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Bonny Light Horseman - The Roving
Bonny Light Horseman - The Roving

Bonny Light Horseman - The Roving


Anaïs Mitchell has an uncanny ability to bring new life to old stories. Fresh off of a Best Musical win at the Tonys for Hadestown, a retelling of the Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice, she wasted no time before embarking on her next project. Bonny Light Horseman, a collaboration with Eric D. Johnson (known for his work in Fruit Bats and formerly The Shins) and Josh Kaufman (known for his work in countless critical indie darlings like The National and The Hold Steady), uses traditional folk songs as a jumping-off point for lush ballads that could find a home on an album by any one of the group’s innumerable associated acts. Their latest, “The Roving,” is a well-executed entry into the modern tradition of indie-folk, but elements of it stem from centuries ago. Of their process, Johnson joked, “These 500-year-old lyrics are so deeply applicable. ‘The Roving’ could be the plot of an ‘80s teen movie… How incredible is it that as humans we still just want to love and have sex and feel sad and fight?” The group’s debut album, due out January 24th, began and was mostly completed at the 37d03d event hosted by Justin Vernon, Aaron Dessner and friends. They, along with even more members of the April Base extended family, appear on Bonny Light Horseman’s collection of “semi-trad folk jams,” modernized with Mitchell’s signature touch - “We added a singalong chorus so everyone could bond about this.”

Daniel Shanker on January 16, 2020
SASAMI - It's You

SASAMI - It's You


“It’s You” is the only original song on SASAMI’s three-track holiday release, lil drumr bb. It leans into a simplistically electronic sound with keys that have an organ-like quality to them, and an almost abrasively electronic drum beat that breaks up the softness of the track. "It's You" is an odd take on a holiday love song—melancholic, electronic, and a bit eerie. SASAMI shifts deftly between soft highs and lows as she sings, “it’s the time of year for firelight / but the holidays just don’t feel right / peace on earth and mistletoe / there is just one thing I know / it’s you.” The track fades out with the repetition of the last line in a way that sounds almost like a record skipping. It's haunting and slightly unsettling while somehow maintaining a sweetness in its obvious adoration. “It’s You” is a nice break from the traditional cliched holiday songs we have become accustomed to.

Corey Bates on December 13, 2019
Arlo Parks - Paperbacks

Arlo Parks - Paperbacks


Whenever London-based artist Arlo Parks dips her pen in ink and sets off to write another beautifully melancholic tune, she does so with such understanding and emotional awareness of herself. "Paperbacks," the final song off her new EP Sophie, soaks up all the angst and yearning that she's been feeling and combines it with slow, soothing instrumentals. Nostalgia and the sound of days passing in anonymous waves seeps out of simple guitar tones and her lo-fi drum kit accompaniment. Wrapped up in the production, Parks sings honest bars like "I think I hate you but I don't know why," evoking feelings of vulnerability within. It's moody and confessional and perfect for winter pining over someone. For the full experience, check out Sophie and catch Parks during her UK tour this February!

Julie Gentile on December 13, 2019
Lucy Dacus - Fool's Gold

Lucy Dacus - Fool's Gold


"Fool’s Gold" is the latest Lucy Dacus original; it is evocative of an all-encompassing warm, muted light from the very beginning. With soft piano notes, Dacus invites us into the end of her New Year’s Eve party. In a quote shared on her Instagram, the Richmond local expresses how cathartic the releasing of this EP was for her. Dacus recorded a handful of covers relating to different holidays, ending the EP with this last song, which is her own work. Each track gave her something to look forward to during the holidays, a time wherein many people struggle to find themselves in a posture of celebration. Her clear voice over the light and frolicking acoustic guitar carries us through a discourse on cynicism in the most delicate and graceful fashion.

Laney Esper on December 12, 2019
​Cayucas - Alligator

​Cayucas - Alligator


Cayucas blends melody with a meticulously crafted assortment of noise in “Alligator.” It is soft and sweet with precise imagery like “jesus christ glued onto the dashboard/photograph cutout taped to cardboard” weaved among keyboard clacks and wind chimes. Zach and Ben Yudin stick to their light indie-pop sound that somehow always feels pleasantly nostalgic. The track builds gently as they assemble the pieces: vocals, keyboard noises, a gentle wind chime, and a simple strum of a guitar. The simplicity of the beginning allows for the world they are building to fill in the gaps before they add percussion and keys. "Alligator" resembles the memory of a day you are trying to dredge up by recalling specific moments—the way the air smelled, the color of the mattress—or maybe it’s all a dream, “caught between dreams awake and sleeping/eyelids half shut and getting heavy." It is sweet and soft, but a little off-kilter.

Corey Bates on December 12, 2019
Villagers - “Note To Self (For Michael)"

Villagers - “Note To Self (For Michael)"


Villagers construct the sort of washed-out atmosphere that sounds like falling asleep, drifting into a dream with details that only briefly flicker in the morning. Following 2018’s phenomenal full-length The Art Of Pretending To Swim, the Dublin band returns with a brand new EP only slightly more than a year later. “The tracks that fell through the cracks; it turns out they had their own story to tell,” says singer Conor O’Brien. “The Sunday Walker EP is a collection of lost songs as much as it is an emotional arc. Songs of loss and songs of realization. Songs of empathy and isolation.” On “Note To Self (For Michael),” the EP’s closing track, the production makes O’Brien sound distant, but he sings as if whispering only inches away. The song’s components seem to move at separate speeds, with relentlessly steady drums and swirling melodic elements, as O’Brien posits that the ability to “love your tears” is tantamount to the ability to love anything at all.

Daniel Shanker on December 12, 2019
Aisha Badru - Soil’s Daughter

Aisha Badru - Soil’s Daughter


Lull yourself into a deep state of relaxation with indie-folk artist Aisha Badru’s new single, “Soil’s Daughter.” Reflective and peaceful, the track’s hypnotic ambiance is the perfect way to unwind for sleep or to ease yourself into a new day. It’s also one of Badru’s most mature and unique tracks to date. The minimal arrangement emphasizes the song’s raw emotional pull; with nothing more than airy backing synths to support Badru’s light, lovely vocals, “Soil’s Daughter” relies heavily on the strength and clarity of her words, and she does not disappoint. Equally wispy and gripping, Badru sings with a quiet sort of power that mimics the wisdom of the ages. Through her lyrics, she lays herself bare in search of truth: “Now down by the water / She told me I am the soil’s daughter / And although I look just like my father / My roots, they extend much farther.” Spiritual and soft, “Soil’s Daughter” is a transcendent piece of songwriting that also acts as a meditation on life.

Britnee Meiser on December 11, 2019
​Ryan Egan - I Feel Like Crying

​Ryan Egan - I Feel Like Crying


Ryan Egan's latest single, "I Feel Like Crying," is a deeply evocative and cinematic departure from his typical synth-pop. This track is slow and strong, paired with lyrical musings on the fragility of relationships. Egan ponders love and loss alongside the tinkling of plucked violins and heavy orchestral strings. "I Feel Like Crying" flows along like a dance. At first, it's powerful and deep, but then it gradually becomes more hopeful and timid as it progresses. This song is a surprising move for Egan, as he mostly produces indie-pop music. It's a welcome change of pace: "I Feel Like Crying" is a beautiful track that new listeners and long-time appreciators of Egan's work will enjoy.

Hannah Lupas on December 11, 2019
Spencer. - Automatic

Spencer. - Automatic


With an undeniably groovy and hypnotic flow, NY-based artist Spencer. comes in hot with his latest single “Automatic.” The artist embodies both an addicting indie sound found within his sharp guitar notes and a warmly welcomed depth of soul. A funky bassline and reverb-heavy strings—reminiscent of The Internet’s sound—scoot the track along and lay the perfect ground for Spencer.’s moody vocals. Great frustration with a romantic partner is displayed in the lyrics; there’s an awareness inside the singer, reminding him that he'll just keep coming back again and again, even when this person ignores him for weeks on end. He sings, “Someday / You’ll make me wanna walk away / I promise it won’t be today.” Everybody has that somebody, the person who makes their pride completely evaporate with a single text or phone call. “Automatic” is a smooth groove with lyrics cognizant of one’s own Achilles’ heel, igniting excitement for the future of Spencer.'s work with 4AD. The artist just wrapped up touring with Gus Dapperton this fall, and we can look forward to more tunes coming out on in the new year.

Julie Gentile on December 10, 2019
​Conchúr White - Daisies

​Conchúr White - Daisies


Conchúr White has been playing music in bands for years, but now he has finally burst forth with his debut solo single, “Daisies.” The track begins with White’s high, clear tenor voice skating over a bare arrangement of classical instruments, evoking the nostalgia of an early Lana Del Rey. Next, it shifts into a rhythmic and moody late 2000s alternative rock style reminiscent of Parachutes-era Coldplay, and finally dynamically builds into an Of Monsters and Men-style drum-laden, guitar-pounding catharsis. In combination with this veritable salad of sounds, the addition of shoegaze-y guitar riffs and White’s metaphor-heavy lyrics position the song solidly within its own stylistic realm. With “Daisies,” White introduces himself to the world as a theatrical raconteur with crystalline vocals. And with an understated, pithy chorus line like, “Do I even need to say it? / Love is kinda complicated,” the charms of this track are hard to resist.

Karl Snyder on December 10, 2019
CoCo Zandi - Angel

CoCo Zandi - Angel


“Angel” is Alexander Beggins’ solo debut into the musical realm with his refreshing new project CoCo Zandi. Opening with a muted melody, the tropically-inspired tune evokes the age-old experience of allowing oneself to fully engage in fluttery love. Reeling with a sound reminiscent of the dreamy ’60s, Beggins carries simple, evocative truths and vulnerabilities over resounding percussion. With airy touches of ukulele, Angel creates a heartfelt slow dance down an empty beach, interrupted only by the footwork of hand-in-hand lovers.

Laney Esper on December 10, 2019

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