26 Songs Of The Week – From the Inbox: Jan 18, 2021
This is completely irrelevant…
But the other day I was curious about what is the worst-rated recipe online, since whenever I’m looking for recipe ideas, everything seems to be so highly rated. Well, I found one article that really stood out in case anyone was curious.
Anyway….
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Jesse Maxwell – Undone
Toronto R&B artist Jesse Maxwell will be releasing a new EP this May, exactly a year after his debut album Radio Silence. His new single “Undone” is the first taste of new music leading up to the upcoming release, and it’s a sultry and slick track about finding the courage to be true to yourself. You can learn more about the song and his journey as a musician in a new interview on the ‘From the Inbox:The Podcast’ podcast (out Tues Jan 19th).
Marie Dahlstrom – Rising
Speaking of soul, Danish soul-pop artist Marie Dahlstrom released a new EP this past weekend. 4inaRow is a collaborative release alongside Canadian rapper Aligo and London-based producer Dan Diggas. The single “Rising” is a wonderful blend of soul, R&B, and lo-fi hip-hop, and as Aligo explains, “feels like the song you hear at the end of a good movie…An ode to people in love, the lyrics definitely put you in that feel good space and remind the people that might not be in love at the moment, that there is something for everyone out there”.
Justin Nozuka – summer night o8
Toronto-based musician Justin Nozuka has been around for just over a decade as an established musician. While he took the last three years off from releasing new music following his 2018 album Run To Waters, Nozuka is back with another single “summer night o8”, which will be on his new EP this spring. Alongside the EP’s premiere single “Run To You” featuring Mahalia, “summer night o8” is a smooth, R&B tune, outlined by his fragile guitar playing and coloured in with his rich, magnetic vocals.
Julien Baker – Hardline
Stop motion artists are some of the most patient people on the planet. For Julien Baker’s new music video for “Hardline”, filmmaker/musician Joe Baughman spent over 600 hours crafting the short film from newspapers and magazines from the ’60s and ’70s. The sci-fi love story matches the song’s compelling intensity and it is (so far) the best music video of 2021.
“Hardline” will be on Julien’s upcoming album Little Oblivions out February 26th.
Monowhales – Out With the Old
Toronto alternative pop rock trio Monowhales announced some exciting news this week with their new album Daytona Beach out March 5th. Breaking in the new year is their new single “Out With The Old”, all about pushing forward and embracing change – something the band continues to do with their music.
Valley Boy – Sad Girl
Indie duo Valley Boy are releasing their debut EP next week. Leading the way is the indietronica track “Sad Girl”, written about the “emotional whiplash” of dating and breakups. With a similar west cost, slow-burning vibe to bands like Coconut Records and Bishop Allen, “Sad Girl” is a hazy, bitterwsweet pseudo-love song.
You can also hear their previously released single “Cigarette“.
Home Counties – Modern Yuppies
After their well-recieved debut EP Redevelopment from September, UK post-punk group Home Counties are back to working on new material for their next project. Keeping in line with their ’70s inspired alt-rock, the band continue to explore the decade with new wave and disco on its heels. Synths, drum machines, and B-52-esque riffs build up their new single “Modern Yuppies”.
Baby Boys – Duke and the Cash
Not only is this a wonderfully cachy and rhythmic tune, but the music video is on another level. Staring YouTuber Buff Correll, “Duke and the Cash” from indie trio Baby Boys is one of the most absurd music videos I’ve ever seen.
Say what you will about Buff, but his room is clean as hell.
Find “Duke and the Cash” on my Starting Line-Up playlist.
Citizen – I Want To Kill You
While we’re on the topic of weird music videos, “I Want To Kill You” from Toledo-based indie rock group Citizen certainly falls under that bracket. A man stumbles onto a strange cult-like group in the woods, soundtracked by Citizen’s infectious guitar-pop. Still trying to work this one out myself.
The group’s new album Life In Your Glass World will be out March 26th.
Hiss Golden Messenger – Sanctuary
Grammy-nominated Americana/folk artist M.C. Taylor, better known as Hiss Golden Messenger, has shared his new single “Sanctuary”, a wonderfully upbeat and politically-driven song about finding peace and hope for the future.
We Were Sharks – Bring Me Down
Ottawa pop-punk group We Were Sharks have shared another new single, teasing more of their new soon-to-be-announced project. Their lively, playful style comes to life on the anti-bummer track “Bring Me Down”, and its coinciding “wellness retreat” website, as they encourage ditching toxic people from your life.
Drones – Learn
British punk group Drones are releasing their new album Our Hell Is right Here on February 12th, including the latest single “Learn”. Written about struggling to keep a failing relationship in tact, “Learn” is a harsh, but melodic cut from the emerging rock act. Lead singer Lois McDougall put a lot of her personal experiences into writing the new record, giving the music a rich, emotional stance.
A River Runs Thru It – Fire & Brimstone
On their new single “Fire & Brimstone”, hardcore group A River Runs Thru It have brought back a lot of the earlier sounds of the genre. Sticking to the familiar song structure, staying away from overproduced and synthesizer-laced melodies, and emotion-rich lyrics, ARRTI are reminiscent of bands like Underoath, Of Mice & Men, and Senses Fail. Which makes sense, considering the song was written in 2013. A number of line-up changes and rewrites have lead them to where they are now, and it is an exciting track for fans of the genre.
KICCC – MRKMI ft. Lodia Mija & Kid Filthy
Playing with a range of genres, Vancouver experimental pop artist KICCC has released his new single “MRKMI” which features fairly undiscovered indie pop vocalist Lodia Mija and rapper Kid Filthy. As a jab towards hype culture and the “pay-to-play” style of it, “MRKMI” brings together hip-hop, electro-pop and anti-pop into a melodic yet gritty pixie-pop tune.
Afta Hill x Erfan – MULLAHS
Multi-genre producer and rapper Afta Hill released his album Tehranto on Friday. One of the singles, “Mullahs” is a stand-out track, written about the corruption of his home country of Iran and the parallels to BLM. The powerful lyrics, rounded out by Iranian rapper Erfan’s feature, stand strong with the help of Hill’s hip-hop beats.
YoungKilla73 – Syrup
Bronx-based rapper YoungKilla73, one of the all-star members of Sie7etr3 record label dropped a new track “Syrup”. Between him and Chucky73, this new wave of American-Latin hip-hop is going to take the world by storm.
Sargeant X Comrade ft. Kool Keith – Romance in Outer Space
Yolanda Sargeant, and producer Comrade (a.k.a Evgeniy a.k.a. White Russian Production), has teamed up with Kool Keith for her new single “Romance in Outer Space”. Her silky smooth vocals have been compared to Nina Simone, and Billie Holiday, making for a perfect match with the old school hip-hop sample and Keith’s verse.
Be Kind – Cowbell
Newcomer alert: Australian multi-instrumentalist Be Kind has three songs to his name, including his new single “Cowbell”, but that isn’t conducive to his talent as a songwriter. On this groovy number, Be Kind brings together soul-guitar riffs with lo-fi, bedroom hip-hop vibes as he sing/raps about being a good person.
Jenny Kern – Coming Back For Me
Brooklyn-based/Canadian singer-songwriter Jenny Kern makes enjoying solitude and alone time a little bit easier with her new single “Come Back For Me”. As her first single of 2021, the track is a dreamy, indie pop tune that builds on her velvety soft vocals with echoing guitars and dense harmonies.
Black Country, New Road – Track X
London,UK group Black Country, New Road have quickly become one of the year’s most anticipated acts. Their debut album For the first time, which will be out February 5th, has been getting a lot of buzz since their first few singles “Sunglasses” and “Science Fair” came out last year. Their chaotic flare of avant-garde, jazz, and alternative rock pull from a handful of influences, but create something uniquely their own, which is exciting for such a young group, and the tradition continues with their third single “Track X”.
Mogwai – Ritchie Sacramento
Scottish post-rock veterans Mogwai are releasing a new album this year. The February 19th release date for As the Love Continues is fast approaching, and the group have shared the ethereal, drone-rock single “Ritchie Sacramento” and its CGI music video. Created with the Unreal Games Engine software from Epic Games, the music video is a lightshow of sci-fi proportions.
Danielle Durack – There Goes My Heart
Phoenix, Arizona singer-songwriter Danielle Durack released her new album No Place on Friday. Written about the stages of a break-up, her emotional state transposed beautifully into her music. Her latest single “There Goes My Heart” is a gut-wrenching piano ballad about the difficulty of living day-to-day following a heartbreak.
It’s sad, she’s sad, we’re all sad now.
Knomad Spock – Egypt
British-Somali rapper, poet, and singer-songwriter Knomad Spock has a soothing, introspective way of turning his thoughts into music. His new, ne-ofolk single “Egypt” was written about depression, and it’s slow-moving, delicateness mirrors its inspiration in a way.
Riley Michaels – Turn Off the Lights
Niagara-based indie singer-songwriter Riley Michaels is off to a strong start as a budding, Canadian talent. The 20-year old has been working on new music since his 2017 debut EP, and his new single “Turn Off the Lights” is the first taste. Blending together the pop stylings of The Jonas Brothers with the guitar slickness of John Mayer and James Bay, the new song is about taking the time to enjoy the people around you despite the chaos and busyness of the world.
The Diskettes – Not the Same
Experimental pop group The Diskettes continue to diversify their sound with the doo-wop-inspired indie rock tune “Not The Same”. Matching the vintage undertones of the track, the music video is a black and white, ’60s sci-fi clip of strange proportions, creating a contrast between the song’s upbeat demeanour and the story.
Ilithios – Santa Fea
New York City-based indie artist Ilithios put out his debut record Florist back in October 2020. Included on the recent album is Santa Fea, a synth-driven ethereal pop track shaped with vocal harmonies and looping effects. To complement the song’s delicate nature, the music video features Greek dancer Vassilis Fatouros in local spots of Athens.
