Retro, shimmering guitars, dreamy 2000s-inspired vocals and a tight drum groove all make this track by Mabes shine. “Fairground” is a perfect road trip song, allowing you to skim over the surface of past heartbreaks without diving in too deep. “Love is a fairground,” sings Mabes, “I spent my last pound trying to win.” It’s the kind of sentiment everyone can relate to without trying—luckily, the bright folk-rock arrangement keeps the listener moving forwards through the delicately phrased sorrows of the lyrics without getting lost in them. 

The bells and soaring strings are subtle but brilliant elements hiding in plain sight in this track. They give a sense of push and pull at key moments without ever overpowering the guitars or over-sweetening Mabes’s alluring, irony-tinged vocal delivery. “Fairground” as a track has a laid-back, self-assured sense of fun. Like any carnival game, you’ll want to play it over and over again. And like a doomed love affair, you won’t care if it ends the same way every time. Photo by Theo Batterham.

yllwblly’s "Pick On You" is a vibrant treatise on being young, in love, and having absolutely no clue how to manage either. The rhythm guitar hits the ground running, and doesn’t slow for a moment. Grooving bass settles in, adding weight and even more momentum. It’s turbulent and exciting—just how it feels to be getting to know someone else alongside yourself. Spritely synths bounce around the hook, turning the half-serious discussion of boundaries into something playful, almost flirtatious. The verses are simultaneously vulnerable and loud in a way intimately familiar to anyone who has been an eighteen-nineteen-twenty-something. It’s a fond reflection on the days where naivety lent itself to raw, unfiltered honesty. There’s a certain charm in that brand of youthful candor, where subtlety only comes in the form of figuring out what you’re trying to say as the words are already tumbling out of your mouth. Nothing felt anywhere near as simple as it does in hindsight, but that was part of the joy too wasn’t it? The feeling of relationships being so simple and so complicated at the same time.

Treefort Music Fest is making its long-awaited return to Boise from September 22-26. All month long, we'll be featuring our favorite tracks by artists from the 400+ lineup, which includes Wild Honey Pie favorites like Japanese Breakfast, Tennis and The Marías.

The festival, originally scheduled for March 2020, was postponed due to COVID-19. To ensure the safety of attendees, Treefort will be requiring proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test result, as well as encouraging festivalgoers to have masks on hand, as various forts will be mask-only. According to Festival Director Eric Gilbert, “This unique September version of Treefort is shaping up to be one of our best yet and we are looking forward to bringing the Treefort family back together to share and discover great music.”

With each record, Wild Pink has elaborated on their sound through the addition of layered synths and slide-guitar. The introduction to 2021’s A Billion Little Lights, “The Shining but Tropical” is the amalgamation of the band’s move to maximalism with Springsteen flare. With the band’s masterful use of expressive dynamics, the track opens with a high but still leaves room for John Ross’s tender vocals. Dan Keegan and K.C. Brownell’s rhythm section propels the song with a hypnotic groove that allows the tranquil vocal melody to shine (no pun intended). Three albums in, Ross’s abstract but confessional songwriting continues to be a hallmark of Wild Pink’s allure. Reminiscing about watching a loved one’s emotional wonder at the connection between all things through a drug-induced trip, the chorus soars with the loving lyrics “You wanted peace / You wanted love / You deserve that much.” Paired with a music video starring Annie Murphy, “The Shining but Tropical” is an anthem of humanism. Photo by Hayden Sitomer. 

The latest single from New York native ROSIE showcases her stunning songwriting and ability to weave internal turmoil, particularly anxiety and depression, into compelling poetry and musical storytelling. “Sad Sad Sad” is a slow-building end-of-summer song, as sparkly as it is “Sad Sad Sad.” Gentle but crisp guitar loops complement ROSIE’s light and evocative vocals, creating a sonic space that invites the listener in as the song crescendos and recedes again, like the ebb and flow of a tide, or the ups and downs of a mental health battle.

Quiet moments highlighting ROSIE’s vocals are balanced with perfectly placed dramatic drops. While the song title may seem broad, it’s the details in the lyrics of “Sad Sad Sad” that feel most relatable and bring the song to life. Lyrics like “Too many hours staring at the television / My therapist says it’s okay to rest / My friends are talking and I’m barely listening / They call me selfless but I’m self-obsessed”are bound to hit home for many. An outspoken mental health advocate, ROSIE uses her online presence and platform to create a welcoming, safe, and uplifting space for all, and has managed to do the same with this song, opening up a conversation around the importance of mental health and the day-to-day struggles that can come with it.

ROSIE’s highly anticipated next single, “Social Stamina,” a live snippet of which has already gained overwhelming traction on social media, is out tomorrow, September 10th. Photo by Ragan Henderson.

For a long time, the archetype of the mystical and autonomous woman has created a rift with audiences. With all sorts of adjectives projected onto them, the juxtaposition of their confessional songwriting and arcane personas proves to be a continuing force of magnetism. Artists like Stevie Nicks continue to be a sire in the vastness of the current music world. It is in this trend that Heddy Edwards lives. “white lighting” manages to feel both sparse and grand instrumentally, with the 80s influence oozing out of the reverb-heavy drums and synth melodies. Edwards’ rich vocals and lyricism so clearly transport you to a drive along the countryside where you can feel the wind gushing on your face through the open window, free from obstructions and hindrances. The setting is reflected in Edwards’ lover, who takes her back to that place of freedom and peace when she most needs it.

“Let Me Know (pt. II)” is a track that just breathes over its listener. It moves over each space it finds its way in like a perfect breeze wraps around the shoulders of the main character of a quintessential coming-of-age movie montage. Chicago dream-grunge band llo llo has created a musical landscape in which instrumentals feel like catharsis and euphoria meeting in an embrace. Reminiscences of Tame Impala and even Cocteau Twins come through in echoing vocals and simple, yet emotionally poignant lyricism. “Can I come over today? Let me know,” llo llo wrings out over a subtle and consistent groove that captivates and thrills. Photo by Mike Monaco.

“Pieces” is the second single from indie rock band Tenderheart Bitches (THB), the musical project of DIY-inspired musician, lyricist and experimental classical composer JL Marlor. While their debut single “Blood Orange” was a slow—but oh-so-satisfying—burn, “Pieces” comes flaming hot out of the gate, with tight guitar riffs and pointed percussion setting the pace for the “body dysmorphia bop of the summer.” With lyrics inspired by a lifetime of struggling with body image and perception, “Pieces” is an anthem of self-love and self-acceptance sung from a place of earnest and hopeful longing. JL has spoken openly and extensively about her own journey, as well as about the problematic stances on bodies perpetuated by society and popular culture. If “Pieces” is any indication, THB has arrived on the indie rock scene with something serious to say while finding a fun way to say it (the music video, which is more than worth watching, features glitter, balloons, drunken stumbling to the fridge and some fantastic cinematic work from an all-queer team of creatives). Catchy beyond belief, this song will have you tapping your feet and wanting to dance and smash the heteronormative patriarchy all at once. It will also probably get stuck in your head for at least a few days, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Photo by Benite de Wit.

Indigo De Souza’s mission to find joy and light while dealing with the hardships of being a human continues as she gears up to release her upcoming sophomore album Any Shape You Take. After two three-track EPs and a single called “Nomoah” in 2018, the Asheville artist then put forward her self-released first full-length I Love My Mom in that same year, on which she examined her loneliness and confronted mental health struggles and the various forms that love can take. Those ideas bleed into her new music as well, but in this new effort, De Souza takes them on with a more collective tone. Of the upcoming release, “Hold U” is an invitation into a warm community that celebrates and embraces everything that a person can be, while in “Real Pain,” she shares the anxieties that form while trying to find genuine connections and the compassion you need to hold for yourself. 

Her explosive first single “Kill Me,” though, is a clear example of her humorous, smart lyricism and continuous energy. It’s filled with charming self-deprecation, emotional leftovers from an all-consuming relationship and a search for relief. Her clear, fearless voice hits steadily as she cheerfully sings about an unhealthy attachment: “Baby, darling, devil, I love you / I love you, I love you / Kill me in the morning.” For her, death is a positive escape compared to the exhausting state she barely manages to exist in. The admissions only become bolder and firmer as she charges on: “No one asked me to feel this fucked up/ But here I am, fucked up.” As the music video mirrors, De Souza seems to be happy in acknowledging that darker truth. Her open-book perspective and endearing candidness shine through vividly and are nothing but welcomed. Any Shape You Take comes out this Friday, August 27 via Saddle Creek Records. Photo by Charlie Boss.

Each day this week, New York-based psychedelic indie-pop quintet Strawberry Launch offers insight on tracks from their debut self-titled EP. Follow along as different members offer insight to the background and songwriting process of four tracks in their own words. Photo by Will Montgomery. 

"Fork" is one of the most upbeat, danceable songs on the EP. It’s a commentary on the strange world of online dating and how it skews our perception of ourselves and others. It’s an extremely fun song to play, loaded with chromaticism and glitched-out synth melodies. Tiger [Darrow]’s production brought it to a new level, with the addition of strings, call and response in the vocal tracks, and drone synths. "Fork" is the type of song that always gets the crowd amped up whether they know it or not. —Abby, Strawberry Launch

Lo-fi ukulele strums and distant hums introduce boywithahalo's "Dontsaveme" with such gentleness, you may not notice that he's voicing the anxiety rooted in his mind. The soft tune echoes the sentiment of sitting alone in your room, strumming chords in a futile effort to make time pass faster while sitting idly at the whim of factors out of your control. While it's a feeling 2020 has imparted on us all, there's an added layer for boywithahalo, who sings of staying at home because simply existing as an LGBTQIA+ Asian American during this pandemic is dangerous; "It feels impossible to be safe out there" is a fear I personally know too well. Hauntingly, the lyrics for the track were written in September of 2020, long prior to the massive influx of anti-Asian hate crimes. "It’s scary how all of my fears became true," boywithahalo has said on the track. And while scary, it's sadly not surprising, foretold by subtle changes in the ways I was treated as early as January 2020, "kung flu" jokes made to my face, people eyeing me on the train and moving further away. 

But in the final minute, a commanding drum beat and lofty reverbed guitars join his choir-like vocal layers as the track fades out on a more assertive and hopeful note. It'd be careless to say that just because the news cycle is no longer saturated with anti-Asian hate crimes, things have gotten better. With the vulnerability of artists like boywithahalo, though, it's not impossible to believe that they can.

Each day this week, New York-based psychedelic indie-pop quintet Strawberry Launch offers insight on tracks from their debut self-titled EP. Follow along as different members offer insight to the background and songwriting process of four tracks in their own words. Photo by Will Montgomery. 

Over quarantine, I saw that an old flame of mine was in a new relationship a few months after we had been together. So I found myself looking through her Instagram and comparing myself to her, wondering what she was like...and the words just poured onto the paper. When we started to build the song I was unsure about the dissonance in the guitar chords, but it really enhanced the conflicting feelings in this song—of wanting a past lover to be happy but not happy enough to forget you. And since we finished writing this during quarantine, it's such an interesting way to encapsulate that time period. The drop of the guitar into the first chorus is probably my favorite "sound" on the entire EP. — Riiza, Strawberry Launch