Mannequin Pussy - Darling
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.” Tickets and more information are available here.
Chasing the tail of "Pigs Is Pigs," "Darling" opens with a starkly contrasting 5 seconds of meditative, wave-like static. Quiet, but steadfast octave jumps emerge next, in the form of a guitar flooded in reverb until time becomes almost meaningless. Heartbeat-like drums remind you where the beat falls, like the sound of your own breath in a dark room. It’s almost tempting to describe the track as unlike anything Mannequin Pussy has ever done, ending their Perfect EP in surprisingly delicate and tender territory. Its warmth is more like still-burning embers rather than the fire and brimstone that dominates the rest of Mannequin Pussy’s discography; however, it has the same lyricism full of brash vulnerability that cuts through everything in its path. The hot-blooded reconciliation of pain and the beauty of feeling intensely is reminiscent of "Drunk II," as the track dynamically moves through both states simultaneously. Each time the hook hits, it sounds even more like a challenge than a promise. “Darling, I will always defend you” becomes a double-edged dare, daring your darling to reciprocate your defense and daring the rest of the world to provide an opportunity to show your devotion. "Darling" is a beautiful example of what makes Mannequin Pussy’s work so deliciously compelling. It’s embracing your feelings with brutal honesty and rebelliously refusing to be ashamed of their intensity. It’s facing forward against whatever’s next, grasping your love’s hand tightly all the way, and proclaiming “I feel fiercely, and I am not afraid." Photo by Uv Lucas.
— Allison Hill on September 17, 2021
Bombay Bicycle Club - Eat, Sleep, Wake (Nothing But You)
At the beginning of 2016, English indie rock band Bombay Bicycle Club announced their hiatus after nearly a decade of making music together. Cue side projects, soul searching, and a lot of wishing from fans and now five years after their last album release they've returned with their newest song together. "Eat, Sleep, Wake (Nothing But You)" maintains their trademark sound with lyrics that evoke a sense of yearning. The opening fades in like the title sequence of a movie—buzzing with energy on the brink of being unleashed. Over the even bassline and bright, repeating guitar riff, Jack Steadman croons to us once again with a voice that speaks like a friend you haven't seen in a long time. The band is currently on tour in the UK and will finally release their long-awaited fifth studio album, Everything Else Has Gone Wrong, on January 17.
— Julie Gentile on October 28, 2019
Maria Kelly - i leave early
“i leave early” by Maria Kelly is soft, tender, and a little bit heartbreaking. Backed by gentle strings, Kelly’s voice begs to be listened to. Her lyrics are full of self-doubt and worry, yet still, maintain a certain beauty and gentle acceptance. The song begins with Kelly’s delicate singing of “I am drowning at a party,” voicing the sentiments that so many of us can commiserate with. Through her thoughtful and honest lyrics, velvety vocals, and poignant instrumentals, Kelly’s “i leave early” creates a sense of intimacy with the listener. Though her vibe is reminiscent of Daughter, she maintains a uniquely captivating sound that stands on its own. Kelly communicates a tenderness that heightens the sense of isolation and yearning that so closely defines the track. Everything about "i leave early" is subtle and graceful. Having created a lullaby of insecurities and anxieties, Maria Kelly brings to light the many difficulties of self-doubt and does so in a stunningly beautiful way.
— Caroline Peacock on October 25, 2019
Future Generations - Just Pretend
Remember going through a funhouse as a kid? The endless rows of disorienting mirrors—making you shorter or taller, fatter or thinner, appear dozens of times or disappear all at once? As we grow up we tend to forget the sense of wonder we felt the first time we looked at ourselves through funhouse mirrors—but it’s never truly gone. BK-based, indie-pop quartet, Future Generations embody that childlike sentiment of wonder and escapism we often leave behind in their new single, “Just Pretend.” The group has long since possessed a keen ability to lift listeners’ moods with their vibrant, breezy production, engaging vocal melodies and inventive lyricism. With “Just Pretend,” they take these elements a step further, becoming the medicine for the doubt they are trying to overcome. The track is a carefree hodgepodge of different sounds and influences, uninhibited by what it thinks it’s supposed to be as it shifts from one sound to another. Frontman Eddie Gore sings, “Life is easy if you just pretend,” reminding us of the importance of not taking ourselves too seriously. As we get older and life gets a little harder, we have to try to retain the sense of childlike wonder we felt the very first time we walked through the funhouse mirrors.
— Andrea de Varona on October 25, 2019
The Marías - Loverboy (Live)
Earlier this October, The Marías put out an extended version of their song "Loverboy" (alongside a live performance video) from their album Superclean, Vol. II. Now instead of having the same one minute track on loop, you can get caught up in four minutes of lead singer María's flittering murmurs of adoration. "Loverboy" is flushed with wistful production and sway-worthy vocals that are as dangerously sweet as they are hypnotic. The band founded by María and Josh Conway woo their listeners with a plush fusion of hazy jazz and bedroom pop—perfectly starry-eyed and trance-inducing. The song transports the listener to a long summer night that they wish would never end. You can transcend with them at one of their three residency shows in the Bay Area, all culminating with a New Years' Eve performance at the Swedish American Hall.
— Julie Gentile on October 24, 2019
Paper Fairy - We Laugh
The Wild Honey Pie is proud to premiere “We Laugh,” the first single from Paper Fairy’s upcoming Tautology EP. Following up the 2018 full-length horror concept album Haunter Haunted is a lofty goal, but “We Laugh” skillfully highlights singer Chris Gaskell’s dedication to the unexpected at every turn. It takes only seconds for a song reminiscent of Seu Jorge’s Bowie covers to something much more haunting. Gaskell’s voice soars like Michael Angelakos' but, like the rest of the arrangement, is unsettling in ways the pristine electronic indie-pop of Passion Pit would never be. Aiming to “redraw the line between what is and what appears to be,” the track “poses an inner dialogue in which the internal self and the mediated self struggle to find coherence in a single identity,” says Gaskell. The entity that is Paper Fairy often speaks in such lofty language, ruminating on the concept of the self, but the lyrics meander more simply through “just another day I won’t remember.”
— Daniel Shanker on October 23, 2019
Berhana - I Been (feat. Crush)
Berhana, aka Amain Berhane, teams up with South Korean artist Crush, on "I Been," a smooth-sailing track off Berhane's debut album HAN. The track bumps along easily as Berhane's voice paints a picture of someone that's been improving themselves to try and make things work with an estranged partner. He sings, "Give me a little time / And you can see that / That I been / Working on me / For you." Even though the terms of the end of the relationship are never stated directly, the universal desire for reconnection and starting fresh is apparent. An optimistic tone floods the sunny production of the track as both Berhana and Crush try to convince their ex-lover that they've changed for the better. "I Been" is an exciting multi-genre taste of what the Atlanta-born artist is capable of and can be experienced first-hand when the artist begins his US tour this November.
— Julie Gentile on October 23, 2019
maye - Tú
Maye delivers effortlessly gorgeous vocals and combines them with silky Bossa nova styled production on her new single "Tú." This is the Venezuelan-born artist's second single release following the drop of "My Love" earlier this year. "Tú" explores someone entirely wrapped up in the object of their affection—wanting only to be encompassed in the other person's universe and the timelessness they radiate. And while many love songs share similar sentiments, maye and producers, Pat Howard and Fernando Belisario, create a world that feels both nostalgic and experimentally enticing. Soft guitar plucks and gentle, slow drum hits materialize the perfect backdrop for the singer's leisurely, fluid vocals as sweet romance comes to fruition. "Tú" is a must-listen track that you'll have on repeat in anticipation of the rising star's debut LP.
— Julie Gentile on October 22, 2019
SYML - Symmetry
Indie folk artist SYML, otherwise known as Washington-based Brian Fennell, has released the hauntingly atmospheric single “Symmetry.” Intricate guitar and lovely strings beckon you into the arrangement’s dark, dreamy soundscape, while Fennell’s gentle voice croons a hypnotic and lovely melody. His honest, poetic lyrics speak of comfort and acceptance: “Come now child, the day is long / Hide not yourself from me.” What begins as a mellow, simple arrangement builds into something grand and gripping—evocative brass, emotional strings, and thrashing percussion let you lose yourself in the surprising and rewarding instrumentation. “Symmetry” bends genres and defies expectations. It’s a nice follow-up to Fennell’s debut album, SYML, which came out earlier this year via Nettwork.
— Britnee Meiser on October 22, 2019
DONNA BLUE - DESERT LAKE
Surfacing from the Netherlands is indie-pop duo Donna Blue’s old Hollywood-inspired new single “Desert Lake”. This track is a self-described passing through the obstacles of every artist facing the inevitable dimness of doubt. It clothes itself in a sultry sixties influenced sound, enveloping the listener in a haunting yet cunning vision of a journey. In turn, it succeeds in creating an imaginative space for what it'd be like moving through a Tarantino movie. Picking up Western tones with the call of a pensive whistle, “Desert Lake” draws its listener into a stylized, intricately personal mystery of an artist in the throes of creative madness.
— Laney Esper on October 22, 2019
Rachel Bobbitt and Justice Der - Iris Road
Breezy and classic, "Iris Road" is a carefree daydream with a catchy melody. The new single from Canadian musicians Rachel Bobbitt and Justice Der captures the wild, carefree spirit of youth through upbeat, muffled percussion and lush, lo-fi instrumentation. Bright, beachy guitars are a burst of sunshine, while Bobbitt’s warm, harmonic vocals are a refreshing breeze throughout the arrangement. The lyrics are dreamy and pensive, perfectly matching the mood. "I fall in line / You get dizzy tracing circles in my mind / And you take your time / Hands in your pocket so you never reach for mine." "Iris Road" is sunny and atmospheric, and is featured on Bobbitt and Der’s debut album, When This Plane Goes Down, out October 25th.
— Britnee Meiser on October 21, 2019
