“Loveland Pass” by Lionlimb: Mental Health’s Long, Rocky Road
No two panic attacks are the same. I’ve had more than a few in my life: I’m on the autism spectrum, which either causes or enhances my naturally anxious, sensitive disposition. Some of them came on suddenly, while others simmered for an afternoon and boiled over in the evening. Some of them were brought on […]
Seek by Brother James Is Heavy and Hopeful
We’re all searching for truth. Los Angeles natives (Angelenos), in their unique spiritual ideologies, search for their truths in a community that is heavily influenced by the entertainment industry. But Los Angeles-based singer Brother James takes his cues from another place. His EP, “Seek,” addresses heavy topics such as birth, life, and death through a […]
Climate’s “Smiling The Right Way” Is a Search for Meaning
What is a song but the weaving of instruments, vocals, and themes? What is life but an ongoing attempt to untangle meaning? In Climate’s single, “Smiling the Right Way,” from 2021’s Colorways, the band blends a cheery, upbeat tune with dense lyrical snapshots that characterize the flexible yet cyclical nature of life. The single opens […]
“All The Same” by Facekiss: Post-Heartbreak Numbness
With steady, stacked vocals backed by intriguing instrumentation, “All The Same” by Facekiss is a song you can’t help but move to. Though the string instruments and upbeat pacing make you think of this song as a happy one, the subject matter is quite the opposite. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YczYs2kV1hQ “He picked her up, she said hello” Most […]
Anna Tivel on Loneliness and Re-Recording “One Thousand and One”
One of the great things about music as a medium is that it allows for change and experimentation even after the original has been released. Sure, books may have subsequent editions after its original release, and films can be re-released with “Director’s Cuts” and what have you, but any one song can have infinite variations: […]
“Whatever Works” by Roller Derby: Love, Sacrifice, and Desperation
A longing post-breakup reflection, “Whatever Works” by Roller Derby reminisces over a failed relationship and tries to figure out how to reignite it. With dreamy vocals and relaxing instrumentation, it sounds like Philine Meyer, the vocalist behind the song, is playing it cool. But when listening to the lyrics, you can tell it is anything […]
Patric Johnston’s Something Something Love Captures the Unity and Tension of Relationships
Love is a subject in art that is frequently used to depict unity and tension—sometimes both. Because it is a universal subject, it’s easy to relate to a song, a painting, or a book that makes love its main theme. In Patric Johnston’s EP, “Something Something Love,” Johnston writes about love as a musical triptych […]
Switchfoot Is Leaning Into Tension on interrobang
I think when you dig to the heart of anything beautiful, you end up hitting the hard reality of paradox: two seemingly opposed ends that somehow make up a whole truth. You can’t love until you let go, and you don’t know what you have until it’s gone, and you grow from pain – that […]
Joel Ansett’s I Should Get Some Rest Gives Melody to a Restless Night
There is a kind of enticing destructiveness to staying up late – I mean painfully late – and giving entertainment to our most tangled thoughts. I was welcomed into Joel Ansett’s newest EP, I Should Get Some Rest, by the comforting sounds of a restless night. Joel’s first track, “Ease,” builds off of a simple […]
Zack Fletcher’s “The Traveler” Is a Beautiful Metaphor for Loss
The grieving process is sometimes unclear, vague, and complicated. You cry every day at the memory of someone’s laughter or a small moment the two of you had shared. In Zack Fletcher’s single, “The Traveler,” he composes a song about loss in a way that makes the grief easier to understand. By comparing the loved […]
