The Brillboard is a curated list of fresh, new tracks by independent and up-and-coming artists. Tracks on the Brillboard fit a mood – sometimes broad, sometimes very specific, always useful to you. Follow for the soundtrack to your life, by artists you wish you knew.
This week’s Brillboard focuses on Valentine’s Day.
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“This True Feeling” – jasper bones
Like many others, I first heard of jasper bones when the Los Angeles Latinx dropped his bilingual beauty, “Obscuridad”. Since then, he released his EP Cruise Control and has garnered some sizable, well-deserved streams on Spotify. “This True Feeling” is off of Cruise Control and, like most of bones’ tracks, it’s funkyfresh and wonderful. The lyrics are somehow earnestly romantic and the instrumentals are almost retro, but bones’ voice is the real star of the show. His vocals are raw and somewhat smoky (think Amy Winehouse, but a guy), and the riffs he does demonstrate some truly astounding control. Listen to bones’ groovy love song and sway along to the audio waves.
“Loving You” – Seafret
Unbeknownst to the British duo, Seafret and I go way back. Their “Wildfire” music video quite literally spread like wildfire back in late 2015, and I was one of the ones whose heart went aflame with love for this band. I also did Arthur Aron’s 36 Questions to Fall In Love after watching the video, but that’s a story for another time. Cutting back to Seafret, the band’s latest track is another lesson in romantics. Although much different than its optimistic predecessor, “Loving You” is still beautiful. It’s “a rich tale of disaster / about a love and what came after”. From Harry Draper’s piano to Jack Sedman’s vocals, “Loving You” is hauntingly beautiful. Just like lovers separated by tragedy, this song will stay with you.
“Our World” – ISLANDIS
Most people in the States see cold weather for Valentine’s Day, but you can still heat things up with “Our World” by ISLANDIS. The Sydney-based duo gives us a summer from down under with their shimmering electronic single about relentless romance and the unyielding yearning of “[a] heart that will never quit”. The third track from James Chave-Dubois and Ben McInerney, “Our World” is rich and brilliantly mixed. This song is layered with all sorts of sound and texture. It’s also quite catchy – just like the band’s previous tracks were – securing ISLANDIS as a band to look out for.
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