“Sorry Now” Is a Nostalgic Reminder That Breakups Cut Deep – On Both Sides
In the pantheon of love songs, Juliet Lloyd’s “Sorry Now” explores a far less common theme than usual. It’s not about unrequited love, the hurt someone causes or the feeling of freedom at the end of a toxic relationship. This about is the person who initiated the “split” opaquely stewing on their regret. And to […]
The Japanese House Puts a “:)” on Her Face
Something’s happening. The Japanese House feels happier. That’s the chorus of her new single “:)”. And it’s also the first thought I had when I finished listening to it. Historically, The Japanese House (the sparkly, introspective project of singer-songwriter Amber Bain) has been an exercise in bright melancholy: how happy can you sound while still […]
Retrospective: “Telegraph Road” is Mark Knopfler’s Magnum Opus
Let’s look at retrospective in a unique way – searching for the artist’s peak. Not the most popular song; something harder – something we might think of as the Platonic peak. A song that conveys the essence of their good. Won’t reasonable people disagree? Let’s hope so. Mark Knopfler is a challenge because he does […]
Julia Pratt Deals with Her Past on Family Feud EP
A car crash inevitably produces a gapers’ block (the traffic caused not by an accident, but by the people who slow down to “gape” at the accident on the other side of the highway) and the fascination of the gaper is kin to the proverbial “there but for the grace of inscrutable cosmological forces and/or […]
Holly Humberstone Works Through Something on “Cocoon”
Holly Humberstone released the album Paint My Bedroom Black in 2023 which contained the track “Cocoon.”, and now she has released a new version of that song in collaboration with Medium Build. The original version is a lively, fully produced affair that kicks in with a relentless beat from very early on. The new version […]
Katie Pruitt Doesn’t Need to Be “Jealous of the Boys”
Who dresses up in a fabulous costume to step into a fearless alter ego capable of extraordinary feats? Whose hidden, secret self is maybe more true than the face they present to the workaday world? Drag queens. Also, Superman. “When I was younger, I wanted to be Superman,” sings Katie Pruitt on her new song, […]
Hovvdy Embrace the Power of Singing on “Make Ya Proud”
How do you harness the power of song? Hovvdy, the quirkily spelt duo from Austin, Texas, do it by jumping right in with a cymbal splash and luscious piano chords over a bare drum beat, somehow managing to get those chords to pull out all sorts of powerful emotions from me as they start to […]
Feel the Free Fall with Briston Maroney’s “Skydiver”
Transformation, like birth, is disorienting and scary. You think you’re in one place with everything all sorted out, and then suddenly you’re at square one, or square negative-a-million as it sometimes feels, with no idea where you are or what the heck you’re supposed to do. Briston Maroney’s “Skydiver” is a musical tribute to this […]
Stephanie Lambring is “Being Real About Fakeness” on “Cover Girl”
Who publishes an album cover that’s a picture of herself with the word “Hypocrite” after her name? A brave soul; her name is Stephanie Lambring. Before getting into her song, “Cover Girl,” I want to talk about the album cover. She’s mostly in shadow, but light reaches out to her face (and one lace-covered elbow). […]
“When You Know Someone” by Valley is an Energetic, Musical Freight Train
Valley’s “When You Know Someone” opens with a distantly chugging guitar, some ambient synth, and a soft-yet-epic piano line. This is followed by drums and a count-off—“1, 2, 3, 4!”—before the bass and distorted electric guitar announce the song’s full arrival. An unexpected but welcome harmonica riff floats atop this very rock ’n’ roll liftoff, […]
