Seek by Brother James Is Heavy and Hopeful
We’re all searching for truth. Los Angeles natives (Angelenos), in their unique spiritual ideologies, search for their truths in a community that is heavily influenced by the entertainment industry. But Los Angeles-based singer Brother James takes his cues from another place. His EP, “Seek,” addresses heavy topics such as birth, life, and death through a […]
Climate’s “Smiling The Right Way” Is a Search for Meaning
What is a song but the weaving of instruments, vocals, and themes? What is life but an ongoing attempt to untangle meaning? In Climate’s single, “Smiling the Right Way,” from 2021’s Colorways, the band blends a cheery, upbeat tune with dense lyrical snapshots that characterize the flexible yet cyclical nature of life. The single opens […]
Patric Johnston’s Something Something Love Captures the Unity and Tension of Relationships
Love is a subject in art that is frequently used to depict unity and tension—sometimes both. Because it is a universal subject, it’s easy to relate to a song, a painting, or a book that makes love its main theme. In Patric Johnston’s EP, “Something Something Love,” Johnston writes about love as a musical triptych […]
Zack Fletcher’s “The Traveler” Is a Beautiful Metaphor for Loss
The grieving process is sometimes unclear, vague, and complicated. You cry every day at the memory of someone’s laughter or a small moment the two of you had shared. In Zack Fletcher’s single, “The Traveler,” he composes a song about loss in a way that makes the grief easier to understand. By comparing the loved […]
