January '23 Roundup
Start your year off right with these fresh new projects!
Welcome to the first roundup post of 2023! These are going to publish monthly-ish to try to collect all the great projects, releases, and whatnot from the month before.
Songs from all of these roundup posts will all be stored in the 2023 Roundup playlist. Follow below to stay tuned!
Rebel Heart - Paris Williams
6 tracks, 14 minutes
Released: January 31st, 2023
From: Kansas City, MO
Genres: Hip-Hop/Rap
Recommended For Fans Of: N.E.R.D, Lupe Fiasco, Tyler, the Creator
Paris Williams should be no stranger to anyone who reads these posts. He was my first ever interview back in 2020, and most recently the song Stunts (a single from this EP) was on my playlist of favorite songs from 2022. He gets another feature here as he’s returned with his best project yet. Rebel Heart is for the young and brave, and displays Williams’ maturation into his sound. He pulls off a concise project collecting all the different styles he excels in, without anything feeling out of place. As a producer for the majority of the tracks, that’s something Williams put plenty of intent and effort towards. It’s something that not everyone could pull off effectively, but as you hear Williams steady confidence guide you through the hard opening tracks, to the funky yet soulful London, Tokyo, before diving into the punk rap of Wake Up!, you realize there’s no reason to doubt what he’s capable of.
Standout Track: London, Tokyo (Feat. Sam Wells)
As the Gods Say - Jyocho
4 tracks, 17 minutes
Released: January 20th, 2023
From: Kyoto, Japan
Genres: Math Rock, Alternative, Indie Rock
Recommended For Fans Of: Elephant Gym, NNAMDÏ, Palm
Formed in 2016 by guitarist Daijiro Nakagawa, Japanese math rock band Jyocho is having a moment. As the Gods Say follows up a big year for them that saw the band craft the theme song for a Netflix Anime (Junji Ito Maniac) and get picked up by US indie label Topshelf Records to release their 2022 album. Their sound is largely based in math rock, but also encompasses other influences like progressive rock and alternative (and how many math rock bands do you know with a flutist?). It can sometimes feel like organized chaos to listen to, and the way it comes together so neatly is the beauty of it. It’s especially apparent in the buildup of the longer tracks, The Progress of Civilization and 366. Fitting sound for a band whose name translates to mean ‘emotion,’ ‘mood,’ or ‘atmosphere’ in English.
Standout Track: The Progress of Civilization
mole - poolblood
9 tracks, 27 minutes
Released: January 13th, 2023
From: Toronto, Ontario
Genres: Indie, Singer/Songwriter, Alternative, Folk Rock
Recommended For Fans Of: Sadurn, Nick Drake, Mitski, Cat Stevens
poolblood is the moniker of Canadian singer-songwriter Maryam Said, who gives you an intimate peek into their mind on the debut album mole. Co-produced by Shamir, this project completes the difficult task of standing out against a sea of competition, which can be attributed to Said’s prowess as a songwriter. They know when to build up the instrumentals, and when to let the vocals take center stage, delivering tenderly earnest lyrics in a way that romanticize even the most mundane situations. The arrangements are stellar as well, with producer Louie Short and Shamir bringing in fuzzier than expected guitar tones, brass sections, distortion, and more to spruce up the bedroom demos. It’s this combination of nailing the alt/folk rock sound and then taking steps to push it even further into their own direction that makes poolblood’s music feel so special. It’s an early January debut that will surely resonate with listeners for all of 2023, and years to come.
Standout Track: wfy
SUN RZA - 1Alkebulan
9 tracks, 44 minutes
Released: January 27th, 2023
From: Brooklyn, NY
Genres: Experimental, Soul, R&B, Free Jazz
Recommended For Fans Of: Liv.e, Yaya Bey, KeiyaA
Listening to Sun RZA is an abstract experience, like flipping through channels in your brain (you’ll likely recognize some of the material that are sampled and scattered throughout the tracks). It moves freely and frequently, rewarding re-listeners with concepts, ideas, bars, harmonies, or even just a cool new sound that they missed the first time around. It’s a vibrant piece of art that I may never fully understand, but that’s part of its beauty. See the below quote from 1Alkebulan on Instagram on supporting the art:
“If you consider yourself a revolutionary, are you willing to decolonize your music habits for the fair treatment of the artists you listen to? Do we deserve to be paid for the quality of our art? Are you ready to remove your power from a broken system?”
Standout Track: Waaqashington, D.C.
Other Things Worth Hearing
The new album from Jadu Heart, Derealised, brings to mind everything that you miss about 2010s indie rock. Can hear influence from the xx, Big Deal, Beach House, and more.
Bubblegum from Biig Piig is a dream dance debut that demands replaying.
After a few years of loose singles since his last project, Medium Build delivers his nostalgic and tender new EP, Health.
South Korean artist Parannoul expertly fuses shoegaze, pop, and electronic on their loud new album After the Magic.
These days, Chattanooga rapper BbyMutha releases most of her music on Bandcamp exclusively, but don’t let the lack of streaming stop you from hearing her dirty new EP left4dead 3.
The breezy jazz compositions on Jonah Yano’s Portrait of a Dog gives me something new to appreciate with each listen, beautiful project.
SOPHIE’s partner at the time of their passing, Evita Manji, released their debut album Spandrel? on the 2 year anniversary of the pioneering electronic producer’s tragic death. It’s an ambitious and forward-thinking experimental project that would surely make the late great proud.
FOMO is a fun and delicately produced Latin pop project from artist to watch Paula Cendejas.
Good Reads
TikTok’s Secret ‘Heating’ Button Can Make Anyone Go Viral by Emily Baker-White for Forbes. This piece doesn’t specifically talk about ‘heating’ in relation to labels pushing music, but it doesn’t take much imagination to make the jump.
There is a serious problem with live music audiences right now Serena Smith for Dazed calls in experts in crowd psychology and fan culture for this dive into how social media and the COVID lockdown have contributed to changing fan behavior at concerts.
The Secret Life, House Arrest and Rebirth of YoungBoy Never Broke Again YoungBoy got deeply personal with Billboard’s Meaghan Garvey as he discusses the regret he has for his music’s impact, being on house arrest in Utah, the daily conversations with Mormon missionaries he looks forward to, and why he wants to do a show in Paris (spoiler alert: it’s because of Ratatouille).
Alumni Watch
Exum (featured 6/03/21) released his second project in 4 months with the ambitious album 27 Planets.
Luke Bar$ (of Van Buren Records, featured 4/28/21) flexes his growth as a solo artist on his latest album Angels Never Die.
Tony Velour (featured 2/03/21) does not let up, releasing another stellar project with 3m t3ars, and the deluxe is right around the corner too.
Low Girl (featured 3/30/22) follows up their delightful EP I covered last year with another one, in Uh-Oh.
Gonna be a good year, don’t miss out!