ScHoolboy Q’s sunny disposition on “Soccer Dad,” his latest single, will still straighten your back. When he describes himself as a “groovy ass, no face killer that love to smile,” “killer” is as palpable as “love to smile” is heartwarming. A rare solo release after roughly two and a half …
Read More »Song You Need to Know: Cody Currie and Eliza Rose, 'Another Love'
Berlin-based producer and multi-instrumentalist Cody Currie reconnects with Eliza Rose on “Another Love,” a pining, four-on-the-floor house cut about the search for the right romantic partner. Rose’s lyrics nod to the Gwen McCrae dancefloor classic “Keep the Fire Burning,” a relentlessly funky 1982 single that combines a drilling bass line …
Read More »Brandee Younger's 'Pretend' Is an Elegant Intergenre Chill-Out
One of the loveliest sounds heard on record in 2020 was the pluck and shimmer of Brandee Younger’s harp, tracing out the melodies of classic songs like the Stylistics’ “You Make Me Feel Brand New” and Kate Bush’s “This Woman’s Work” on Force Majeure, a collection of home-recorded duets with …
Read More »Song You Need to Know: Navy Blue Featuring Yasiin Bey, 'Breathe'
It’s hard to categorize the music that Navy Blue, né Sage Elsesser, makes. Convenience calls for describing it as rap and calling Elsesser, who moonlights as a professional skateboarder, a rapper. He’s part of a growing cohort of musicians who make what’s been dubbed “lo-fi” rap, which seems just as …
Read More »Song You Need to Know: Bad Boy Chiller Crew, 'Needed You'
Bad Boy Chiller Crew hail from a northern English city, Bradford, that few people outside the region often think about, and they specialize in a kind of music, bassline, that hasn’t been popular since the mid-2000s — and yet embracing both these things has made BBCC one of the most …
Read More »Song You Need to Know: Softee, 'Crush'
There is no confusion quite like the confusion that accompanies the break-up rebound — the heart trying to open itself up again to the world, against the white-knuckle grip of that older love. It’s a charged energy that budding NYC pop artist Softee navigates deftly on her new song, “Crush.” …
Read More »Song You Need to Know: Jason Isbell, 'Dreamsicle'
Pandemics can do funny things to a person’s mind. Dreams can turn strange, with random, poignant memories emerging unbidden from the hidden folds of our brains. Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit’s newest song, “Dreamsicle,” is full of images like those: ice cream melting on fingers in the twilight, fireflies …
Read More »Song You Need to Know: Drive-By Truckers, 'Babies in Cages'
It’s hard to write a protest song that doesn’t come off as reductive, all the more so in an era when there’s so much to protest. Drive-By Truckers strike the right balance on the not-so-subtly-titled track “Babies in Cages,” off their new album, The Unraveling. With a decidedly more subdued …
Read More »Song You Need To Know: Too Free, 'ATM'
If you’ve ever lost yourself to a house banger, eyes closed on a sweaty 6 a.m. dance floor, then you know exactly the body feeling that a track like Too Free’s “ATM” elicits. If you haven’t, close your eyes with your headphones turned all the way up: Now you know. …
Read More »Song You Need to Know: Kaye, 'Closer Than This'
Charlene Kaye, who know performs under Kaye, launched her music career eight years ago with indie-pop love songs like the Darren Criss-assisted “Dress & Tie.” She has evolved into bigger and bigger pop sounds as a solo artist, taking a break to perform with San Fermin for a few years. …
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