It bops, it grooves, it gets your feet moving and then it breaks your heart. Through driving drums, hypnotic synths and poetic lyrical paradoxes, “Shake // Those Feelings,” the new single from Brooklyn-based trio Moon Kissed, tackles an age-old question of love: is the passion worth the pain? In the first section of the song, Moon Kissed juxtaposes a dancey synth rock tone with lyrics drenched in a deep longing to feel again: “I’ve been struggling with numbness,” and more bluntly, “I want you to break me.” As the song goes on, the vocals build and layer, the drums get bigger and the synth gets funkier; it becomes impossible not to at least bop your head along and, more likely, you’ll find yourself dancing around whatever room you’re occupying at the time.

Then, once you’ve been fully immersed in the whirling, intoxicating melody, the song undergoes a powerful shift. The drums cut out, plucked guitar strings and longer atmospheric synth tones take over, and the intense longing, which characterized those lyrics that you started to dance to, is presented in its raw vulnerable form. A softer vocal and a pensive mood guide you out to the end of the beautiful track. Photo by Evan Parness.

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.