Pop & Indie
CONCERT: 12/2- Mark Ambor @ Toad’s Place
Alan Walker and Flo Rida also collaborated this week on a song titled, “When I Grow Up (Young, Wild, & Free). The song is about living life in your own way. They touch on how they would want their life as a child and how they made themselves who they are today. I think it’s a good song to pump up a crowd. I also love Flo Rida’s music, especially after he performed at Wake The Giant last spring.
Maggie Rogers discusses past loves in her new song, “In The Living Room”. She touches on how she will always remember her past relationships but she will let go of the bad parts. I think this song is worth a listen.
Charli XCX released a new album this week titled “Brat and it’s completely different but also still brat”. The track “I think about it all the time” which features Bon Iver, discusses the struggles of balancing a career and a relationship. She struggles with the idea of how much time she has left both in her career and her personal life. Bon Iver, an indie band, is featured on this song, a collaboration that was teased on a billboard earlier this year.
Forest Blakk, an artist whose songs have been included on many of my playlists, released a new song called “Make It Better”. The artist describes the song as the beginning of his next chapter. The song is a lot sadder than what I’ve previously heard. I think the sound is so recognizable in a Forest Blakk song, he just has a voice that I know. You may know Forest Blakk from one of their more popular songs, “If You Love Her” which is perfect for any romantic playlist you could ever need, it is one of my favorite love songs ever to exist even though it’s a story told from the perspective of an ex. I just really enjoy this artist’s music and I can’t wait to see what he comes up with next.
Punk & Alternative
CONCERT: 11/17 – Fit For An Autopsy @ Toad’s Place
Scowl is a self-proclaimed hardcore punk band made up of five members, singer Kat Moss, guitarists Malachi Greene and Mikey Bifolco, bassist Bailey Lupo, and drummer Cole Gilbert. While the band got its start in 2019, the band’s most recent release was on October 8. Titled, “Special,” the song is coincidentally the band’s first song released under its new record label—Dead Oceans—the same label housing big names like Mitski and Phoebe Bridgers. It’s certainly a big change from the band’s previous record label Flatspot Records, which focuses primarily on hardcore and heavy music. The song feels like exactly what you would expect from a modern punk band—hard-hitting instrumentals, and a mix of autotuned vocals with scream-singing. While Scowl doesn’t emulate the same exact sound, this most recent release is great for fans of early Paramore.
Another new release from The Cure this week, in preparation for the band’s new album “Songs Of A Lost World,” which comes out in a little less than a month. The new release, titled “A Fragile Thing” runs significantly shorter than the previous single, “Alone,” with a runtime of four minutes and 44 seconds, versus the latter’s six minutes and 50 seconds. “A Fragile Thing” is listed as the third of eight tracks on the album—set to be released on November 1, this year. The song almost feels like a sequel to one of the band’s most popular tracks, “Just Like Heaven.” Both tracks reference a relevant female character telling things to the singer—presumably Robert Smith. Of course, “Just Like Heaven” has its iconic introduction, “The one that makes me scream, she said The one that makes me laugh, she said.” “A Fragile Thing” however, moves it to the chorus, “‘Nothing you can do to change it back,’ she said, ‘Nothing you can do but sing, “This love is a fragile thing.”’ ‘This love is my everything.’” I know that I am anxiously awaiting the release of this new album because so far, both tracks that have been released have truly scratched the itch that The Cure’s earlier music did for me.
This next release is a little more personal—though I don’t know the artist personally, my first-year roommate—WQAQ’s very own Madi Henn introduced me to him as one of the many performing acts from her hometown in Pennsylvania. Alternative Shoegaze artist Internet Humor released a new single on October 8, titled “Plastic Paradise.” Internet Humor has always excelled in its instrumentals, the man behind the project—Vincent Jalen, being a producer for other bands in the area. But “Plastic Paradise” is one of my favorite works of his yet. One other single has been released, titled “Gazer,” so it seems that there may be an album in the works. Having made both his personal and producer debut in 2023, his already vast credits are admirable. While there is absolutely no bias here, there may be Internet Humor merch in my future.
Folk & Country
CONCERT: 11/9/24 – The Staves @ Space Ballroom
Tucker Zimmerman’s latest masterpiece, “The Dance of Love,” was released on October 11. It’s a deeply intimate album, written and recorded by Zimmerman and the band Big Thief during a two-week stay in a cabin in the woods of New England. The lyrics are gentle and heartfelt, you can feel the love that was put into this project, the best example being the song “The Season”. In this six-minute slow duet, Zimmerman and Adrianne Lenker (lead singer of Big Thief) sing about their dreams with the sound of rain and rolling thunder playing in the background. During the recording of the song, it began to rain, so they opened the windows and let the storm become part of the music. Every track on this album is a poetic tribute to love in some form, whether it’s the love of the unknown or the familiar love between Zimmerman and his wife, Marie-Claire. Marie lends her voice to the call-and-response song “Leave It on the Porch Outside,” which feels like a song that can only be born from deep fondness and admiration of one’s partner. This song feels like sitting on a rocking chair on your front porch just enjoying the comfortable silence of another. I could talk about this album for hours, but I’ll spare you and leave it at this: The “Dance of Love” is a journey through one man’s life. It’s about hope, joy, and weathering the tough times. It’s a mesmerizing album, and I highly recommend giving it a listen.
“Cheers to Good Friends,” released on October 11 by the indie folk duo Penny and Sparrow, is a beautiful acoustic track that feels both ethereal and deeply personal. The song is slow and stripped back, allowing the duo’s powerful vocals and delicate harmonies to take the spotlight. The gentle softness of the music contrasts sharply with the emotional weight of the lyrics. One poignant line, ‘Do you hate that I get tired? Do you wish that I was nice?’ lingers long after the song ends, standing out as one of its most memorable moments. If you’re a fan of Bon Iver or enjoy acoustic instrumentals paired with emotionally charged lyrics, “Cheers to Good Friends” is a must-listen.
“Tree Birds” is Dylan Gossett’s latest single, released on October 11. Though Gossett has only put out 11 songs so far, he’s already enjoying breakout success, his previous track “Coal” has garnered over 300 million streams. “Tree Birds” continues his rise with its upbeat, southern-infused charm, reflecting Gossett’s own Texas roots. This lively, fun slice of Americana features smooth harmonica, twangy guitars, and a rich organ, creating an infectious energy that resonated with audiences during live performances even before the song’s release. Gossett’s ability to blend traditional country elements with a modern twist sets him apart as a rising star in the Americana and folk scene. So definitely give Dylan Gossett a listen.
Hip-Hop & R&B
CONCERT: 11/22 – Bone Thugs-n-Harmony @ College Street Music Hall
This new album from BigXthaPlug is a solid project from him. He maintains his signature style, which consists of poorly chopped albeit creative samples, with a fantastic flow. He glides over every beat so cleanly, but the album does blend together a bit. It’s a pretty non-committal listen at only 30 minutes long, so if you’re a fan of some fun beats and satisfying rhyme schemes I highly recommend this album. My favorite tracks were the title track, “Take Care” because of the quality funk/soul sample, and “Change Me” because I’m a big fan of the backing flute.
Stepz is an independent UK rapper with just over 100k monthly listeners on Spotify at the moment. His new single, “Rock” has been circulating on TikTok for well over a month, after Stepz put out a snippet on September 10. It has almost 15,000 videos attached to the TikTok sound and I found it from Jared McCain’s dancing video. The new 76ers player definitely put me on, and I’m in love with the strings on the beat, along with the guitar and drums that build throughout the song.
Despite being an unconventional pairing in the rap realm, Skepta and Flo Milli is a collaboration that just works. Skepta gets more melodic on this one to match Flo Milli’s normal style, and it surprisingly works pretty well. The beat can only be described as sparkly, and it’s got a great bounce too. This song was a lot more R&B than I was expecting considering the artist, but it ended up being really good.
TDE staple Ab-Soul dropped his most recent album in 2022. He spent his 2023 going on other artists’ songs and now he finally released a single that’s just him. The saxophone-lead beat floored me right away, and it reminds me of something I’d see from a ’90s anime like Cowboy Bebop (shoutout Spike Spiegel). Ab-Soul takes his time on this one, and the lyrics are clever and intricate. I’m hoping this means an album is on the way, so I recommend keeping an eye out over the next few weeks for more news.
