.

Britnee Meiser on February 19, 2020
The Big Moon - Dog Eat Dog

The Big Moon - Dog Eat Dog


The Big Moon recently dropped their bright, infectious sophomore album Walking Like We Do, where they dive into self-worth, disenchantment with the world today and not being afraid of going after what you really want. While this second effort holds the same vivid lyricism, inspiring arrangements and reflective tone as their debut Love in the 4th Dimension, the indie quartet diverted in a more spacious, pop direction that was realized in a thoughtful, joyous manner. One of the most poignant tracks is "Dog Eat Dog," which is a sweeping piano ballad that emphasizes how we are all too focused on our own self-interest and seem to only notice societal problems when it immediately impacts us. Lead singer and songwriter Juliette Jackson exceptionally illustrates the isolating mindset that we all reside in as she sings, “You only build bridges when the river wets your feet / You only felt the fire when you felt the heat / So here we are.” The echoing choruses and bouncing production of the track add an approachable energy that backs her earnest, sharp vocals. There are no punches being pulled, but instead, a necessary, straightforward message that we all need to get our heads out of the sand and offer some real empathy to those around us. It’s an understanding that is never more important than now, and one that should be addressed sooner rather than later. Walking Like We Do is out now via Fiction Records.

Meredith Vance on February 19, 2020
​Alexandra Savior - The Archer

​Alexandra Savior - The Archer


Alexandra Savior will pierce your heart with “The Archer,” the title track off the dream-pop artist’s second album, in which she delivers an emotional wallop with just a few verses and a simple, lilting melody. The potent torch song opens with propulsive percussion and lyrics that immediately disrupt this rhythmic regularity: “The earth went ahead and shook itself apart / the very moment I laid eyes on you.” With this captivating image, she proceeds to describe a lover who devours and rejects her, while she eats it all up (quite literally). The visceral but ambiguous lyrics don’t reveal whether the partner is so intently fixated in their love for her that they can’t help but target her, or if they are maliciously preying on her. The smooth-voiced Savior with her retro-sounding, desert rock has received comparisons to women as varied as Dusty Springfield, Fiona Apple and Lana Del Rey. However, with "The Archer," her latest deeply personal, haunting piece, Savoir has created a scorching ode to devastating love that is all her own.

Jessica Kramer on February 19, 2020
Christine and the Queens - People, I’ve been sad

Christine and the Queens - People, I’ve been sad


If the mission of Christine and the Queens is to prove that the complexity and depths of human emotion are limitless, then “People, I’ve been sad” is her masterclass. Héloïse Letissier dramatically increased her American fanbase last year with her second full-length album—the sexy, theatrical, genderbending Chris. Her newest track, which came out at the beginning of February, is more than an excellent portrait of the pain and rewards that come with real love (though it is decidedly that)—it’s also more evidence of her uniquely intricate understanding of the magical power of tension in music. Letissier’s bilingual lyrics provide the track’s emotional anchor, and with the satisfying way the synths and bass gradually build and release throughout, you can almost hear Phil Collins and Robyn smiling in admiration of their legacy. But the real accomplishment is that somehow, out of the rolling mountains of bass, the crackling snares, and Letissier’s signature sultry, hyper-focused vocal stylings, she creates an emotional energy that transcends any human language or worldly musical instrument. That’s why, by the end of the track, the word “sad” has never felt so understated. The emotions that matter—the ones that make us feel the most alive, most connected to other people—are too complex for a three-letter word. I guess that's why we need artists like Christine and the Queens.

Karl Snyder on February 18, 2020
​NOVA ONE - violet dreams

​NOVA ONE - violet dreams


NOVA ONE, the brainchild of Providence singer-songwriter Roz Raskin, is back with their new single “violet dreams.” The track is the first offering since 2018’s secret princess EP and the first taste of their upcoming, debut record entitled lovable. While the previous release focused on heartfelt, romantic declarations and desires, this new endeavor dives into analyzing femininity, gender presentation, and the process of figuring out your identity. Raskin describes the traditional aspects of what it means to be considered female and how that isn’t always aligning with a true vision of themselves. As they declare “Let me put on my make-up / Make me a drink / Make me perfection / Forget all my needs," you can hear the melancholy in their sweet, wistful vocals and the notion that what you actually want can be oppressed by others’ expectations and standards—that it’s better to sweep certain things aside in favor of putting on a front for others. The tender, swinging arrangement is the hazy backdrop that guides us deeper into the narrators’ mindset. Raskin’s offer of a sonic shoulder to lean on is not something to overlook. lovable drops April 24 via Community Records.

Meredith Vance on February 18, 2020
 LA Priest - What Moves

LA Priest - What Moves


Club-friendly beats and 80s inspired sheen aren’t usually associated with deep internal reflection. Sam Dust is here to challenge this notion with his first single in five years, “What Moves.” Dust, better known to fans as LA Priest, is opening up and getting candid about his deepest relationship concerns, directing his deepest fears toward us by asking, “What moves you to act the way you are / What moves you to fall into their arms?" He does this right before expressing the internal struggle of moving forward into the unknown by proclaiming, “But I know where I came from / but I don’t know where I’m gonna go.” Despite forcing himself to step back and hold himself accountable, Dust’s voice remains neutral throughout the song, perhaps making it easier to distract us from the tough themes of hard-to-swallow self-reflection. “What Moves” willingly moves us to dance into the unknown, while remembering to remain quizzical and true to ourselves. GENE will be released on April 24 via Domino Recording Company.

Taylor Hodgkins on February 18, 2020
Myles Cameron - LED

Myles Cameron - LED


A late-night with Myles Cameron's "LED" playing through your car speaker is a quintessential snapshot of the slow feeling of suburbia–longing. The 22-year old artist who hails from New York explores ambient and smooth sounds in his latest release that follows his previous gorgeous debut EP, Lonely Suburban Blackboy. Frankie Scoca's production in “LED” is moody and cool mixed with Cameron's effortless vocals, what results is calm and instant replayability. His melodies are sweet and catchy with introspective and honied lyrics that conjure up thoughts about fleeting nights and the people you can encounter in them. “LED” beautifully sets the precedent for what we can anticipate for Myles Cameron’s next project Black Sleep, out later this year.

Julie Gentile on February 17, 2020

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