Esther Rose, “Safe to Run” [ft. Hurray for the Riff Raff]: At first, this just seems like a lovely, wistful country-folk song about escaping the forces closing in. There’s mentions of highways, whiskey and angels. But if you set your ears a little closer to the ground, you realize it’s as much about our dying planet as it is about the people on it. Rose is in good company on the track, duetting with self-described nature punk Alynda Segarra from Hurray for the Riff Raff, they of the anthemic rallying cry “Pa’lante”. Writing this from a window overlooking a city that was just casually razed by an ice storm, this feels like a song we’ll hear again, a song about how our personal and planetary ups and downs are increasingly intertwined.
Ding Dong, “Bup Bup Bup”: When someone first sent this to me, did I think it was a song called ding dong by someone named bup bup bup? Yes. Am I embarrassed I didn’t catch sooner that Ding Dong, who got his start as a dancer, is the dude behind the dancehall classic “Badman Forward Badman Pull Up”? Yes. Does this song somehow mention Jordan, Miley Cyrus and the Ayatollah? Yes. But finally, and most importantly, does this bang? Oh hell yes.
Elisapie, “Uummati Attanarsimat (Heart of Glass)”: Covers are a complicated thing. Often they’re fun and sometimes they’re interesting, but rarely do they deserve to sit alongside the original. Especially when the source material is a ludicrously well-known and loved song. But that’s exactly what Elisapie has managed to do on this Inuktitut version of Blondie's “Heart of Glass”. Inspired by the artist’s childhood connection to the song, it was produced by Montreal legend Joe Grass and accompanied by a gorgeous video of archival Super 8 footage. This version starts by turning the original’s iconic pop-disco sound into warm folk, but what really elevates it is Elisapie’s vocals, soulful, rich and intimate, that spotlight the melodic and rhythmic range of a really special language.
brakence, “5g”: Each year the announcement of festival lineups triggers the other annual tradition of people gleefully saying that they don’t know who any of those people are. I think it’s a defense mechanism? Not to go all grind mindset on you, but this always seemed to me like an easy new music discovery hack. Of course this ethos doesn’t always work - I learned recently that my instinct had been correct to not know anything about Rüfüs Du Sol. But, undaunted, I took my “hey fellow kids” spirit into exploring brakence, a 21-year-old singer and producer from Ohio who makes what you’d call emo hyperpop or something. It’s been a decidedly Gen Z deep dive, a look into what they’ve been up to behind those closed bedroom doors. And while some of his music sounds like a modem on a bender, when it really comes together it works. There’s a crispness and intensity to the production that is counterbalanced by his genuinely affecting voice and clever lyrics. “Argyle” was my way in, but this is the one I have on repeat these days and not just because the line “take another edible and go 5g” is a fantastic way to describe doing gummies. When the suburbs turn up shit gets weird.
Harvey Whyte, “Psycho Scene”: Pulling up another file from the white boys gone wild folder, Harvey Whyte is a rapper, producer and pianist from London. He often raps over the piano which, for me anyway, goes from being gimmicky to something pretty distinctive. Harvey’s got bars, but honestly the first thing that jumped out at me when I saw this video was the realization that he’s white. He seems legit, but a question of authenticity will hopefully always be part of the price of admission for white artists looking to share predominantly black spaces. RIP Bobby Caldwell.
Mioclono, “Blue Skies”: There’s not a ton of details out there about Mioclono, the duo made up of Spanish producers and DJs John Talabot and Velmondo (both are stage names but we’re already in the weeds so let’s keep moving). This music comes out of recording sessions they do together each year and you can feel it. It sounds layered and considered and, god help me, organic. “Blue Skies” is the opening track and the rolling, intricate congas and djembes counterbalance the bleeps (technical term) and it has the rare and cool feeling of building and building but deciding to never quite take off.
!Yes to more new songs 🫶!