“Rider” is just one of nine passionate and lyrically stunning tracks off Skylar Gudasz’s new album Cinema, which takes us into the world of a black-and-white movie scene. The North Carolina-based musician's lyricism instantly places sharp images into the mind. “You ask me to be candid as you comb your errant hair / Well what, I want to whisper if my true voice is despair / or I’ve got too good at drinking or I’ve told untowardly tails / or I’ve hung too close the shimmering of your mirror on the stairs.” Cinema is Gudasz’s first album since her 2016 record, Oleander, where she was compared to a southern Joni Mitchell. A sweet folksy sound is prominent in “Rider” and brings the Mitchell mood back once again. At a time when many of us are feeling stuck and anything but free, Gudasz’s song is there to make us feel as if we are riding unbound on the back of a motorcycle— on our way to everywhere and nowhere all at once.

Losing a loved one is never easy, and in Haux’s latest single “Heavy” he grapples with the heartache of losing his aunt to an accidental overdose. Told from her perspective, he explores the difficulties of substance abuse and fighting addiction. In the very first lines of the single—“I took my life in the palm of my hands / I apologize for all that I am”—he paints the struggle of being self-aware of the problem but feeling helpless to stop it. Layering painful piano melodies, soft percussion and haunting vocals, Haux leaves you with a heavy heart and a solemn look at the importance of life and those who matter most. He repeats the chorus, "Take a sigh, take a breath in / Keep ‘em close, keep ‘em guessing / People lie, learn a lesson / Count your friends and your blessings," throughout the track as a plea to pause, reflect and appreciate the world around you. If this single is an indication of what’s to come on his new album Violence in a Quiet Mind (set to release this summer), I think we’ll need a lot of tissues.

Brooklyn duo Salt Cathedral tap Brazilian rapper MC Bin Laden and songstress duendita for their latest single "How Beautiful (she is),"  exhilarating affirmation of beauty through soft dream pop textures diffused with Brazilian funk. It's as if vocalist Juliana Ronderos's airy vocals cradle you from the opening line, "I see her, so pretty, why can't you see?" before reaching the chorus. "She wines up / Shining on through every color," she insists, wanting you to recognize the good she sees in you. "Menina linda, 'cê veio da onde? / Tô me perdendo e perdendo o foco" ("Beautiful girl, 'Where did you come from? / I'm losing and losing focus") echoes MC Bin Laden in admiration, over a building bass. duendita's lavish verse rounds out the track on a moving note, simply stating, "Don't forget you're perfectly made." "How Beautiful (she is)" is the latest single leading up to Salt Cathedral's long-awaited debut album CARISMA, slated for a May release via Ultra Records.

“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.

Local Opener’s new track is an all-around good vibes tune, the kind that makes you want to roll your windows down and crank it up as you soar down an interstate. “I Hope All of My Friends Live Forever” begins with a Fleet Foxes-esque vocal harmony before ushering in the full band. By the time the chorus rolls around we’re at an early ‘60s rock concert, with sing-along energy. The chorus itself demands to be sung by a crowd: “I wanna have fun again / I want all of my friends to feel the same / I want to have fun again / I hope all of my friends live forever.” Such a simple, resonant truth. A brief guitar solo continues the early-Beatles atmosphere before another verse that invites us all to choose happiness. “Wasted half of my life just being blue” croons the lead singer, adding “I’m trading in all of my gloom for sunny days.” Interestingly, the tune ends with a few contemplative improvisational bars in sharp contrast to the first three or so minutes, insinuating that choosing happiness isn’t always as simple as all that. Not simple, but certainly worthwhile.

Mackenzie Leighton is the friend you call up when you finally book that flight to Europe. She’ll take you down dark, cobblestoned alleyways to smoke-filled underground jazz clubs and give you that authentic Parisian experience not found in Lonely Planet guidebooks. You start to think that maybe after a week of observing the breezy elegance around you—and splurging on a bottle of expensive perfume—you’ll have acquired that coveted French elegance by osmosis. Leighton is here to tell you that’s not how it works. You can take her word for it, too. The California-born singer-songwriter moved to Paris after graduating from NYU and is still chasing that infamous je ne sais quois that Parisian women claim as their birthright. “Paris Girls” is a swinging jazz-pop number with a waltz feel in the verses. Leighton’s navigation of agile melodies makes her sound like a smoother Nellie McKay for a modern young audience. Unapologetic electric guitar remains prominent throughout the song, transporting you to the front row of that smokey Paris jazz club ‘round midnight. Until it’s safe to travel again, this track should hold you over.

Jenny O.’s latest single “God Knows Why” will help you cope with a new reality. It’s soothing, sweet and true. The sound reminisces a summer day in the 70s, listening to soft rock in a field somewhere—the LA-based musician could easily be compared to a young Patti Smith. Not so much in punk, but the similarities of powerful vocals and distinct style are there. The release of this song could not have come at a better time, at the peak of the world’s questioning and current state of the unknown—adjusting to a normal that feels anything but. “I could hear just fine last night / Then I sat up and it went quiet / My right ear is gone forever / It was there and now it’s gone.” O.’s third studio album New Truth comes out June 19 via Mama Bird Recording Co.