September '22 Roundup
Music that powered us through the end of summer
It was a hot September, for music too! Let’s get into it
Grocery Store Flowers - Peach Face
9 tracks, 30 minutes
Released: May 20th, 2022
From: Baltimore, MD
Genres: Indie, Synth Pop
Recommended For Fans Of: The Greeting Committee, Anna Fox Rochinski
My effort to catch up on music I missed this summer received a surprise addition after my friend Daniel (who you’ll remember from his Dijon writeup last year) helped put on a show with Peach Face at Songbyrd in the waning days of August, which lead me to her May album Grocery Store Flowers. Peach Face is the project of Alison Ramírez, who croons cooly over vibrant synth chords and slick guitar licks that come courtesy of producer and bandmate Not Charles, who produced the whole album. The songs on here feel like lightning in a bottle with how they’re able to capture the feelings of small intimate moments and build them into something that’ll last forever. Lyrics focus on minute details: how one likes their coffee, forehead kisses, the smell of cologne. It’s all about romanticizing the little things in life, like grocery store flowers.
Standout Track: Midnight Lover
97 - Juniper & Sango
8 tracks, 22 minutes
Released: September 2nd, 2022
From: Bahia, Brazil
Genres: R&B, Soul
Recommended For Fans Of: Xavier Omär, Rochelle Jordan, Soulection
Brazilian soul singer Juniper teamed up with the seasoned Soulection producer Sango to bring us this collaborative 97 EP. Juniper describes herself as an artist that enjoys playing with the duality between Portuguese and English cultures. Here Sango joins the party, as Juniper croons across the two languages while Sango bridges gaps between American soul/R&B and various genres of Brazilian music (particularly in the percussion). Along the way he gets assists from xhjyl, STWO, GRAVEZ, J Bird, Deekapz, VHOOR, and Black Samurai. The result is intriguing, nurturing, sultry, and in a league of its own amongst contemporary R&B music.
Standout Track: Fire
Forever Sometimes - Dear Boy
13 tracks, 48 minutes
Released: September 16th, 2022
From: Los Angeles, CA
Genres: New Wave, Alternative, Britpop, Indie, Post-punk
Recommended For Fans Of: The Cure, Nation of Language, Fazerdaze, Joy Division
Shockingly, this debut album from Dear Boy was released just a few weeks ago, because I wouldn’t blame you for thinking this was a recently unearthed ‘lost record’ from the 1980s. The four piece group out of Los Angeles go all in on following their influences of late 70s/early 80s post-punk and early 90s britpop, a style they hit out of the park. But with Forever Sometimes, there’s much more at play than nostalgia, as the band crafts earnest songs of longing that will linger around your mind for days after each listen. “Forever Sometimes deals with life after death, love after life and the complexity of what it means to leave something or someone behind,” said frontman Ben Grey. Stuffed full of songs that can give you your ‘indie film main character’ moment, this debut album delivers on the promise from Dear Boy’s first ever EP release back in 2013. The record was self-produced by the band, mixed by Tony Hoffer (Air, Phoenix, M83), and features contributions from Day Wave, Hazel English, Rogue Wave, AFI & Ian Hultquist of Passion Pit.
Standout Track: (On My) Mind
We Need To Talk. - Brio.
12 tracks, 42 minutes
Released: August 23rd, 2022
From: Charlotte, NC
Genres: Hip-Hop/Rap, Progressive Rap
Recommended For Fans Of: Mavi, Sideshow, Na-Kel Smith
We Need To Talk about this debut project from Charlotte rapper Brio. (sorry, couldn't resist). Pushing a genre he calls ‘progressive rap,’ the project sees Brio. dropping a plethora of different ideas, sounds, and concepts. Brio. is a patient perfectionist, with this album being over seven years in the making as he looked over every aspect with surgical precision. He sees the songs as more than an album, but an invitation to spark conversation and create a space to heal, hence the album title. “It’s about just speaking truth to that — clearing that shit at the end of the day, speaking healing to it, because I don’t think any of us have properly healed from this stuff,” he told Ryan Pitkin for Queen City Nerve. “So I feel like that’s something I’m connecting with a lot more as I say that it’s important, because us as a nation need to heal. Us as a people need to heal.” The project was produced by Brio. with co-production from Terry Suave.
Standout Track: We Need To Talk. (Feat. Mavi)
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GOOD GIRLS // BAD GIRLS - Surusinghe
5 tracks, 26 minutes
Released: August 24th, 2022
From: London, UK
Genres: Electronic, House, Dance
Recommended For Fans Of: LSDXOXO, LÂLKA, Nina Las Vegas
The track titles on this debut EP from Surusinghe run together to form the sentence “GOOD GIRLS GO TO HEAVEN BAD GIRLS GO BACKSTAGE.” Surusinghe has surely seen both sides play out before, as a DJ also experienced with promoting, artist management, and label running. In her own words, she used to be the “door bitch” at gigs and festivals around Australia before working her way up to larger positions that eventually brought her to London. Her music contains a similar ‘jack of all trades’ feel, bringing together elements of bass, jungle, breakbeat, techno, and traditional Sri Lankan music. The combination creates a sound perfect to lose your mind to at a warehouse, but also so intricately detailed you want to stop and focus on what you’re hearing. On the Sri Lankan influences, she told Triple J, “a lot of these references are taken from my Sri Lankan father who has passed away. It was about the sounds that I heard in my house when he was alive. I think it’s me trying to draw another connection to him and to feel close to that side of him and that side of my life.” I first discovered this vibrant EP through Bandcamp’s Sept. 9th edition of essential releases.
Standout Track: HEAVEN
Glossolalia - Max Gowan
8 tracks, 29 minutes
Released: September 2nd, 2022
From: Raleigh, North Carolina
Genres: Alternative, Indie, Rock
Recommended For Fans Of: Alex G, Wednesday, Hovvdy
Max Gowan and I go back to our college days of hauling live sound gear across campus to help put on shows for the college radio station. So as someone who’s known his music since the days of intro level audio production classes, I can safely say he sounds more poised and locked in than ever with Glossolalia. Which is saying a lot, as this is his fifth album since 2016 (apologies to Frank Ocean fans if that sentence read like a knife through the heart)! Here though it feels like he’s increased the scale of his sound by pushing outside the box of his past releases. Take the sequence of Test Pilot, an upbeat and (nearly) instrumental jam, leading right into Guardian, one of the heavier tracks I’ve heard from him. At a point in his discography where you think you might have heard it all from Max Gowan, he proves you ain’t seen nothing yet.
Standout Track: Guardian
DON’T BLAME THE WILD ONE! - ena mori
12 tracks, 41 minutes
Released: July 29th, 2022
From: Japan → Manila, Philippines
Genres: Pop, Dance
Recommended For Fans Of: Tove Lo, ELIO, Dua Lipa, Robyn
Unbeknownst to many in the States, one of the best pop albums of the year came from the Philippines at the end of July. Ena Mori makes pop music that’s catchy and sleek enough that it could live on mainstream radio, but at the same time it’s different enough to stand out from the pack. A key part of that is in songs like VIVID, KING OF THE NIGHT!, and FALL INLOVE! that are intentionally scaled back to not feel overproduced. Keeping the choruses sparse (for the type of pop they’re making at least) gives the beat room to breathe, and makes the ear worm melodies in the vocals jump out. I first discovered Mori on NME’s list of 100 essential emerging artists to watch in 2022. The tracks she had out at that point had me highly anticipating this new album, with which she did not disappoint. Mori’s big personality shines across these grand pop anthems, which makes it surprising to hear how she felt shy and awkward as a child. It’s something she grappled with throughout the creation of this project. “Growing up in a very Asian household, I was always taught that big emotions are overwhelming or not really appreciated. But having emotions is a sign that we’re alive. Having no emotions at all, that sucks because we’re here to feel,” she told Khyne Palumar for NME. “I think the message I want to consciously convey is to be bold in who you are, and who you are has big emotions, and that’s not a bad thing.”
Standout Track: VIVID
Is It You? - Mind Shrine
7 tracks, 29 minutes
Released: September 16th, 2022
From: Houston, TX
Genres: Alternative, Rock, Psychedelic, Indie
Recommended For Fans Of: Triathalon, Inner Wave, TOPS
I love finding a good project from the often ignored ‘song posted to IG story’ route. As is the case with Mind Shrine who I first found when my friend Knyves (who played a show with them in the last days before COVID!) shared their new EP Is It You?. The Houston band molds their sound from rock music of the 60s and 70s, while adding their own funky, lo-fi, and sometimes psychedelic flavoring on top. Lo-fi by today’s standards at least, as the mixes play like they were recorded on the finest vintage gear of yesteryear, allowing lead singer Jess Howard’s vocals to cruise across with a crispness as if they were sampled off of vinyl. Band members Brian Gonzalez, Bradley DeAnda, and Richie Alejandro get plenty of opportunity to flex their chops as well with delightful riffs and jams that, along with all of the above genres, incorporate jazz, pop, bossa nova, and more to craft their unique groove. Don't be shy about sharing what you’re listening to on social media, you never know who’s listening.
Standout Track: Dance Around the Truth
Other Things Worth Hearing
KELELA IS BACK, NOT A DRILL!!!
Found Tony Shhnow through Pigeons & Planes’ August 2022 Best New Artists post, and have been listening to his album REFLEXIONS ever since. Best way I can describe him is some kind of ZelooperZ/Zack Fox hybrid (which doesn’t even remotely do him justice).
Liked the debut album from Why Bonnie a lot, and think any fans of Soccer Mommy will too. The title track, 90 in November, is a good starting point if you need a quick intro.
Was never a huge Kero Kero Bonito fan but this new Cryalot EP rips. The project is a digital hardcore collaboration between Kero Kero singer Sarah Bonito and producer Jennifer Walton.
George Riley’s new album Running In Waves is loaded with originality and engaging production from Vegyn.
With 9m88 Radio, 9m88 perfectly captures the late 90s/early 2000s era of R&B.
First new song in a minute from Sebastian Mikael, making his groovy return with Overgold.
Enjoyed the new TiaCorine album more than expected! She covers different types of internet rap, and holds her own in each one. Extremely versatile.
Maryland’s Static Res dropped a lonely late night anthem with flip phone shawty, tap in.
Lorde’s sister Indy released her first track, and it’s very… Lorde-esque. Hate to narrow an artist down to that, but there’s an obvious connection outside of relation in the song’s sound. Listen to Threads and hear for yourself.
Real Bad Man is showing something this year. I recently caught up on their collab with Boldy James from May (Killing Nothing) and heard their new tape with Pink Siifu (Real Bad Flights). Both stellar. Had a solid project with Smoke DZA earlier this year as well (Mood Swings). Impressive feats from the crew of clothing designers/illustrators and producers answering the question posed in their Spotify bio: “If musicians can make clothing brands, why can’t a clothing brand make music?”
Also finally heard the newest album from They Hate Change, Finally, New. Any fans of Injury Reserve need to be on this project ASAP.
If you’re a fan of The Weeknd, you should be listening to the debut album from Madhouse I’LL BE HERE TOMORROW. Or if you’re into dark electronic pop in general. The three song stretch from SUPERSIZED to ONE TOO MANY is especially special. Shoutout nicorunfast.
And shoutout Ben Moskow for putting me onto Dave Coresh and his abrasive punk rap EP Smokenmirrors. Intensity on 10 all the way through.
The new De Lux record is like Phoenix and The 1975 had a baby. I mean just check out the track What’s Life.
Kenny Mason went #2 on my favorite albums of 2021 list, and at the end of September he followed that up with RUFFS, so obviously I’m ecstatic.
Omar Apollo’s album keeps bringing me back months after its release. Really strong project that shows growth and maturity in his sound without sacrificing quality.
Four years after the debut album, New Zealand’s Avantdale Bowling Club is still making some of the best jazz rap around with the new album TREES.
Only really dove into EKKSTACY with the new album misery, but it sounds like what you’d get if Lil Peep was frontman for The Drums.
CYBERKISS*
This past February I got the opportunity to fly out to New York with BLACKSTARKIDS and bunker down in the studio engineering their next project, which arrived in September with the mixtape CYBERKISS*. Engineering for artists in studios was a passion I discovered in college, and I later moved across the country to Los Angeles to try to make it a career. It’s not an easy road and I’ve had a lot of ups and downs in my studio journey since then. If you’ve read this blog since the early 2020 days you know I’ve been a huge fan of the music BLACKSTARKIDS make for at least a year before I was introduced to them, and I’m extremely happy that my first official engineering credits could be with them on a project I’m incredibly proud to have been a part of.
So don’t be shy, blast the fuck out of these songs!
APPLE MUSIC | SPOTIFY | BANDCAMP
Movie Watch
With a good amount of free time this month, I got to fully utilize my AMC Stubs membership, here’s some of what I saw:
Barbarian is one of the best theater watches I’ve had this year. Great balance of horror and comedy, subverts expectations well, and entertaining the whole way through. Bros was funny as long as you think Billy Eichner is funny (basically a requirement for enjoying the movie). Pearl had good moments, but enough to warrant a whole movie? Idk, Mia Goth was born for these roles though. Bullet Train was very Guy Ritchie with plenty of winding and intersecting plots, the best of which belonged to Brian Tyree Henry/Aaron Taylor-Johnson (and Bad Bunny). The Invitation was mediocre. Don’t Worry Darling suffered from the audience being painfully aware a twist was coming the entire movie, and rather than the “twist” being rewarding, it was the type that made you mentally comb through the preceding scenes with this new information looking for plot holes (and finding plenty). Also suffered from Harry Styles’ acting.
Good Reads
Why Indie Artists Are a Rarity on Radio: ‘If You Don’t Pay, You Don’t Move Up’
Elias Leight for Billboard on how radio payola is still widely in place, and the rising cost of it is leaving independent labels in the dust. While playlisting is rising in prominence, radio is still essential for getting a song to climb the charts, and especially helpful for an artist’s growth in smaller markets.
‘This should not be normalised’: Why musicians are cancelling tours to protect their mental health
Laura Barton for The Guardian on how the massive return of live music after a year+ of lockdown has not been without its victims, namely the sanity and wellbeing of the people on the road.
Liz Pelly for The Guardian on music fans who’ve quit streaming, because they didn’t like how it was changing the way they consumed music. Don’t necessarily agree with all the points the people interviewed were making in this one, but this stuck out to me:
With streaming, he says: “If I didn’t gel with an album or an artist’s work at first, I tended not to go back to it.” But he realised that a lot of his all-time favourite albums were ones that grew on him over time. “Streaming was actually contributing to some degree of dismissal of new music.”
Artwork Break
I recently discovered the music of Abby Sage just off seeing her recent cover art online. She’s in the process of rolling out an EP, and these are the covers of the three singles she’s released so far:
For the life of me I can’t find an artist credit anywhere, but it goes to show the importance of having strong artwork as an artist because these images singlehandedly shifted me from not knowing who Sage was to eagerly anticipating The Florist EP dropping on October 21st. Trying to keep up with the relentless onslaught of new music means sometimes you have to ‘judge books by their cover.’
Alumni Watch
Tony Velour (featured 02/03/21) dropped his newest EP 4x4, and I think it’s even better than the EP I wrote so highly of last year.
Wednesday (featured 09/01/21) has signed to Dead Oceans and dropped their first single/music video for the label with Bull Believer. An epic eight minute forty five second odyssey.
Nu Fvnk (featured 04/27/22) wasted no time following up that EP with their debut album COLOR MAN dropping in September, expanding on the sounds and ideas from the EP.
Wieuca (featured 11/17/21 by Matt Singer) played their final show last month, hopefully you got to see them because now it’s too late.
Scorpio (featured 02/15/21) released their newest single, When The Light Turns Yellow on September 9th. I’ve heard this song for years in the making (as far back as 2019) and it’s still one of my favorite songs they’ve ever made, so that’s saying something.
Van Buren Records (featured 04/28/21) immediately followed up Bad For Press with their latest project DSM. More hard hitting beats with harder hitting bars.
V. Cartier (featured 10/20/21) released a groovy new dance R&B single called Come Down.
Is this new format too much of a word/content dump? I like being able to send out less posts and put more music in each one, and even if it is a lot, y’all have a month to puruse it at your own leisure. Anyways let me know what you think, good or bad, this is for y’all after all.
Thanks for listening!
Wow, never heard of any of these artists. Cool list. But yes, too much content dump.