“Whittier” by Overnight: Dreaminess Through Tears
When I was first listening to this song, I expected Overnight to be another semi-well-known indie-rock band I’d just been missing out on. And while I suppose I’d been missing out, I was surprised to find out that “Whittier” was their newly released debut single. The band, coming from southern Massachusetts, highlights the difficulties of […]
“Cotton White Linen” by Deep Blue: Lush, Lovely Music Borne of Chaos
Historical unrest always leave a musical legacy: The rise of protest songs in the 70s, the advent of souls and blues through slave songs and spirituals, and the counter-culture of hip-hop and jazz in the 90s and 00s. At the start of the 2020 pandemic, many of those self-isolating turned to music. On a surface […]
“Best Life” by Alex Cameron Considers the Frustrations of an Obscure Content Creator
Yahtzee Croshaw, the video game critic behind Zero Punctuation, once described making content for YouTube as “throwing messages in bottles out into a churning sea made up entirely of messages in bottles.” That was back in 2007, when YouTube was only two years old; since then, the sea has become an entire water planet. In […]
Jacksonport’s “California Gold” Explores an Elusive Golden State Dream
The prompt, onerous, and ultimately devastating period of westward expansion that defined most of the nineteenth century remains one of the most dramatic and crucial chapters in American history. Even today, removed as we may be from the blinding ethnocentric hubris of the likes of John O’Sullivan, whose rousing words in the pages of the […]
Remy Boccalatte on “Kodama,” Songwriting, and Nature Hikes
Lonely. “Kodama” starts out lonely. It feels empty and bitter and cold, and the track stretches out before you in a way that feels daunting. Remy Boccalatte’s other work is similarly contemplative. It’s music that offers questions, occasionally provides answers, but mostly wanders. “Kodama” takes a contemplation on the natural world and communication and gives […]
“Honeybee” by Adrift: Effervescent Cool
Honeybees have swagger. That is an indisputable fact from any human who has seen a honeybee in action. My father is a beekeeper, and as a child I often sat in the grass and admired how these strange insects flew in lazy loops through the clover. There’s a thrumming playfulness and a careless confidence to […]
Catey Esler on “Amnesiac,” Production, and Her Influences
There are certain songs where the artist’s influences jump out at you. That’s not necessarily a bad thing: in fact, it offers an opportunity to see whether the artist has taken the right lessons from their influence. In the case of “Amnesiac,” an intriguing, evocative song recently released by Catey Esler, it’s safe to say […]
Retrospective Review: “I Trawl the Megahertz” by Paddy McAloon
Before we begin, I want you to keep this song’s title in the back of your mind. “I Trawl the Megahertz.” It’s the kind of odd, striking title that rolls around in your mind for a while before you even listen to the song itself. Maybe you’ve heard the words “trawl” (dragging nets through water […]
Trentemøller on “In the Gloaming,” “Dead or Alive,” and His New Post-Punk Sound
(Photo by Karen Rosetzsky) There have always been post-punk influences in Trentemøller’s music, but two of the singles preceding his upcoming Memoria really bring them to the forefront. While the Danish musician started out making dark, Knife-esque electronic music, his ear for repetition and textures brought to mind certain gothic rock groups: the foreboding, jagged […]
“Count to Four” by Ollie West & The Wildflowers: A Poignant, Understated Breakup Narrative
Breakups aren’t always dramatic. They don’t always involve cheating, or fighting, or Adam Driver punching a hole through the wall. Sometimes it’s simply a matter of two people coming together a while before drifting back apart. And sometimes, that hurts worse than blowing a relationship to pieces in an acrimonious fight. It’s one thing to […]
