Buzzing Daily

Find Buzzing Daily on Spotify

Emmett Kai - Tiger Balm
Emmett Kai - Tiger Balm

Emmett Kai - Tiger Balm


Full of vibrant instrumentals and crisp, cool production, “Tiger Balm”  is the edgy new alt-rock single from indie-pop artist Emmett Kai. A worthy follow-up to his 2019 debut, Baby Hits!, the track showcases some of his boldest, brightest songwriting to date, and is the perfect song to listen to when you need to get out of your head. Lush with nostalgic guitar tones, shimmering synths, and Kai’s smooth, smoky vocals, the arrangement feels grand and all-encompassing, like you’re listening live on a cool summer night surrounded by a couple hundred of your closest friends. That’s due in large part to the tight, full percussion, which injects the track with a thrashing, pulsing energy, making it nearly impossible to listen to without dancing. With a contagious hook and an upbeat tempo, “Tiger Balm” is expansive and experimental, and its unique brand of moody pop is a fitting escape from the world right now.

Britnee Meiser on March 26, 2020
Ada Lea - Woman, Here

Ada Lea - Woman, Here


Coming straight out of a Western dream, Ada Lea is back with a thoughtful new single. The lyricism immediately fills with humanity. Sung from the heart, it’s authentic, and still finds a way to balance itself with levity. Lea's raw vocals allow so much emotion to show through. The band remains steady, a reliable guitar plucking through a chord progression, stable drums making a subtle entrance around the chorus. A chorus, moving due to its repetition. Her vocals stand strong in acceptance, pulled on by a high harmony that feels less sure, calling out in disappointment and pain. The guitar riff is the loosest piece of the song, some wandering relief from the tough chorus. Verse two builds emotion, with Lea finding more strength in her independence. A confidence that allows her to explore new melodies, adding so much color to the second chorus. As “I’ve got my mind, and that’s all I need” breaks through, Lea has embraced her own message completely. It’s time to move forward, and she’s got all she needs to do it. The Montreal-based artist is set to release an EP later this month.

Max Himelhoch on March 20, 2020
Elah Hale - one star rating

Elah Hale - one star rating


After a set of fantastic 2019 releases, Elah Hale brings us their first single of the year, and not a moment too soon. "One star rating" feels like a step forward for Hale, delivering an impressive vocal performance over some stunning pop production. A song full of heartbreak and what-if’s gets off to a fast start with the intro holding a hazy urgency. When Hale starts singing, the situation is clear, as they sing “I swear I / could be the one you wanted”, with a calm presence—you can feel the yearning. As the chorus hits, more synths arrive and pick up the entire narrative, from the tough reality of the verse, to the bright optimism of another chance. The instrumental break before the second verse is a brief moment of beautiful chaos. Expertly arranged to make disparate elements fit perfectly. Further into the new verse, Hale adds subtle harmonies that add heft to lyrics that speak negatively of themselves, pulling away quickly to leave honest and tough lyrics sitting more vulnerable, all alone. A sparse yet breathtaking bridge shows off just how good Hale is, both singing and writing. It leads the listeners to a stripped chorus, finding a new energy before shifting back into gear and cruising out. This young NYC artist has offered nothing but gems, and "one star rating" continues the trend.

Max Himelhoch on March 19, 2020
Yazmin Lacey - Morning Matters

Yazmin Lacey - Morning Matters


Yazmin Lacey is a neo-soul, jazz artist from the UK, but her song "Morning Matters" would just as easily be heard in a daytime venue/coffee shop in New Orleans as it would be in a coffee shop in the UK. The track starts with an inviting trumpet solo, ushering in the backing beat of the song. "Morning Matters" is soothing, a keen demonstration of Lacey's ability to capture the feeling of waking up with gratitude. She gives us a sense of empowerment and control, which is a rare yet coveted feeling especially in the current state of our world. Lacey's new EP Morning Matters is set to release on March 27 so get excited for more remarkable, feel-good music from this inspiring artist.

Ian Lutz on March 19, 2020
Forever Honey - Christian

Forever Honey - Christian


The BK-based group Forever Honey recently released their sunny, delightfully nostalgic debut single "Christian." The track jumps right into an entrancing, layered vocal section with synthy guitars accompanying the lead singer. As it progresses, "Christian" explores a coming of age relationship that is carefree but ultimately emotional unstable—from getting only surface-level TLC, "Well you warm my hands," to getting too drunk and not getting any sleep, "Will you hold my hair back? / Don't wanna leave / While you try to fight it." The song is a promising, captivating first release from the group which consists of 4 members: Liv Price, Aida Mekonnen, Steve Vannelli and Jack McLoughlin. Forever Honey, self-proclaimed lovers of late 80s pop, are releasing their first EP titled Pre-Mortem High on April 24. We can't wait to hear more from this group and we're sure you'll be feeling the same after checking out their debut track.

Ian Lutz on March 19, 2020
Bleach Day - bbs in the grass

Bleach Day - bbs in the grass


Need some soothing psychedelia for these chaotic times? Enter Bleach Day, the Vermont-based project of Vinny Marksohn and Louie Kiley, who have worked tirelessly over the past few years to develop their immersive, lo-fi pop sound. Their sophomore LP, as if always, is the product of a two-year studio binge, and the track that brings the record to its inevitable end is “bbs in the grass.” The full album itself is mentioned by the band as a “series of musical movements erupting into existence” and its closing song certainly encompasses this feeling. Upon pressing play, a wave of piano, thick bass and driving percussion come in a burst of energy akin to the sun coming out from behind the clouds for the first time in a long while—all of this combined with a distorted vocal calls to the kind of textures found in the music of Unknown Mortal Orchestra and Vinyl Williams. That being said, Bleach Day takes on a momentum of their own. Towards the end of the track, there is a tasty breakdown that filters in twinkling Wurlitzer and panning cymbals, all of which highlight the atmospheric nature of Bleach Day’s aesthetic. "Bbs in the grass” could make a great score to one’s best reflective periods during a time of great change and bring you a celebratory comfort in the fact that things begin again.

Deanna DiLandro on March 18, 2020
DRAMA - Forever and a Day

DRAMA - Forever and a Day


Producer Na'el Shehade and singer Via Rosa are the creative forces behind DRAMA. The Chicago-based duo contrast upbeat, trance-like pop music with anxiety-ridden lyrics that explore the underbelly of romantic love: “We’ll never know forever if you leave me now / You wouldn't stay, you wouldn't stay.” On “Forever and a Day,” DRAMA reminds us that forever is both subjective and ephemeral. It depends on circumstance, mood and a host of other factors beyond our control. Dangling modifiers and trailing vocals amplify the feeling that...well, anything could happen next. Rosa is a poet, and the song’s last stanza (and perhaps the song as a whole) nods to Edgar Allen Poe’s A Dream Within a Dream, in which the narrator contemplates the fleeting nature of time. Forever is made up, after all.

Corinne Osnos on March 17, 2020
​Oracle Sisters - Asc. Scorpio

​Oracle Sisters - Asc. Scorpio


Oracle Sisters credit the inspiration for their newest track “Asc. Scorpio '' to their guitarist Lewis Lazar, who conceived of the song after being stung by a scorpion in Jamaica. This experience served merely as a jumping-off point for the band’s future releases, all of which will take on the complex associations we have to our memories within an uncertain international moment. “Asc. Scorpio” captures this intention expertly, combining a dreamy and laid back sound with lyrics that are fearful at times, nostalgic at others. “Asc Scorpio” montages youthful and idyllic images of the past—a child in a crib in a rocking chair—with painful images of the global present—an elephant in hunger, a power grid and thunder. “Asc. Scorpio” does not explicitly speculate what the future holds, but perhaps suggests that in any cultural moment, pain is punctuated with joy, and the joy is what we attempt to hang on to. Ultimately, Oracle Sisters prove that many meditations can come from a warm, Jamaican beach day that is interrupted by a sting.

Brittany Cortez on March 17, 2020
Empress Of - Give Me Another Chance

Empress Of - Give Me Another Chance


From Dua Lipa’s “Don’t start now” to Selena Gomez’s “Look At Her Now,” female pop stars are announcing new albums with glittering synths, assertive vocals, and hypnotic hooks; the kind of songs that send blood pulsing through your veins. LA-based artist Lorely Rodriguez, who performs under the moniker Empress Of dropped the lead single for her upcoming album I’m Your Empress Of earlier this month. Percussion is the backbone of the track; tribal drums that call upon “Losing You,” Solange’s 2012 hit released via Terrible Records (the BK-based label that also represents Empress Of). “Give Me Another Chance” is a perfect mix of electronic and pop music. Blunt lyrics, a signature part of Empress Of’s sound, do not disappoint. It’s a win-back campaign and our narrator is set against losing her lover to another. The hook, “Give me another chance,” is repeated throughout the song; sheer repetition alone might not change the outcome, but when paired with a trancelike delivery, forgiveness feels within reach.

Corinne Osnos on March 17, 2020
Paper Thieves - Oh Man

Paper Thieves - Oh Man


Immediately from the outset of Paper Thieves’ new track “Oh Man," the funky, foundational bassline sets an irresistible groove that paves the way for the rest of the band to shine. Singer Leah Christensen spends the track soulfully lamenting over her predisposition to look up to and hope for guidance from figureheads in a male-dominated music industry—one that isn’t equipped to empathize with, manage or market a band like Paper Thieves. The weariness and disappointment in Christensen’s voice is evident when she blearily opens with “So tired of always looking up to you." The track that unravels thereafter has all the telltale signs of a band whose chemistry is improving all the time. The vocals, drums and bright guitar riffs all perfectly fall in with the pace and tone set by the bassline, and when the vocal harmonies start layering in the second verse, it feels like the cherry on top of an already immaculately constructed sundae. Coming off of their 2019 Koumpounophobia EP, it was clear that Paper Thieves was a band with potential to make a real impact with their unique brand of smooth, laid-back neo-soul. “Oh Man” seems to be the first fresh sign from the band that they have every intention of delivering on that promise, with or without the mentorship of the leaders of the industry they inhabit.

Alec Bollard on March 16, 2020
The Marías - Hold It Together

The Marías - Hold It Together


The Marías have a way of creating a dreamy, lucid headspace in their songs—effectively evoking images of spinning around in an empty ballroom with your lover. The same applies to their newest release “Hold It Together,” a sultry bop about falling hard for someone and wanting to still feel in control. Lead singer María Zardoya croons out in the hook, “I got a feelin’ / That I wanna slow down with you / Nobody else will ever do,” describing the place in her life that can’t be filled by anyone else but the object of her affection. While the lyrics wholly understand being enamored with someone, they also balance a cleverness that comes out in lines like, “You caught me callin’ a shrink / I didn’t think you’re better than me,” alluding to a love that might not be textbook perfect. Still, with addicting pop influenced production and killer bass and guitar lines, “Hold It Together” adds another hit to their discography. In addition to this new single, their past two EPs Superclean, Vol. 1 and Superclean, Vol.2 preview what will be an incredible first album release from The Marías this year.

Julie Gentile on March 16, 2020

Subscribe