
thanks for coming - intersection
Brooklyn based thanks for coming’s newest (very timely) album, almost named this album"untouched" in reference to not editing the cover photo and also having an unrequited crush on a stranger but then i remembered we're all social isolating right now and it's a little too on the nose even for me is impressive all around. It features the song “intersection," a 3-minute long euphony that serves as a cathartic listen for anyone with a lot on their mind. According to Rachel Brown, the artist behind thanks for coming, this song was written before the height of the crisis we all find ourselves in right now. But there’s something prophetic about their choices in composing this track. Brown’s vocals accompany relatively simple acoustic guitar, but they’ve layered three different vocal tracks atop one another, effecting a sort of self-amplification. Their tone throughout the song feels like a balance of lighthearted humor and serious self-expression that’s somewhat inexplicable in its powerful execution. “Meet me at the intersection / I’ve got so many fucking questions,” they sing, simultaneously with two other statements directed at an unknown subject. While the world is smothered in unknowing, and distance between people, thanks for coming’s “intersection” seeks to know. Perhaps it’s this that makes the song resonate so deeply, in a way that’s hard to pin down.
— Ben Burke on May 13, 2020
Moses Sumney - Plastic
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.
— Dara Bankole on October 22, 2017