Every Friday, Atwood Magazine’s staff share what they’ve been listening to that week – a song, an album, an artist – whatever’s been having an impact on them, in the moment.
This week’s weekly roundup features music by Del Water Gap, Asha Imuno, colby!, country girl, AUDREY NUNA, denn., Alisa Xayalith, MALIA, gingerbee, Freddie Lewis, Lea Thomas, Mary Elle, Jane Doe, Hiatus, Worm Girlz, & Greg Loftus!
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:: “Midas” – Del Water Gap ::
Mitch Mosk, Beacon, New York
As a quick refresher, King Midas is remembered in Greek mythology for having the golden touch; he was granted the ability to turn everything he touched into gold, but the “gift” of such wealth soon became a curse when he could no longer eat food with his hands, and later turned his daughter into a statue. It’s a lesson, passed down from the ancients, to beware of greed and silver linings – and one that feels as relevant now as it surely did 2,000 years ago.
Taking pills in the green room
My neighbor back home got me too’d
And I’m ready for something new
Sucking down one more lozenge
World war III in progress
And I could really use someone like you
And isn’t it cruel?
Yeah isn’t it cruel how we do?
And then in the year 2024, along came Del Water Gap’s S. Holden Jaffe to turn the story on its head. “Call me Midas in reverse, ‘cause everything I touch turns eventually to dirt,” Jaffe sings plaintively in “Midas,” an achingly emotive new song featured on his sophomore album’s deluxe edition. “I’ll make a truce with myself and I don’t reckon that I’m cursed, but everything I touch turns eventually to dirt.”
It’s brooding, and rather pessimistic, but isn’t there also something to be said for someone owning their lows, just as they might their highs? “Midas” is enchanting: However poignant its lyrics and subject matter may be, the music feels liberating and sweet, with Del Water Gap rising to a glistening, golden-hued high as he sings his heavy-hearted chorus.
I could be your reflection
I’m a whore for affection
Hope you don’t mind I sleep too late
She’s a Ukrainian model
Moved to L.A. in high school
Flyin’ to Japan on Christmas break
And isn’t it cruel?
Yeah isn’t it cruel how we do?
Del Water Gap’s sophomore album I Miss You Already + I Haven’t Left Yet released last September to critical acclaim, including from Atwood Magazine; in featuring the record on our year-end list, we praised it as one of 2023’s musical masterpieces: “A cinematic, soul-baring record full of inner reckonings, raw upheavals, and rude awakenings… achingly intimate, candid, unapologetic, and deeply vulnerable.”
The timing of Del Water Gap’s re-release is no doubt strategic: He just co-headlined The Greek Theatre with The Japanese House, and is now opening for ex-One Direction singer Niall Horan on his UK stadium tour. While this writer would hardly call two original singles and a live version of “Doll House” deluxe, the quality and caliber of these additions to the Del Water Gap discography warrants the label: Both “Midas” and “Purple Teeth, The Bravery” are exceptional three-minute wonders, each a gentle giant of sound and a profound insight into S. Holden Jaffe’s unabridged, earnest soul.
Make a truce with myself and call me
Midas in reverse ‘cause everything I touch
Turns eventually to dirt
I’ll make a truce with myself
and I don’t reckon that I’m cursed
But everything I touch
turns eventually to dirt, yeah
King Midas in reverse
King Midas in reverse
Cause everything I touch
Everything I touch turns eventually to dirt
:: “eXCiTING:)” – Asha Imuno ::
Minna Abdel-Gawad, Boston, Massachusetts
Rising star and breakout alt-R&B artist, Asha Imuno, hits the ground running with the first single, “eXCiTING:)” from his forthcoming EP BLKSUGAR. This single marks Imuno’s first release since his debut LP PINS & NEEDLES, where the artist solidified himself as a triple-threat: rapper, singer and producer. Moving from the twinkling melodies, introspective bars and soothing vocals of PINS & NEEDLES, Imuno created this track to “feel like a party.” The artist shared “There’s a shift between now and when we last checked in [PINS & NEEDLES]. I’m more confident, directed, and focused. It’s something to celebrate, looking at everything ahead with the biggest eyes.”
Filled with gritty drill beats, bouncing house influences and trilling vocals. “eXCiTING:)” marks an exciting and effervescent introduction to the brand-new BLKSUGAR era. While this is a newer sound for Imuno it is still unmistakably him. There is a distinctive Asha Imuno flare (a term I’m coining now) to each and every one of his releases, there something that is ineffable and entirely unique. It’s a fusion between his singing and rapping, always accompanied by witty bars, addictive adlibs and meticulous production. “eXCiTING:)” left me feeling… (you’ll never guess) excited. I look forward to the sonic journey we’re embarking on with Asha Imuno into the BLKSUGAR soundscape as it continues to expand and grow.
:: “Gone to Bed” – colby! ::
Rachel Leong, France
colby! has returned with “Gone to Bed,” an addictive pop tune fusing rugged vocals with haunting melodies. Hailing from Fort Worth, Texas, the up-and-coming singer/songwriter crafts all her songs with her brother, RJ Johnson; together, they hope to create worlds of solace and escapism.
With vocals reminiscent of Fiona Apple, and a musical style reminiscent of early Billie Eilish, colby! wraps you up in a collage of mesmerising lyricism, just daring you to be drawn further into her refuge. An exploration of connection and things left hidden, “Gone to Bed” is a rumination on the harder aspects of a relationship.
Overcoming severe dyslexia through intensive therapy, colby! found great comfort in the creative arts, leading her to start singing and writing songs at a young age. With a flair for authentic and vulnerable storytelling, colby! is breaking barriers in unapologetic songwriting and forthcoming music-making.
:: “your favorite girl” – country girl ::
Mitch Mosk, Beacon, New York
The soundtrack to your dreamiest romance, country girl’s sophomore single is a sweet seduction. It’s a song embracing love’s idyllic euphoria; of finding your person and leaning in; of two hearts and souls becoming one; of the deepest kind of intimacy and connection. Released August 14th via FADER Label, “your favorite girl” aches with soft pastel hues and soothing pop melodies as country girl gently sweeps us off our feet. The Brooklyn-based bedroom pop singer/songwriter debuted with the song “tastes like cherry” in late February and remains nameless, letting their music – self-described as a blend of classical (they studied composition at Juilliard) with “modern pop craft” – speak for itself.
And in just two and a half minutes, “your favorite girl” has quite a lot to say. Dulcet guitars and saccharine synths create a lush soundscape, over which tender drums shuffle us forward and the artist spills his heart:
I wanna be your favorite girl
I wanna mess with your curls
I wanna tell you all the time
But once I start I get shy
I’d be your favorite girl
I’d wear your shaggy sweater
in the morning light
I’d be your ocean pearl
If you’d let me,
I’d be your favorite girl
“‘your favorite girl’ is a song about the movie scenes we film, direct, and act in our heads while in the frenzy of a crush, how we cast ourselves as the female lead, the desire to adore and be adored,” country girl tells Atwood Magazine. “That feeling, at the end of the night, cheek against the pillow, with the AC purring, that we all just want to be someone’s favorite girl… ya know?”
“The creation of the song was pretty simple: After I’d demo’d all the parts in my bedroom studio, I hit up friends in various bands around NY (Max from Porches, Sam from Test Subjects, Saguiv from YHWH Nailgun) for us to rerecord the drums, rhythm guitar, and bass guitar on better gear. I was pretty set on bouncing all the stems to tape, but I’d also heard many horror stories from tape-machine-owning friends of mine about the constant expensive repairs involved, so I ended up finding this spot Phaser Studios outside Milan that prints your stems to tape for cheap. I mixed the song myself, and having all the parts in tape form really helped me bring the song into the warm soundworld I was looking for.”
I wanna see you at the show
I’m standin in the front row
I wanna pull you through the crowd
Just so we’re holding hands now
I wanna drive you home at night
I want your head dozed on my side
While we laugh at all the fools
That we knew in grade school
country girl likens his music to a “sticky New York summer,” but the heat and charm of his first two songs is transferable; I’d just as readily call his sound that of a “tranquil New York fall” and a “cozy New York winter.” Love doesn’t have a season; it transcends the boundaries of time, ebbing and flowing and growing as you nurture that special bond that so many of us long for, and so many of us cherish. Basking in a cinematic light, “your favorite girl” is an ode to that intimate and inimitable force – to the genuine joy, warmth, and beauty of the most vulnerable kind of human connection.
I wanna look you in the eye
Oh man it gets me every time
I wanna shine inside your world
I wanna be your favorite girl
:: “Suckin Up” – Audrey Nuna ::
Christine Buckley, Connecticut
On her Instagram, Audrey Nuna announced her single “Suckin Up” by saying it would be out Friday, August 16, in the “Cenozoic era, planet Earth.” She seems lo like historical references, especially in this one, and “Suckin” Up is a playful, upbeat R&B romp that highlights Nuna’s strengths in bounce and melody. Her switches between smooth vocals and acerbic lyrics has me thinking of Raye’s “Genesis,” while rhyming Machiavelli, Botticelli and “Cinderelly” with jelly, belly and smelly gives a turn-on-a-dime element to the lyrics.
Oh, damn
Talk, talk money
I got dirt on my wellies
Yeah, ’cause I ain’t Cinderelly
If you eating jelly, don’t say shit about my belly
‘Cause I walk, don’t need ellie
Machiavelli
Send a note to the enemy
Ok Bettie
Yeah, I talk, talk pretty, and I stink, and I’m smelly, if you
If you’re super jelly, don’t say shit about my belly
That lyrical contrast is also reflected in the bouncy flow of the verses versus the lilting melody of the chorus. Nuna says the track is about cutting through the noise of synthetic love and finding something real, which seems to be illustrated in the music video–a visual love letter to New York City, from Chinatown to a nostalgic Japanese supermarket. The only problem with this song is its criminally short length. Perhaps we’ll see something more soon…maybe 2024 will be the year Nuna drops her second album?
:: “TT.” – denn. ::
Mitch Mosk, Beacon, New York
Of all his releases to date, denn.’s “TT.” feels the closest to a raw, heated fever dream – and that’s saying something: Since his debut in late 2022, the NYC indie pop artist’s early oeuvre has largely pulled from and revolved around a breakup, with songs like “think,” “uh uh uh uh UH?,” “it’s happening?,” and “rottenteeth” all navigating emotional turmoil in some way, unpacking the all-too familiar pains of heartache and heartbreak.
What makes “TT.” so special is how unapologetic and lowkey dramatic denn.’s vocal performance is: Over lush, warbly guitars and a shuffling drumbeat, he unleashes his innermost demons – the ones we’ve all dealt with, in our own ways, when reckoning with matters of the heart. His lyrics are sharp, angry, emotionally charged, and honest – a quality that shines through his production’s funky haze, bringing listeners deeper into his innermost sanctum, and closer to the real human behind the music, than ever before.
So baby please how many times you kiss him?
While I was crying up in your kitchen?
And I’ll try not to scream my head off
Everyone says I’m better better better off
Sometimes I just wanna f* it up
Bad influence got me smoking out
I just bought a vape last week
you bet I’m buzzed and crashing out
Stole my mom’s Toyota at the store roll off the curb now
Different person than who you loved don’t give a f* now
“‘TT’ is the ultimate petty breakup song,” denn. tells Atwood Magazine. “It’s my first time channeling pure bitterness instead of longing or missing someone. Instead of dwelling on the past or blaming myself for being cheated on, I’ve embraced a ‘your loss’ mindset.”
Good for him.
He continues, “It’s about refusing to let someone who disrespected me and what we had break me. Instead, I’m reclaiming my power by doing everything I couldn’t before and taking away their satisfaction. It’s all about talking my shit and owning my truth, even if it’s just for show. Words have power, and sometimes you need to lie to yourself to believe you’re okay. So this time, I’m speaking up.”
I always kiss and then I tell
Cuz I can’t keep keep keep shit to myself
Oh shit shit am I a little vulgar?
Did I off off off put you to his shoulder?
Make my head spin
Like I’m off a Percocet
Tell your best friend
“He’s too good to forget”
“TT.” finds denn. channeling the inner pain that’s long permeated his music into something… refreshingly incensed; empowering; remorseless and unashamed. While the music itself is as hypnotic, as groovy, and as intoxicating as ever (reminiscent of early Glass Animals, if I do say so myself), the artist’s latest single acknowledges the weight of those feelings we often try to ignore, avoid, or displace – emotions that, in truth, need to be acknowledged, if only so that we can move past them on the road toward a healthier headspace.
No one’s ever treated you better
Put that heart in a homeless shelter
Now I know why your dad left
Couldn’t put up with your bad breath
Sometimes I just wanna f* it up
Bad influence got me smoking out
I just bought a vape last week
you bet I’m buzzed and crashing out
Stole my mom’s Toyota at the store roll off the curb now
Different person then who you loved don’t give a f* now
I always kiss and then I tell
Cuz I can’t keep keep keep shit to myself
Oh shit shit am I a little vulgar?
Did I off, off, off put you to his shoulder?
“TT.” is a song of grief and growth, to be sure, but it’s equally fun, soothing, and smoldering: A true sizzling fever dream ready to dazzle the ears and light a red-hot fire inside.
And when I pull away
You get on top of me
And I swear I can’t, can’t, can’t, can’t f*ng breathe
Tommy Toyota, I know you hate me
But you’re so reliable
When you mistreat me
Eat me
Make my head spin
Like I’m off a Percocet
Tell your best friend
“He’s too good to forget”
No one’s ever treated you better
Put that heart in a homeless shelter
Now I know why your dad left
Couldn’t put up with your bad breath
Sometimes I just wanna f* it up
Bad influence got me smoking out
I just bought a vape last week
you bet I’m buzzed and crashing out
Stole my moms toyota at the store roll off the curb now
Different person then who you loved don’t give a f* now
:: “Roses” – Alisa Xayalith ::
Josh Weiner, Washington DC
If I think of all the songs named “Roses” out there – the versions by OutKast, Kanye West, the Chainsmokers, benny blanco and more – I see a couple common trends: One, they all tend to be good, and Two, they usually aren’t so much about the flowers themselves, but more often tend to elaborate on the metaphor implied by the famous saying about how “even the most tempting rose has thorns.”
A new entry to the “Roses” musical pantheon by Alisa Xayalith – a New Zealand singer of Laotian heritage who now resides in Los Angeles – follows those club standards quite well. It’s definitely good – it’s got a captivating indie-electro-pop beat and vocal harmonising by its star– and it also uses roses as a lyrical metaphor, although a more positive one this time around. Thorny though they may be, roses nonetheless represent a beautiful and ever-blooming plant, and Xayalith alludes to that by telling her romantic partner, “After all that we’ve been through, I still wanna take a walk with you into the garden. We can watch it grow for all of our tomorrows ‘til everything’s coming up roses.”
“Maybe this is hilariously millennial of me, but the idea of using a garden metaphor felt very natural when writing the lyrics for ‘Roses,’” says Xayalith, who spent over a decade with the indie electronic group The Naked and Famous before launching her solo career four years ago. “I pictured myself digging up dirt, burying metaphorical fears, worries, troubles, the past, whatever it may be into the soil and for something beautiful to grow in its place, waiting until ‘everything’s coming up roses.’ I think it’s a beautiful thing to look back with someone and say, ‘Isn’t it crazy how we survived each other and made it through?’”
It’s a beautiful thing, indeed – and so is the resulting track. May Alisa Xayalith’s musical success continue to blossom.
:: Back in My Body – MALIA ::
Grace Holtzclaw, Los Angeles, CA
MALIA is one of the most memorable vocalists in the modern R&B world. She’s refined, warm, and ethereal as she uses her voice to shed light on her powerful life story. Back in My Body is about making peace with yourself. The album explores MALIA’s journey with sobriety, identity, and her deepest insecurities.
Back in My Body will put you in a dream state with effervescent strings, gentle percussion, and spell-binding vocals. Her third track “Cruise Control” is a moving tribute to herself as MALIA reminisces on her journey with sobriety. Further opening up about her identity, her fifth track “Minding My Own” is an introvert’s anthem as she writes an ode to feeling at peace when she’s alone. Closing track “Back in My Body” is an empowering track about returning to ourselves after overcoming obstacles.
Back in My Body is a turning point in MALIA’s career as she bares new levels of soul as an artist. She was recently selected by Alicia Keys to cover a song for the 20th anniversary of Songs In A Minor. Back in My Body is MALIA’s latest release.
:: Our Skies Smile – Gingerbee ::
Frederick Bloy, London, England
The bee movie has become something of a laboured gag, one of the most public inside jokes of all time. To fashion into something profound would take the work of an academic at their most pompous, or, apparently, the music of one of the most rapturous EPs of 2023.
Our Skies Smile is the result of the folktronica stylings of Mid-Air Thief fusing with the essence and vocal performance of screamo in a head-on collision. The EP bursts, beeps, fizzes, growls, splinters, thrums, eddies, cambers, stings you in the eyes, the ears, and ultimately nestles in the palm of your hand with you dazzled and still stupefied by what’s just culminated. It’s a firework display of ambitious supply. It’s the life of a group of bumblebees, zipping about with complete jollity and vibrancy, as depicted in the record’s glowing cover art.
High points like the titular “Our Sky’s Smile” leave space for lulls of well-handled serenity, such as in “Gingerbee’s lament.” Ultimately, it is an EP that promises unfathomable potential; in being, much like a bumblebee, so tricky to nail down in of itself, the directions to travel next are as broad as an open sky.
:: “Sundays” – Freddie Lewis ::
Mitch Mosk, Beacon, New York
Art tends to hyperbolize love and loss, but the honest damn truth is that your life isn’t the same when a loved one leaves you. Absences can often feel as strong as a presence once was: A human-shaped hole in your daily comings and goings, from trips to the grocery store and cozy dinners, to five-minute check-in calls during the week just to say “hey” and send some virtual love.
Whether they’re a family member, a friend, or a romantic partner, life just isn’t the same without your loved ones in your orbit. And while Freddie Lewis’ new single specifically mourns a romantic loss, in many ways “Sundays” applies to all sorts of grief – because it’s those little moments, the ones that he zeroes in on, that are so often the backbone to all of our greatest relationships.
And it’s the greatest relationships that we miss the most when they’re gone.
I do the things I’m meant to do
I hit the gym
And take it one day at a time
I write it down and tell a friend
Breathe in for 5 and out for 10
And every day I find another way
to be alright alone
If I could only figure Sundays
Independently released August 16th, “Sundays” is Freddie Lewis’ hauntingly beautiful first single of 2024 – a beautifully brooding, passionate, and deeply soulful expression of melancholy and mourning. Following last year’s sophomore EP More Than That, the London-based artist spends four gut-wrenching minutes dwelling in the overwhelming ache of a fresh absence in his life.
“I wrote this song on a Sunday, a few weeks after a big relationship ended,” Lewis tells Atwood Magazine. “It’s about the space that was left when that person wasn’t in my life in the same way anymore. It was about picking myself up and dusting myself off while also allowing myself to feel grief for what I’d lost.”
I’m making art and calling mum
I’m keeping busy, trying to find myself for fun
I stay out late and dance for me
Then I look for you in almost everyone I meet
And every day I find another way to be alright alone
He continues, “Then I had a few sessions with my dear friend Charlie T Smith in his studio to record the track, and actually these all fell on Sundays just by coincidence, so eventually the song kinda became its own solution: in the quiet time, on Sundays, when the grief was more all-consuming, I’d drive down to Charlie’s studio and I’d process it into this song, not running from the feeling but sharing it, making something with it, spending time doing what I love (writing), with my friend. Soon that’s what Sundays became about, my friends and music.”
If I could only figure Sundays
Wipe the image from my eyes
Your face a something sunny
and your figure folded gently into mine
If I could only figure Sundays
Forget the feeling of your hair
On my fingertips, and to my lips,
the way it felt to kiss you everywhere
If I could only figure Sundays
Forget the parts I want to hold
The subtle times I caught your eye,
and both of us imagined growing old
If I could only figure Sundays
I’d know exactly what to do
If I could only figure how to do a Sunday without…
If he could only figure Sundays… he dwells in this space, as so many of us do and have done, until suddenly the sky opens, and Sundays aren’t all that bad anymore. Lewis gains a pep back in his step, the melody changes, the beat quickens, and we feel a weight lifted.
I’ve worked out late nights in London
The gigs we’d have gone to
I’ve found my own parties and
I’ve gone there just me Day trips and holidays
The hotels we’ll never stay
I’ll spread myself out wide or invite some company
I’m writing, feeling,
Looks like I’m healing
I’m meeting new people and
Spending my evenings
How I want, with myself
I’m caring ’bout my health
I’m leaning, I’m patient
I’m finding my way since you walked away
But something in me just can’t quite work out
Ending in a much healthier, brighter, warmer space than when it started, “Sundays” transforms from a song of heartache to one of hope. It’s as much a testament to the very real powers of grief, as it is a reminder that there is life after loss.
Sundays
The image settles in my eyes
Your face a something sunny
and your figure folded gently into mine
If I could only figure Sundays
Forget the feeling of your hair
On my fingertips, and to my lips,
the way it felt to kiss you everywhere
If I could only figure Sundays
Forget the parts I want to hold
Still sometimes I see your eyes,
for a second I imagine growing old
If I could only figure Sundays
I’d know exactly what to do
If I could only figure
how to do a Sunday without you
:: “We Must Be in Love” – Lea Thomas ::
Mitch Mosk, Beacon, New York
“Let… yourself… be happy…” Serenity flows throughout Lea Thomas’ second song of the year as the Hudson Valley-based singer/songwriter envelops her audiences in a soothing, soul-stirring blanket of love. An intimate exhale and a gentle, dreamy lullaby, “We Must Be in Love” is a cathartic expression of deep tranquility and connection. The second single off Thomas’ upcoming fourth album Cosmos Forever (out September 20 via Triple Dolphin Records) captures the warmth and weightlessness we all feel, in some form or fashion, when we stop and realize we’ve found our special person.
It’s more than a ‘good’ feeling, and it’s more than a ‘great’ feeling; for a second, you feel as though you’ve won the race; the long wait is over, and you can finally relax and set your soul free.
Let yourself be happy
When you look at me with
That look in your eyes
All that surrounds me
Becomes love
We must be in love
“‘We Must Be in Love’ is a love song,” Thomas tells Atwood Magazine. “It could be a love song for anyone or anything, but for me, it has become a love note to the cosmos, to this earth, to the places that shaped my life, and especially for the island of Maui in Hawai’i, where I grew up. I like to think that true love has a way of slowing down time so you can ‘let yourself be happy.’”
“The video features 8mm footage of wild waters, flowers and friends from excursions around the island when I was home for a visit. My only intention was to share a spark of the love that the land has inspired in me over all these years. A few months later, unprecedented and devastating fires swept through old Lahaina town on the West side of Maui, bringing most of a precious historic town to ruins. It is difficult to overstate how deeply this tragedy was felt throughout the island community. But as neighbors came together around this disaster, through the shock and grief, I could also feel the love of the land connecting us all. This song is an ode to that kind of love – a love as resilient as the land itself.”
Holding your hand in mine
All that surrounds us
Becomes love
We must be in love
Whether you hear this song and feel more connected to the ground beneath your feet, or to your fellow man, there is no denying the depth, the heat, and the beauty emanating out from Lea Thomas’ music. “We Must Be in Love” is tenderness manifest in seven minutes of spectacular, spellbinding ambient folk rock sound; a smoldering, cinematic slow-burner ready to wrap its radiant arms around us, hold us tight, and keep us safe.
Isn’t that what so much of love is about? A sense of belonging, of understanding, of knowing, and of caring. It’s connection; an unwavering, powerful bond. Lea Thomas has tapped into the core of that bond, and out of it she’s created a dreamy, dramatic, enchanting song of true breathtaking beauty.
:: “Movie Ticket” – Mary Elle ::
Joe Beer, Surrey, UK
Originally from Oklahoma, the now Czech Republic-based artist Mary Elle, has just released her second single to date and she is already setting the bar high. “Movie Ticket” is an emotionally-charged track that chronicles an abrupt, yet expected breakup. As she comes to terms with her new reality, Mary Elle digs deep for her inner-strength and fights through the grief.
With the instrumentation evoking an empowering feel, the songwriter shares, “It relates to the narrative and how even though letting that person go was painful, it was needed in order for her to find a sense of freedom and find out that she’s the main character of her own story, not someone else’s.”
Poised with positivity, Mary Elle’s outlook is inspiring and a breath of fresh air, as she demonstrates to listeners that there is always hope. Her ethereal vocals soar over celestial synths and a warm piano melody, giving meaning to the saying ‘less is more.’
:: “Is” – Hiatus ::
Josh Weiner, Washington DC
There are a couple options for figuring out what happens when Britain meets Iran. One is to head to the British Museum and marvel at the giant griffin statues at the Assyrian gates. The other is to tune in to the work of Hiatus, an Iranian-born EDM producer who has been based in South London for around 20 years. Born Cyrus Shahrad, he’ll be back with his first full-length album in three years this fall, Is, and has released the title track as its debut single.
The fully instrumental song is greatly engrossing, particularly with the modern-slash-traditional approach that Hiatus has taken. “Is” is largely dominated by the kamancheh, an Iranian string instrument performed by his fellow London-based Iranian musician, Faraz Eshghi Sahraei. Yet there is also some room made for a bit of movie music, as apparently is characteristic of Hiatus’ catalogue. In this instance, the famously eerie piano loop from Halloween is reconstructed, ultimately resulting in a Hollywood-tinged Persian Dastgāh composition. How many of those do we get to hear in our lifetime?!
:: “Dig a Grave” – Jane Doe ::
Grace Holtzclaw, Los Angeles, CA
Swiftly approaching the release of their sophomore album Found, Jane Doe shares the third single from their upcoming collection entitled “Dig a Grave.” The song explores the implications of artistry and the intense pressure of always trying to one-up yourself as a creative. It’s a full sonic punch as Jane Doe gives their everything to a track that redefines the ‘tortured artist’ narrative.
“Dig A Grave” is frantic catharsis that draws together feverish bass lines, stark riffs, and an all out powerhouse vocal that captains the track. There’s a unique level of dark, renaissance energy at play which unsuspectedly blends seamlessly with Jane Doe’s grunge sound. “Dig A Grave” reflects on the sometimes toxic relationship between art and the artist through haunting vignettes and jaw-dropping vocals.
Jane Doe is a West Coast based band bringing grunge to a whole new generation. The music video paired with “Dig A Grave” draws references to Stanley Kubrik and captures Jane Doe in an art-adorned villa. “Dig A Grave” is the latest release off their highly anticipated upcoming album.
:: “Go Fishing” – Worm Girlz ::
Mitch Mosk, Beacon, New York
Energizing emotionally charged alt-rock anthems will always have a soft spot in my heart, and Worm Girlz’ fourth single is nothing, if not an energizing, emotionally charged alt-rock anthem: Independently released August 15th, “Go Fishing” is the Australian band’s unapologetic middle-finger to the sky, to the haters, and to all the jerks in their lives. It’s a passionate, infectious eruption of empowerment and liberation that sees the ‘indie supergroup,’ who only just debuted last November and have steadily been introducing themselves over the past nine months, rising to a spectacular fever pitch on waves of raw, visceral, and absolutely irresistible emotion.
The people pleaser’s in me screaming
Cause I won’t let them out this time
I’m still learning, I’m still healing
And I won’t let you take what’s mine
Stop calling me
When you’re lost at sea
I’m struggling and you’re pulling me down
Under again
Only needing a friend if it gets you ahead
and you’re watching me drown
“Inspired originally by cringing at blokes with fish on dating apps, Loz and I found ourselves commonly using the phrase ‘go fishing’ when ranting about ‘leeches’ in our personal lives,” explains Jade Montgomery (of Jade Not Jane), who leads Worm Girlz together with bandmates Angie Gale, Isabella Wood-de-Melo, Lauren Rowe, and Nikolai Bray (MELLOW).
She continues, “Telling someone to ‘go fishing’ quickly caught on with the rest of the band and our collective friend group, so we knew we had to come up with a catchy guitar hook and let our wider worm community in on the joke. Reflecting on how manipulators have reeled us in and dragged us down in the past, the lyrics easily poured from our hearts into the song and the rest of the band really brought the energy that was needed to back them up.”
I don’t ever wanna be
sitting on the sidelines as you tear my world apart
Don’t know how you couldn’t see
All that you are taking for free
You don’t complete me
“If you’re lost at sea, then just go fishing,” we hear in the song’s second pre-chorus, and again in the breakdown. What a line; what a well-placed slap in the face! Worm Girlz may be relatively new to Brisbane / Meanjin’s music scene, but they’ve wasted no time in asserting themselves and defining their artistry as one of dynamic strength, tenderness, and candid defiance.
“Don’t be a drag, just go fishing! I think all toxic people literally just need to go fishing,” vocalist Lauren Rowe says. “Nothing like a natural water source and some alone time to allow for self-reflection and growth.”
I won’t make this comfortable for you
(Not again not again)
Not when you did me wrong
AND I THINK YOUR THERAPIST WAS RIGHT
My only regret is that it took me this long
Stop calling me
I’m not answering
If you’re lost at sea then just go fishing
If “Go Fishing” taps the right nerve, then go have a listen to Worm Girlz’ three other songs “Not My Body,” “Cool Girl,” and “Dirt” – each of which is a bona fide world unto itself, and sees the band carving out their own exhilarating, distinct indie rock/alternative identity in what can often feel like an oversaturated music space. Needless to say, I’m an instant fan, and cannot wait to hear more of what these Aussies have to say!
I don’t ever wanna be
sitting on the sidelines as you tear my world apart
Don’t know how you couldn’t see
All that you are taking for free
You don’t complete me
:: “Angelica” – Greg Loftus ::
Mitch Mosk, Beacon, New York
A charming folk rock song from the heart and the hearth, Greg Loftus’ latest single – his fourth of the year – is a catchy, charming, smile-inducing eruption of love and longing, desire and devotion. The Massachusetts-based singer/songwriter emulates rock greats like Tom Petty, Springsteen, and The Eagles in “Angelica,” soaring high and sweeping low in crafting a driving tune laced with roaring licks and that sweet Americana spirit that fills the air with a sense of possibility, even in the face of struggle and strife.
I was gone before I got there
Moving on and bleeding out
But I wrapped you up around me
And got myself up off the ground
You were wrecked around the edges
Like the outskirts of this town
But that ain’t where the heart is
Or the part we hang around
Independently released August 16th, “Angelica” is the latest single off Loftus’ forthcoming third studio album No Kings in the Wild (out September 13, 2024). The follow-up to 2021’s darker Western Medicine is hailed as a record “exploring the depths of resilience and rejuvenation” – one where Loftus’ humility shines as he embraces a new perspective, “understanding that our time on this earth is short and relatively insignificant in the grand scheme of things.” Produced by Eric Lichter and recorded at Dirt Floor Recording Studio in Connecticut, the grit and gusto of No Kings in the Wild has already been showcased through its singles “Miss Marigold,” “Green River Revival,” and “I Don’t Want to Die in San Antone” – each of which is as catchy as it is cathartic, highlighting not just Loftus’ talents as a singer, a songwriter, and a guitarist, but also his raw, bare humanity – one that is as tortured as it is ultimately relatable. He’s the kind of artist we want to root for; the kind of artist we can see ourselves in.
Angelica to hell with ya
If you don’t think I’m coming home to you
I’ll pull this highway up my Angelica
Because you’re the one that I am driving to
“Much like a lot of the songs on No Kings in the Wild, ‘Angelica’ is about overcoming obstacles and finding the good in something chaotic,” Loftus tells Atwood Magazine. “I knew I had a decent hook in ‘Angelica to hell with ya,’ but that was pretty much all I had for six months, and then one morning the rest just fell out.”
“This is a straightforward driving rock tune about being on the road and missing someone. This is also my best attempt at writing a Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers song. I love the guitar solos and riffs that you can sing, and Mike Campbell is a master at writing melodic lines like the one in the intro. We can definitely thank Eric M Lichter for understanding exactly what I was going for and nailing the lead parts on the first take.”
“‘Angelica’ is about feeling defeated and meeting someone new that changes your entire perspective on things,” he adds. “There’ve been plenty of people that have made it into my songs after 20 years of writing but I realized I didn’t have a single one that had a women’s name for the title. In true pop songwriting fashion, I felt like I needed to change that. This song was written for my girlfriend Angie, but unfortunately that title was already taken.”
Carve my name into the heartwood
And my height upon the jamb
Mark my way with my own words
So you know just where I’ve been
There’s always room at my table
And a song up in the sky
That’s how I caught myself and angel
With a dangerous side
Charming, churning, earnest, and vulnerable, “Angelica” is sure to put a pep in your step as it heats our heavy hearts and wary souls. Greg Loftus’ star is shining ever brighter as he enters the final countdown toward No Kings in the Wild, and with songs this strong in his arsenal, we can’t help but take notice of this wildly talented artist.
Angelica to hell with ya
If you don’t think I’m coming home to you
I’ll pull this highway up my Angelica
Because you’re the one that I am driving to
Angelica to hell with ya
If you don’t think I’m coming home to you
I’ll pull this highway up my Angelica
Because you’re the one that I am driving to
And this road can’t be my home without you
— — — —
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