What I've Been Listening To, 10/28/20
Here’s a bunch of great music to take your mind off a pandemic halloweekend and November 3rd.
Phoenix: Flames Are Dew Upon My Skin - Eartheater
13 tracks, 46 minutes
Released: October 2nd, 2020
From: Queens, NY
Genres: Folk, Electronic, Experimental, Fantasy
Recommended For Fans Of: FKA Twigs, Yves Tumor
Eartheater melts the soft acoustics of folk music with dark electronics to create something different. Though on this album, the electronics take a backseat often to strings and guitar, courtesy of the FUGA artists residency in Spain where she crafted this album over a ten week period. In fact, anything that sounded too ‘electronic,’ Eartheater recreated from an acoustic source (read how at the tail end of this interview). The strings in particular shine throughout the project, making this almost feel like film score at times. Imagine if FKA Twigs was tasked with making the soundtrack for Lord of the Rings. That’s not a great descriptor of this album, but it might get you in the right mindset.
Standout Track: Below the Clavicle
Good News - Asha Imuno
14 tracks, 34 minutes
Released: October 15th, 2020
From: Moreno Valley, CA
Genres: Hip-Hop/Rap
Recommended For Fans Of: Brockhampton, Baby Keem
Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: a young aspiring artist posts on a music forum looking for creative and like minded individuals to form a music collective. Raised By The Internet (the collective Asha Imuno is a part of) mimicked Brockhampton’s inception when Jelani Aryeh posted on the Odd Future subreddit in 2017. While they do have a group album out, they’ve largely been doing solo output as of late, as we have here with Asha Imuno’s second album Good News. Last year’s Full Disclosure project was more dreamy and genre fluid, while this one aims to slap you in the face, leading with aggressive beats and raps. Overall, it feels a lot more centered and focused throughout, with Imuno using a move to Los Angeles to find the direction he wanted his sound to go in.
Standout Track: WOODGRAIN
Stuck in the Sky - María Isabel
7 tracks, 17 minutes
Released: October 16th, 2020
From: Queens, NY
Genres: R&B, Bedroom Pop
Recommended For Fans Of: UMI, Joyce Wrice
I’m not sure if the term ‘Bedroom R&B’ has been officially coined and minted yet, but this certainly qualifies. Isabel glides over the production on here which is warm & smooth, while fairly minimal, never doing more than it has to in order to set the mood. María Isabel is very much a newcomer, with no (official) output before 2020. This EP makes up the entirety of her current catalogue. Most of these tracks deal with love, both alive and lost. Isabel approaches the subject with a delicate, yet masterful touch.
Standout Track: Distance
Sen Morimoto - Sen Morimoto
15 tracks, 50 minutes
Released: October 23rd, 2020
From: Chicago, Illinois
Genres: Jazz, Indie, Hip-Hop, Electronic
Recommended For Fans Of: Any featured artist
Sen Morimoto is a virtuoso musician. Having seen him both back Kaina during a set, and perform his own music opening for Lala Lala, I’m convinced he can play any instrument. This followup album to 2018’s Cannonball! constantly balances between sadness and self care. Take for example these lyrics from the hook of Woof, the album’s lead single linked below.
“I'm so tired for pretending to be happy
Now I’m crying so loud that my dog is barking at me”
“Smellin' flowers at the grocery store
I am the one I picked them for”
In life we’re forced to take the good with the bad on a daily basis. Morimoto reconciles with this, and it seems he’s found that much of the good in his life comes from the DIY music community in Chicago that he has become ingrained with. Many of those artists appear here, with Kaina, NNAMDÏ, Joseph Chilliams, Lala Lala, Qari, and more sprinkled throughout the tracklist.
Standout Track: Woof
The Car Drives Itself - Tomás Tomás
5 tracks, 19 minutes
Released: October 9th, 2020
From: New York
Genres: Synth Pop, Indie
Recommended For Fans Of: Gus Dapperton, Tears For Fears
80s synth pop influence is heavy on Tomás Tomás’ debut EP. His talent for crafting catchy synth melodies and memorable hooks is evident after track one, Elizabeth, linked below. The Car Drives Itself is Tomás’ first project following a small string of singles dating back to 2017 that generated attention online. Here he proves that those singles were not a fluke and he has the potential to be an artist with some staying power.
Standout Track: Elizabeth
Haunted Painting - Sad13
11 tracks, 33 minutes
Released: September 25th, 2020
From: Philadelphia, PA
Genres: Indie Rock, Pop
Recommended For Fans Of: Speedy Ortiz, illuminati hotties
Sad13 is the solo side project of Speedy Ortiz lead guitarist/vocalist/lyricist (or ‘frontdemon’ as their twitter bio would tell you), Sadie Dupuis. This is their second solo album, following the debut in 2016. The project originated from a conversation with Lizzo that lead to them working together on what would be Sad13’s debut single, Basement Queens. While Speedy Ortiz is speedier (sorry) and more punk, Sad13 is more pop leaning in comparison. Make the most of your pandemic halloween by giving this ‘haunted’ album a spin.
Standout Track: Ghost (of a Good Time)
Nerve - FELIVAND
6 tracks, 20 minutes
Released: October 16th, 2020
From: Brisbane, Australia
Genres: R&B, Neo-Soul
Recommended For Fans Of: Jorja Smith, Kali Uchis
Backed by warm synths and smooth production, Nerve is the second EP by 21 year old singer/producer FELIVAND. Much of this project was complete and prepared for release before the pandemic started, but restrictions affected a music video shoot that was tied to the rollout, pushing the release back to this month. While it must have been difficult to sit on finished material for that long, these warm tracks are perfect for the transition from summer into fall.
Standout Track: Gone
ANA KENNEDY - RILEY THE MUSICIAN
7 tracks, 21 minutes
Released: July 10th, 2020
From: Kansas City, MO
Genres: Pop, Hyperpop
Recommended For Fans Of: Roy Blair, Dylan Brady
ANA KENNEDY is Riley the Musician’s latest release, following an album called Art is Dead released in 2019. Riley was featured on one of my favorite songs of 2019, Badlands by Damon Rush, that has since been wiped from existence off of streaming platforms and the internet (seriously, if anyone has a way by which I can hear this track again…hit me up). Riley’s knack for production is on full display with layers upon layers of digital instruments and sounds on each track. Additionally he’ll use hard autotune and vocal pitching to treat his voice like a synth providing sweet harmonies and more layers throughout. Starting to wonder what they’re putting in the Kansas City water.
Standout Track: Nineteen
A Song
Eat Them Apples - Suzi Wu
Suzi Wu is back in a big way after dropping one of my favorite projects of 2019. Eat Them Apples is her first official drop since that EP, Error 404. You may have heard this track already if you saw the Meet iPhone 12 Apple commercial featuring the song, highlighted by Wu’s trademark skittering and aggressive production. According to her instagram, this track is “about Eve, reframing her as a curious young person attempting to understand the world around her. Women are too often told not to seek knowledge.” Go ahead, take a bite.
A Video
Love’s Refrain - Julie Byrne & Jefre Cantu-Ledsma
This video is pretty simple, but I think it does a good job of capturing the tracks aura. Dark and moody with splashes of red (desire). Put this on and disassociate for a couple minutes. Or play it on loop and disassociate even longer.
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