WIBLT: November!
What I've Been Listening To, 11/03/21
‘What I’ve Been Listening To’ is a bi-weekly series that highlights 8 projects, 1 song, and 1 video that have been on repeat for me. Be sure to follow the ‘What I’ve Been Listening To’ playlist that is always up to date with the eight standout tracks from all of these posts in 2021.
Good Grief! - James Ivy
5 tracks, 16 minutes
Released: October 22nd, 2021
From: Brooklyn, NY
Genres: Alternative, Indie Rock
Recommended For Fans Of: Harry Teardrop, The 1975
James Ivy got a shoutout from Harry Teardrop during my interview with him earlier this year, and now he delivers on the promise of a string of singles dating back to early 2020. The Korean-American singer/songwriter/producer started making music in high school, and has now arrived with his first official project, Good Grief!. Ivy’s sweet blend of indie rock and influences from pop punk to producers like SOPHIE & A. G. Cook has drawn attention from counterparts such as Teardrop, and larger faces like Porter Robinson. It’s rare to find an EP so fleshed out and well crafted that it feels natural and cohesive, but also feels like any given song could be the lead single. Ultimately, Ivy is just trying to be himself, for reasons bigger than himself. “There isn’t much Asian-American representation in rock music, and I don’t want to be boxed in to any of those expectations,” Ivy said for his label, Fader Label. “I want somebody to see this and think, ‘I can do that too.’”
Standout Track: Headset Go
S.O.M.E. - Daisy
6 tracks, 28 minutes
Released: October 15th, 2021
From: Los Angeles, CA
Genres: R&B, Indie Rock
Recommended For Fans Of: MICHELLE, The Internet
Daisy comes through on their latest EP with their strongest collection of pleasant and jazzy R&B jams that they’ve developed a reputation for. Though they might prefer to call it “loud jazz.” Or “R&B punk.” The jury’s still out on the exact name for their sound. You may recognize Daisy’s lead singer, Daisy Hamel-Buffa (or DAISY WORLD), as the sole feature on Steve Lacy’s debut album, Apollo XXI. Hamel-Buffa explained the connection and collaborations to Impose Magazine. “[The Internet] just kind of lived down the street from my friend. So I met them that way. I feel very lucky. I love working with them so, so, so much. They’re just an amazing group of artists that are just the greatest people.” Listening to Daisy gives a similar feeling as listening to The Internet, like all members are locked into the highest level, writing parts to compliment each other perfectly. Though “Eastside” is my favorite track so far, hearing “5th & Western” for the first time while helping friends move into an apartment just off that intersection felt like all the stars aligning for a brief moment.
Standout Track: Eastside
Audio Drag For Ego Slobs - Gustaf
10 tracks, 31 minutes
Released: October 1st, 2021
From: Brooklyn, NY
Genres: Punk, Post-Punk, Art-Punk
Recommended For Fans Of: IDLES, Cheekface, Talking Heads, Wombo
There’s an absolute punk attitude across Gustaf’s debut, Audio Drag For Ego Slobs, but it’s not punk as you’d traditionally expect it. It’s punk that you can dance to. It’s punk that breathes. Art punk in the sense that you can’t deny the influence of New York punk before them, as much as you can’t deny the Talking Heads influence. The Brooklyn based rockers combine punchy drums with tight guitar licks that allow plenty of room for the sometimes tongue and cheek but always angsty vocals to cut to the point. Per the album’s title, “when we first started as a band, I liked [audio drag] as an umbrella term for what our music explored in a way: that technical element of a pitched down vocal pedal,” lead singer Lydia Gammill told Vice i-D. “An ‘ego slob’ is the translation of the outside world within the context of yourself and being messy doing it. It’s a point of view that’s trying to skewer the unproud, cathartic emotions within all of us.” Gustaf is currently on tour supporting IDLES, which is where my friend Alli saw them and told me I have to listen. She wasn’t wrong, and I don’t doubt these songs are even more enjoyable live than they are in my headphones.
Standout Track: Best Behavior
Hey Tony - Tony Seltzer
14 tracks, 30 minutes
Released: September 10th, 2021
From: Brooklyn, NY
Genres: Hip-Hop/Rap, Producer
Recommended For Fans Of: Key!, Wifigawd, Black Noi$e
New York producer Tony Seltzer has spent much of his career in the shadows, working on tracks for artists from Freddie Gibbs to Princess Nokia. This year he emerged to drop his first compilation album, Hey Tony, complete with new and familiar faces alike gliding over his production. Seltzer approaches his debut album armed with hard 808s, addicting melodies, and his notorious producer tag the album is named after. He uses his gifts to make all different types of vocalists flow naturally within his sound, and fall into his world. A lot of that can be credited to the focus applied to the backbones of the beats: the drums. Seltzer has been drumming since he was eight, and went to Laguardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts as a drummer. “A lot of the co-production I do for people, I do the drums. Even as a producer I’m still a drummer. That’s what comes across in all my beats, they may have different sounds, but the drums will always be hard hitting and a little distorted,” Seltzer told Alphonse Pierre for Fader. Highlight features on the tracklist include Hook, Mavi, Wifigawd, and a surprising appearance from Eartheater, who I featured in a writeup last year.
Standout Track: Whatever (Feat. Hook)
Perhaps subscribe?
Rookie Era - LOVER
5 tracks, 14 minutes
Released: October 12th, 2021
From: Sydney, Australia
Genres: Pop, Indie
Recommended For Fans Of: Ryan Beatty, Christian Leave, Nick Wagen
Another share from Alli last week got me to LOVER’s second EP, Rookie Era. To clear up any confusion, as the polished EP sounds like nothing a rookie would make, LOVER edited his Spotify bio to reflect the definition of the title:
Rookie Era (N): A prolonged amount of time ending in failure.
Example: His inexperience and misfortune led to a year long Rookie Era.
Still, there’s nothing failure-like about this project from the Australian indie pop singer. For this one, he opened up his circle to work with Les Priest of LANY, Nick Ward, Sam Gidley of October Tooth, and more. The results are tight writing through all five tracks with polished production that isn’t afraid to add some grit and distortion at times as well. “Sonically I wanted the EP to encapsulate that ‘rough around the edges’ feeling of the time and emotions. Songs like ‘Wow’, ‘Palm Reader’ and ‘Close Your Eyes’ have distorted moments that clash with their soft acoustic instrumentals,” Lover said in a statement. “Keeping with the theme of contrast, lyrically the tracks channel an optimistic tone. Despite the uncertainty during the writing process, there are certain things; relationships, career choices and personal characters that are built in these moments.”
Standout Track: Forever
Dilettante - Mo Troper
28 tracks, 50 minutes
Released: October 15th, 2021
From: Portland, OR
Genres: Power Pop, Punk, Indie Rock
Recommended For Fans Of: Chris Farren, Of Montreal
Mo Troper’s fourth album, Dilettante, is also his longest, by a lot. In the album’s description on Bandcamp, Troper calls it, “decades of power-pop worship, scholarship, and penmanship into a 28-track collection of sprints.” It goes on to explain, “the playlist-as-album pundits might call it a data dump, but Mo brands it as a relaxed way to finish song sketches in unprecedented times.” The vocals bring twee pop to mind, but the distortion and surrounding instruments are much heavier than that (though it’s a worthy follow up to his Beatles cover album). Along with the jangly ear grabbing riffs & vocals, Troper’s cheeky humor helps keep the album feeling fun and fresh across the 28 tracks with song titles like “All My Friends Are Venmo” and “Tears on my Dockers.” It’s a wildly entertaining good time that will have you wondering how 50 minutes could fly by so fast.
Standout Track: The Expendables Ride Again
Frame Of A Fauna - Ouri
14 tracks, 48 minutes
Released: October 22nd, 2021
From: Montreal, Québec
Genres: Electronic, Glitch, R&B
Recommended For Fans Of: FKA Twigs, Eartheater
Ouri’s latest is based on the shape and structure of a being. “It is one of my favourite obsessions : the way emotional hardships can imprint and deform the human body,” Ouri said in a Facebook (or Meta?) post on the project’s title, Frame Of A Fauna. This is Ouri’s first solo album since 2017, though her collaborative album with Helena Deland (under the name Hildegard) also released this year. The DJ, producer, and instrumentalist is based out of Montreal now, originally from South America by way of France. Ouri’s airy vocals float through the pulsing instrumentals, sometimes sounding ready to play in a club, while other beats are more stripped with a non-conventional sound. No matter which direction she goes though, this album always keeps it interesting. "Between fragmented souvenirs and sonic explorations, Frame of a Fauna navigates mutable identity, magnetism, and initiating a sense of belonging in an eclectic sound,” Ouri said in a press release. “Mixing classical, field recordings, and electronic and future trip-hop, this album provides a soundtrack to reflect your own shapes and space in this lifetime."
Standout Track: High & Choking, Pt. 1
Join The Club - Kairos Creature Club
7 tracks, 28 minutes
Released: October 8th, 2021
From: Various
Genres: Indie Rock, Psychedelic
Recommended For Fans Of: Tennis, Acid Dad
Kairos Creature Club released their debut EP as a formal invitation for all to Join The Club. Some of the groups members include Lena Simon from La Luz and Glenn Michael Van Dyke of BOYTOY. Though according to their Spotify bio, the project “seems to include global collaboration,” and the group sees themselves as “a multilevel interrogative self-enlightenment organization.” Feels similar to the intentions behind SUPERORGANISM, though in sound they’re much different. Kairos Creature Club blends blusey guitar riffs and psychedelic rock into the indie sphere. Outside of that (and anything you hear on this EP) the group seems to prefer the mysterious, and letting the music speak for itself. The standout track “Voodoo Success” comes complete with a choose your own adventure music video. Through a series of unlisted videos connected to this one, you can experience a wild night with the club. Just be sure to choose wisely.
Standout Track: Voodoo Success
A Song
Better Than I Know Myself - Del Water Gap
Very satisfied with the debut project from Del Water Gap. This intro track grabbed me from the start and has looped in my head since.
A Video
Neon Peach (Feat. Tyler, The Creator) - Snoh Aalegra
I guess Tyler’s streak of excellent visuals has to extend to his features as well?
Hope you liked this one