The new EP from LA-based Scarypoolparty (solo project of Alejandro Aranda), Doom Hologram, opens with “Return2Sender”—the first of an eight-track story, meant to be played in order. Lingering just under five minutes, “Return2Sender” encapsulates the feeling of watching raindrops roll down the window, as golden candlelight flickers and once-fresh flowers on the table slowly wither away. Throughout the ethereal track, the scent of broken promises is as fragrant as wilting roses, leaving the listener to once again taste the words they wish they’d said to someone (“You take my words and break me down / I wrote you letters just to say ‘I love you’ / And now I know that you would tear them all apart”). The track allows Aranda, an American Idol alum, to flex his pop sensibilities and brings to mind the exact inspirations referenced in the release’s press statement—that he “channels the prodigious dexterity of John Mayer overlaid with the ethereal pop of The 1975.” Aranda’s hurt is undeniably palpable, and this candor is the heartbeat that drives the song through its melodic turns and an aching acoustic interlude. But, as great art is so often made, Aranda turned heartache into a glowing and visceral connection with his listeners — and one they won’t soon forget. Photo by Nicole Busch.

LA native Nia Andrews introduces her recently released debut album No Place Is Safe with the self-produced second single, "Seems So." After two EPs and lending her vocals to projects by artists like Solange, the soul singer presents a full-length project that shows her story and artistry in a more intense way than any of her previous work. Every aspect of "Seems So" claims the freedom of doing whatever you want with the art you make. The lyrics are a love song to a careless and confident soul. It appears Andrews, the songwriter, yearns to possess that same liberation. Starting with a reminder of how hard it is to leave a track when you’re set on its way, Andrews finishes the chorus with “and I wish I didn’t think so much, it seems so wonderful”. Though the singer says she wishes she could scream a little more, her voice is undoubtedly loud enough to be worth listening to. Andrews’ album No Place Is Safe is out now.

Julien Ehrlich and Max Kakacek, a duo affectionately known as Whitney, open their arms to welcome us back into their familiar upbeat, indie folk musical fortress with their lyrically forlorn new single “Giving Up”. The narrative of this track is one of a woebegone lover, clinging to what is left of the connection between the two. Whitney has a way of living out hurt in a whimsical fashion: through bursts of brass, and Kakacek’s brilliant & bright guitar genius. This track is the first single from their upcoming album, Forever Turned Around, set to be released on August 30th. With their indubitably bona fide spirit, Whitney comes back around with “Giving Up” to woo us like they never left.

The dust has settled from Record Store Day 2019 and the cratediggers everywhere have made off with their scores, b-sides and rarities and reissues galore. Julien Baker’s contribution to the nationwide phenomenon was a pair of unreleased singles, including the haunting “Red Door,” finally released in digital format. The track features many hallmarks of Baker’s sound, like reverb-heavy electric guitar, booming atmospheric percussion, and a steady build, while also addressing the typical Julien Baker themes of fighting expectations, conflicting emotions and dealing with anger. Baker has long been praised for her emotional songwriting and pristine voice. Still, many critics—at least until seeing her play a face-melting solo in “Salt in the Wound” to close out her shows with fellow boygenius members Lucy Dacus and Phoebe Bridgers—have underrated her guitar playing. While her slow, contemplative style doesn’t often leave room to show off lightning-fast technical chops, she employs impressive guitar riffs here both expertly and tastefully. But where Baker truly shines is in finding beautiful imagery hidden in everyday scenes, notably when she describes herself as “pale as a flickering bulb outside of a liquor store.” Her ability to evoke an emotional response from an audience is due in part to that juxtaposition, creating a space where our most extraordinary feelings seem commonplace and acceptable.

Future Generations find a sweet positivity in love and hold onto it in their newest single “Try.” It is a sweetly stripped-down love song driven by a soothing melodic synth with rhythmic accents. The simplicity of the instrumental allows the message to take center stage as lead singer Eddie Gore sings, “your eyes make me try.” It’s an ode to a lover that focuses on one simple feature but obviously means so much more. The Brooklyn-based electro, indie pop band has a knack for feel-good songs perfect for summer, and “Try” is no exception. It’s hard not to be happy while listening to someone sing, “your eyes have made a scene/ I need to watch it all.” Sometimes it seems like all anyone sings about is sadness and heartbreak, but this track is optimistic. There is no underlying pain just pure love and adoration that seeps into you even if it’s just for three minutes. The song was put out as a double single along with the track “Spirit of My Youth.” These two songs are the group's first releases since the band’s LP Landscape, which came out in 2018.

With her sultry, soaring vocal on one of her latest tracks, "What If," Amber Mark lets us know that she understands the butterfly effect. The multifaceted artist speaks to the mistakes that have led her to love. The “what ifs” float away with the track’s effortlessly groovy, R&B-influenced production and inspire the kind of pulsing vibe that makes your entire body want to move. Mark shows off her range on this song, hitting notes all the way up in her whistle tone, pushing her into the club of vocally exceptional pop artists like Mariah Carey and Ariana Grande. Amber Mark is a massive artist to watch and seems to be one proper debut LP away from major limelight. Don’t sleep on her!

To grapple with contextualizing the dark cloud of uncertainty and existential anxiety hanging over our society is, it seems, to be an artist in 2019. It’s an attempt to cope, to suss out the myriad terrors of our times. “We stay inside our homes / we’re a face that never shows / and a light that never glows"—these are the first lyrics from Painted On, the nascent collaboration between Brooklyn’s Hillary Capps and Anthony Farina. “Fall,” is the duo’s debut single, a downtempo, brooding apologia to appeal to the better angels of our nature. Capps sings of a need for us to be our own light in the darkness. But towards the end of the song, as a beating war drum heaves climactic, Farina’s vocals enter into the fray, and he posits that the comfortable corner of darkness may be the best place to weigh it all out. By the time the coda hits, Capps sings the opening line one last time, and you’re led to wonder how much faith we should really have in ourselves.