Back to the weekend are we? With the Summer getting through here, in Lisbon, more and more tracks also seem to light our days accordingly. With a record of more than 500 tracks sent our way in the last two weeks, the task of choosing the best releases is a hectic one. We employ the most logical process possible. If the track speaks to us and we want to get back to it multiple times, that’s a good release. We know we are still leaving a lot of great tracks out of these TGIF compilations, but we see it as a way of sharing with you some gems you might or might not have heard before. Again, doesn’t matter the genre. Doesn’t matter the projection of the band. These are 9 great tracks released in the last two weeks.
B.J. Fisher – Back to the Start
Having both the howl of a band and the intimacy of a solo performance, B.J. Fisher’s music takes the intensity of the combination between indie-rock, indie-pop, and Americana. “Back to the Start” is the fifth single off his upcoming debut album entitled “Night Reminder” that was recorded two years ago and will be released later this summer. It portrays a prayer in the form of a track, filling the listener with incredible power and an honest take that naturally feels American-rooted but also refreshing in the way it sounds genuine: “I felt overburdened by the cares of this world and how I might carry on as an artist. It was written before the pandemic, but I’ve felt this sentiment now more than ever.“
Elujay – Frequently
Elujay is a multi-talented singer/songwriter/director based in Oakland, who makes his return today with “Frequently“. This is a genre-fluid track that mixes RnB, Pop, and some background electronics. Accompanied by a great cinematic video the track is not only very easy to listen to but pushes on some serious bass-and-guitar-based elements that strongly fit his melancholic-melodic vocals. We were singing this back to back in no time due to its grooves.
Hippo Campus – Bad Dream Baby
We’ve been big fans of Hippo Campus since their very beginning. Also, we are dog owners. Mixing the two it would be highly likely that we’d dig their latest single. “Good Dog, Bad Dream” sees the Minnesotan five-piece at their most honest and vulnerable to date, with five intensely cathartic tracks tinged with confessions and dark humor. Particularly “Bad Dream Baby” is a track about consciousness and the complex relationship between two people and, about a dog. In the vocalist’s words, it’s about “my complex relationship with my father, a Britney Spears documentary, and some older men at Grumpy’s (my favorite bar in Minneapolis) who used to hit on me. The hook references my exit from the Mormon religion when I was 15 and the isolation felt during quarantine and the death of the dog my mom got me during my parents’ intense divorce”. Beyond the subjects, this is a very nice pop-rock track filled with hooks and good vibes that can make us dance, focus on the lyrics or just chill. Sounds good every single way.
Lavaé – PickUpThePhone
19-year-old, South African-born, singer-songwriter Lavaé, aims to take all who listen to her on a journey through her tumultuous and unforgiving mind – starting with her debut single “PickUpThePhone“. The track is about her mental breakdown. Portraying self-pity, it mimics a villain’s monologue in a play when the audience starts to see the villain in a different light. Evidently, pop, but contained in an RnB way, and putting her beautiful vocals in the center of everything, the lyrics put on evidence the stigma in African families: “nobody in my life is aware or on the other end of the phone to listen. I spend most of the song begging for someone to hear me“.
Red Moon – Thirsty
In a beautiful ode to queer expression, human connection, and the intensity those can bring to the table, Red Moon’s latest release “Thirsty” is a gorgeous showcase of how powerful music can actually feel while completely identifying with a cause. It takes the notion of emotional liberation and builds a solid rock base on it with the alternated whispered and strong vocals being the highlight. The track sounds retro at times and modern at others. The power of the video helps even further to develop the idea of a band that is making a sound that feels honest to them before wanting to pursue labels. There is an inexplicable power behind it. And that’s what we love the most.
Young Fools was selected by the WtMM team to be included in our monthly updated Spotify playlist with the best recent tracks we covered. You can follow it here.
RUNAH – Let’s Do It All Again
“‘Let’s Do It Again‘ is about the loneliness I felt before I discovered a live shows’ family. There was a period of my life where I felt achingly lonely, I felt like my mind was overwhelming me and I struggled to make sense of life. I used to get confused about what felt real and what didn’t“. Just like that, RUNAH describes her latest song, emphasizing how the absence of live shows for the last year and a half has been leaving a mark on her. The track that fuses moments of delicacy and honest (almost like a proper confession) with indie-pop elements with an acoustic sonority, is about a time when she couldn’t sleep because she felt the dark would swallow her. It is a track about feeling lonely, and about trying to get out of those feelings. About how much humans miss humans, especially when they need to be honest about themselves.
SHARKTANK – Jesus Made Of Jelly
Back in February, we said about SHARKTANK “Their listeners can eagerly expect their path to continue this way. Combining the best of the indie songwriting mood, late 90s Hip Hop vibes, and very attractive pop beats. We include ourselves in that pack. We eagerly wait for more“. Well, more it’s here. “Jesus Made Of Jelly” it’s a super track and the final single of their debut album entitled “Get It Done“. A track that feels once again like the perfect blend of genres. Starting hip-hop with rock nuances, there is a constant gorgeous bass that goes and comes around, and a proper evolution that never really stops. It is retro, but also modern. With the inclusion of several distinct pop vocals from the chorus on, and a true showcase of a chameleon track that feels better every time we play it.
Unknown Caller – Borderline
Creating music inspired by warm nights, nostalgia, and life in New York, this is how Unknown Caller got to us with his newest release (released today) entitled “Borderline“. It blends woozy synths, funky basslines, and silky-like vocals in a groovy-retro composition that takes bits of the 80s and bits of the future too reminding a bit of Toro y Moi. The track’s about “that transitional period of a relationship when you’re getting to know someone and everything clicks, but you’re both figuring out if a relationship is something you can balance“. It’s also about the borderline, the place where you are when you’re switching jobs, moving cities, changing friends, etc. Something that, for us, feels more common the older we get. And it tastes so good to have a soundtrack that makes it feel natural and chilled.
"Borderline" was selected by the WtMM team to be included in our monthly updated Spotify playlist with the best recent tracks we covered. You can follow it here.
Wanderland – Soon
“Soon” is the debut single from Wanderland, and the first taken from their debut EP. Written in a wild old mill, the track is mainly folky with bits of alternative rock, and a super melodic tender vocal accomplishment by Natalie Wildgoose. The vocals are made of processed massed vocals and the track was written in a wild old mill, combining warm analog synths and fresh acoustic melodies with poetic lyrics. It transports us into a calming and make-believe state of mind where the piano is ultimately the most proficient company to the dreamy vocal elements throughout.
Have a great weekend!!!