The Breezy Beauty of “When I Get There”
The wind is blowing through your hair, the landscape rolls by your car windows, a blur of greens. In front of you the sun melts away so you move faster, the same urgency propelling you to catch it that made you chase rainbows as a child, knowing there would be a pot of gold waiting […]
The Snuts’ “Seasons” is an Electrifying Throwback
The Snuts’ single “Seasons” bursts with color and vigor. It’s not quite a happy song, not quite a sad song. Not quite hopeless nor hopeful. Simply put, it’s complicated. But hey, aren’t we all? The Snuts juxtaposed the lively jump-up-and-down-at-an-outdoor-show with a nuanced narrative. The tune is conventional in a much-needed and refreshing way. The […]
The Daunting, Desperate Poetry of Phil Simmond’s “St. Arc, Pt. 1: In the Oak”
Phil Simmond’s St. Arc, Pt. 1: In the Oak is a daunting track. I found it daunting at first because of its length. The song – really, a compilation of songs – stretches out to just over twenty minutes. Upon listening to it, I found that its daunting-ness could be more easily attributed to it […]
Zawe’s “Forget” Is Audio Self-Care At Its Finest
Everyone has a story about discovering a song at exactly the right time. Maybe it was the break-up song playing on the radio as you said goodbye to someone for the last time, maybe it came on in the car as you drove home from the hospital with a new baby in the backseat, maybe […]
The Power of Damien McFly’s “Leap”
Put your good headphones on. Get your car stereo ready. Drink a warm cup of tea and prepare to shout. A good, get-totally-lost-in-yourself, hearty rock song is tough to come by, but if you’re in the market for one, you need to listen to Damien McFly’s “Leap”. Not quite retro nor super-modern, the song builds […]
Kris Gruen’s “Coming Down Around Me” is a Necessary Self-Reflection for All of Us
You peer into the world portrayed in “Coming Down Around Me” like you would look into a snow globe, curiously, eagerly, but also carefully, your hand’s stilled and breath held after the initial shake, taking in the scene in front of you, not wanting to disturb it. The snow globe Kris Gruen has created holds […]
The Slowburn Summer Vibes Of Amongster’s Brother
Doing any one genre well is hard, but blending them? That’s even harder. Done well, and different styles and influences meld so seamlessly that you can’t tell where one ends and the next begins, do it badly and a melting pot becomes a maelstrom. Amongster has the balance down perfectly, and that expert touch comes […]
Alex Francis Feels “Free,” and You Will, Too
Part indie-pop, part rock n roll, part 70s soul, Alex Francis’s “Free” is the defiant, upbeat, inspirational song you’ve been looking for this summer. But this doesn’t have to be just your summer song. It’s got a little bit of every season—warm acoustic guitars, cool funky bass lines, sweet springy doo-wop-ish vocals. It’s bound to […]
The Relatable Loneliness of Noah Slee’s “Stayed”
Last week I wrote about an artist who used minimal lyrics to convey monumental feelings. “Stayed” is another song that expresses depth of feeling with concise lyrics, ultimately allowing the listener to inject their own meaning into the experience. In this case, the experience is isolation; something that can be comforting, but can also have […]
The Subtle Beauty of Feiler’s “Ruse”
When it comes to art, it’s harder to be quiet than loud. No matter what medium you’re working with: it’s harder to write a soft, character-driven scene than a huge action set piece, harder to dance a solo versus dancing with a huge group behind you. It’s especially hard with music: coordinating with a bunch […]
