What I've Been Listening To, 9/30/20
Got a bunch of new subscribers since the last post, so welcome to all first time readers! And a big thank you to everyone who has been reading and sharing.
Ruled By Venus, Unfortunately - SOLIS
6 tracks, 15 minutes
Released: July 31st, 2020
From: Lagos, Nigeria
Genres: R&B, Bedroom Pop, Indie
Recommended For Fans Of: Clairo, beabadoobee
AUDIOMACK | SOUNDCLOUD (not currently on streaming)
Libra season is upon us, and with it comes the debut mixtape from Lagos artist Solis. Filled with warm keys/guitars, lush vocals, and honest self-reflecting lyricism, this EP doesn’t miss once throughout the 6 song tracklist. While many artists that get the “bedroom pop” label put on them try to shy away from it, Solis embraces it with open arms.
“There’s something comfortable and honest about the genre [bedroom pop] that expresses that feeling of comfort. I started writing songs in my bedroom, snuck boys into my bedroom, cried a shit ton in my bedroom. The history present in the room lends itself easy to it (the genre).”
Shoutout to my friend Madison for posting Solis on their story, otherwise I would’ve missed this special project. Please don’t ignore it just because it’s not on Spotify.
Standout Track: don’t fall in love with a libra woman
Life Works Out… Usually - Demae
8 tracks, 24 minutes
Released: September 18th, 2020
From: London, UK
Genres: R&B, Soul
Recommended For Fans Of: Steve Lacy, Ravyn Lenae, Monte Booker
Demae has been around the block, as one third of the hip hop trio Hawk House, and as a member of Fatima’s touring band, but Life Works Out…Usually is her first solo EP. The project is described as “a soulful coming-of-age story celebrating black joy, self-empowerment and life learnings centered around an integral two year period of growth.” Here she steps out into her own as a force to be reckoned with, seamlessly holding her her own across 8 wonderful tracks.
Standout Track: Use It
Reverse of Mastery - Dig Nitty
11 tracks, 35 minutes
Released: September 18th, 2020
From: New York
Genres: Indie Rock
Recommended For Fans Of: Hop Along, Lucy Dacus, Lomelda
The songs on this album were written while lead singer Erin McGrath was “working as a New York City Park Ranger, monitoring birds at the beach in the Rockaways.” The album is tender, and very well paced - knowing when to switch between laid back, almost lackadaisical indie, and more uptempo cuts. There’s something for everyone here, as I’m sure you’ve dealt with at least one of the album’s themes: “friendship, death, trauma, chronic illness, loneliness, and love.” If you haven’t, then what’s the point?
Standout Track: Restraint
THE LIZ - Armani Caesar
11 tracks, 25 minutes
Released: September 18th, 2020
From: Buffalo, New York
Genres: Hip-Hop/Rap
Recommended For Fans Of: Griselda, Roc Marciano
Buffalo New York based rap collective Griselda has been on a tear this year, with artists like Westside Gunn, Conway the Machine, and new addition Boldy James each releasing multiple high quality projects in 2020. This month gave us the debut from one of the groups lesser known members in The Liz. Lyrical boom bap rap is not a genre that women have historically been allowed to take up much space in, but you wouldn't suspect Armani Caesar feels any of that pressure from listening to her rap. While she spends much of this album holding her own with her fellow Griselda rappers, she also steps out into her own sound, and breaths some fresh life into a group that has been very consistent, but complacent in their sound. Yum Yum might be the most modern sounding track ever released by the collective.
Standout Track: Simply Done (Feat. Benny The Butcher)
Vergangenheitsbewältigung (Crater Speak) - Slauson Malone
9 tracks, 24 minutes
Released: September 16th, 2020
From: New York
Genres: Hip-Hop/Rap, Lo-Fi, Experimental
Recommended For Fans Of: Frank Ocean on Endless, BADBADNOTGOOD, MIKE
The tracklist for this album may read like someone trying to help you solve the Da Vinci Code, but don’t let that keep you from pressing play. Google translate tells me that the title is German for “coping with the past.” Speaking of the past, the cover for this album is just a tattoo of the album cover for Malone’s 2019 album A Quiet Farwell, 2016–2018. Malone is a producer first, also known for being a member of the musical collective Standing On The Corner, and relied heavily on features to provide vocals on that 2019 project. But here, Malone’s own vocals come to the front. There’s a lot to unpack, from the complex (but not hard to listen to) production to the track titles and personal note that Malone paired the album with on Bandcamp. This is a project that becomes more rewarding with each listen.
Standout Track: Smile #6 (see page 198 and 158)
Concorde - Le Couleur
10 tracks, 38 minutes
Released: September 11th, 2020
From: Montréal, Québec
Genres: Indie, Disco, Pop
Recommended For Fans Of: The Marías, Men I Trust, Crumb
Vietnamese-Canadian lead singer Giroux Do sings entirely in French, so it may not be entirely apparent to the American listener that this album is exploring beauty through tragedy. Thematically the album revolves around death. The title is inspired by the Concorde airliner, a supersonic jet made to get wealthy Europeans to New York clubs in as little as three hours. The jet operated for 27 years before a fuel tank explosion on a flight that left no survivors pushed it into retirement. That makes this a fascinating listen for the non French speaker. With no grasp on the lyrical translations, the sound of the album creates a fun environment with sleek, sexy, guitars and electronic synths paired with melodies that make you want to dance: the advertised expectations of a Concorde flight. The lyrical content is what’s supposed to serve as the harsh reality, reminding listeners of the dangers of flying too close to the sun.
Standout Track: Désert
Vortexas Vorever - Pelvis Wrestley
10 tracks, 42 minutes
Released: September 18th, 2020
From: Austin, Texas
Genres: Country, Indie Rock
Recommended For Fans Of: Orville Peck, Bruce Springsteen
Pelvis Wrestley’s mission statement is “to reclaim Americana in the spirit of queer patriotism.” In spirit, this is quite similar to Orville Peck, but sonically it’s vastly different. While Peck chooses to reclaim through a classic, sparse, country sound, Pelvis Wrestley is more aimed towards reinventing the genre. Taking classic country elements and throwing in indie hooks, synthesizers, and electronic beats, Vortexas Vorever creates a sound that’s entirely new. If you can get past the fact that saying the artist name and album title aloud makes you sound like you’re doing a bad Scooby-Doo impression, you’re probably open minded enough to enjoy this.
Standout Track: Susanna
Autumn - Daniel Orange
13 tracks, 25 minutes
Released: September 21st, 2020
From: Walla Walla, WA
Genres: Electronic, R&B
Recommended For Fans Of: Choker, Roy Blair
Daniel Orange is a one man show. Aside from 2 tracks with co-production credits, this entire album was written, produced, performed, and mixed by Daniel. I’m assuming he made the artwork as well based on the extensive and impressive art collection on his website. It makes sense that Daniel would produce for himself, as the autotuned vocals blend beautifully with the production on every track. I first heard Daniel on his 2019 project THE LAST 3 DAYS OF SUMMER, but Autumn is his first full length project to release on streaming platforms.
Standout Track: Tracer
A Song
X. - Trey Graves
This song about struggling to move on from an old lover exists somewhere at the intersection of indie rock and bedroom pop. Graves’ hauntingly airy vocals glide over the simple but catchy guitar, bass, and drum loop. While this is just a visualizer for the song, the short looped clip is very representative of getting caught in the loop of not being able to get someone off your mind.
A Video
Frankie Muniz - BLACKSTARKIDS
Remember the band BLACKSTARKIDS that I was gushing over in my first substack post? Well they’re already gearing up to release another project this year. Frankie Muniz is the second single off of their upcoming album WHATEVER, MAN. Filled with 90s nostalgia, colorful fits, sweet vocals, and more, Frankie Muniz is foreshadowing something special.
Quick plug, I have a playlist that I update on the 1st of every month with new tracks from the month before that you can subscribe to on Spotify or Apple Music. Lots of fresh songs on there so toss it on shuffle and I guarantee you’ll find something you like. The playlist is getting updated with September songs tonight, so make sure to follow!
death by algorithm saved my life