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Shayla McDaniel - Let Me Breathe (How To Break Our Hearts)
Shayla McDaniel - Let Me Breathe (How To Break Our Hearts)

Shayla McDaniel - Let Me Breathe (How To Break Our Hearts)


A delicate guitar descends as a robust beat kicks in, echoing the complex sentiments of Shayla McDaniel’s latest single “Let Me Breathe (How To Break Our Hearts).” The Knoxville, Tennessee-based artist’s solemn vocals open with unsure musings on the state of her relationship, seemingly having one foot in and one foot out. As a driving beat (written by Deep Sea Diver’s Peter Mansen) goes on and a bright electric guitar strums in, you can feel McDaniel’s disorienting emotions. 

A delay-filled arpeggiated guitar is introduced just as McDaniel's thought process starts to disentangle. It becomes more tenacious as she grows more self-assured, peeling the veil to recognize the actual nature of her relationship: “We’re living in a nightmare of a dream / You’re stealing all I have left of me.”

This all comes to a definite realization when the chorus sweeps in. The drumbeat opens up, triumphant horns make their way in the background and McDaniel’s voice swells lively in the front and center, leaving us with a painstaking question: “I don’t need you / You don’t need me / Why do we keep doing these things?” She invites us to look deeply and evaluate: are the relationships we are in actually nurturing, or instead have they become something unhealthy that we only hold on to out of habit? Photo by Shayla McDaniel.

James Ramos on April 13, 2021
Daisy the Great - Persephone

Daisy the Great - Persephone


If there ever was a musical work to express the moment when now-Vice President Kamala Harris told Mike Pence, “I’m speaking,” through her charming smile, “Persephone” is it. The new single from Brooklyn indie-pop duo Daisy the Great addresses the shared frustration of women everywhere: the societal pressure to be demure and keep quiet.

Folklore has long warned men of the siren’s sinister song: once she opens her beautiful mouth, destruction will follow. Not much has changed, as the likes of Greta Thunberg or Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and many others could attest. “The plight of the siren is / She'll never sing without somebody claiming she's starting a war,” sing Kelley Nicole Dugan and Mina Walker, with a crescendoing intensity, as though both suppressing a growl. Sonically, “Persephone” mirrors the nature of the message itself: beneath its angelic exterior is something more substantial—and potentially dangerous. Words like “menace,” “temptress" and “whore” appear in the lyrics, words that are widely used in lieu of “powerful” when describing a woman. Persephone, goddess queen of the underworld, is but a symbol to shine a light on centuries of patriarchal storytelling warning “virtuous” young boys against the perils of a woman who doesn’t stay in her lane. 

In the accompanying music video, dancer/choreographer Matilda Sakamoto portrays the siren’s plight in the form of a sweet-looking young woman, smashing eggs and smearing makeup on her face, appearing increasingly frightening and insane. Towards the end, she stares into the camera and flashes a warning snarl, while the lyrics deliver their closing statement: “The plight of the siren is / Everyone's always been / Scared of a powerful woman.” Photo by Sara Laufer

Karyna Micaela on February 19, 2021
ISLAND - Octopus

ISLAND - Octopus


When it comes to picking singles, the goal is usually to identify a track with an element that will really stick with a listener and keep them coming back for repeat listens. “Octopus,” the newest single from London-based rockers ISLAND, does not leave you guessing as to what that element is for long, as the harmonic-heavy and bright guitar riff that serves as the track’s selling point is the first thing a new listener will hear. After the riff registers a few times, the rest of the instruments unfold neatly from their hiding places—and once the bass and guitar kicks have settled into the mix, it becomes evident that “Octopus” is a slick, summery indie rock anthem, one that would have been poised for radio domination during the genre’s chokehold on the airwaves in the late aughts and early 2010s. ISLAND brought producer Mikko Gordon on board as their first outside producer, and his slight variations on an already winning formula gave way to a song strongly reminiscent of a warm, carefree afternoon. Photo by Christian Cargill

Alec Bollard on February 19, 2021
Middle Kids - Questions

Middle Kids - Questions


The indie pop trio Middle Kids burst onto the scene in 2018 with their debut album Lost Friends, garnering critical attention and solidifying them as a standout in the rising Australian rock scene. This band has proven themselves to be an act worth hearing, touring with the likes of Cold War Kids and Bloc Party, not to mention their talk show and festival appearances.  "Questions" is one of three singles Middle Kids has released in preparation for their second full-length album Today We're the Greatest, dropping March 19.

This band continues to dole out punchy, fun indie rock songs. "Questions" in particular is a hard track to ignore, as it breathes new life and creativity into handclaps and provocative lyricism. This song escalates and explodes into horns and percussion at its pivotal moments, adding drama and feeling to the stream-of-consciousness questionnaire of lyricism. All of this song's musicality points at the inner turbulence and growing desperation of the speaker: "And I've got questions / and you've got answers / and I'm not sure if they're fact or fiction." The redundancy of beginning each line with "and" is an expression of inner conflict, the speaker's brain spinning around the proverbial tilt-a-whirl of "what ifs" in a relationship.

"Questions," alongside "R U 4 Me?" are exciting introductions to Middle Kids' forthcoming record. You can listen to "Questions" anywhere you stream, and Today We're the Greatest comes out March 19. Photo by Daphne Nguyen.

Hannah Lupas on February 18, 2021
Flyte - Under the Skin

Flyte - Under the Skin


Flyte, the indie British rock band, has released another single from their forthcoming album This is Really Going to Hurt, dropping April 9. "Under the Skin" is the fifth single Flyte has released since May of last year. This series of sincere and thoughtful singles have tapped into a deeper, more intimate part of Flyte's songwriting. From the heartbreaking and cutting "Losing You" to the contemplative "Never Get to Heaven," their next LP is bound to launch the London-based trio into the indie spotlight. 

"Under the Skin" is a perfect representation of what Flyte does incredibly well as a band: it's excitable, catchy rock music with contemplative, nuanced lyricism. But similar to the themes of the song, it's not a tune that's asking you to take it too seriously. The speaker begs someone to not give up on them, to not look their issues too hard in the face, but instead to let them in. "Under the Skin" serves as a lighter break in the stream of singles that we've heard from This is Really Going to Hurt, but it's hardly pulling any punches, and it stands alone as maybe the strongest single they've put out for the record thus far.

The writing for their upcoming album is laced with echoes of a turbulent time for the band. The singles' themes have varied from impassioned storytelling to melancholic longing. This ability to balance various themes and produce a cohesive piece of work is part of what makes Flyte so exceptional. Their premiere album, 2017's The Loved Ones, was a romantic and explosive introduction to their round indie rock sound. A band with a break-out album that self-actualized doesn't have anything to prove, but these latest releases have proven that Flyte has nowhere to go but up.

Stream "Under the Skin," and be on the lookout for their upcoming LP This Is Really Going to Hurt. Photo by Jan Philipzen.

Hannah Lupas on February 18, 2021
Toledo - Sunday Funday

Toledo - Sunday Funday


Brooklyn duo Jordan Dunn-Pilz and Dan Alvarez, better known as TOLEDO, have just released their highly anticipated sophomore EP, Jockeys of Love. After the release of multiple atmospheric singles such as “It’s Alive!” and “Challenger,” it was clear that listeners could expect loads of goodness from TOLEDO. “Sunday Funday” is a song wrapped in catharsis—it is a recognition of the desire to hold space for someone dealing with alcoholism. Within this track is a sort of gleam effect, with shiny sounds of layering voices and enchanting, light-floating riffs. While singing about a very tender situation, fraught with discomfort, TOLEDO has a way of making the dismal truths of addiction sound glossy and a little bit easier to sit with while still addressing despondency. Photo by James Lynch.

Laney Esper on February 18, 2021
The Collection - Blue Day

The Collection - Blue Day


Sometimes what you really need is a slow song about sad days. Sometimes only the sound of a guitar strung slowly and the folk vocals of an indie assemble can save you from a dark and cold winter night. The German have a word for the melancholy caused by the state of the world: Weltschmerz. And that world maybe perfectly captures what The Collection gives us with their new single "Blue Day." The North Carolina-based septet wrote, recorded and released the perfect manifestation of that sneaky feeling of sadness that you just can't shake. When even in beautiful days, that feeling that something is wrong and the blues are just at bay lingers. The Collection spent 2020 making music that perfectly represents the uncertainty of our times and the feeling of figuring yourself out when nothing is the way it used to be. "Blue Day" is the epitome of that and it already rises our expectations about what 2021 will look like for the band. Photo by Cory Wood. 

Giulia Santana on February 18, 2021
Jillette Johnson - Angelo

Jillette Johnson - Angelo


From pianist and singer-songwriter Jillette Johnson's dazzling third full-length album, It’s A Beautiful Day And I Love You, comes the sparkling "Angelo." The California-born, New York-raised and Nashville-based Jillette Johnson uses her remarkable voice and range to tell the story of a lost boy named Angelo, “wings broken, arms open.” The full-bodied Americana-pop sound is thick with guitars—including a steel string that makes this writer weak at the knees—and drums, but if you listen closely, it’s Johnson’s piano that is driving the melody, while her stellar and wide-ranging vocals conjure images of a fallen angel who she feels helpless to rescue. Blending Americana instrumentals, folk lyrics and pop production, “Angelo” is a rare and precious find. Despite its heart-wrenching lyrics, the track has a sound that is bright like sunshine, honey-smooth and warm as a campfire. Johnson’s voice is a comfort and a gift. Photo by Betsy Phillips.

Maya Bouvier-Lyons on February 17, 2021
Faerie - White Noise

Faerie - White Noise


Contrary to what the title may suggest, Faerie’s “White Noise” is far from static. A sonically lush and textured synth-pop delight, the song comes out of 2am, her short but sweet EP debut. The song balances an intimate, electro-pop sound of the likes of Caroline Polacheck with a contrasting sense of dramatic, colorful synth-pop reminiscent of artists like CHVRCHES or MS MR. “White Noise,” which delves into getting over a past relationship, doesn’t lament but instead celebrates being satisfied with one’s own space. By the time the song’s hook comes in, “Give me a minute / My space to breathe,” you’ve already stood up to dance. Filled with synths, background vocals, and satisfying beats, the song takes whatever space it needs. The title is then a possible reference to that dreadful silence heard when a phone call goes unanswered, but Faerie turns that around, coveting that silence rather than fearing it. In the end, she pulls through triumphantly, “I don't need your love to feel at ease,” she concludes. 

Behind Faerie, there’s Christine Joyce Lam, a promising NYC-bred singer-songwriter whose combination of imaginative, colorful songwriting and powerful, cunning vocals make for an ideal artist to look out for. The song is co-written by two collaborators: Christian Young (ImTrying) and Jonathan Atkins (wavcat). Together, they make this deeply enjoyable and satisfying track, which makes for an ideal quarantine listen—a fun and perfect dance party for one. Photo by Brian Scagnelli.

Alejandro Veciana on February 17, 2021
Sara Bug - Die With You

Premiere Sara Bug - Die With You


Premiering today is "Die With You," the newest single from Nashville-based singer-songwriter Sara Bug, preceding the release of her debut self-titled record. "Die With You" was written in 2013 among what Bug describes as "some of [her] darkest moments." The tender acoustic ballad reads lyrically like a love song, but seven years later, the subject itself doesn't matter; the track has instead become a letter to an aspirational form of herself, a more self-assured manifestation. "We are the perfect two / Even when I'm blue and wanna die / It's you," she sings with a romantic yearning, knowing that if she finds his level of faith in herself, it'll be all she needs to carry her through even her darkest days in the future. Showcasing her penchant for dynamic, avant-garde production, the song's contemplative instrumental outro swells heavily to carry Bug further along on this journey of self-actualization than where she started. It echos Bug's sentiment that "Die With You" "was then and still is now, a sort of foreshadowing of what I hope my life becomes." Her forthcoming LP will further explore themes of self-discovery and growth against her untraditional folk sound, a uniquely complex take on the singer-songwriter form. Preorder Sara Bug, due out May 14 via Egghunt Records. Photo by Bennett Littlejohn.

Ysabella Monton on February 17, 2021
Allie Crow Buckley - Moonlit and Devious

Allie Crow Buckley - Moonlit and Devious


Allie Crow Buckley’s “Moonlit and Devious,” the title track from her debut album, opens with a haunting church organ that signals the start of something spooky. Her piercing, direct vocal delivery shines as she paints a vivid picture through her lyrics, telling the story of a woman longing for a lover far away—“Candlelit loneliness / I lay on your side of the bed / Undying obedience / Hands clasped tight to my chest.” Eventually, the hypnotic, dark melodies open into a cathartic wail over thick, crunchy guitars, juxtaposing the light and the dark. Buckley has stated that “Moonlit and Devious” is a love song, and though it does have a heavier feel, it perfectly captures the duality of devotion—both the sensual, conniving side of it and the bright, hopeful side. Balancing these two emotional polarities is no easy task, but Buckley makes it sound effortless. Listen to “Moonlit and Devious” wherever you stream. Photo by Nastassia Brückin.

Paige Shannon on February 16, 2021

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