Pop & Indie
CONCERT: October 15th- Jesse McCartney at College Street Music Hall
Lizzy McAlpine is a popular artist whose name I have heard many times before. This was my first time actually listening to her music and it was not what I expected. The tune is super catchy, but I’m not a fan of the lyrics though.
Hippo Campus paints an unfortunate picture in a brighter light. “Brand New” is about getting over someone but the lyrics are spun in a way that makes the situation have a happy ending. I enjoy the upbeat aspect of this song and it sounds like something that would be really cool to see performed live.
Spencer Sutherland’s “Modern Heartbreak” feels familiar. He sounds like one of my favorite artists, Ben Platt, especially on the riffs. This song begins with piano and a soft voice but slowly builds until drums are the primary instrument heard in the chorus. The end of the song has me envisioning a large crowd singing together while holding their drinks up in the air and swaying.
“Never Fucking Fall In Love Again” is a song I originally expected to sound more angry. Carol Ades sounds more upset than angry which isn’t what I had expected given such a strong word in the title. I think the acoustic guitar was also an interesting choice for this song. I liked it overall I was just surprised.
Grace VanderWall is known for her song “I Don’t Know My Name” and she has been criticized many times for it. People have made fun of both her voice and her lyrics. “What’s Left Of Me” is nothing like that. She sounds angry and sings with clear emotion. The song has multiple instrumental factors instead of just a ukulele. She sounds grown up and has a very different sound. This song is fantastic; it captures the feelings of hurt after a breakup and all the thoughts that run through your head as you struggle to get over the other person. VanderWall explains the feeling of having nothing left but the memories and feelings of that person. She has definitely grown as a writer and singer over the years.
Punk & Alternative
CONCERT: October 24th – Greet Death @ Space Ballroom
“Hate This Song” is worth a listen, but just one, and only to talk about how much of a soulless project it appears to be. The new release from All Time Low and I Prevail immediately sticks out as an unoriginal piece—the chorus striking as a poorly veiled copy of The All American Rejects “Gives You Hell” and Fall Out Boy’s “Chicago Is So Two Years Ago.” Both of these convey the concept better than “Hate This Song” does in its 3 minutes. It’s a shame because the instrumentals on the track are great, but the lyrics are simply lacking in originality. The bands also decided to dip their toes into a different genre in this song, featuring a poorly integrated metal segment that was exactly 15 seconds of the song’s runtime. All Time Low’s lead guitarist, Jack Barakat, is currently under fire with anonymous allegations of sexual misconduct, so it’s hard to look at the band’s newest release without a bad taste in my mouth.
Boston’s Dropkick Murphys released a new single on Sep. 19th titled “Sirens.” The song has a killer lead guitar riff and a sultry-sweet bassline. “Sirens” feels like a textbook anti-capitalist, punk-rock hit. It almost crosses over into British-punk territory, with commentary on current world struggles: companies failing to provide a living wage, the elevation of the upper class, and “turning on each other.” While some fans argue that the lyrics are a little on the nose, many are happy that the Dropkick Murphys are returning to more of a punk sound. “Sirens” is the first single of what appears to be a new album release, which will be the band’s third in two years.
Self-proclaimed “#1 Hot New Band,” Hot Mulligan released a new single this week. “Fly Move (The Whole Time).” While I’m not a fan of Hot Mulligan, I did enjoy listening to this song. While lead vocalist Nathan “Tades” Sanville’s more raspy vocals are not to my taste, I love the instrumentals that Hot Mulligan puts out. The band reminds me of the now-defunct Mains & Monitors, who put out one of my favorite songs of all time. While not my cup of tea, I think the Michigan band does have a lot of success ahead of it, and lots of talent that will absolutely draw in more fans as they release more albums.
Nebraskan band Bright Eyes released a new album this week – the album, titled “Five Dice, All Threes” has an incredibly interesting sound to it that I can not quite place. The album’s first track, “Five Dice” isn’t a song, more so an interlude or introduction. Think “Intermission” from “A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out.” the band utilizes a lot of audio bytes and samples, the style reminds me of the likes of Tally Hall, Miracle Musical, and They Might Be Giants. Bright Eyes itself seems like a bit of an enigma – ”Five Dice, All Threes” being the band’s first complete album release since 2020, the previous album being the first after a 9-year hiatus, starting in 2011.
Folk & Country
CONCERT: 10.24.24 – The Dead South @ College Street Music Hall
“No Wake Zone” is the latest EP from the iconic Zac Brown Band, released on September 20th. This EP is packed with instant classics. With fun-loving, catchy lyrics, it harkens back to the heyday of the Zac Brown Band. Standouts from the EP include “Two Blue Chairs & You: and “Tie Up”, along with a beautiful and fitting tribute to the late, great Jimmy Buffett titled “Pirates & Parrots.”
Haley Heynderickx’s new single, “Foxglove”, is a surreal and captivating folk song, released on September 18th ahead of her sophomore album Seed of a Seed. This marks her second album since her breakout 2018 release, I Need to Start a Garden. If “Foxglove” is any indication, this upcoming album promises to be just as remarkable. The song feels like a daydream, evoking a longing for simpler times—perfect for welcoming the fall season.
“The Idiot’s Maze” is the second single from Tucker Zimmerman’s upcoming album, Dance of Love. Released on September 18th alongside the third single, “The Season”, Tucker once again captures the quiet essence of love with a catchy, bluegrass-inspired tune. The song is filled with quirky lyrics that somehow make perfect sense, and special mention goes to Adrianne Lenker for her beautiful backing vocals. Keep an eye out for Dance of Love releasing October 11th.
Molly Tuttle is a rising star in the bluegrass scene, gaining well-deserved recognition for her work on the soundtrack of The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes and her notable duets with Billy Strings. She also made history as the first woman to win the International Bluegrass Music Association’s Guitar Player of the Year award. Recently, she released her latest EP, Into the Wind. For me, the standout track on this album is “Getaway Girl.” Tuttle also put out an incredibly cool bluegrass cover of Olivia Rodrigo’s “Good for You.”
Hip-Hop & R&B
CONCERT: 10/23 – Gunna @ Toyota Oakdale
The Alchemist is my favorite producer of all time, and he continues to show what he can do on this eight-song album. There’s a lot of variety in his sampling, and the disparity is best illustrated when looking at my two favorite songs, “Ferraris in The Rain” and “Minnesota Fats.” The first has an uplifting beat with a saxophone trilling in the background with an emphatic three count from the rest of the band. ScHoolboy Q delivers a solid feature on the opening track as well. Minnesota Fats is a much grittier beat and the type of stuff I like to see The Alchemist tackle. A heavy gain bassline accompanies Alc, Action Bronson, and Big Body Bes on one of my favorite tracks of the year.
While I’m a fan of DC The Don’s biggest song, “WORST DAY :(“, I haven’t done much work getting into his other music. This song brings more melancholy compared to his 2020 hit, it starts pretty bouncy. As the song keeps going it gets slower and more introspective. Sonically it’s nothing special, but I’m interested to see how DC the Don continues to evolve as an artist.
In the sphere of rappers associated with the Opium label, Rich Amiri doesn’t often get a lot of recognition. He’s one of those artists I’m familiar with though, and I was pleasantly surprised by his latest single, “COUNT MY BANDZ.” The beat is bass and synth-heavy, and the work done to alter Rich Amiri’s voice on this elevates the song a lot.
Rome Streetz is a rapper that fits more into the grimy, underground category, similar to guys I love like Boldy James or the group, Griselda. This song has a very eerie beat that feels uncomfortable at times, but it resolves on big moments of emphasis which I think is so creative. Daringer’s verse is honestly lackluster, but Rome and ScHoolboy Q do enough for this to be a good song. It’s nothing crazy, but still worth a shot if you’re a fan.
