From the Inbox: Mayday Parade, DEAR-GOD, & More On New Playlist (09/28/20)

It’s time for another round-up!

It’s been a busy one yet again, so I’ve got 22 tracks for you to bless your ears with in this week’s From the Inbox! If you’re new here, FTI is a weekly round-up of some of my favourite tracks – delivered straight to my inbox from around the world. As September comes to a close, I’ve curated a playlist fit for kings with plenty of up-and-coming superstars and even a few long-standing favourites.

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.

Also, if you’re looking for a steady collection of favourites, follow my ‘Starting Line-Up’ playlist on Spotify to stay up to date on my Top 20 Picks – some of these tracks can be found on there!

And lastly, we’re introducing a monthly newsletter and visit our Patreon account if you’d like to show your support!

Let us know your favourite and more importantly, if there’s something you love, remember to share it around!

TOBi – Made Me Everything

Starting things off on a positive note, Brampton-native TOBi shared his feel-good tune “Made Me Everything” earlier last week, and since then it’s been sitting comfortably on my “Starting Line-Up” playlist. Once again, the up-and-coming star fuses his love for soul and R&B into his anthemic and irresistible hip-hop sound. His new album MOMENTS will be out October 14th.

Mustafa – Air Forces

Another rising name in the GTA is Mustafa, a Sudanese-Canadian merging the world of poetry and ballads with rap and the housing projects of Toronto’s Regent Park. His new video for “Air Forces” pays tribute to his heritage and hometown, as he sings about the violence and gang issues in his neighbourhood and life. It’s a strange juxtaposition of soft-hearted vocals against the rough backdrop of North America’s oldest housing community, but it works and its refreshingly captivating.

DEAR-GOD – Lovin’ It

19-year old Robert Ortiz hails from Brampton (coincidence?). The up and coming experimental hip-hop star mixes together ’90s alt-rock, skate punk, and the heydays of the Beastie Boys into this rampant contemporary style; he’s just kind of doing his own thing.

Shirazee – Right Thang

Benin-born/NYC-based Afropop artist Shirazee brought in South African signer Busiswa for his new single “Right Thang”. It’s got the dynamic and percussive sounds of Afrobeat with a radio-ready pop energy and melodic spirit, making it an addictive listen with the heart of Africa at the helm.

Bonus points: the new music video which was shot in NYC & Johannesburg features the two going through their daily routine together, but not.

Potatohead People & De La Soul – Baby Got Work

On the new single “Baby Got Work”, Vancouver funk duo Potatohead People and legendary rapper De La Soul came together to create the anthem about rolling up your sleeves and getting shit done. Featuring hip-hop artists Posdnous and Kapok alongside, “Baby Got Work” is a smooth collage of jazz, hip-hop, soul, R&B, and funk that shines bright with glistening guitar licks, subtle brass sections, and socially-conscious lyrics. “Baby Got Work” will be on Potatohead People’s upcoming album Mellow Fantasy on October 30th.

Quinn Pickering – Grapefruit

Oh, young love.

20 year old Vancouver indie pop artist Quinn Pickering is here to help you relive those fleeting, bittersweet memories of someone that left your pre-adult heart in shambles just before Frosh Week and after deciding to go to a different university – or whatever your story is – with his new song “Grapefruit”. It’s got the power-pop punch of Shawn Mendes and I even sense of a hint of Rob Thomas circa 2006. You can hear “Grapefruit” on Pickering’s upcoming EP Supernova on November 13th.

Mayday Parade – Lighten Up Kid

Speaking about throwbacks, Mayday Parade have announced a new release. Their upcoming EP Out of Here will be out October 16th (spoiler alert: it’s great), and have shared their new single “Lighten Up Kid”. The alternative emo-pop rock group are keeping up with their earworm, emo-night dance anthems, adding their new single to the long list of hits since their debut in 2006.

METZ – Blind Youth Industrial Park

Toronto noise-rock trio METZ are releasing their new album Atlas Vending on October 9th. It’s going to be a collection of eardrum-breaking, speaker bashing tracks from the Canadian mainstays. Included in the pack is “Blind Youth Industrial Park”, a song about growing up and the naivety of youth put to a blistering and distortion-frenzy wall of sound. Plus, the sci-fi music video is a wickedly cool and stunning, since it was shot in the wilderness of New Zealand.

Check out the full post to learn more about the song and video here.

food house (Gupi & Fraxiom) – Ride

I hate this song.

So much that I can’t stop listening to it. If you remember, I had a very similar reaction to anti-pop weirdos Gupi & Fraxiom‘s previous hit “Thos Moser” but for whatever reason, I can’t say no. The future-pop chaos and hectic blend of sounds that could never have existed in the real world really comes together on the catchy-as-fuck chorus about the CVS parking lot. Don’t ask – just listen.

Bearcraft – Where the Sun Sets

Inspired by Kate Bush’s album A Sky Of Honey, Bristol post-punk/art-pop group Bearcraft wrote “Where The Sun Sets”. It’s tantalizing and dark-spirited energy brings out the eerie gothic qualities of the early days of doom-pop and even Joy Division-post-punk era, mixed with the experimental tactics of Imogen Heap. It’s strangely alluring and by the end, absolutely captivating.

Virginia To Vegas – Palm Springs (the way you made me feel)

After a surreal experience in Palm Springs, indie pop artist Virginia To Vegas felt inspired to write his new hit single “Palm Springs (the way you made me feel)”. That experience: meeting someone and instantly finding a connection as if they had known each other their entire lives.

The new single is a feel-good hit complete with sultry versus about exploring those life-changing moments and the feelings attached to them, and it is sure to arouse your own collection of memories.

Radiant Children – Rare

Nu-R&B/Funk group Radiant Children are set to release their debut album There’s Only Being Yourself on November 18th. They’ve been quickly labeled as a band-to-watch by a number of big-name publications, and now with their latest single “Rare”, the trio are continuing to earn their reputation. It’s blend of futuristic R&B and soft-spoken R&B makes for a casually sensual hit about getting close to someone special.

Deanna Devore – Love Again ft. D’Zhari

Deanna Devore is a songwriter/composer/producer based out of Chicago, mixing future-soul and nu-R&B tracks to match with compelling R&B vocalist, “Love Again” being her latest. Featuring the talented D’Zhari on vocal duties, “Love Again” showcases Devore’s knack for constructing electronic-infused beats and silky smooth melodies. It’s easy to get lost in this one, as the sounds begin to melt together like butter on a pancake.

MadeinTYO – Money Up ft. Toro y Moi

This is one of the weirdest music videos I’ve seen recently, and honestly I can’t stand it. But I’ve been putting up with the gruesome facial prosthetics because the track itself is too good to pass up on. L.A.-based hip-hop artist MadeinTYO has been making a name for himself over the last few years, and with his new collaboration “Money Up” with genre-blending songwriter Toro y Moi, things are picking up. The song’s glitchy electronic chillwave beat sets up the perfect backdrop for TYO & Toro to alternate rap/vocal duties.

The Brummies – Fever Dream

Tennessee-based trio The Brummies wanted to explore the grooves and hooks that move them on their upcoming sophomore album Automatic World, out November 13th. Their latest single “Fever Dream” showcases that drive, bringing out the band’s knack for compressing ’70s-psych rock into catchy fills and riffs as they modernize the sounds of early rock n’ roll into alternative rock tunes of 2020. “Fever Dream” is pleasantly hazy and chill, as the group keep things tight and concise as the song progresses.

Seaforth – Talk About

Named after their suburban home of Seaforth in beautiful Sydney, Australia, the new alt-country pop duo have shared their infectious new single “Talk About”. While you can certainly hear the subtle country twang in the guitar arrangements, the new single is basically a sun-kissed, feel-good pop hit that draws you back in for the chorus. It’s extremely catchy and easy to enjoy.

Yves Jarvis – In Every Mountain

Montreal-based progressive folk artist Yves Jarvis will be releasing his nature-inspired album Sundry Rock Song Stock on November 13th. His latest single “In Every Mountain” is a earthly and soul-touching song that moves like the wind on a September afternoon. It’s warm, present, and shifts with unpredictability but is welcomed all the same. His experimental touches help round out the song and give it a unique, but subtle flare.

Plus, you can watch him perform “In Every Mountain” in front of a pile of abandoned cars on camera while on camera with the new video.

Urban Village – Ubaba

One of the best parts of running your own music website is having people reach out with their submissions from around the world – including the Soweto-based group Urban Village. Their European publicity team sent over their new EP Ubaba which came out this past Friday, which includes the lead single and title track. The South African collective came to be near the end of apartheid, and so the melting pot of cultures shines freely from their music as they celebrate diversity and unity in the same breath. The accompanying music video is a heartfelt vignette about community and family, soundtracked by the food-for-the-soul song.

Bastille – survivin’

Dan Smith has always written music with his heart on his sleeves. His overt connection to his emotions and soul is the building blocks of his success as an alt-pop artist, and while he builds up his discography with more new releases, his latest single “survivin'” is an expressive and soulful anthem about staying strong, but admitting you’re “just surviving”. It’s upbeat and swirl of colours and instrumentation keeps things light, making it both empathetic and a much-needed distraction from the outside world.

Deacon – Long Run

It’s crazy to think that the next wave of stars are born after 2000. At just 16, Deacon Reese Phillipe is making a name for himself as a producer with his EDM-pop debut “Long Run” featuring vocalist Nina Nesbitt. It has the melodramatic pop vibe of Julia Michaels, but with the EDM-mainstream sound of The Chainsmokers. Although he is the son of Reese Witherspoon, he’s branching out into the music industry on his own merit, and will be surely a name to watch.

Stevie Bill – Better

With roots in the UK, The Netherlands, Berlin, and now New York City, alt-pop newcomer Stevie Bill has already built a steady path for herself. On her second release “Better”, Stevie lets her glossy and angelic voice take over on the end of summer anthem.

Michael C. Duguay – One Million More

Indie folk artist Michael C. Duguay released his long-awaited sophomore album Winter of Our Discotheque last Thursday. His journey of recovery inspired him to return to making music after almost six years, and his latest single “One Million More” was the first song he wrote for his revival. It’s hands down one of his strongest songs to date, and its dazzling mix of prog-folk, shoegaze, and post-rock build and build for a hypnotic 7-minute track.