What I've Been Listening To, 2/03/2021
What I've Been Listening To, 2/03/2021
Happy first post of 2021
You miss me? It’s been a minute, but I’m ready to jump back into this. Today I’ve got some great projects that you may have missed in the two months since I last did one a “What I’ve Been Listening To” post. I enjoyed my little hiatus, but this series is going to routinely publish every other Wednesday from now on, with some other exciting content coming in between.
New this year, I’ve started a playlist that collects all the standout tracks from “What I’ve Been Listening To” posts that will update throughout the year! Follow it here:
Milk - Simon On The Moon
5 tracks, 15 minutes
Released: June 28th, 2019
From: Kungsbacka, Sweden
Genres: R&B, Electronic
Recommended For Fans Of: Ben Khan, Neon Indian, Hablot Brown
Simon On The Moon popped onto my “suggested artists” on Soundcloud in December, and I’m very glad I took the time to give him a listen. This 2019 EP Milk is his debut, and aside from a 2017 single called Hooked, it’s his only output to date. And what a strong debut it is. Simon’s silky vocals slide easily across 5 tracks of sleek electronic R&B production. There’s a wide range of influence throughout this, including the Bon Iver esque track Confide. As of late it seems Simon’s been more focused behind the scenes, including working with rising Toronto singer Mustafa on his latest track Air Forces. But when Simon does decide to return to his own work, I’ll be all ears.
Standout Track: Sleeping with You
SIMMER - AGGi DiX
6 tracks, 17 minutes
Released: January 7th, 2021
From: Aarhus, Denmark
Genres: R&B, Soul, Hip-Hop/Rap
Recommended For Fans Of: Kirby, Nao
Found this gem on Bandcamp’s first Essential Releases list of 2021, always a great source for finding music. The vocals, as well as the quality of the mixing and production, make it hard to believe this is a debut project, but at just 21 years old, Dix is starting out strong. Additionally ambitious for a debut, this release was preceded by a beautiful visual encompassing 3 of the 6 songs. People are taking notice of the ambition and effective execution. I first listened to this EP when the Bandcamp article was released, at the time Dix was hovering around 3,000 monthly listeners on Spotify. As this post is published, about three weeks later, she’s over 15,000. You’ll want to go ahead and add yourself to that growing number.
Standout Track: Get Up
It’s Not Much But It's Mine (Deluxe) - Jiles
9 tracks, 19 minutes
Released: October 28th, 2020
From: Brockton, MA
Genres: Hip-Hop/Rap
Recommended For Fans Of: Vince Staples, 21 Savage, Busta Rhymes
I’ve written about getting tuned into the Brockton rap scene last year with Luke Bar$ and Saint Lyor both releasing stellar projects. You can add Jiles to that list as well, with this EP being in steady rotation for me since I first heard it in December. The original EP was released on July 28th, 2020 and this deluxe version includes four additional tracks. I’m most drawn to the way he delivers his grimy vocals in a very matter-a-fact way. Don’t miss the posse cut Rutland featuring Bar$ and Lyor among others.
Standout Track: Alibi
Cheater - Pom Poko
10 tracks, 33 minutes
Released: January 15th, 2021
From: Oslo, Norway
Genres: Alternative, Indie
Recommended For Fans Of: Cherry Glazerr, Palm, Charly Bliss
Pom Poko embraces the noise on their second record, with much of the sound encompassed in crunchy distortion. While alternative or indie rock feels like the best all encompassing genre to classify this under, you can hear hints of much more. Depending on the song you might catch underlying influences from jazz, grunge, math rock, electronic, avant-garde and more. The Norwegian 4-piece doesn’t shy away from the weird. In lieu of a tour for this album, the group made a mock talk show that they described as “Conan O’Brien/Letterman/Oprah meets The Muppet Show.”
Standout Track: Andrew
3M - Tony Velour
10 tracks, 20 minutes
Released: November 13th, 2020
From: Atlanta, GA
Genres: Electronic, Pop, Hyperpop, Hip-Hop/Rap
Recommended For Fans Of: JPEGMAFIA, 100 Gecs, brakence
Brevity is the name of the game here, clocking in at 20 minutes over 10 songs, without any tracks hitting the 3 minute mark. But Velour proves he doesn’t need much time to pack a punch. In line with that, this isn’t even his most recent release, as he dropped a holiday EP in December called MERRYFUCKMYMIND. While this album is primarily self-produced, Velour is also a frequent collaborator with 100 Gecs’ Dylan Brady, who contributes production to two tracks on this project, including DUBBS linked below.
Standout Track: DUBBS
JOYRIDER - Petite League
10 tracks, 28 minutes
Released: January 8th, 2021
From: New York
Genres: Indie Rock, Garage
Recommended For Fans Of: Surf Curse, BOYO, Grapetooth
I was already excited to include this album after playing it for the past month, but I felt even more validated after seeing Petite League tweet about the difficulties of being a small band during the wave of Spotify playlists. Makes me feel like the work I’m doing with this little blog is important. The name Death by Algorithm is tongue in cheek, but algorithms (and often popular playlist curators) are more concerned with numbers than they are with music. We can’t let these current models of consumption kill off good music. Speaking of good music, Joyrider is the 5th album by Petite League, and it’s their best yet. The vocals sound like they were recorded through an amp, and they sizzle over the infectious guitar riffs. This album feels like you’re at a packed house show in your friend’s basement on a summer night. You’re gonna love it.
Standout Track: Naked
Psych Out - Timothy Bright
5 tracks, 9 minutes
Released: January 12th, 2021
From: Fairfax, Virginia
Genres: Hip-Hop/Rap
Recommended For Fans Of: Kevin Abstract, Tyler The Creator, Denzel Curry
After a string of singles, buzzing Virginia rapper Timothy Bright delivered his first official EP at the top of 2021. While shooting the video for Quicksand, the project’s closing track, a friend showed Bright an Instagram story Kevin Abstract had just posted saying he was looking for rappers. Bright sent a DM immediately, not expecting a response, but Kevin replied in just five minutes, leading to a correspondence and friendship between the two. Bright also has a song out (not on this project) produced by Romil, a BROCKHAMPTON member who has produced for them as well as Kali Uchis, Roy Blair, LAUNDRY DAY, and more. This EP is a great introduction to the rapper’s hard hitting and exciting sound.
Standout Track: Dismay
Nature of Things - Subsonic Eye
9 tracks, 27 minutes
Released: January 15th, 2021
From: Singapore
Genres: Alternative, Indie Rock
Recommended For Fans Of: Snail Mail, Japanese Breakfast
After buzzing in the Singapore indie scene for the past five years, Subsonic Eye is starting to break out and push their reach with their dazzling third album Nature of Things. The cover (and accompanying artwork with the vinyl) look like they could be straight out of Moonrise Kingdom, but the sound is a bit rougher around the edges than that as the band tries to make sense of their surroundings. You can hear the joy behind the music too, as the group describes themselves as “just 5 friends jamming.” Also one of the cool things about being in the Singapore indie scene instead of the American one is that you can do stuff like have live in person release shows.
Standout Track: Cabin Fever
A Song
Dope Boys - Gucci Mane
I spent a good chunk of my hiatus from blogging and social media listening to 2009-2012 era Gucci Mane.
A Video
It’s Okay To Cry - SOPHIE
The news of Sophie’s passing this weekend shook me. It feels like our news feeds are so filled with death these days. Such an incredible producer that brought so much creativity and originality to the table. This applied to her own work, but also her trailblazing production in pop music, a genre often content with following trends. Sophie produced for artists such as Charli XCX, Vince Staples, Madonna, Nicki Minaj, Kim Petras, and more. It feels impossible to overstate the impact her sound had on the soundscape of modern music, as well as the direction it’s heading in. I recommend everyone listens (or re-listens) to Sophie’s 2018 album, Oil of Every Pearl's Un-Insides.
Took the last month to focus on what I want this to become and how I can make it grow. Happy to have you along for the ride and think this will be a great year for DBA. Join the party or spread the love.