29 tracks of the Week- From the Inbox: December 14 2020
Just a little bit longer…
December is inching closer to its end, which means this is the penultimate From the Inbox of the year! I hope you’ve been enjoying the new featured posts and have found some new favourite artists! There’s a lot out there, but I’m glad you’ve ditched the algorithm for now and stuck it out with me.
This week, I’ve got 30 of my favourite tracks and music videos of the week, straight from my inbox!
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 – out every Tuesday morning!
Brixton Alley – This Party Sucks
UK-born, Australia-based trio Brixton Alley have shared their new single “This Party Sucks” from their upcoming EP 303 and it is definitely something I would have listened to over and over again in high school (and still to this day). It has that 2010’s Brit-alt rock sound of Franz Ferdinand with a punchy, party vibe of The Kooks make for a care-free troublemaking anthem.
The Melbourne-based band moved from the UK at the beginning of 2020 in hopes of touring around, and then got stuck waiting for COVID to pass. Funny enough, it’s about being stuck at a crappy party that you just want to leave – an honest metaphor for 2020 that’s based on their experience being stuck immediately after their leap.
shame – Snow Day
Strap in, everyone. This next track is a bit of an adventure.
Slipping between tempos, tension, and structure, “Snow Day” is an ambitious and exhilarating post-punk track about lost love. The UK punk outfit are releasing a new album in 2021, and this is their latest taste, and most exciting.
JAWNY – Super Bad Mantra
Los Angeles indie pop artist JAWNY released his major label debut For Abby recently, and has now shared the fun visual for the hit single “Super Bad Mantra”. Featuring his pal Christian Blue (who was featured on last week’s FTI), JAWNY is stuck swinging from a crane in the middle of a field as he sings about his love for the album’s namesake, Abby.
Gregory Dillon – Sad Magic
After living near a suburban amusement park as a teenager, Gregory Dillon found weirdly vulnerable and protected while alone in a mirror maze one night after him and his friends snuck in after close. His insecurities seemed to disappear and seeing himself around him brought on some new confidence.
The new video for “Sad Magic” takes that experience and turns it into a brooding, confident synth-pop track.
KAYTRANADA – Look Easy ft. Lucky Daye
Kaytranada continues to be a cultural powerhouse for this generation’s electronic music scene. Not just because his 2019 album Bubba continues to receive consistent spins exactly one year later, but because he aims to dazzle and impress with every release. Back in July, the Montreal-born producer shared a new single “Look Easy”, featuring Luck Daye, and has now been given a wickedly cool music video.
Shot as a short film, “Look Easy” becomes a Japanese mafia tale of revenge and freedom, with cameos from Kaytranada and Lucky Daye of course.
Hugo Hamlet – Lambo Lambo
“I need you now, can’t you see I’m on my knees”.
On the surface, this probably sounds like a love song about deep passion. That’s because it is…but about a car.
Model/indie pop artist Hugo Hamlet has shared his new song “Lambo Lambo”, a glowing, runway-ready indie synth-pop track that is all about his love for the luxury vehicle. It’s basically a catchy-as-hell version of the question, “What can you say about your car and your girlfriend?”
Don’t worry, even his girlfriend thought it was funny that his first published love song was about a car and not her.
Rare Monk – Statistic Vandals
Portland, Oregon indie rock group Rare Monk had some fun with the idea of data collection and targeted advertising. Their new single “Statistic Vandals” is about recklessly Googling random things to screw with the cookies.
“Data collection, aggregation, and application to ad targeting/warrantless surveillance meets a new foe – a madman who intentionally googles things with no purchase intent whatsoever, who follows, then unfollows without cause, who encourage opsec for the fuck of it. Destroyer of datasets, forcer of manual outlier removal, analysts shake their fists in fury before existing no more.”
It’s also a moody, indie rock track with hints of Modest Mouse, Ra Ra Riot, and more new wave grunge bands, and will be on their upcoming sophomore album Never Really Over.
Òlah Bliss – Push Me To the Edge ft. Kid Bookie
Alt-R&B/pop artist Òlah Bliss wrote her single “Push Me To The Edge” during the first lockdown after finally being able to sit still and think about her career as an artist. It’s all about feeling overwhelmed by the empty promises, competitiveness of the industry, and perpetual chase of “success”.
It’s got a Billie Ellish and Bea Miller feel with a little bit of Miley Cyrus thrown in for good measure.
LOONY – be cool
The last two years has been full of achievements for Scarborough soul-pop artist LOONY. Her latest EP JOYRiDE was well-received by critics and fans, and she’s been blessing 2020 with some new music, including the new track and video “be cool”.
Not only is her voice wonderfull silky smooth like melted butter, but the song is about the butterfly stages of a crush, making for a fun, goofy tune about just taking a chance.
Read the full post here, and you can hear this track and more on my Starting Line-Up playlist.
Sara Del Valle – Silk
The new song “Silk” from Madrid-based neo-soul indie artist Sara Del Valle is full of warm tones, and velvety smooth sensuality. Written about budding love as both partners begin to meet in the middle, it’s easy to fall into the jazzy rhythms and lush soul instrumentation.
Melt – Don’t Want Me
I first fell in love with Melt after hearing their 2017 hit “Sour Candy”. The seven-piece group combine together soul, jazz, psychedelic, pop, and anything else that has some groove into their sound. They’ll finally be releasing their debut EP this coming spring, and have shared their new single “Don’t Want Me”, this time stepping into more folk-based indie rock. The full sound from the band add lush textures and a strong musical foundation for lead singer Veronica Stewart-Frommer to sing about the heartbreaking moments of love’s end, before they slip in and out of jazzy interludes.
Larwood & Koh – Timing
Speaking of love, next up is “Timing” from UK rapper and producer Larwood & Koh. Their modest following is disproportionate to their sound, this time using the London grime and garage tempo for a song about a first date from both perspectives that brings out the excitement of the experience through the chill beats and articulate storytelling.
Haviah Mighty – Occasion
Toronto’s queen of hip-hop Haviah Mighty continues to release more stellar tracks following her 2019 Polaris Music Prize win. I recently featured her last single “Atlantic” on the From the Inbox: The Podcast, and she’s quickly followed up with another track “Occasion”.
Romy Dya – Unspoken
Dutch indie pop artist Romy Dya spent most of her music career in the background, having her voice featured on a number of tracks from the likes of Busta Rhymes, Martin Garrix, and David Guetta. In 2017, she decided to break off on a solo career, diving away from her potential future as a lawyer. Her new single “Unspoken” is a continuation of her ambition and dedication to the business, this time finding the strength to heal from a traumatic experience.
King Princess – PAIN
King Princess is taking over the alternative pop world one track at a time, with her powerful and crushing confidence and attitude (and some strong contriubtions from her regular producer Mark Ronson). Her new single “PAIN” is no different, bringing out big ’90s alt-pop influences; there’s lots of Dido seeping through on the bubbly chorus.
Georgia – Running Up That Hill
Speaking of throwback influences, British electro-pop star Georgia has shared her cover of Kate Bush’s sensational hit “Running Up That Hill” from 1985. Not only is it a wonderful, futuristic re-imagination of the track (that is often played to as a show closer), but the music video is also a beautifully choreographed performance by Georgia’s brother Sid Barnes.
Kirty – This Year’s Been Hell
Hard to be more spot on than that with a title.
But surprisingly enough, Kirty actually wrote this song back in 2019 before the pandemic. Also known for being a co-vocalist in Toronto alternative rock group Fast Romantics, the multi-instrumentalist will be releasing a new solo album in 2021, and “This Year’s Been Hell” is leading the way.
While 2020 has certainly been an exhausting time, it was actually written following her decision to step away from music for a period of time to work through some struggles with a close relative during the final chapter of their life.
It’s a slow-burning synth-rock tune that certainly puts into perspective the smaller issues that everyone faces, even while the world outside blows havoc.
Skegss – Wake Up
Byron Bay fuzz-garage rock trio Skegss certainly know how to make some noise and cause some trouble. But they also know how to slow it down and be a bit more introspective. Their new single “Wake Up” is an acoustic ballad about giving yourself permission to do something just for yourself, without needing approval or affirmation from others.
Toledo – It’s Alive!
Brooklyn duo Toledo are releasing a new EP Jockeys of Love on February 12th, and from the release is the shimmering, slow-burning sad song “It’s Alive!” and its animated music video, which is a fully analog, hand-drawn, frame per frame animation made entirely in wax pastels on paper, directed and drawn by a one woman crew.
The authenticity of the video matches the song’s sincerity and intimacy, putting both the fragility of love and music in one sequence.
Fana Hues – Desert Flower
Fana Hues has undoubtedly one of the most captivating voices of 2020. Her debut album Hues was released this past Friday, and from the collection is the beautiful new single “Desert Flower”. Her vocal strength takes centre stage, as she sings about the metaphorical desert flower that blooms into something beautiful and strong in this serene lullaby.
Alice Phoebe Lou – Dusk
This song has quickly become a favourite of mine over the last week or so. Indie singer-songwriter Alice Phoebe Lou shared her new single “Dusk”, which will be off her upcoming third album Glow, and she celebrates true friendship as she sings about the deep intimacy that can be found between friends, overtop a lounge-y, piano tune.
Expanding on the song’s theme of blurry the lines between romance and friendship, the music video features Alice and her best friend spending the evening together.
Wesley Attew – Black Dawn
Vancouver-based indie folk singer Wesley Attew is releasing his new EP Where Do We Go From Here in January 2021. Following a number of years travelling, the UK-born artist eventually landed in Canada in 2015 and began writing songs. With a handful of strong-spirit songs under his belt, he has shared his latest tune “Black Dawn”, which brings out gothic, country roots with its foot-stomping rhythm.
You can hear a full interview with Wesley on the upcoming From the Inbox: the Podcast episode out Tuesday (Dec 15th).
Mabes – Catch 22
In line with wander Brits, singer-songwriter Mabes took her folk music to Nasvhille a few years back, and has been building her repertoire ever since. Her new EP Too Young To Love (the second EP of 2020) was released on December 4th, and from the collection is the acoustic pop-ballad “Catch 22”.
Dealing with the unsolvable problem of “do I miss them, or is it just loneliness?”, the new song is about figuring out if breaking it off with a lover was the right choice, even though there is no right answer. Her sweet vocals and delicate guitar strumming help to bring out the sincerity of the song.
Ocie Elliot – Take Me Home
Victoria, B.C. duo Ocie Elliot started off 2020 with the release of their new EP In That Room, and have come full circle to cap off the year with the release of their new single “Take Me Home”. Their charming and rustic folk stylings come through on the slow-burning ballad, as the pair of Jon Middleton and Sierra Lundy share vocal duties overtop a gentle acoustic guitar melody.
Fiona Brice – Last Light
British composer and songwriter Fiona BRice has spent a number of years playing with orchestras and even lent her violin talents to hip-hop artists Kayne West and Beyoncé. Her new single “Last Light” is her first non-instrmental solo effort, this time doubling down on her talent with her hauntingly beautiful voice. The slow-moving piano melody provides a cinematic backdrop for her angelic vocals to steal the show.
Cap’n Marble – Song For Ella
Boston-based duo Cap’n Marble have spent 2020 releasing new music, with a handful of singles and an EP. With a mixture of indie pop wonders The Mowgli’s and the Beatles, the new song “Song For Ella” is a bouncing, feel-good pop tune to add to the growing collection.
Sylo Nozra – Why R U Back?
Toronto-based R&B singer-songwriter Sylo Nozra ventured to SanFrancisco to shoot his new music video for “Why Ru Back?”. The summery tones of the song match the coastal vibes of California, as Nozra sings about the ups and downs of a relationship, balancing the good and bad, as the visuals and landscapes follow the ebb and flow of love.
Serena Ryder – Kid Gloves (Junia-T Remix)
While Serena Ryder is a well-known Canadian household name, Junia-T may not be, but deserving of some recognition. Best known as Jessie Reyez’s DJ and now as a 2020 Polaris Music Prize shortlist nominee, Junia-T has shared a glowing, lo-fi hip-hop remix of Ryder’s most recent single “Kid Gloves”.
King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard – If Not Now, Then When?
Will they ever stop releasing new music?!? Probably not. The Australian psych-rock monoliths just released their 16th album a week or so ago, and have quickly followed up with the new single “If Not Now, Then When?”, and its colourful, psychedelic music video, as the protagonist discovers how their small actions can affect the world around them.
TĀBÖŌ – Sad Boi
Los Angeles-based duo/engaged couple TĀBÖŌ have had their own share of struggles with 2020, from health diagnoses to failed expectations within the industry. Their new single “Sad Boi” is a motivational anthem that embodies the clashing feelings of ambition and depression, as the pair venture through the empty Venice beach boardwalk and some of the known homeless districts of downtown L.A.
Arkells – Pub Crawl
Congratulations, you’ve found the bottom of the post.
To celebrate, I’ve decided to close things up with the cardboard-cut-out music video for the new Arkells song “Pub Crawl”. It’s an ode to the good ol’ days where long time friends would come back home for a night of nostalgia-filled debauchery and bar hopping just in time for the holidays.
The Hamilton all-stars let frontman Max Kerman explore the empty bars of Toronto – but not without the rest of the band joining him in the safest way possible.
This one is dedicated to all my best friends back home that I’ll be missing over the holidays. Love you guys!
