I’m sitting here listening to a ghost rise from my speakers while my body responds physically to the familiar sound of distortion pedals; with every whine of guitar, an old tremor of hormonal angst climbs up the ribcage to my heart while my arms slowly and rigidly begin crossing themselves. Before I know it, 15-year-old me is huffing and puffing at the door, and she’s back with a vengeance. I spent my teens like a lot of isolated kids do, scribbling in my journal, rolling my eyes at anything that moved and crushing on boys and girls who looked straight through me. The only method of keeping the unpalatable world at bay was the pair of headphones secured tightly around my ears blasting the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, BRMC and The Killers on heavy rotation. That is to say, in a time before kids my age had any sense of self beyond malaise and wretchedness, we had early 2000s indie. 

“Impossible Weight,” the title track off of Deep Sea Diver’s forthcoming October album, embodies that era. It’s The White Stripes meets Sleater-Kinney, meets a cool glass of water with a cruel and jagged lip, meets a hole I want to crawl into headfirst, partly because of nostalgia, and partly because I'm so glad you can still find it somewhere. Frontwoman Jessica Dobson’s vocals prick like needles alongside the jaunty four-on-the-floor drumline. They dance through the verses, pushing the sound up and out towards the epic. A meek wail of guitar is layered in and around the chorus right before Our Lady Sharon Van Etten enters, her steady rich voice ringing out and grounding us against the bouncing instrumentals. The two singers move together in harmony before the music strips down once more, this time to only Van Etten’s low murmur—then the layers build back up again into a thunderous bridge. There’s something about the way that she draws out the last vowel in the line, “So I’ll just let you down now,” that creeps me out and electrifies me at the same time. Kind of like looking back at how formative music from a certain timeframe can be to a generation, how it accompanied us during that period and therefore shaped us as well. Yes, it’s true time (and therapy) heals all, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t run to preorder the LP from my local record shop immediately after listening. Photo by Matt Wignall.

HÅN’s latest single “Gymnasion” is wistful and enchanting. The Italian synth-pop artist named the song after the Greek word used for high school in Italy, which ties in the nostalgic feel of the track. "Gymnasion" is an homage to a certain person from her past, but also the past itself. Even though it's brooding and mysterious, the mid-tempo brightens it up a bit. It is the perfect song for driving at night with the windows down. Reminiscent of a Lorde track, it ebbs and flows as 22-year-old Giulia Fontana sings, “you can go ahead and tell me what I used to be / but who cares.” "Gymnasion" is a song about being only slightly detached from youth. You can still remember the people and the places from back then and they aren’t so far away, but they are starting to drift. It is soft yet upbeat, nostalgic without being sad, and hopeful without feeling trite. The tone of Fontana’s voice allows for emotion without succumbing to it. “Gymnasion” is HÅN’s first single of 2019 and the first track from her upcoming sophomore EP, which will come out this fall.

“A Lonely Shoulder to Cry On,” the smooth new single from slack-rock quartet Brother Son, pulls from a variety of classic indie influences to evoke an entirely new genre of easy listening. Two years ago, four very different dudes bonded over the likes of Mac Demarco and Alabama Shakes and then decided to start a band. Since then, they’ve developed their own sound, but their favorite bands will always continue to influence it. Such is the case in “A Lonely Shoulder to Cry On.” The light, pinging keyboard and soft, intricate percussion are reminiscent of Mac Demarco and give the track its gliding feel, while the guitar’s bluesy rock influence is all Alabama Shakes. Vocalist Francis Harrington’s voice is easygoing and pleasant; he holds a subtle but certain command over the lyrics and your attention, even when what he’s singing is just “La di da di da.” More than just a mashup of good sounds, “A Lonely Shoulder to Cry On” is a catchy, genre-bending slow jam, and you’ll want to play it on repeat all summer long.

Dublin singer-songwriter Sorcha Richardson downplays her own emotions in her newest single “Don’t Talk About It.” It starts small with just a simple beat, electric guitar, and Richardson’s smooth and mysterious voice. She lilts seamlessly into the refrain where everything builds as she sings, “hey ok we don’t have to talk about it/ it’s only love / I guess we’ll live without it.” Richardson has come a long way from her bedroom-pop days with this certifiable indie-rock track meant for blaring and shouting along to. It’s anthemic in both its composition and central message. Sometimes speaking feels impossible like it will ruin everything. Maybe love is too scary. Maybe the other person isn’t ready. They may never be, but Richardson seems to want to keep them around even if it means the most important things are left unsaid. Maybe it will all be ok if we just don’t talk about it. “Don’t Talk About It” is the latest single from Richardson’s debut album First Prize Bravery out this fall.

In their latest release, "Is It Too Early? (Kilmainham)," Irish duo Morgan MacIntyre and Gemma Doherty, known as Saint Sister, use unlikely sounds in their just-a-little-unnerving soundscapes, like the hubbub of a party and the plucking of Doherty’s harp. The empty space and floating vocal harmonies point towards Bon Iver influences, and the start-and-stop syncopated percussion could form the backbone of a Chance The Rapper beat. After the 2015 EP Madrid, Saint Sister toured extensively, sharing bills with The National and fellow Irish hitmaker Hozier. In a handwritten note posted to Twitter, Macintyre describes the duality of the touring lifestyle, the vast difference between perception and reality. “I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was supposed to be having the time of my life but all I wanted to do was go home,” she writes, struggling to make peace with the never-ending days “in the back of the van not getting to explore the different places [they] passed through, coping with the stress of a hectic new routine.” The song’s chorus frames this conflict in terms of a social gathering, designed to be fun but in all likelihood equally stressful. “Is it too early / To leave this party?” sing Macintyre and Doherty in harmony, and the takeaway of the song, MacIntyre’s note and the band’s body of work is a reminder of the power of a strong friendship, a statement made bolder in harmony.

Harmony Byrne’s newest single, “Smoke Inside,” is a robust, romantic ballad about celebrating who you are and not settling for anybody who doesn’t let you shine. Produced by Jim Eno of Spoon, the blues-inspired rock track sways to a catchy and gripping pendulum beat. Behind Byrne’s gorgeous, smoky vocal, a hip-swinging sample is played on repeat to hypnotic effect, sucking you into the rhythm of the song immediately. The classic sound of the electric guitar works well with Byrne’s husky vocal, simultaneously energizing the track and giving it edge. Once again, Byrne delivers the lyrics with raw emotion: “Honey if I burn sometimes will you let me smoke inside / If I die tonight will you set my soul on fire.” “Smoke Inside” is a soulful track with a sensual beat, and Harmony Byrne is a powerhouse. Look out for her debut LP, Heavy Doors, this fall.

“Lucky,” from Choker’s EP Forever & A Few, the final act from his project Filling Space, brings together the positive energy of childhood and the security of becoming an adult who knows himself. The lyrics in “Lucky” follow the process of growing into who you need to be. The 23-year-old Michigan-based hip-hop artist, ventures into layers of self discovery with this project—allowing three separate EP’s to tell three separate stories during three weeks of 2019. As the final act of this project, Forever & A Few closes up on a high note. “Lucky,” the second track off the 3 track EP, captures the energy and impact of Choker’s bold journey into growing and learning to value the things he made for himself while growing. The single and its visuals, along with the entirely of Filling Space are out now.