“Floating on Glass” by Jeremy Voltz: Gorgeous A Cappella Soul
It’s a familiar story: picture you and the person you love. A wrong word, or a silence when you should have said something clever. There’s shift between the two of you. Acidic words, rising voices. Then silence, a taste like metal in your mouth, and the ground suddenly feels unstable. You don’t know where you […]
“You’ll Never Know” by Megan Brickwood: Thoughtful, Moonlit Indie Folk
L.A. based singer-songwriter Megan Brickwood’s song “You’ll Never Know”, from her 2020 EP Where the Wind Lays Heavy, is sultry, moonlit folk that recounts the lament of love lost. The song opens with wistful guitar strums, eventually accompanied by subtle, rattling percussion. Brickwood’s resonant, effortless vocals then begin to tell the story of the battle […]
Josh Fudge on “FEEL LIKE,” Inspiration, and His Future Ambitions
When we last checked in on Josh Fudge, a bright young bedroom pop singer-songwriter from Oklahoma City, it was when he released the tender folk ballad “Meet Me In Seattle.” But in the year since, he’s released some more upbeat, poppy material, and become a rising star in the process: his debut album has racked […]
“North Decatur” by Kelly McFarling: The Power of Nostalgia
Growing up in a small town in the mountains, there isn’t much to do. On the melty June nights when we would finally be free from school and work, my friends and I wouldn’t go to concerts or movie theatres or bars. We’d climb into the car and drive on the Blue Ridge Parkway. It […]
“I’m Alone” by SIGNYR: Nordic Indie Pop
Danish artist SIGNYR describes herself as being part of a “Nordic indie pop universe.” The current state of this universe is heavily defined by lots of electronica, vintage-meets-contemporary, mixes of pop, indie, and electronic styles, and unique synthetic sounds. In that past year, many Scandinavian artists released music that in some way falls into these […]
“Slowly” by The Crowleys: Colorful Indie Psych
The Crowleys, a band of five, strive to bring some color to the world through their psychedelic pop music. For the past few years they have put forth music that stands to be remembered for its unique and memorable sounds. Now, they’ve got big plans in 2021, and it’s starting with their newest single, “Slowly.” […]
“Go” by Hiver: Simple Yet Full
The more music I listen to, especially material which was recorded recently, the more I realize how difficult it is for artists to nail that stripped down yet still satisfying sound. While songs are difficult to craft, no matter their complexity, I find that being able to craft a song which is simple yet still […]
“Peak & Trough” by Talk In Colour: Beautifully Unhappy
Being stuck in a relationship you just can’t seem to find a way out of is enough to drive a person to exhaustion. To make matters worse, it can sometimes seem as though, no matter how poorly they treat you, they are your only option. Regardless of why someone might feel this way, it’s never […]
“Sea Glass” by ChellaJay: Sparkling, Iridescent Art Pop
“Art pop” is a nebulous genre, but it’s my favorite genre all the same. True, it’s very vague: within its borders, it contains tuneful-yet-avant-garde artists like Holly Herndon, generally left-of-center pop like Florence + the Machine, and straightforward pop artists like Lorde who the indie snobs consider OK To Like. But no matter what it […]
Michael Droske on “V’Ger’s Dream,” the Beach Boys, and Kirk vs. Picard
“V’Ger’s Dream,” a lovely song by the psych-pop artist Michael Droske, doesn’t sound like it’s about Star Trek. The “V’Ger” of the title is the tragic antagonist of Star Trek: The Motion Picture, a sentient life form that evolved from a space probe that had been lost to the depths of the cosmos. (“V’Ger,” after […]
