Indie Round-Up – From the Inbox: Mar 8, 2021

Happy International Women’s Day!

There are countless women that are worthy of thanks and admiration in the music industry, but a specific shout-out to all of the women who are directly involved in helping me bring the best in new music to the masses. *two thumbs up*

Plus, there are 15 tracks by women/women-led acts in this week’s round-up! Best part is, it wasn’t even intentional; they just happen to dominate!

If this is your first visit to From the Inbox, welcome to my weekly playlist/round-up of my favourite songs of the week. This week spans over 30 tracks from around the world and various genres, and will surely add some excitement to your life.

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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).

Listen to the new From the Inbox: The Podcast episode to learn more about some of the week’s featured tracks.

Most importantly, if you enjoy something, share it around!

MONOWHALES – He Said/She Said

Toronto indie pop rock trio MONOWHALES celebrated the release of their debut album Daytona Bleach over the weekend. Adding to the excitement, the group put out their new music video for the single “He Said/She Said”. The sci-fi clip matches the synth-pop energy of the song, solidifying the fact that the MONOWHALES are one of Canada’s most exciting rising stars.

Read the review of Daytona Bleach in our latest In No Particular Order and stay tuned for an upcoming interview with the trio.

POSTDATA – Inside Out

Wintersleep frontman Paul Murphy has been releasing music on the side as POSTDATA. His third album under the alias Twin Flames was released on Friday, and Murphy preceded the album with the captivating love song “Inside Out”. His familiar vocal style finds a new cushion of sound with synthesizers, guitars, and intimate lyrics.

Read the full review of Twin Flames here.

Islands – (We Like To) Do It With The Lights On

Indie alt-rock group Islands called it quits back in 2016, but frontman Nick Thorburn started writing songs for other artists. When he started working on “(We Like To) Do It With The Lights”, he felt that it was meant to be for his old group. The band got back together and they are set to release their eighth studio album Islomania on June 11th with Royal Mountain Records, and “Do It With The Lights On” is an upbeat indie pop first taste of the new sound.

Doohickey Cubicle – Milano Sport

After getting tricked into staying in a storage unit as an AirBNB listing in Milan, synth-pop Doohickey Cubicle ended up going for a swim/shower at a Milano Sport facility. The oddity of the situation spurred some creativity and they wrote the aptly titled “Milano Sport”. The hazy, ethereal synth-pop tune follows the story of finding solace at the pool and captures that calming characteristic. Their upcoming album Don’t Fix Anything 😉 will be out this Friday March 12th.

Quinn XCII & Alexander 23 – We Don’t Talk Enough

Pop singer-songwriter Quinn XCII put out his new album Change of Scenery II over the weekend. From the record is the ode to lost friendships “We Don’t Talk Enough”. As pandemic exhaustion teeters, keeping contact with old friends isn’t always an easy task and the introspective lyrics capture that desire to be close from afar.

Maisie Peters – John Hughes Movie

British pop singer-songwriter has been picking up traction over the last year with her sugar-coated vocals and personal, yet universally enjoyable songs (“Sad Girl Summer” being one of them) . Her new single “John Hughes Movie” is taking it up a notch as she hits her stride on the earworm hit about high school crushes gone wrong.

Emilee Moore – I Need Some Air

Vancouver-bred singer-songwriter Emilee Moore wrote her new song “I Need Some Air” after a break-up in her new home of LA. The song is about getting all dressed up and trying to be your best self as a facade to impress an old love knowing you’ll be seeing them at a party. Her haunting vocals and vulnerability go a long way on the heartbreaking single, in line with Julien Baker and Taylor Swift.

Cooper Phillip – Not Perfect

Russian/L.A.-based indie pop singer-songwriter Cooper Phillip comes from a long line of classical musicians, but through her own hustle and grind, has found her own success as a rising pop star. Her new single “Not Perfect” continues her goal to create music that inspires and empowers listeners to be their best selves through uplifting lyrics and catchy pop hooks.

AJA – Red Button

Toronto-based pop/R&B artist AJA has now released her third single “Red Button”. Still in her teenage years, AJA is off to a phenomenal start with her anthemic and energizing pop songs. “Red Button” is no different, as she hangs up on heartbreak.

https://soundcloud.com/user-754175386/aja-red-button/s-jmGRiW64OOG

No Rome ft. Charli XCX & The 1975 – Spinning

Filipino pop star No Rome has teamed up with electro-pop start Charli XCX and frequent collaborator Matt Healey of The 1975 for the upbeat dance tune “Spinning”.

Conor Albert & Alice Auer – See You

Up and coming songwriter and producer Conor Albert and vocalist Alice Auer teamed up for the stellar 4-track EP Smile. The jazz-focused guitars and snappy electro-dance rhythms meet their match with Auer’s soft, angelic vocals throughout the record, and their latest single “See You” is a perfect embodiment of that.

Kinisi – Lights

Atlanta-based jazz artist Kinisi wanted to experiment with the electronic boundaries of the guitar on his new single “Lights”. Taking a simple jazz progression, Kinisi plays with the structure and arrangement of electronica and house for the neo-jazz tune.

darzo – What I’m Here For

Melting together soul, R&B, and jazz, Charlottesville outfit darzo ask about the meaning of life on “What I’m Here For”. Instead of leaning into the dread and crisis side of things, the band keep it lighthearted and reflective as they leave the question unanswered and open for interpretation.

Taylor Abrahamse – Out Like A Light

Singer-songwriter Taylor Abrahamse is using his new single “Out Like A Light” to help spread awareness of Parkinson’s Disease. In partnership with the Michael J Fox Foundation, Parkinson Canada, and the Davis Phinney Foundation, the old school rock n’ roll track and music video features Abrahamse and his mother attending a local TKO boxing program, an initiative that helps people with Parkinson’s manage their symptoms and improve their mobility.

The Paz Band – Scratchin’ My Bones

Israeli alternative rock group The Paz Band are combining whirlwind theatrics and rock opera cinematics with their new single “Scratchin’ My Bones”. Lead by frontwoman Gal De Paz, the music video is like if Tim Burton & Helena Bonham Carter directed a circus film and is one chapter of a five-part series “Affairs of the Heart”.

Learn more in the upcoming From the Inbox: The Podcast episode.

Sprints – Swimming

On their debut EP Manifesto, hitting shelves on March 26th, Dublin-based alternative quartet Sprints are calling out the divide and imbalance of society in their roaring punk-tinged music. Their final single from the release is “Swimming”, and focuses on the societal expectations of “success” in a dog-eat-dog world.

Rivals – Alkaline

Los Angeles-based four-piece Rivals are continuing the modern rock trend as they cross over between alternative and electronicore. Their sophomore album Sad Looks Pretty On Me will be out March 19th, and their latest single “Alkaline” is a blood-pumping teaser from the release.

Nervus ft. Erik Garlington – Between the Lines

British alt-rock group Nervus are collaborating with the pop/rock trio Potty Mouth(LA), the indie/folk/punk songwriter KOJI (PA), the singer/songwriter Solstice Rey (PA), the multimedia artist Full on Mone’t (PA), as well as crew members who would have been on the tour for their new split LP Sunday, Someday to fund top surgery and aftercare for a member of the group while raising awareness about the systemic oppression of QTPOC community members.
“Between the Lines” is their contribution, featuring Proper vocalist Erik Garlington.

Dog Trainer ft. icareaboutu – Really Not Close

NYC bedroom-pop duo Dog Trainer are releasing their new album Scrolling to feel better…part one on March 26th, and have shared another single from the collection. “Really Not Close” is a slow-burning synth-pop track that implodes with each chorus as they look back on old friendships after being inspired by a phone conversation with a former friend.

girl in red – serotonin

Marie Ulven, performing as girl in red, will be putting out her debut album if i can make it go quiet on April 30th. Her new single “serotonin” is an honest and candid anti-pop anthem about struggling to find happiness day-to-day, and was co-produced alongside GRAMMY Winning producer FINNEAS and Matias Tellez. The young artist is following a similar aesthetic to Billie Eilish (re: FINNEAS) on this bass-pumping tearjerker.

DEAR-GOD – SLAMDANCE

20 year old experimental hip-hop artist DEAR-GOD put out his genre-bending debut EP 1-844-4DEAR-GOD recently. His exciting revitalization of ’90s hip-hop and electronic alternative comes to a climax on “SLAMDANCE” and is now matched with a horror film-inspired music video as he escapes a haunted cabin in the forest.

(Flashing lights warning)

Denzel Curry & KennyBeats ft. Joey Bada$$ & The Alchemist – ‘Cosmic’.4a

With the new collab EP UNLOCKED 1.5 out now, Denzel Curry & KennyBeats have shared their latest re-imagination featuring Joey Bada$$ and The Alchemist for “‘Cosmic’.4a”, turning the bass-heavy tune into a synthy, intergalactic club banger.

MARQÛIS – The Melo Conspiracy

Full disclosure, this submission came to me without any info and the artist’s bio is empty but it’s a solid hip-hop track with some old school vibes, capturing the anxiety and stress of MARQÛIS’ life and struggles as an artist and human.

BamoNYC – Too Hard

It’s easy to fall into the trap of “the grind” and to forget about taking a step back to enjoy life and people close to us. NYC rapper BamoNYC turned that realization into an anthemic and crushing Meek Mill-inspired hip-hop track “Too Hard”, as he balances work, music, school, and life simultaneously.

Jon Hope ft. RagzDaArtist – Bluest Moon

Providence, RI native Jon Hope has built himself to be who he wants to from the ground up over the course of a turbulent and experienced life thus far. His positivity and strong work ethic is the foundation of his stellar hip-hop sound, and now that his new album Hope All Is Well is out, he has shared his personal new single “Bluest Moon” as he raps about being true to yourself and rejecting the need for external validation.

awfultune – SICK OF U

Layla Eden, the real name of rising bedroom pop star awfultune from upstate New York, has shared her new single “SICK OF U”, the latest component of her “transition to happiness”. As the anthem to ditching the toxic people in your life, “SICK OF U” is a hazy, lo-fi pop that has Eden coming out on top of the end of a relationship.

Eden Rain – Wake Up, You’re Stuck

20 year old Leeds native Eden Rain has officially made her debut with the tender piano ballad “Eden Rain”. Combining her visual artwork with her music, the new music video for “Wake Up, You’re Stuck” accompanies her delicate, rich vocals and the swelling piano and string arrangements on the melancholic ballad about struggling to find happiness.

The Brother Brothers – The Calla Lily Song

Twin brother duo The Brother Brothers are channeling the likes of Bob Dylan, John Denver, and The Avett Brothers on their new single “The Calla Lily”. The soulful and serene folk tune showcases the pair’s lush vocals and delicate guitar arrangements, ahead of their upcoming album The Calla Lily out April 16th.

Drew Holcomb – I Need To Go Somewhere

Closing off the playlist is Nasvhille-based singer-songwriter Drew Holcomb. His new foot-stomping folk-pop tune “I Need To Go Somewhere” is an unfortunately relatable tune (unless you’re wealthy and/or a politician) about being stuck at home for over a year. Fortunately, Holcomb’s bright vocals and uplifting musicality makes coming to terms with reality a little bit easier.