Grace Gardner’s “Scorpions Don’t Live Forever” & Undefinable Hats
Grace Gardner wears many hats. A black belt in Tae Kwon Do, proficient in 10 musical instruments, introspective while also being a bit of a TikTok star – Maybe that’s why I’ve been struggling to find the words to describe her sound. I immediately though SZA – there’s melancholy dripping from every line. Then Aurora, […]
Noele Flowers’ “Portland” is a New Kind of Break-Up Song
Noele Flowers’ “Portland” is a different kind of break-up song. It’s a bit upbeat, a bit fast, and its resentment, pain, and frustration is understated, stretched out – subtle but ever present. See, it’s not a romantic break-up she’s singing about. It’s the more grisly, more gruesome, and horrifying kind. A friendship break-up. How was […]
Haley Harkin Absolves Anxiety with To Heal Her Too
Haley Harkin’s newest album, To Heal Her Too, has a theme of self understanding that brings an intense sense of peace and purpose. The album is reminiscent of something from the 70s, and not only is the album incredibly calming and uplifing, but the sound is magnetizing. A brilliant album full of plucky guitar and […]
Saintseneca’s New Monster is “Wild Violent”
Saintseneca’s songwriting is a unique beast. Lead singer Zac Little writes with internal rhymes and assonance as dense as those of Gerard Manley Hopkins (“Stones ring; like each tucked string tells, each hung bell’s / Bow swung finds tongue to fling out broad its name” – Hopkins could’ve been an indie singer-songwriter, if he wasn’t a […]
Portishead Lets Us Down Softly on “Roads”
Are we there yet? Undoubtedly, reading this question likely conjures one imagined scenario: A long, less-than-exhilarating road trip, where anticipation of some form of accomplishment or great adventure fuels and fills the passing miles. One could argue that life is a nearly-imperceptible reflection of a long, arduous road trip, and that is precisely where Portishead […]
Oversoon’s “Reflection” – A Thoughtful Pizzicato Expression of Love and Faith in Relationship
“Reflection”, by Oversoon, and “Somebody That I Used To Know” by Gotye, share pizzicato stylings and a mournful beginning. However, where “Somebody That I Used To Know” continues to wallow in regret and self-pity (and hey, sometimes you gotta wallow a bit, you know?), “Reflection” resolves to overcome both personal failings, and disappointment in a […]
Grab a partner and dance to Daffodil Floors by Mandi Mapes
I love a waltz, don’t you? I’ve got a feeling Mandi Mapes might be partial to one as well, judging by the joyous way she delivers Daffodil Floors. I found myself immediately swaying my head from side to side as her latest song started to play with a sweet little piano line. It’s pretty, pretty […]
Angel Envy’s “Forlorn Cactus” Portrays How Love Makes Fools Of Us All
If every rose has its thorn, does every cactus have a rose? Love is confusing. Angel Envy’s “Forlorn Cactus” hits like a young kid in the back seat of a car on a first ever family road trip, trying to make sense of how everything is new and strange by narrating their feelings in a […]
The Stolen Hours of H.C. McEntire’s “Soft Crook”
It’s a small thing, but also not a small thing, for someone to hold your hand on the street, to kiss you goodnight in her doorway. “Never seemed to ask for much / a lover not afraid of love” H. C. McEntire sings on “Soft Crook” – and it’s not too much to ask. Love […]
Bananaclub’s “Hi girl bye bye” Demands You Have a Good Time
The Chinese indie music scene reminds me a bit of Game of Thrones. One of the most cited reasons Game of Thrones took off the way it did is that it subverted expectations; a main character being killed off in the first season was unprecedented, shocking, and ultimately exciting: nobody, and nothing, was safe. That […]
