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​The Japanese House - Something Has To Change
​The Japanese House - Something Has To Change

​The Japanese House - Something Has To Change


The Japanese House is the moniker of London-based singer-songwriter Amber Bain. If you are familiar with her writing style, you know that she has an uncanny ability to make indie electronica feel warm and welcoming. That's precisely the texture we encounter in her most recent single, "Something Has To Change." It's much more pop-oriented than her most recent record Good At Falling, which, track for track, feels more like a film score than an album. Bain's voice is subtle and soft but manages to carry a world of emotional meaning. Some of her lyrics are so concise that they feel more like journalism than poetry: "And it's the same girl who's giving you hell / And it's the same face / Your heart keeps breaking in the same place." This indelible quality makes her a whip-smart songwriter. As a listener, you know that the words she's chosen were meticulously procured for this track: they were thought about, loved and woven into the song.

Hannah Lupas on October 4, 2019
Frankie Cosmos - Wannago

Frankie Cosmos - Wannago


Frankie Cosmos are back and vibrant as ever as they tease the release of their fourth record with a glittering new single. "Wannago" tells the story of two distant lovers through rose-colored harmonies and sugary lyrics. "It's been forever but it's whatever / I'm here for you and I would never forget you" sings lead singer Greta Kline, who said she once "found some of the lyrics embarrassing," but later "accepted the cheesier lyrics as part of the youthful glow of the song." The track captures the serendipitous joy of two humans "with eyes and ears / and dreams and science and love and fears" connecting in an absurd world, being driven apart by life, but earnestly finding their ways back. Fans have bassist Alex Bailey to thank for pushing the band to finish the older tune, and the result showcases the band's collaborative synergy. Close It Quietly will be released on September 6 via Sub Pop Records.

Ysabella Monton on August 27, 2019
Dizzy - Twist

Dizzy - Twist


Born in the suburb of Oshawa, Ontario, Dizzy is the indie dream-pop band composed of brothers Charlie, Alex, and Mackenzie Spencer and their frontwoman Katie Munshaw. “Twist” is the follow up to their debut album Baby Teeth—the single is a breezy heartbreaker that you won’t know whether to dance or cry to. The band members describe Dizzy as a means to cope with small-town monotony. However, “Twist” is a testament to how far the group has come since their suburbia beginnings. The track is atmospheric and swirling, grounded in a rhythmic, smacking drum loop. Small, incremental movements in the vocals and sweeping synths add a glittering texture to the song's bass-heavy foundation. Dreamy elements are weaved throughout via Munshaw’s serene but sincere voice, delicate, twinkling piano, and an entrancing guitar solo. “Twist” navigates the post-break-up, with lyrics like “I beat myself up for feeling let down” showing Munshaw grapple with wanting to see someone while chastising herself for the impulse. The chorus swells around Munshaw’s voice as she sings the tragic lines, “there’s a hole that’s inside of my chest in the place of a heart in the shape of your fist” and as the band grieves, we all feel the pang of our past heartbreaks. “Twist” is the lead single off the Heavy/Twist EP, which will have to hold you over while Dizzy works on their next record.

Brigid Moser on August 26, 2019
Big Thief - Not

Big Thief - Not


Big Thief’s music has always had an unearthly, ethereal texture to it and the band’s newest single “Not”, the first offering from their forthcoming, fourth record Two Hands, is no exception. The track is an examination of what is bigger than all of us and a look at what people often fail to appreciate. Lead singer Adrianne Lenker makes a heartfelt delivery with her poetically haunting words, “It's not the energy reeling / Nor the lines in your face / Nor the clouds on the ceiling / Nor the clouds in space.” The conviction in her voice and the cruising, confident production further relay the central verdict of the song. The Brooklyn four-piece make existential ideas more easily digestible and appealing to explore. They send a message of clarity—suggesting that we all take a moment to breathe and focus on the bigger picture amidst all the chaos of this world. Two Hands is officially out October 11 via 4AD.

Meredith Vance on August 26, 2019
Whitney - Used To Be Lonely

Whitney - Used To Be Lonely


Chicago indie-rock outfit Whitney’s newest single “Used To Be Lonely” sounds like a slow summer drive through the country. A blend of folk and indie rock, the song fits in well with the last two singles—building a believable world for their upcoming sophomore album Forever Turned Around. The track starts with minimalistic piano and fingerpicked guitar before Julien Ehlrick’s recognizable voice joins in. It builds to eventually include a more stylized electric guitar, a gentle driving drum, and a chorus of horns that somehow refrain from overpowering the track. In a sea of sad songs, "Used To Be Lonely" lends some optimism without throwing it in your face. It addresses the fear that your current state of happiness may one day disappear—“I’m afraid you’re letting go / cause the only life I’ve ever known / Used to be lonely.” The instrumentals push the song to sound more optimistic than panicked. "Used To Be Lonely" is a languid declaration of a fear that is usually kept secret—something that is hard to escape and ignore but mustn’t be dwelled upon. If you think too hard about losing happiness, it will become a self-fulfilled prophecy. It is helpful to realize that just like leisurely summer drives, nothing lasts forever.

Corey Bates on August 26, 2019
Fake Dad - What's Wrong? Pt II

Fake Dad - What's Wrong? Pt II


Lustrous and smooth, “What’s Wrong? Pt II” is a transient jam that basks in that hazy, dream-like state between sleeping and waking. The new track from Brooklyn indie duo Fake Dad is actually a remake of their first single, with brighter, more vivid production and a groovy, head-bopping hook. Jazz-infused keys and vibrant, spacey synths transport you to a world where sounds are more stimulating and everything shimmers under starlight. The arrangement is crisp and dreamy, with the sort of intimate style and psych-rock instrumentation that will appeal to fans of Crumb or HOMESHAKE. Andrea de Varona’s vocals, velvety and dynamic, bring the theme of disorientation to the front of the arrangement by singing about displacement and false awakenings. “What is wrong with me? / Been chasing after something I don’t believe.” Atmospheric and bright, “What’s Wrong? Pt II” reflects the curiosity surrounding fragmented consciousness. Check out the accompanying music video, which features dinosaurs and wonderment, on their YouTube page.

Britnee Meiser on August 23, 2019
Meija - Laugh It Off

Meija - Laugh It Off


After producing and penning music for indie greats such as Your Smith, and Bay Ledges as well as pop powerhouses like Adam Lambert and Quinn XCII, it seems it was finally time for Jamie Sierota to go solo. To that end, the latest from his solo project as meija,“Laugh It Off”, comes fresh off the heels of his last track, “Buttons”, and explores the complicated way we respond to vulnerable moments. This fresh and summery track makes use of classic 80’s drum machines and a nylon string guitar along with less conventional accents like glass bottles and bongo drums. Of the song, Sierota remarks about how “some things are too serious and hurtful to shrug off, even if that helps you avoid an uncomfortable conversation.” The juxtaposition of a more serious topic with a lighthearted sound was his ingenious way of “making something hard to say easy to listen to.”

Jazzmyne Pearson on August 23, 2019
Yianna - If I Never Left

Yianna - If I Never Left


Pensive and soulful, Yianna's latest, "If I Never Left" joins both "Heavy Waters" and "Hard Pill To Swallow" as her latest single before the heavily anticipated release of her debut EP. With a hopeful and emotional tone, this introspective track looks back at how the experience of a broken and unhealthy relationship can build one into an even stronger person than before. The titular lyrics "If I never left / I would be a different person than I am today" certainly evoke a feeling of triumph from a familiar pain. Powerful vocals and writing take this track to the next level and its R&B undertones make for a smooth sound that certainly has us excited for her next release.

Jazzmyne Pearson on August 23, 2019
Kat Lee - Isn’t Up to Me

Kat Lee - Isn’t Up to Me


With “Isn’t Up to Me,” Kat Lee makes a departure from her usual work fronting the rock group Tiny Gun. The NYC based artist creates a solemn acoustic tune that weaves through internal conflict—ruminating on the powerlessness that can accompany relationships. Lee brings us into her world immediately with concrete details, “On Halloween, you slept on my side of the bed / scared you off with all the thoughts I have inside my head.” The song explores the things we wish we could say and change. Lee sings over softly plucked acoustic guitar and sparse production—allowing the focus to land on her gentle vocals and introspective lyrics. "Isn't Up to Me" is a soft song about a type of sadness that many people feel. The sadness of wanting someone but not wanting to try too hard, lest the feelings not be reciprocated. The addition of a lower harmony in the middle of the song adds a depth that pulls the focus even more to the clarity of Lee’s vocals. The effect on her voice in the bridge makes her sound slightly muffled like an old recording, as she sings “Leave me on the porch again / maybe I’ll see you in New York again / and I will stay inside your memory / I will be your secret memory.” “Isn’t Up to Me” is the first track off of Lee’s solo debut EP Catch and Release.

Corey Bates on August 22, 2019
Evan Nachimson - Waffles

Evan Nachimson - Waffles


Start your morning with “Waffles,” the feel-good new single from Brooklyn-based artist Evan Nachimson. Complete with a funky hook, upbeat keyboard melody, and infectiously catchy beat, “Waffles” is the perfect mid-tempo bop to keep you moving (and grooving) easily through even the darkest days. Nachimson’s vocal, clear and pleasing, is an inevitable burst of sunshine, and his lyrics, which start with coffee and waffles, hold surprising depth: “I used to tread in negatives / They’re easy to hold on, harder to move on / Disregard the evidence and the good going on.” The central message is simple and accessible: to be happy, live day by day and just keep looking up. That message is embodied in the instrumentation, which is lush with fun, psychedelic synths, and pumping, R&B-style percussion. “Waffles” is a happy and hopeful track that's worth playing on repeat.

Britnee Meiser on August 20, 2019
Clairo - Softly

Clairo - Softly


Bedroom pop phenom Clairo blossoms into a refined, yet unflinchingly sincere songwriter on her debut album Immunity, released August 2 via FADER label. With "Softly," Clairo gives queer girls an outlet to dance around their bedrooms full of youthful infatuation. It captures the subtlety of a soft brush of fingers and stolen glances in the early stages of an innocent crush without the pressure of labels on a relationship or sexuality. Wistful lyrics over a lax, off-rhythm guitar melody improvised by Rostam further the song's whimsical energy. "I got this feeling / Telling me girl, I gotta know," she croons in a way that young queer girls can look up to, while also tugging at the heartstrings of older queer girls who felt confused and repressed. As a children's choir echos "I don't care what they say" in the background, Clairo asserts that she's exploring her sexuality on her own terms; she's "doing it differently," and although some look down upon queer love, this blissful feeling is the only thing that matters.

Ysabella Monton on August 20, 2019

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