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.

A rich blend of chill, experimental soundscapes and psychedelic instrumentation, MATRIMONY, the exciting debut EP from Brooklyn-based musician and producer DJ ST THOMAS, crosses cultures and genres. Out today, the 7-track release is packed with groovy, danceable hooks and unique arrangements, all of which flow seamlessly through tight, vivid production. A standout track is “CENTIMETERS,” which bops to 70s-style guitar and an easygoing, R&B-inspired beat. Like staring at a lava lamp, the melody is wavy and transfixing. Its lulling, lo-fi bedroom vibes are amplified by the crackle and energy of various synths and samples, creating an effortlessly cool, impressively elevated DIY sound. DJ ST THOMAS has a voice like butter; smooth and warm, his vocals melt and mix with the arrangement like they were made for it. Lush and dreamy, “CENTIMETERS” is a vibrant mid-tempo jam from an EP perfect for easy, late-night listening.

If Hideout, the moniker for NYC-based duo Gabriel Rodriguez and Scarlett Stephenson-Connolly, has managed to fly under your radar in the past, now is the perfect time to get to know them with their latest release, “Window.” The unruly and wondrous track is the fifth single the pair has put out this year and it is a deceptive and dazzling addition. The intro pangs of sound create a sense of discomfort before gliding into the jarring first line: “Strangers are looking in my window.” The feeling of being watched is present throughout the song but the rhythm moves in waves; before you can get spooked the eerie undertones pull back and an upbeat hook surges in, making you forget what you were worried about. But don’t relax yet—suddenly the lyrics are turning, the lights are off, and the stranger in the window resurfaces. Every time you are about to get comfortable, “Window” switches up, reaching out, grabbing your arm, and pulling you in for the ride. Hideout’s sweeping new single will delight anyone who can manage to keep up.

Birch brings a more energetic sound to her newest single, “Your Gold.” Sliding into an electronic space, the Brooklyn-based artist explores the myth of the American dream and what it means to really “make it” through a gold rush allegory. Following her politically-charged debut, femme.one, “Your Gold” feels lighter and more vibrant. Birch marks the evolution in her sound as she sings, “Time would halt when you stop the clock / but everything’s changing / I am not who I was.” The song leaves space for itself to breath—not shying away from silence or shifts in tempo while somehow still maintaining a levity throughout. "Your Gold" is dancey without losing substance. The bridge serves as a grounding point as she repeats “I hope you’re happy when the wind blows right / you know exactly where I wanna fly” over minimal synths before shifting back into the chorus with full force. With this new single, Birch makes it clear that she is not one to follow a path set out for her by others. She will forge her own.

Danger Mouse and James Mercer have reunited on "Good Luck," a fatalistic new single that broods on the desolation of our current day and age. A pounding bass sits at the forefront while Mercer sings of looking "the face of evil" in the eye. "Head up, dead lamb," he sings, acknowledging that our sacrifice has already been made. Upon declaring that "there's no divine right," lines like "In time, it ends" then feel like a promise for a light at the end of the tunnel. While Danger Mouse collaborated with Karen O for Lux Prima earlier this year, Mercer has been mostly quiet since The Shins' 2018 surprise release of The Worm's Heart, a reworking of their fifth album Heartworms. In a joint statement, the duo officially announced an upcoming LP. "We always drift back to one another as Broken Bells," they stated in their press release for the single. "Right now it’s happened in the form of writing and recording sessions for the third Broken Bells album."

Matt Berninger of The National and Phoebe Bridgers team up to inject sincerity into the Netflix comedy Between Two Ferns: The Movie, directed by Scott Aukerman and starring Zach Galifianakis. "It always brings me back here / Into the garden by the hand / You've always had me walking on a string," they sing, mimicking the dynamic between host Galifianakis's production crew, portrayed by Lauren Lapkus, Ryan Gaul, and Jiavani Linayao, and their borderline abusive boss. While the lyrics convey the ways a tight-knit team can help each other through their messes, Berninger stated, "It’s also just a love song between a spider and a moth.” Given free reign by Aukerman to write a song for the film, Berninger and his long-time collaborator and wife Carin Besser penned lyrics that allow Bridgers' haunting vocals to shine; Walter Martin and Matt Barrick of The Walkmenround out your new favorite country band, Phoebe and the Spiders of Bars. "Walking on a String" appears at the 42-minute-mark as Galiafanakis makes a toast to his team, one of the rare vulnerable, intimate moments on an otherwise irreverent cross-country journey to produce the next great American talk show.