“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 […]
How to Release Music in 2022: The 7 Best Tips and Strategies
Pretty much nobody knows what they’re doing when they release music for the first time. I remember when I first decided to make a short 3-song record in 2015. Here’s a rough sketch of the sequence of events: I recorded the songs. I Googled “How to put music on Spotify.” I chose CD Baby as […]
“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 […]
Is Playlist Push Legit?
Here’s my two cents, based on multiple (real) campaigns with this somewhat-controversial company.
“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 […]
20 Best Indie Music Blogs to Submit to in 2024
Are you an artist looking to submit/promote music? Or perhaps you are a music fan? We’ve compiled the ultimate list of the best indie blogs of 2024! 1. Santa Rosa Records Santa Rosa records is a Texas-based indie label, publishing company, recording studio, and curator of obscure music from around the globe and across all […]
