“Fireflies” by Caoilfhionn Rose: Cathartic Indie Folk
When people joke about music being the only therapist they need, I sometimes wonder if they’re joking or if they really mean it. Because, in truth, music can be a cathartic and emotionally rewarding experience. Whether or not it is actually a replacement for a therapist, I don’t think I’m qualified to speak on, but […]
“Golden State” by The Indigo is Smooth Indie Rock with Feeling
“Golden State,” the tenth track off of The Indigo’s debut album Future Self Only Dreams, is an unusually warm indie rock song. The Indigo, a post-angst rock band hailing from Birmingham but based out of Nashville, have previously described themselves in three words as, “Not-Genre-Settling.” Equal parts indie rock, R&B, pop, folk, and psychedelia, the […]
“No Sleep” by Arm’s Length: Rage, Frustration and Redemption
Arm’s Length has only been a proper band for about two years now, but you might not have been able to tell from the emotional punch their latest EP packs. Everything Nice follows the Ontario band’s 2019 release, What’s Mine Is Yours, and the musical and emotional growth is on display. “Everything Nice is the […]
“Another Girl” by Ali George: From One Love to the Next
Ali George’s latest album is called Platys Yialos, which translates roughly in Greek as ‘wide beach’. The album cover, made by George’s father, depicts this landscape with swoon-worthy detail. The way the pounding waves and frothy foam bleed into the skyline, or how three-dimensional depth is brought to life with color and texture—the artwork is […]
“Time Bleeds Out” by Michael McGlennon: Eerie, Plaintive Psych-Folk
Michael McGlennon is a self-proclaimed “conservationist of imaginings.” To be honest, I didn’t know exactly quite what to make of a statement like that until I read the bio on his website. “Michael McGlennon’s art feels like something you might discover posthumously in your friend’s garage,” it states. “A kaleidoscope of things reflected: beautiful, tragic, […]
“Pepper” by Bogus Bones: Well-Crafted Aimlessness and Ennui
Something that we’ve probably all been finding ourselves doing since the pandemic shut down most aspects of everyday life is taking time to enjoy things that once felt mundane. I’ve lost count of how many walks I’ve been on around my neighborhood, retracing the same worn steps day after day. Sometimes I go out on […]
Ruby Landen’s “I Look Like My Mother”: Introspection, Insecurity and Family
The Northern California native Ruby Landen honed her musical talent across an entire ocean, spending her days busking in the Paris Metro. When you listen to her music, in what can be described as a mix of folk, Americana, and alt-country, you can almost hear the dichotomy between artist and venue. It’s like she’s captured […]
“Sober” by Adult Mom: Clarity at Last
“Drunk words are sober thoughts:” we’ve all heard this saying before. Whether or not you feel strongly about the truth of this statement, there exists a general sense that people under the influence of alcohol are like Jenga blocks. Push the right block and they all come tumbling down; push a drunk person the right […]
“La La La” by Alex Bleeker: Warm, Evocative Psychedelia
Who is music for? I ask myself this question a lot, coming to a different conclusion each time. Selfishly, I like to think that music is for the people—to be enjoyed by the masses, by the fans who make artists’ careers possible. Other times, it dawns on me that without the artists themselves, there wouldn’t […]
“Hey Coffee Eyes!! (I Think You’re the One!!)” by Mapleway: A Gripping Emo Demo
Who doesn’t love a good demo? There’s something so exciting about your favorite artists releasing the early versions of their best songs. It gives us all the chance to dissect their songwriting process, muse over how differently their songs could have sounded, or sometimes, even just jam out. The Boston-based emo band, mapleway, just released […]
