“Flew Away” is the third of five stunning lo-fi tracks on the debut EP from fanclubwallet, Hurt is Boring. Ottawa-based musician and illustrator Hannah Judge looks back from a place of acceptance on the demise of a relationship, exploring themes of misunderstanding and miscommunication, what-ifs and so-whats, and how our own emotions can take us by surprise. She sings, “I didn’t know that it would make me feel this way seein’ your face online every day,” which is a testament both to the virtual spaces we have largely existed in for the past year and to the challenge of creating distance from our hurt when it always seems to be one tap or scroll away.  

Judge’s description of her style as “writing emo shit that doesn’t sound emo” is spot-on. Her vocal style is relatively understated, but her words pack a punch, and both complement the lo-fi instrumentals to give her music an undeniably nostalgic yet poignant bedroom pop sound. The mood is relaxed, but the sound is tight, guitar and bass riffs keeping time with a drumbeat during verses that punch between choruses and bridges backed by the youthful and energetic plinking of a toy piano—a favorite instrument of Judge’s that can be heard peeking out from behind layers of sound throughout the EP. A joyfully chattering crowd can also be heard at times in the background of “Flew Away,” adding a house-party vibe to the track—a nod, perhaps, to social lives past, and a sound we’ll hopefully all be hearing more of sooner rather than later.   

Written from her childhood bedroom during the pandemic, which coincided with a Crohn’s disease flareup for Judge (the line “I went to bed and didn’t get out for 10 months” is meant literally in her latest single, “C’mon Be Cool”), the EP is “about taking the good with the bad,” Judge has said. “You can’t really appreciate one without the other.” Not only was the EP written in Judge’s childhood bedroom, but it was also produced by her childhood best friend, producer Michael Watson. The pandemic has allowed many of us to reach back and connect (and/or reckon) with our past selves and past lives and take the good with the bad in what we find there. Judge likes to leave her lyrics up for interpretation, specific enough to allude to a situation, but vague enough to leave room for the listener to find their own meaning within the words. In keeping with this practice, “Flew Away” is sure to offer a little something for everyone. Photo by Ian Filipovic.

“Time Is A Dark Feeling” is an emblem of the holistic incandescence that surrounds all creative endeavors of Florist, or Emily Sprague. This track is the second released from her upcoming LP Emily Alone, which is a departure from the Florist project, and in turn, a new submergence into self-reflection. In Sprague’s ever-thoughtful lyrics, there is something ancient being unearthed in terms of recognizing the oneness, as well as the multivalence of the self, which is reminiscent of, American poet, Adrienne Rich’s piece “Diving into the Wreck”. Of her exploration, her hushed voice sings: “Look through to see somebody / You knew and now you don’t”—gracefully brushing, her fingers through the passing of time that we all feel in separately, but know together.

Since Chairlift disbanded in 2017, Caroline Polachek has stayed busy working on a myriad of projects and collaborations, but “Door,” released via Columbia Records, is the first-ever single Polachek has put out under her own name. The track is an ambient and gorgeously eerie creation that has you feeling at times like you are suspended in a house of mirrors. “Door” features some of the same bewitching elements that Chairlift always delivered, but in it, Polachek pivots away from some of the peppier aspects and leans wholly into more atmospheric tendencies. The versatile artist counters the sharp synths and throbbing bass with her piercing vocals that glide easily over the swirling music. Listening to Polachek’s enchanting voice, you feel swept away in a romance that you don’t even realize you’re not apart of. Polachek’s music has worn many faces—Chairlift, Ramona Lisa, CEP—but this latest iteration of her work, in all of its glittering ambiance, feels akin to reading a fable or watching the stars. The track has been teased as the first single off of an upcoming album, although it’s hard to imagine it gets any dreamier than this.

You may know Brittany Howard as the powerhouse vocalist at the helm of blues-rock group Alabama Shakes, but on her debut solo track “History Repeats,” her performance is softer (though still not soft), subtler, and much more personal. It was released along with the announcement of a debut full-length titled Jaime, named after her late sister who taught her how to play the piano, and due out Sep. 20 via ATO Records. “History Repeats” is the opening track on the album. Funky and immersive, it’s quick to differentiate its sound from any of Howard’s other projects. A drumline pound coupled with a punching, urgent kick drum and psychedelic guitar open the track, evoking a sense of persistent unease over a smooth groove. Howard’s vocals are washed out and doubled as she sings about the exhausting inevitability of repeating old mistakes, adding to the hazy, twirling effect of the arrangement. “History repeats and we defeat ourselves / Come on everybody, one more time again,” she sings in the chorus, repeating the line over and over. The song ends on an audible phew from Howard, whose enormous effort fuels the song with a contagious vigor. Clocking in at just over three minutes, “History Repeats” shows an impressive display of growth from one of indie music’s strongest female voices.

Ritt Momney's track "(If) the Book Doesn't Sell" is a poetic fever dream in autotune totality. A half-ballad lament of religion long-forgotten (and evidently resented), the Mormon-raised Ritt Momney uses colorful storytelling to communicate his ongoing frustration with the worldview he was raised in. Though sung through an auto-tuned filter for the entire track, his vocals are somehow mesmerizing and very compelling. The conviction of his tone isn't lost because of this but is actually amplified by the auto-tune affectation. The message of Ritt Momney's "(If) the Book Doesn't Sell" seems evident and can be summed up simply by the lyric "The Devil speaks / Your God and I put all our differences to rest and the man's actions are his own, but man will blame us nonetheless." The artist is pleading to be taken seriously as he endeavors to determine his own beliefs regarding the divine and pleads with other kids being raised in religion to ponder their independence and humanity in a similar way. It's a song of genuine yearning and struggle that many coming-of-age types can relate to.