Premiering today is "Die With You," the newest single from Nashville-based singer-songwriter Sara Bug, preceding the release of her debut self-titled record. "Die With You" was written in 2013 among what Bug describes as "some of [her] darkest moments." The tender acoustic ballad reads lyrically like a love song, but seven years later, the subject itself doesn't matter; the track has instead become a letter to an aspirational form of herself, a more self-assured manifestation. "We are the perfect two / Even when I'm blue and wanna die / It's you," she sings with a romantic yearning, knowing that if she finds his level of faith in herself, it'll be all she needs to carry her through even her darkest days in the future. Showcasing her penchant for dynamic, avant-garde production, the song's contemplative instrumental outro swells heavily to carry Bug further along on this journey of self-actualization than where she started. It echos Bug's sentiment that "Die With You" "was then and still is now, a sort of foreshadowing of what I hope my life becomes." Her forthcoming LP will further explore themes of self-discovery and growth against her untraditional folk sound, a uniquely complex take on the singer-songwriter form. Preorder Sara Bug, due out May 14 via Egghunt Records. Photo by Bennett Littlejohn.

“I promise that somehow things will be okay” Chloe Berry offers, cutting through calamity with her new single “Bitter Melon.” This Brooklyn-based artist is stepping onto the music scene with a vengeance, especially with her background in writing music since the age of seven. When asked about the intentionality of the track, Chloe expressed that it was written with the sentiment in mind that “everything passes eventually." This high energy assemblage of sound is filled with the whimsical nostalgia of a coming-of-age film end-credit montage. Easing into the track, Chloe sings softly over a zig-zag of electric guitar until the percussion comes in and the track erupts into a vibrant invitation into her own escape from hopelessness. “Bitter Melon” is a precursor to promising future work to come from Chloe Berry, so get comfy and stick around.

"ALL THESE CHANGES" is the spectacular opening statement for Nick Hakim’s exquisite, sensitive new album. At first we hear tentative sounds—a cry, a few notes plucked on a guitar, an electronic snare, a flute tuning in and out—coming together into a single undulating unit with the deep boom of a synthesized timpani-esque drum. Delicate, stacked vocals envelop us from within the groovy synth-drenched ambiance as Hakim sings an ode to Mother Earth, calling on humanity to change our ways before it’s too late. “Cities burning, tides that rise / She's in pain, she's been hurting / Can you feel our mother raging? / She'll flood us out, her heart is flaming / Pretty soon we'll be underwater.” The song grows in complexity and power before glitching to a stop; Hakim introduces a de-tuned piano and a wide vocal that sounds like a phantom prophet warning us of the danger of our ways, whispering “She will drown us” and “Hope is fading.” We’d do well to heed Hakim’s words even as we lose ourselves in his sublime soundscape.

Sleek, polished, poised to be bumped in your headphones while you strut down the street on the first day of summer, Satellite Mode’s latest single “Kill the Choreography” goes down like a Pacifico and a lime. Jessica Carvo’s devil-may-care lead vocals croon singalong, standout lyrics like “Tear me off this leash, I wanna kill the choreography to feel the beat” and “Four, five, six, and seven, countin’ social proof, we are shameless”—one can almost see a vibrant retro talking head video before their eyes. Fleshed out with production tweaks like the oh-so-crisp layering of her expressive voice, swinging compressed drums, and the track’s shimmery synths and delays, the result is a festival-ready romp in the grass. By the time she’s yelling, “Dance the pressure OFF!” towards the end of the song, you’re ready to kill that choreo, too, and make up your own dance to this single’s slick beat. At the very least, it’ll definitely shake off the sheltering blues.

WHEW I love Flyte. They're a three-piece British band with my heart in their hands. Their debut record The Loved Ones felt like a secret I kept between me and the band, an Easter egg in an 8-bit video game I revisited again and again, continually charmed and surprised. It's a gorgeous, passionate, musically beautiful album, which rounds out with an acapella cover of "Archie, Marry Me" by Alvvays. I think about it all the time. It's desperate and haunting. It's one of those covers that hops in your bones. But enough about their LP (but for real, open your window and listen to it), I'm here to tell you about "Easy Tiger." 

"Easy Tiger" is a break-up track. It's a predator with a thorn in its paw. It's brought low, it's humble, it's sad. It's brilliant for all of that. Will Taylor has a giant vocal register, but he is so subdued on this track, the emotionalism is totally carried by the instrumentation. The music is anxious in "Easy Tiger," while the melody is steady, rhythmic and calm. It's the embodiment of trying to keep your cool while you see an ex at a party: on the surface, you're collected, inside you are an ocean. 

Give Flyte the love they deserve today. I reckon a new record will be dropping soon from them, so listen to The Loved Ones and their 2019 EP White Roses after you give "Easy Tiger" a spin.

Kllo’s "Insomnia" is a deep dive into a stream of consciousness, the meandering thoughts that arise in those late night moments right before falling asleep. We’ve all been there—unable to stop thinking of someone even as the clock ticks its way into tomorrow—and lead vocalist Chloe Kaul’s voice draws the picture with crystal clarity. The sound palette is spacey, leaving room for our thoughts to meander as well. A trip-hop beat and expansive bass contrast perfectly with Kaul’s breathy vocals, leading us into a chorus we can’t sit still to. This is the ideal song to lose yourself to in the dark hours.