Releases to re-energize
These releases keep the energy going. The energy of activism, the energy of summer, the energy of living life fully despite the current state of the world. Rest, rejuvenate, and get back to work.
Local
California City, I Met the Devil, in California.
This track starts off slow. Listeners may strain to hear anything in the first 20 seconds, but we promise that moment you hear Griffin Knoll’s drifting voice, the wait will be worth it. Soft, coffeehouse-mellow instrumentals float under barely-there harmonies before picking up the pace.
Linus Yatz, Run for the Dream
Linus Yatz is back with another song that leaves us feeling off-balance, in a good way. Linus Yatz’s voice is haunting, like something we’d hear during a fever dream. The electronic influences and consistent drums ground us and the vocals make us feel like we’re going to float away.
1983, Big Sandy, Chuck Johnson
“1983, Big Sandy” is incredibly sweet. Nostalgia and love seep in through every note, every moment of home-video background noise. No mistake feels like a mistake. This will remind you to call your grandparents.
New Albums
Chloe x Halle, Ungodly Hour
You really couldn’t convince us that Chloe x Halle aren’t actual angels. Their harmonies? Angelic. Their individual riffs and verses? Divine. The production that could stand on its own but still lifts up the vocals? Radiant.
School of Language, I Could Have Loved U Better
“I Could Have Loved U Better” is an homage to Prince without being too on-the-nose about it. Instead of covers, listeners get groovy, synthy, 80s style tracks made in the style of the artist. This release is joyful and reminds us that ripples of good music last long after artists are gone.
Blacknintendo, Starbucks Sessions
Blacknintendo combines nostalgia with modern beats and production to create a record that charms the listener. Jazz piano floats over hip hop and funk, blending the genres to make something that we can play at a house party or in an elevator.
Norah Jones, Pick Me Up Off The Floor
“Ya like jazz?” Norah Jones does. This piano-forward, loungey album scratches at the surface of loneliness and lack of connection. But this record won’t make you sad. Wistful, maybe, but not sad. Jones’s voice and original piano trios lift listeners up.
New Singles
Leon Bridges, Sweeter
Leon Bridges sings over simple production, mixing his soulful voice with hopeful, yet honest, lyrics. Saxophone comes in as Bridges sings about “skin dark as night” and the pain of losing someone to racist brutality.
Juicy J, Hella Fuckin’ Trauma
Juicy J raps about coronavirus, police brutality, and the collective trauma that Black people in America share on “Hella Fuckin’ Trauma.” Juicy J’s beats and lyrics get faster and faster as the urgency of the current situation in the United States becomes more and more apparent.
Lil B, I Am George Floyd
Lil B raps the names of Black people killed by police in America over a nostalgic beat. The artist immortalizes the lives of those we have lost, as well as experiences that Black Americans live. “I know I could do more than post a tweet and cry.”
Meek Mill, Otherside of America
Meek Mill opens “Otherside of America” with audio of Trump’s comments about the Black community. He transitions into quick, insightful lyrics about his life, including his prison sentence. The song closes with an audio clip of Meek asking a CNN correspondent “You see seven people die a week, I think you would probably carry a gun yourself. Would you?” The song finishes as the white correspondent replies with “Uh, yeah, I probably would.”
Assembled by music director Meghan Jonas