If you haven’t yet, it’s time to get familiar with NYC indie-pop band Modern Diet—after a 2-year hiatus, they are back and flooding 2019 with new tracks to play back-to-back-to-back. After their EP release in March and putting single “Dizzy” out on June 28, the band quickly followed up with their latest single, “July 4,” released, naturally, on July 4th. The song is a rambunctious follow-up to the dreamier “Dizzy” and keeps you on your toes the whole way through. The song starts out on a fairly standard drumbeat and some head-bobbing guitar strums. But we quickly realize how crucial the drums are to the movement of the track as they shift seamlessly into stick-tapping ditty before billowing into a muted marching band anthem, played appropriately under the chorus lyrics, “and Uncle Sam is getting old, getting ready to explode.” The song at once creates anxiety and propels you through it with dynamic but nearly imperceptible shifts of tempo and rhythm. The instruments build quickly and intensely then dip out as the vocals slow down, humming out “ooh’s” and “mmm’s” briefly, then pick right back up. A sense of impatience hangs over the whole track, evident in the repeated, “Told you so is ringing like a dial tone,” and as it wraps up, song screeches to its peak frustration and comes to an abrupt close as it finally hangs up the phone.

Indie favorites JR JR, formerly known as Dale Earnhardt JR JR, have returned to the scene with new music after their self-titled LP back in 2015. The new single, “Clean Up” offers a look at the mind of someone coming to terms with their addictions and indulgences. The duo uses a throbbing bass line, simple plucked guitar and harmonies to illustrate the conflict that happens when one willfully chooses something that is bad for them. “Clean Up” brings JR JR to a more provocative realm, and one that we are excited to see more of in the upcoming album.

Henry Jamison is a storyteller at heart. It may be in his blood — his father, a classical composer, and his mother, an English professor — but Jamison is a writer and artist in his own right, evidenced by his debut album The Wilds (released October 27th). Beyond writing, recording and arranging the album all on his own, Jamison has a special ability to bring each track to life. Take his song, “The Wilds”: it’s instrumentally rich without being overbearing, letting Jamison’s narrative whisk you away. “The Wilds” sounds like an old-time American love story - unassuming and familiar, but nevertheless, still surprising.

Los Angeles genre-bending artist Moses Sumney released his gorgeous and ethereal debut album Aromanticism into the world this September. Sumney has made a big impression on artists like Solange and Sufjan Stevens for good reason. His infusion of soul and folk come together on this album in a way that leaves us begging for more. A prime example of this heavenly blend is found on the third song of the album, “Plastic.” A previous version of the song can be heard on the first season of Issa Rae’s HBO series, Insecure. This new version serves as one of the more simplistic songs on the album, featuring just a fingerpicked electric guitar, a synth and Sumney’s captivating voice. The hook of the song repeats the line “my wings are made of plastic,” each time sung in a slightly different way than it was before, continuing to imbue the phrase with new meaning. This song of vulnerability, self-awareness and secret-spilling is the kind that you can leave on repeat and get lost in for hours.