What I've Been Listening To, 11/09/20
Hello friends :)
Garden - Totty
5 tracks, 17 minutes
Released: November 6th, 2020
From: Wollongong, Australia
Genres: Rock, Alternative
Recommended For Fans Of: Courtney Barnett, Dune Rats, Anna Burch
This EP’s title is referencing a place of serenity and safety in the midst of change and turmoil. As per the lyrics of the track Fairies, “put on a show, out in the garden where nothing can hurt us, real life is scary, I’m too young to notice.” In that same sense, tuning out of real life for a moment and listening to this EP can also give you that brief feeling of release. Just under 20 minutes, this project is an exciting nonstop joyride. Focused and concise, it leaves the listener wanting more. And if you’re one of those people looking for more, you can watch a Garden live performance from an actual garden.
Standout Track: Change
Dragonfruit - Imugi 이무기
7 tracks, 29 minutes
Released: October 30th, 2020
From: Auckland, New Zealand
Genres: Indie Pop
Recommended For Fans Of: Arlo Parks, AlunaGeorge
Imugi 이무기 is the duo of producer Carl Ruwhiu and singer/songwriter Yery Cho. Dragonfruit is their second EP, following up 2017’s Vacasian. The fruits of this EP are incredible light and catchy indie pop that would be ripe on just about any Spotify playlist. The cozy synths and hip-hop/R&B inspired production compliments Cho’s soft and confident vocals to perfection. This is their first independent release, and they’ve made it available on Bandcamp for a “name your price” download. Speaking on both the name of the EP and the myth that their name is based on, Cho said “dragons are a powerful symbol in East Asia and Imugi is one of the very rare spaces where I feel powerful in my expressions."
Standout Track: Somebody Else
Burgundy - Will Cherry
10 tracks, 34 minutes
Released: October 25th, 2020
From: Elyria, OH
Genres: Hip-Hop/Rap
Recommended For Fans Of: BROCKHAMPTON, Travis Scott
Burgundy is Cherry’s debut project, and it’s been in the works dating back to 2016. The result is a fully realized piece of art. Complete with interludes, beat switches, narration, and a lot more that comes together to amplify the albums beautiful flow and cohesion. The album title is referencing the color of blood after it’s been out in the air and dried. In an interview with a local news site, Cherry said “Hip-hop’s done an amazing job of telling these stories of loss and grief, but sometimes immediately after a person is gone. I wanted to come to it from the perspective of dealing with it after it’s been a while… I wanted to talk about the lasting effects of losing people, especially coming from a time where it’s normal to lose people at a young age.” You can read a more in depth letter Cherry penned on the story behind this album on his website. Bet on Cherry!
Standout Track: Flip
Nirvana - Bktherula
11 tracks, 28 minutes
Released: October 23rd, 2020
From: Atlanta, GA
Genres: Hip-Hop/Rap, Underground
Recommended For Fans Of: Hook, Babyxsosa
Nirvana is an album that oozes with confidence and bravado. BK spits through spaced out cloudy beats that might feel barely present if it wasn’t for the rumbling low end. She enlisted the help of frequent Lil Yachty producer Digital Nas to handle about half the album’s production and a feature. This is her second project following her debut in January of this year (which feels like a different lifetime ago). At just 18 years old, it looks like the future is bright.
Standout Track: ILOVEUBACK<3
Leave Me Up Here - Brain Tan
14 tracks, 44 minutes
Released: October 22nd, 2020
From: New York
Genres: Synth Pop, Vaporwave, Indie
Recommended For Fans Of: Toro y Moi, Caribou
Brain Tan first popped onto the blog scene with the single Outta Sight back in 2013, when he went by the name Future Screens. Now in 2020, he finally arrives with his first full length album under either name. Brain Tan’s vocals are very light and airy, feeling like a smooth wave over his intricate electronic production. The album flows very naturally, and you can tell that years of work were put into this project.
Standout Track: Get Somewhere
Stock Child Wonder - Knox Fortune
11 tracks, 38 minutes
Released: October 30th, 2020
From: Chicago, IL
Genres: Indie Pop
Recommended For Fans Of: Homeshake, Jerry Paper
You may recognize the name from his production and features with prominent Chicago artists like Chance the Rapper, Joey Purp, and Kami, among others, but Knox Fortune is back with another full length project of his own. Stock Child Wonder follows up his 2017 debut Paradise, and as with that one, his high pitched fuzzy vocals are on full display. That, along with the production that blends hip-hop, 60’s pop, and indie rock, are what makes his sound so unique and special.
Standout Track: Come Over
Meadow - Peachcurls
9 tracks, 29 minutes
Released: October 22nd, 2020
From: Cleveland, OH
Genres: R&B, Funk
Recommended For Fans Of: Matt Martians, Steve Lacy
Peachcurls can harmonize like no other, often making his vocals sound like they have a choir backing him on this project. The production is carried by fat and funky bass lines to back the vibrant virtual synths and guitars. Peachcurls’ production is very whole, and comes off sounding like it was made with much more than just the MacBook Pro that he credits in his bio. This is his first solo album, after releasing a solo EP in 2018, and being in a band called Thaddeus Anna Greene that released an EP in 2016.
Standout Track: Meadow
Full Circle - Wyatt Smith
8 tracks, 18 minutes
Released: October 23rd, 2020
From: San Francisco, CA
Genres: Rock, Grunge, Shoegaze
Recommended For Fans Of: Alex G, Hovvdy, Spirit of the Beehive
Wyatt Smith has been consistently releasing music since around 2016, both solo and formally with the band Slug. With a DIY grunge/rock sound, this EP sounds like it could have been plucked out of any era between the 90s and now, while still sounding fresh. They aren’t super active on socials and don’t have much press about them, leaving the music to largely speak for itself. So if you want to learn more, you’re going to have to press play.
Standout Track: Look
A Song
Mobile - Mel Hines
The production on this track (done by Hines) is captivating, built around engine revs and phone beeps, it compliments the gritty vocals really well. It’s unclear if this is just going to be a loose song, or is the first drop for an upcoming project. But whatever comes next, they have my attention
A Video
Stick! - Zack Fox
A day hasn’t gone by since my first time watching this where I haven’t thought about the line “in the crib with a shirt and no pants, Donald Duck.”
Going to take a short break from sending these as I prepare to bombard you with end of year content. Enjoy the silence
i used to be deaf but i read death by algorithm and new ears, made of gold, sprouted from the side of my head just so that i could hear these gems. thank you death by algorithm.