Katy Kirby’s “Blue Raspberry” is Cubic Zirconia in the Rough
Katy Kirby’s new album is a languorous, poetic ode to artificiality and imperfection. Chronicling the end of a relationship and the bright, sparkling discovery of a new one, Kirby warbles, trills, and serenades over somber piano, understated guitar, and the occasional soaring strings. The album drawls in slow and almost hymnal with the syllabic, chantlike […]
Noele Flowers’ Triptych Singles Are a Sight to Behold
Noele Flowers has time and time again proven her unique ability to write stirring and frustratingly relatable heartbreak songs, not about a lover but instead: friendship. And in her most recent trio of singles—”Spider’s Silk,” “Red Sweater,” and “Let You Down”—she walks us through a friendship of 10 years—how it slowly degrades, and is lost. […]
JUNGWOO’s “Cumulus” is Blissfully Liminal
I heard JUNGWOO for the first time in 2019 when she popped up in my new releases with a Kim Sawol feature, one of my favorite singer-songwriters of all time. I made the grave mistake of not further exploring her music or clicking onto the album from which the song joined my playlists. Unfortunately, this […]
Casey Dubie’s “Older Colder” Sings with Indelible Warmth
As I write this review, a thick fog blanches the sky, and a gelid storm smatters the roof. My walks recently have developed a new phase of routine: the frigid refusal stage, where I stare out the window and think about how I should finally bust out my winter coat. Then I don’t, going out […]
Jake Minch’s Lonesome “Strip Mall” Pas de Deux
I love ballet. So, so much. So much, that after I had to stop for awhile, I couldn’t bear to look at a single dance because it made me miss it too much. My bloodied (yes, ballet is brutal) pointe shoes in the farthest corner of the attic, my youtube folder of videos deleted, and […]
Jack Blocker’s “Big Jefe” & Cowboy Country
Good news and bad news. Bad news: I’ve been at a record low of my usual listening activity (yes, I’m obsessive and keep track on Spotistats). My usual favorites haven’t been hitting, the new stuff seems like it’s been done before, and a general malaise has been hanging heavy like a cloud above my Spotify. […]
Retrospective: Blaze Foley’s Last Show “Live at the Austin Outhouse”
The first thing I regret about writing a Blaze Foley retrospective is that it is, by nature, retroactive—that is, that I am yet another in a long string of fans, reviewers, and artists who have come to know and appreciate his talent when it is far, far too late. No amount of good things I […]
Noah Gundersen’s “Swim” & Old Souls
Noah Gundersen is no rookie on the scene. And even when he was, the high praise he received as a rookie was often laced with reference to his spectacularly grounded vocals and battleworn songwriting, often called “old school.” But there is, whether you listen to his older stuff or the freshest single, something about Gundersen’s […]
The Japanese House’s “In the End It Always Does” & Cycles
When I was in middle school, I wrote a science paper from the perspective of a water droplet to prove I understood the water cycle: evaporate, rise, cool & condense… I got rave reviews back about the emotional turmoil of my water droplet as she was ripped from her family’s river current to the sky […]
Shi Lu Atom’s “Morning or Night” & Shinigami
Shi Lu (石璐) “Atom” has been on the scene for awhile. Which, for a lot of people, is pretty surprising: packed in a tiny body and a face full of youthful exuberance, Shi Lu’s status as a single mother nearing 40 flies in the face of what the traditional idea of a rocker looks like […]
