Now Listening: This Week's Tracks
Tal Simon - βHollandaiseβ
There are times where we have to dip back into the past to figure out the structure of the road that can lead us toward the future we see for ourselves. Through old, half-finished, loops, Tal Simon has rejuvenated his sound as a musician on his new debut EP, Reworks. βHollandaiseβ is a standout track on the EP. Itβs a tune flushed with memories still left fresh in Talβs mind - ones stamped with the lasting smell of Rickylβs Diner, a small town landmark in Talβs home state of Connecticut, sizzling from the moment you pull into the parking lot. The track offers us a piece of Talβs mind as it reaches toward a form of reconciliation. Yet, taking another listen makes the song seem like it is using the swelling of the synths, along with the consistent rhythm of the drum beats, to figure out what the song means to Tal and what his life, to this point, adds to it all. My best advice is to: pull-up a chair, grab a cup of fresh coffee, and let βHollandaiseβ guide you toward a peace of mind.
Josie Man - βLittle Space For Meβ
Josie Mann delivers an emotive track and video βLittle Space For Meβ centering around the love of Mannβs parents. Following up single βCuts and Bruisesβ, βLittle Space for Meβ take a more stripped down, raw approach. The song touches on the love Mannβs share & βhow they made space in their life to love Josie and her siblingsβ. The track serves as a way to reflect on all those moments, with the video featuring footage from Mannβs childhood as well. With effortlessly smooth vocals, Mann immediately hooks the listener in for a sweet and charming ride through the track. With a focus on honesty and truly letting her listeners in, Mann hopes to spread the message of physical, emotional and mental wellness, while creating tunes for you to escape and dance away to.
JAWNY - βBest Thingβ
JAWNY always keeps the energy hype and is constantly finding ways to create entertaining music videos that key you hooked each note and scene. Sonically, βBest Thingβ is the perfect pop track thanks to its catchy hook, but its got just enough of an edge undertone so you wonβt be getting sick of it anytime soon. The first new track of JAWNYβs in 2021, βBest Thingβ showcases a fun high pitched twist to the artistsβ usual vocals. Following the tale of βHugoβ, the song tells the story of a romance story ending, complete with voicemails and all. Directed by Spencer Ford, the video is both artistic and entertaining, matching the exact energy of the track itself.
As a whole, βBest Thingβ highlights incredible growth for JAWNY in the visual and musical department. With a debut project and label behind him, JAWNY is ready to stick to creative routes while exploring new avenues as seen in βBest Thingβ.
Tessa Violet & lovelytheband - βGamesβ
Tessa Violet teams up with indie rockers lovelytheband for charming track and Twilight inspired video βGamesβ. With a cameo from Carlise himself, βGamesβ does the cult classic the justice it deserves and shows a lot of creativity from Violet herself. From her debut album Bad Ideas, the track is a beautiful collaboration between Violetβs powerful melodies and lovelythebandβs smooth vocals. Together the artists make for an edgy, energy-filled track that will have you meeting each note with the chorus. Violet shares, "Being cheated on is crazy making. You're suspicious but then your suspicion is dismissed and you start to question your own sense of reality. Games for me is about the tension of suspecting something is up but being paralyzed because it doesn't feel good to call someone a liar."
Violent has kept busy and continues to showcase different avnues of her artist, through both her song writing, collaboration and visual work as well, and is sure to continue to impress fans and new listeners alike.
Francis Moon x The Hollow Men - βThousand Starsβ
βThousand Starsβ Μis the first collaborative single from the two Swedish indie artists Francis Moon and The Hollow Men. With a bedroom indie-pop backing, the track takes inspiration from 80s pop music - with a lo-fi synth beat pulsing through the song, driving along its catchy and bouncy rhythm. With the vocals containing tight harmonies throughout the track, the song proves to highlight and showcase the artistβs skills and talent. Francis Moon had said that, "the song has really pushed us both as artists, to improve creatively as songwriters and to dare to try new things such as structure, instruments, and other small detailsβ - which definitely shows. All in all, the song is a catchy and bright track that brings back the vibes of a better world, and shed a little light on the uncertainty that lies ahead.
Alessiah - βDarlingβ
βDarlingβ is the fifth single from fourteen-year-old Alessiah - a new pop sensation that will certainly take the music scene by storm. βDarlingβ is part of a collaboration Alessiah has with Vanotek, a Romanian producer, well known for his international hits βTell Me Whoβ and βBack to Me.β The song presents itself as an upbeat funky dance song - that in part, mixes the kitschy, tongue-in-cheek lyrical styles of Shania Twain, with a disco-like back track that is enriched with electro-pop and modern dance elements. While the track presents some level of vulnerability amongst the singer, itβs relationship-narrative is positive, catchy, and one that youβll certainly want to dance to. We cannot wait to continue to see how her musical journey unfolds.
Jill Blutt - βBreathing in Manualβ
Jill Blutt gives us a taste of their debut self-produced EP with new single βBreathing in Manualβ. Connecting with Brooklyn-based producer Eben DβAmico in the Spring of 2020, the duo began to quickly start writing and creating music together (both in-person and via Zoom). βBreathing In Manualβ showcases Bluttβs wispy and charming vocals, with a chorus thatβs sure to get stuck in your head. The track centers around the βmoment of self-awareness when overactive thoughts manifest physicallyβ. Blutt opens up on a personal level through the track, touching their relationship with loneliness and how thatβs evolved this past year in quarantine. With solid production and vocals that keep you into each note, βBreathing in Manualβ serves as a great introduction to Bluttβs upcoming music. If the rest of the EP is half as good as this single, Blutt is sure to build a strong foundation for herself.
Thala - βweepβ
From busking on the streets only one year ago, Berlin-based Thala, an autodidact, quickly moved on to the local open mic scene, and then on to recording her own compositions. Her latest release βweepβ is a whimsical dream pop venture which meets a hazy shoegaze aesthetic, allowing the listener to get lost in reflection. Itβs a short and sweet track which has an atmospheric soundscape, reminiscent of a mix between a Beach House and Mazzy Star inspired song. Thalaβs music concerns society, love and relationships as she writes her often metaphorical lyrics to detail the obstacles of everyday life, handling heart-aches, letting go and adolescence. Currently working on her first EP, due to drop in Summer, new track βweepβ is a refreshing hint of whatβs to come.
Modern Nomad - βHang Onβ
βHang Onβ is the second single off of Modern Nomadβs new EP, Bardo - set for release on May 14, 2021. Modern Nomad is the recording project of multi-instrumentalist and songwriter, Tom McLean, who appeared within the Baltimore music scene back in 2013, at age sixteen. With this new track, McLean blends together elements of psychedelic rock, indie, and traditional pop, taking on the sounds of The Beatles, Tame Impala, and Toro Y Moi - clear inspirations of the songwriter - treating them to a new perspective that we have never quite seen before. The song opens with the sounds of waves crashing, presenting the atmospheric aesthetic as to which the song will unfold. Sun-soaked and curious, McLeanβs latest track is one that will have us remembering those days filled with sunshine, endless good memories, and life before quarantine.
Faerie - βInvite to the Moonβ
Have you ever had the feeling that something is coming? When you reach your hand out, you can feel a slight touch yet no one or anything is there to answer your wishes. Listening to βInvite the Moonβ by Faerie - who lives out most of her daydreams as Christine Lam - Iβm reminded of how beautiful escaping to somewhere can be. Even dreaming of somewhere new makes a personβs mind launch itself to that place before they can physically arrive there. Faerie doesnβt only want to escape, but she wants to thrive somewhere with someone special. During the closing months of a quarantine life - one we all believed was going to last forever - this is the perfect track to drive to then find a comfortable spot and begin to dream of a place meant for you and another. The best places seem to be lived fully in our heads before real life can disappoint us, but, if I know anything, it's those unthinkable places we find in life - no matter how perfect they may be - that become better than the dream. And, I like to believe Faerieβs trip to the moon wonβt have her venture too far off from planet Earth.
