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IAN SWEET - Spit
IAN SWEET - Spit

IAN SWEET - Spit


Jillian Medford, the lead singer of IAN SWEET, has released “Spit,” the second track off of her upcoming album Crush Crusher. A song about preparing oneself for an oncoming breakup, “Spit” is strange in its curling imagery and the tone of a piece about predetermining heartbreak. Sure, the subtle scream that we have come to appreciate from IAN SWEET seems accurate to the feeling one would expect from a narrative such as this, yet their is a subtle sweetness on the track, maybe a yearning or a quiet question, but never anger. In this way, IAN SWEET has a knack for casually wrecking her audience. Although lines such as, “Open wide, let me see / If I am putting myself in danger again”, are devastating in content, they are delivered as an obvious step in any 21st century relationship. 

Although "Spit" should be shocking and chaotic in nature, it makes sense, each moment of the thought process that Medford is mapping for us is far too common to be appalling. The unusual and somewhat bizarre imagery of dissolving into someone else's spit exemplifies this. The imagery expresses a sentiment that it is not that we are waiting to be hurt, it is that we are waiting to be taken by someone, waiting to be taken by anyone. IAN SWEET  has thoughtfully constructed a song about expectations and the swipe left culture many of us are embedded in. She is working to consider how this mayhem we call hook up culture is shaping the way we allow ourselves to think about our relationships, our partners, and our own self worth.

Samantha Weisenthal on September 28, 2018
Bay Ledges - Wherever You Sleep

Bay Ledges - Wherever You Sleep


"Wherever You Sleep" is the newest single from LA band Bay Ledges. With a psychedelic disco feel singer, songwriter and producer Zach Hurd creates a track that will get you moving. Written after a break-up "Wherever You Sleep" tells of the aftermath of trying to get over someone and how consuming it can be. "I think about it when I'm dancing / I'm think about it when I hear your song / I think about it when I'm asking / How did everything go so wrong?" With such strong retro vibes its no surprise that Hurd was raised listening to the greats — The Band, The Beach Boys, and Aretha FranklinWhile Hurd is stuck with thoughts of his former love, he similarly leaves us stuck with this catchy tune in our heads. Catch Bay Ledges on tour with YOKE LORE this fall at these locations!

Dara Bankole on September 14, 2018
Mipso - People Change

Mipso - People Change


It's a topic that's been up for debate for as long as time has been around — do people change? The fine folks that make up the indie-folk group Mipso tend to believe that they do. In this soft and nostalgic song "People Change," frontman Jacob Sharp wistfully sings that "people change when they walk away." Mipso is folk music at its very best. Telling us a story in the format of a song, "People Changes" stays with you the way tales do when they are full of heart and depth. As the song starts we are given a time frame, ten years have passed since he's seen this person he "used to love." Just as time has passed, so have feelings and hopes for the future. It's a confusing sort of emotion, missing someone while also being okay with the way life turned out without them. Chances are this song has a similar framework to a story in your own life and as you listen your mind and emotions will find in the gaps giving you the illusion that it was written just for you. 

Dara Bankole on September 13, 2018
J Mascis - See You at the Movies

J Mascis - See You at the Movies


J Mascis will release his third solo album, Elastic Days, on November 9 via Sub Pop. The Dinosaur Jr. guitarist has released the lead single off the album, "See You at the Movies," his first solo work since the 2014 album, Tied to a Star. Mascis’ new work is far warmer than much of his past work, with acoustic guitars and tenderly constructed rock chords culminating into an endearing folk-rock song for a new era of listeners.

"See You at the Movies" alternates between breezy strumming and piercing electric guitar solos, yet it is in the lyricism that listeners are able to understand the complexity of the work. The narrative examines a love story between two individuals existing on different planes of relationship realities, with the lead character of the work trying to examine his inability to ground himself in the relationship. The last lines of the work, “I kiss the freedom that you made / Still in shock and so it fades / Can't let go, so it just stays,” end in a hopeless yet charming manner. This song leaves us excited to see where this narrative will lead in Mascis’ new work, we can only hope it will remain as engaging and captivating as the single.

Samantha Weisenthal on September 13, 2018
Loyal Lobos - Swim

Loyal Lobos - Swim


As Andrea Silva aka Loyal Lobos would agree, most songs are inspired by intense emotions. In the world of indie-folk the most dominant of those emotions tends to be sadness. In her newest song, “Swim”, Loyal Lobos grabs her sadness by the horns letting us and herself know that she has accepted it for what it is. Lobos crafts a delicate glass blown piece that looks into lost love, isolation, and what it means to move forward when your heart is always trailing behind you. Her words are heartbreaking yet incredibly honest — tastefully paired with shoegaze-inspired guitar and minimal to no instrumental production. In fact, the only sections of “Swim” that employ significant post-production are the vocals and the percussion that comes in more than half way through the song. “Swim” is exhilarating and calming all at once, it explores both happiness and sadness and the humanness of that dichotomy.

Andrea de Varona on September 12, 2018
Dagny - Landslide

Dagny - Landslide


Norwegian pop singer Dagny’s modern pop take on the iconic Fleetwood Mac track “Landslide” provides listeners with an electro ballad they didn’t even know they needed. The song, which was recorded for an episode of the popular tv drama, The Bold Type, turns the classic into something new without erasing its original, subtle beauty that pulls at the heartstrings. Overall the track is a modern yet simplistic cover filled with ethereal vocals, melancholy and nostalgia that takes listeners on a journey down memory lane before time made them bolder and older. It’s safe to say Dagny has done a stellar job covering this timeless classic.

Alessandra Rincon on September 11, 2018
The O'My's feat. Chance the Rapper - Idea

The O'My's feat. Chance the Rapper - Idea


Maceo Haymes and Nick Hennessy — better known as The O’My’s — have just released their newest album Tomorrow. Filled with rich, soulful arrangements and a lengthy roster of longtime collaborators, the project is unmistakably Chicago in both sound and spirit. Like the rest of the album, “Idea” fuses classic Chicago soul with the city's more modern influences. Its first half has Haymes delivering an intimate hymn atop delicate piano keys and marching drums. "There was no light / Nothing but rain.” His lyrics invoke faith — of persevering against life’s many obstacles, the importance of feeling overseeing. Chance the Rapper lends a direct and vivid verse to reinforce these themes, using imagery of a ship in a storm as his sermon. Then, backed by pitched up vocals that resemble a full-blown choir, Haymes lets out one final, powerful refrain to drive the idea home. The cries are impassioned, but the song never sways from its peaceful core and calming sound. "Idea" is yet another showcase of the strong bonds that drive the Chicago music scene, as each artist builds off one another to bring out the best. 

Sam Reynolds on September 11, 2018
Big Red Machine - Gratitude

Big Red Machine - Gratitude


Big Red Machine is the self-titled, full-length debut of two longstanding indie titans — Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon and The National’s Aaron Dessner. Released through PEOPLE — a growing collective of artists founded by Vernon and the Dessner brothers — Big Red Machine is a project focused on the very act of creating in and of itself, of constructing ideas without restrictions or boundaries. It is a natural extension of Vernon’s experimental 22, A Million blended seamlessly with The National’s broader alternative appeal. 

“Gratitude” is an immediate album highlight. Over a glitching drum track and swirling guitar loop, Vernon sings in a loose, Autotune-drenched croon. He draws feeling through his vocal performance first and foremost, hitting mesmerizing falsettos and allowing lyrics to excitedly flow through him. Only brief phrases can be easily understood through the song’s dense layers, most notably the loud cry of: “Better not fuck this up!” Vernon sounds lost in a moment, at the peak of a happiness so overwhelming it now crosses over to disbelief. In between are verses that feature intangible poetry — words that make less sense the closer you look. But that’s almost the point. “Gratitude” tries its hardest to capture genuine appreciation of a situation too good to be true. But Vernon and Dessner understand that it is futile to put such feelings to concrete words or ideas. All you can do is hope you don't fuck it up, and feel a bit of gratitude.

Sam Reynolds on September 10, 2018
Salón - Stakes

Salón - Stakes


Leo Grossman member of psych-pop group Cutouts, has gone solo with Salón, releasing the two track debut Stakes (comprised of the pieces “Proof” and “Stakes”). On “Stakes,” Grossman references LBJ’s 1964 presidential campaign “Daisy” ad while reflecting on 2018 America and paralleling the absurdity of our current political climate to that of The Cold War. But the sentiment goes beyond rumination; in the opening line, “The stakes are too high for you to stay at home,” Grossman reminds us to move out of our complacency, even if it is uncomfortable. In his own words, “I wanted to express that action, a necessary response to these high stakes, often requires sacrifice.” A friendly reminder that music not only moves us, but can make us move.

Natasha Cucullo on September 10, 2018
duendita - Magdalena

duendita - Magdalena


It is undeniable that music has the power to bring people together and remind us that in the end we are not that different. Once in a while, we encounter certain pieces that truly harness that power— duendita’s newest song, “Magdalena” is one of those pieces. The Queens-bred artist has forged her own path in the realm of R&B/soul since she released her first single, “One of One” in 2014. Since then duendita has expanded upon the elements that make her stand out amongst her contemporaries, one of those being her ability to make us feel what she’s feeling and shake us to the core. In “Magdalena," she successfully breaks our hearts and glues the pieces back together by the end. The track abounds in heart-wrenching piano chords, rich, lulling alto melodies, and spiritual openness. We are reminded that something ending or someone passing does not mean that those people or things cease to exist. Life is cyclical, and the past is never dead, duendita reminds us all of that.

Andrea de Varona on September 7, 2018
April + VISTA - Own2

April + VISTA - Own2


April George and Matthew Thompson, the creative duo behind April + VISTA, have released You Are Here, a soul ridden indie R&B album that delivers, song after song. Each of the artists are active in the burgeoning D.C. music scene, with George having credits on GoldLink’s critically-acclaimed 2017 album At What Cost and on Ciscero’s new single, “Function.”Emerging out of an alternative R&B scene, April + Vista offers something that feels deeper. George’s soulful earthy tone paired with Thompson’s instrumental and addictive beats cultivates into a tranquil sound that we can’t help but sink into, finding new pockets of genius on each listen.

“Own2” is an amazing example of the duo’s collaborative chemistry. George comes at the song with a buoyant and sweeping soulfulness, with rich and vibrant harmonies, melodies and ad libs at every turn. This paired with Thompson’s nimble percussion, rich strings and resonating synths create an easiness within the song. The sonic palette is sturdy enough to support George's growls on lines such as, “Oh, you know I ain’t giving up / I’m in it for greatness, that’s the way I am / Just let me break it up / I know I can make it.” Whether this song is about breaking up with someone to find your true self, choosing to work with independent labels or a mixture of the both, the lyrics are just ambiguous enough to be relatable yet intriguing. It is only a matter of time before April + VISTA are no longer residing in the underbelly of alternative R&B, but at the forefront of a movement we have all been holding our breath for.

Samantha Weisenthal on September 7, 2018

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