20 Songs to Close Out 2020 – From The Inbox: Dec 21, 2020
That’s all folks!
Welcome to the final From the Inbox round-up of 2020. If you’ve been following each week, I hope you’ve been able to find some new favourites fresh from my inbox.
In celebration of 2020 coming to an end, I’ve got 20 fantastic new singles and music videos to share with you!
And if you’re interested, I’ve also released my Top 50 Albums of 2020 to help wrap up the year.
As always, you can find Dusty Organ on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Spotify to stay up to date on new releases. You can listen to the entire collection with our handy From the Inbox Spotify playlist (it’s also embedded at the bottom of the post).
And lastly, I’ve introduced a monthly newsletter and you can visit our Patreon account if you’d like to show your support!
Don’t forget to listen to the new From the Inbox: The Podcast episode to learn more about some of the week’s featured tracks – new episodes coming in 2021!
dodie – Cool Girl
This one came out in October, BUT it’s never too late to discover something great.
Dodie Clark is a British singer-songwriter and YouTuber that started out making covers but eventually made the switch to writing originals. Her debut album Build A Problem is coming out March 5th, 2021, and she has shared her stunning, one-take choreographed music video for “Cool Girl”. It’s all about mixed messages and poor communication in a relationship so you know it’s melancholic and sincere. Plus, her voice just melts with every note.
Misao McGregor – B Major
In true ‘From The Inbox’ spirit, Los Angeles-based singer-songwriter Misao McGregor reached out over email to share her new album Kid In The Corner with me. Completely DIY and with a humble audience behind her, Misao is a hidden gem. Her naturally rich vocals and life-long dedication to piano come together on the heartbreaking ballad “B Major”. It has the power of a musical theatre monologue with the intimacy of a bedroom production, as she sings about childhood and lingering traumas.
Arlo Parks – Caroline
London-based indie songwriter Arlo Parks has certainly been lighting the way for her upcoming debut album Collapsed in Sunbeams. The handful of singles she’s released over the course of the last year have been helping her pick up traction, one of which is “Caroline”. Although it came out a few weeks back, she’s given it a new music video to bring the song’s story to life.
Jules Gabriel – DANY
Swedish artist and producer Jules Gabriel has shared his new single “DANY”, a wonderfully dense folktronica track in lieu with Bon Iver, Sigor Ros, and Caribou. The bright tones and melancholic demeanour of the track is a warming and welcomed addition to the end of the 2020.
ELKI – Spend Your Life
Scandinavian pop artist ELKI is a rising name in European music with just a debut EP under her belt (for now). Her new single “Spend Your Life” is the first step into the next chapter of her career, and is a bright, positive mental anthem dedicated to everyone with OCD.
Gianna Isabella – Feel The Same
New Jersey indie artist Gianna Isabella has a bit of fun for her new single “Feel The Same”. Playing with the “devil vs angel” plot, Isabella tries to get over an ex and move on while dealing with the push and pull of a breakup. It’s a feel-good pop tune and the music video only adds to her charming personality.
Finn Blacklaws – Long Dinner
For any of us that have worked in hospitality as a way to pay the bills while we pursue our dreams (*cough* buy my merch*cough*), Berlin-based indie artist Finn Blacklaws wrote “Long Dinner” after serving wine at a glamourous star-studded event. It’s all about paying your dues and being patient, not to mention pretty damn catchy.
Good luck everybody.
Dijon – The Stranger
Los Angeles-based artist Dijon got a posse together for his new single “The Stranger”. Written as a story and “starring” vocals from Sachi DiSerafino, Dan Reeder, Tobias Jesso Jr, John C. Reilly, and Thea Gustaffs, the new song is a jangling folk song about random interactions with hints of indietronica mixed in for good measure.
Loney dear – Habibi (A clear black line)
Swedish songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Emil Svanängen has shared his first taste of new music since 2017. Performing as Lonely dear, his new single “Habibi” is an ode to everyone without a home this Christmas, tugging at heart strings with his unprocessed delivery. You can hear the acoustics of the piano itself, from the creaking wood to the damper pedal, which only adds to the raw strength of the song’s emotive presence.
Another Sky – Sun Seeker
After indie rock group Another Sky shared their visceral single “It Keeps Coming” earlier this month, they’ve shared more music from their forthcoming EP Music For Winter Vol. 1, which will be out New Years Day.
Lead singer Catrin Vincent’s powerful vocals sweeps over orchestration and post-rock instrumentation to create a supernova of intensity and sound on “Sun Seeker”. The dynamic finish is just the cherry on top of a stellar and spine-tingling tune.
Nathaniel Rateliff – Redemption
From the upcoming film “Palmer” starring Justin Timberlake comes the track “Redemption”, written and performed by Nathaniel Rateliff for the film. It’s a heartfelt, sincere indie folk tune that matches the movie’s eponymous theme. His signature rugged voice adds a certain warmth to the acoustic guitar-forward track.
Kelly Duplex – Hoverround
New Orleans indie rock trio Kelly Duplex is not actually a person named Kelly Duplex. What started off as a weird moniker for songwriter/frontman Shane Avrard has turned into a full band project which will be releasing their debut full-length in Februrary. From the release is “Hoverround”, an explosive ’00s-alt rock style track that hints at bands like Dinosaur Jr. and The Weakerthans, but with a softer, guitar pop sound.
Corridor – Domino
Montreal indie rock group Corridor released their latest album Junior back in 2019, but have finally dropped a psychedelic new music video for the single “Domino”. Featuring the band breaking things in line with the song’s frustration-filled undertones, the hazy colours and trippy aesthetic helps bring out the song’s hypnotic groove and Francophone delivery.
Little Dragon & Moses Sumney – The Other Lover
Both Little Dragon and Moses Sumney are coming off major album releases this year: New Me, Same Us and græ respectively. Both stellar records in their own rights, the pair have teamed up for the delicate and lush redux of “The Other Lover”, from Little Dragon’s new LP. Sumney’s recognizable vocal style melts together perfectly with Little Dragon’s futuristic sound on the fresh rendition.
The Neighbourhood – Stargazing
The Neighbourhood have fully leaned into the “alter egos” Chip Chrome & the Mono-Tones for their latest album of the same name. From the release is the hit single “Stargazing”, a Strokes-esque synth-rock tune complete with a cameo-filled music video, as Chip tries to connect on a door-to-door tour.
You should be able to spot Blake Griffin, Lana Del Rey, Mac Demarco, Jaden Smith, Benn Blanco, Devon Carlson, and Alexa Demie.
Snowk – I’m Lost ft. J.O.Y.
Japanese producer duo Snowk have been eagerly releasing new music this year, including their previous hit “Under the Moon”. With their new album Powder coming out January 21st, the pair have shared “I’m Lost” featuring J.O.Y. (Judgement of Yesterday). The R&B flavoured vocals float effortlessly overtop the groovy, nu-house style beat and pop hooks.
Flavia Abadia x Mora x Medylandia – Gelato
Colombian-French-Canadian DJ Flavia Abadía teamed up with Dominican-French-Canadian platinum producer Medylandia and Cambodian-Canadian R&B singer Mora for the new dancehall track “Gelato”. Needless to say, it’s an absolute moombahton-style hit that is as delicious as a bowl of gelato.
Enter Shikari – T.I.N.A.
This is one of the strangest music videos I’ve seen all year.
UK electronicore veterans Enter Shikari released their latest album Nothing Is True & Everything Is Possible (find it in my Top 50 of 2020), and one of the lead singles “T.I.N.A.” (there is no alternative) has now been given a visual partner. Shot entirely on an iPhone…Wait…honestly, other than having a strange mix of faces and hands singing, there isn’t much else to explain..
Ayre – Robin Hood
Fans of Watsky will find something to enjoy with hip-hop artist Ayre. Mixing poetry and spoken word with hip-hop, his latest single “Robin Hood” is a jab-filled critique of capitalism and the rich vs. poor dynamic that is expanding every day.
slowthai – Thoughts
With his new album Tyron officially being released on February 5th, UK rap star slowthai is back with a new track “Thoughts”. Although it won’t be on the upcoming album, “Thoughts” references the themes of identity and duality that he’ll be rapping about. Even better, “Thoughts” is a stream of conscious freestyle that is an exemplary show of his talent as an MC.
Related posts:
From The Inbox: The Podcast – Beware the Algorithm Monster (EP. 004 – Nov 30, 2020)
From the Inbox: The Podcast – Haters Gonna Hate (On An 11 Year Old DJ) (Dec 7, 2020)
From the Inbox: The Podcast – Crushes, Travelling, & Evil Data-Collectors (EP. 6 – Dec 14, 2020)
From the Inbox: The Podcast – “Why So Many Sad Songs?” – EP. 008 (Jan 18, 2021)
