New music Friday
Local musicians finding their niche, tried-and-true favorite artists releasing new singles and albums. New music Friday is proof there is still some good we can always count on. Have a social distancing dance party with these as your playlist.
Local
Jackson Holte and the Highway Patrol, Last Rain of the Summer
Listening to this record makes you feel tough. With some kick you in the teeth guitar that makes you want to kick your heels up, this record combines dive-bar grittiness with soft sweetness sprinkled in.
Ping Catastrophe, Ping Catastrophe
You know BMO in Adventure Time, the cute little video game console that is a comforting presence in the weirdest of times? Oddly enough, Ping Catastrophe sounds like what it would sound like to live inside their head. Former Missoulian Aly Lindgren mixes synthesizers with emotionally raw lyrics to create a sound that finds honesty beneath a just-finished exterior.
Emzee, Spine (single)
Emzee creates a slightly spooky overcast mood with just the faintness glimmer of sun peaking through. Classic guitar balances and lyrics of heartbreak make for a smooth track.
Jo Curtis, In the Light (single)
Spoken word poetry drifts over a repetitive electronic beat and trumpet to create a soothing lo-fi lull. The lyrics are so brutally honest that listening feels voyeuristic. Jo Curtis brings listeners to every moment they’ve ever fought against falling in love.
Top 5
New Albums
Eliza & The Delusionals, A State of Living in an Objective Reality
Eliza & The Delusionals have created an album that already feels classic. They’ve made the typical formula of drum beats, steady bass lines and a mellow rock sound brand new.
Peach Pit, You and Your Friends
Peach Pit is the kind of music that you can still stare at your ceiling to but it won’t make you uncontrollably sad. Their mellowness makes a record you can sway to, even when the higher energy songs come on.
Purity Ring, WOMB
Purity Ring uses fluid transitions and intense production to create a celestial album that feels otherworldly. Listen to this and imagine you’re floating through outer space. That’s how it makes us feel anyway.
Yaeji, WHAT WE DREW
This is perfect house music for when you’re stuck at home. Yaeji combines hip hop elements with deadpan vocals to create an introspective record that makes you work for the meaning.
TOPS, I Feel Alive
This disco pop is a luscious escape inward. Flute, synth and relaxed guitar are juicy. The vocals are saturated and sensual like they are straight out of the 70s, basking in emotional indulgence.
Top 5
New Singles
GIRL SKIN, Soft Gun
Unrequited love never gets old. GIRL SKIN proves it. Solid beats and sweet harmonies give listeners a song that feels familiar. Add strings and a subtle crescendo to create a blink and you’ll miss it kind of love song.
M. Ward, Heaven’s Nail and Hammer
“Heaven’s Nail and Hammer” feels like looking through a cloud of smoke, hazy and slow. M. Ward uses sparse instrumentals and the occasional layered vocals to keep listeners firmly in their own head.
Frank Ocean, Cayendo (Side A)
Frank Ocean’s effortless vocals and dreamy production combine with his signature almost-vulnerable lyrics to create a track that we’ll be listening to in the middle of the night when we can’t sleep or on our next quarantine drive.
The 1975, Jesus Christ 2005 God Bless America
The 1975 dives deep into the aesthetic of our childhood on this track. Lyrical softness and acoustic guitar make this song unexpectedly gentle. This track feels like running through the park on a blurry summer day.
Liza Anne, Bad Vacation
“Bad Vacation” is a killer break-up song that is all about celebrating newfound freedom. Sharing tales of a bad relationship with playful lyrics like “you were like sand in my ice cream” Liza Anne makes her feelings known.
Assembled by music director Meghan Jonas and general manager Noelle Huser.