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.

Dorvin Borman’s latest single “Pressure Valve” carves a unique sonic space somewhere between Blue Öyster Cult and Real Estate; dream-pop with a timeless, yet loose, psych-rock energy. Self-written and recorded in isolation, Borman’s hazy vocals wrapped in hypnotic lo-fi riffs capture the essence of the days we have all wasted, at one point or another, on the couch with takeout, wrapped in our own existential dread. Halfway through, the beat picks up and mirrors the feeling of racing thoughts as it takes on a groove slower yet similar to Peter Bjorn and John’s “Young Folks.” The last lines of the song hear Borman echo a sentiment familiar to anyone who’s experienced this kind of hours-melting anxiety binge, with a sigh of resolve: “I’d be happy to be fine.” On days when it feels like there’s not a lot to celebrate, having no complaints can be more than enough. Somedays, simply neutral emotions are welcome—and so is the music that reminds us of this. Photo by Felicia Lim.

Crafted from an analog of songs originally written over a decade ago, Bird Fight has dropped a five-track EP called Hugshake. It's a vibrant and experimental collection of intelligent production and intricate vocalization. Using household, commonplace items for varied instrumentation and percussion, the producer and vocalist duo of John Katona and Christian Ohly make music that feels progressive and kinetic. "Traffic Lights" in particular possesses an ethereal and haunted energy. It's a delicate embodiment of their self-proclaimed genre "folktronica;" The song's movement and sound have a more pronounced electronica element, while the subject and tone contain folk sentiments. This track is a lover's lament that frustratingly pleads with its subject to reciprocate the speaker's efforts in the relationship. Hugshake dropped on February 12. Give it a listen wherever you stream!

Turbulent times call for self-discovery on "Peace At Last," the first 2021 single from California-bred Tim Atlas. Syrupy-sweet vocals soar over fine-tuned retro production while LA-based duo honeywhip lend their lo-fi sensibility to the track, laced with new wave synths and a bouncing bassline. On a blind listen, "Peace At Last" is a joyful exploration of personal identity when Atlas sings, "Just trying to be myself / But who is that?" to open the song's chorus. But these lines run deeper than that, as Atlas alludes to the events, perceptions and external pressures that have shaped us in the year 2020. We wonder if we'll ever see the end—to COVID, to senseless systemic violence on the Black community, to collective political anxiety— and the future is daunting. While many of us have fought for distractions and felt forced to stay productive, "burning the candle at both ends," Atlas insists that it's always possible to come out stronger. "Taking [my mind] apart to the first draft" is an invitation to start over, and "Peace At Last" is Atlas' reminder that we are more than the pains we've endured. Photo by Tim Atlas.

A tale of two boroughs. Harlem-based producer Air Volee and Brooklyn-based indie artist GOLDEN pen a bright story with "Eye." While the original version carried a more airy sound, the inclusion of Air Volee brings a fresh retro pop flare to a track where we're taken into a new tier of self-reflection. Both artists are distinct in style but balance each other well. There’s a sense of levity one can feel with the heavy percussion that defies space, capturing motion into a song that pleases the ear and sends an almost chilling sensation through the veins. There’s a saying that eyes are the gateway to the soul. With this track, that element plays out to make one discover a moment within that they weren’t even aware of, that there’s no authenticity in themselves. The question of "who am I living for and as," essentially. It’s a personal moment for GOLDEN, almost written as an autobiography, and Air Volee amplifies all the right focal points of her narrative. Photo by Kevin Condon.

Right off the bat, Texas-based Katy Kirby’s wit gleams through on her new single, “Portals." The track begins with some ambient synth, quiet bell-sounds and the clarity of Kirby’s voice wringing out irony: “I’m an alternate universe in Target lingerie." Soft pawing at the piano throughout the song creates a gentle effect, which draws out the thematic elements of weaving through questions of two people walking away from one another and what that might mean for the individual. Kirby ponders whether separation will strengthen the two, and if they reunite, will they recall their original purpose for one another? Not to be “boxes, doors, or borders," but to be “portals.” Clothed in prickled strings, matched with the warmth of Kirby’s powerful voice, this track contains a flickering hope against the odds of separation. Photo by Jackie Lee Young.

With his natural homegrown charm, Uruguay-born Juan Wauters releases yet another true-to-life track, this time including none other than, indie-crowd favorite, Mac DeMarco. While all of his music feels honest, this one is especially mimetic as it is a part of a collection of songs that will appear on his upcoming album Real Life Situations, due to be released on April 30. This track begins with the simplicity and clarity of Wauters’ voice above the delicate finger-picking of an acoustic guitar, drifting along timelessly, allowing for almost a minute to pass until the energy changes. What was once an intimate, delightful drawl transforms into a foreshadowing of the atmosphere of the rest of the song, which includes a commentary on the selfishness of people and what they will do to get their own, all wrapped up in sunny California sound. Photo by Laura-Lynn Petrick.

The prospect of rejection, love and intimacy hang in the balance of Worry Club's latest single, "Money." Nuanced and lovely, "Money" stands out as a softer, more vulnerable sounding single compared to his other work. Worry Club manages to write bouncy, yet subtle, indie pop singles with punchy lyricism and vocalization like a Midwest emo band, but the musicality of a Cali bedroom pop artist. 

Worry Club is the moniker of Chicago-based indie musician Chase Walsh. Walsh integrates dreamy synth-pop guitar and muted percussion into gritty and unflinching lyricism. He looks depression and heartbreak dead in the face with his poetry, packaging these difficult subjects into truly gorgeous songs. 

"Money" is Worry Club's first single of 2021. Give it a listen wherever you stream! Photo by Lars Juveland.

Pining after someone who may never be yours could never be a lost art. There's something addictive and almost romantic about a push-and-pull dynamic, the sense of wanting what you can't have, but the willingness to fight for it anyway. Unusual Demont's newest single "Pine" captures this essence over a smooth bassline and clean, '90s-tinged production. While idly approaching themes of envy and infidelity, Demont keeps the song bouncy and breezy in contrast, while emphasizing the longing in true R&B fashion. The title conjures a deep, woodsy hue "because green is the color of envy," as Demont explained in a statement, but also plays on the yearning when he hums, "For tonight / I'll pine for you." "Pine" follows his first single "Amber," fitting the theme of his forthcoming project Hues that will surely transport listeners to a world of his own creation, built on a foundation of rich colors and heavy, but groovy moods. Photo by cravingavino.

Bright and welcoming melodies intertwine with inquisitive and gentle lyrics of longing, creating a compelling recollection of imminent change within Blue Canopy’s first release of 2021, “Motovun." Following their mid-2020 debut release, Mild Anxiety, the project took the new year by storm with their atmospheric synth-filled single that examines the sheer inevitability of personal expansion, as well as the bittersweet awareness that comes along with letting go. Off of Sleep While You Can, their coming EP set to release this March, “Motovun” is brimming with dynamic energy built by lyrics that ponder the feelings of transition and evolution of identity. The project is led by Portland-based multi-instrumentalist Alex Schiff, who was formerly a keyboardist and co-writer for Brooklyn-based indie band Modern Rivals. Blue Canopy’s upcoming release is said to explore the often unspoken anxieties that accompany having a child, and the ways that can relate to one’s perception of self; “Motovun” is no exception. The single captures transformation, wonder, change and the creative process, building anticipation for the rest of Blue Canopy’s intrinsic and explorative sophomore release. Photo by Bea Helman.