#ethan gruska

[nofatclips]

Savior Complex by Phoebe Bridgers from the album Punisher - Video starring Paul Mescal, directed by Phoebe Waller-Bridge [Behind the scenes here]

[lovvelorrn]

it’s friday and i’m feeling feelings

[3rdbogwitch2theleft]

brb experiencing shrimp emotions

[concenecxere]

“I try to see the olive branch or the dove / I ask the heavens up above / Hey, why doesn't love conquer everything?”

[moochilatv]

Skout presents: What If Wanting's Not Enough

When the love it's enough

Skout’s haunting new single, "What if Wanting’s Not Enough," holds a magnifying glass to the doubts, second-guessing, and prolonged ambiguity that permeate relationships nearing their end. Anchored by a rubber bridge guitar line and emotive strings, the soundscape Skout meticulously carves out is reminiscent of the best of Ethan Gruska and Phoebe Bridgers’ catalogues.

This song is perfect for contemplative, sad, melancholic, acoustic, indie folk, and singer songwriter playlists.

Listen in Spotify:

Skout is a pair of Nashville-based best friends whose music gives a voice to our innermost fears, aspirations, and uncertainties. While their melodies combine the best of indie-folk and pop, their show-stopping acoustic guitar work is a genre all its own.

Skout began as Laura Valk’s solo project in New York City, where she first built a following and met now-bandmate Connor Gladney.

With the guitar chops of Ben Howard, the live show energy of Johnnyswim, and the lyrical prowess of Phoebe Bridgers, the pair has topped the Spotify Viral charts online and garnered a loyal following in-person after years of touring.

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A post shared by Skout (@skoutoutloud)

[umazane-muesli]

Jukebox January: Day 19

(Queuing for the next morning again, sorry it's very late)

Today: songs starting with S:

Oh my God there are so many songs starting with S. SO MANY. Why are there so many. What the fuck. My notes app is a bloodbath right now I don't even know what I'm doing anymore. Artists make more songs starting with X instead challenge

Anyway I've tried my best to wrangle them but this is going to be an incoherent mess at best. Let's go:

Sata vuotta - BEHM

I don't know why it took me so long to start listening to BEHM, but her latest album has been a constant in my December and January. This song is my favourite on it, I love the violin melody, and I think she has a beautiful voice :)

Senida - Senidah ft. Žene

Continuing my Slovenian music propaganda with Senidah this time.

Sédè - N3

I have to shout this one out because Jan played the guitar on it ^^

Stand by - Extremoduro

I love this song so much. I first heard about it (and this band) when I went on a language exchange in Spain when I was in high school. My exchange partner listened to this song, and even though we haven't kept in touch, it still makes me think of her sometimes. It's been one of my absolute favourites for 10+ years now.

Si te vas - Extremoduro

I normally try not to put too many songs by the same artist in the same post, but i swear to god all the best Extremoduro songs start with S. What's the deal with that.

Salir - Extremoduro

Teenage me listening to this song: hehehe swear words in spanish >:)

Adult me listening to this song: hehehe swear words in spanish >:)

San Francisco - Maxime Le Forestier

San Francisco - Scott McKenzie

Grouping these 2 together because they're sort of about the same thing really, San Francisco during the flower power movement. But I like the vibe of both. Thank you Kuesli for including the other San Francisco I was thinking of, because I somehow had THREE. Madness.

Short Film - Ethan Gruska

This is my favourite song from a very soft, calm album. I love the sort of muted sound from the piano and the slightly mysterious atmosphere.

Le Sud - Nino Ferrer

This song is like. Weirdly depressing at the end and also a bit dated let's be honest, but I think it still has its charm, I learned it in choir as a child and I'm a bit attached to it.

Stay - ČIUTŌ TUTŌ - Monika Linkyte

I have to admit this was not among my favourites on first impression, but I really warmed up to it and it is definitely one of the songs that stayed with me the longest after eurovision, I still very happily listen to it.

Somma Time Man - Salt-N-Pepa

This song is so fun and sounds SO 90's. It's a bit silly and puts me in a good mood.

Something in the Air - Pegasus

I discovered this band as a small festival in Switzerland around the time this album came out, and it was so fun to hear from a band for the first time as they're playing live. I haven't done that much (haven't been to many festivals) but yeah, Pegasus kind of stuck with me since.

Some Things Have to Be Said - Florent Dorin

Yeah I know this song is 9 minutes long and the french accent (and probably questionable English) is uuh discernible, to say the least (though miles better than his earlier songs) but listen, I love this guy so much and this song is such a journey, his music has gotten so much richer as time went on and this is the best example I think.

Sorry - dodie

Speaking of people who's music has gotten much richer with time, this is one of my favourite songs from dodie, I love the strings and the harmonies. At the end it blends into the next song (called When) and I will neveeer not lose my mind when artists do that.

Show me the way - Styx

Still loving you - Scorpions

Yes I have a power ballads playlist and yes I will use it against you >:)

Salut les amoureux - Joe Dassin

I love how perfectly bittersweet this song is, it's about a couple who breaks up on good terms, without any drama, they just go their separate ways. Just a little bit sad but not in a way a typical break up song is.

Satama - KUUMAA

The latest single from Kuumaa, exactly the kind of song they do best, I love it.

Somewhere out there - Donald Glover and Danny Pudi

Yeah this was in my playlist so i'm including it lol, even though it's not a "proper" song. Community is one of my comfort shows and this is from one of the best moments in it :)

Spirit in the Sky - KEiiNO

I'm going to admit a dirty little secret: even though I do like Eurovision, I haven't watched it religiously every year. And so I didn't even know this was a eurovision song until very recently; I only had it in my library because someone on a discord server had made (very good, might I add) playlists for completely unrelated little blorbos. Anyway, very funny that I'm coming back to this song now.

For S I also want to include 2 non-songs:

Starmania: it's a French and Canadian (Québec) musical from the 80s (well, '79 technically, but it feels extremely 80s). It's such an odd thing, it has the camp and flamboyance of the 80s, but a surprisingly dark dystopian plot. It's weirdly dated and not dated at the same time. The original cast had several singers who were or would become big stars in France (and french speaking countries)(including a eurovision winner lol). There's a robot waitress, and a gang, and a guy who's totally not David Bowie. It's pretty weird. The plot is kind of impossible to explain, but you can go listen to the songs, they're really good :)

There's a new version on tour now I think, and honestly I would love to go see it, because I've only ever heard the songs. (Seems pretty expensive though lol)

Single Handed Sailor - Dire Straits

The second thing I want to include is the album Strangeland by Keane. It came out around when I went on a school trip to Spain and I listened to it a lot during the long bus rides. I just have very fond memories associated with it.

And now frankly way too many bonus songs:

The Story - Brandi Carlile

Sinnerman - Nina Simone

Seven Wonders - Fleetwood Mac

Sad Song - Oasis

Sutra - Lollobrigida

Si Tú Me Quieres - Alex Cuba, Gian Marco

Stille Før Du Kom - Oh Land

Sunday Morning - The Velvet Underground and Nico

Someday - City of the Sun

Surrender - Birdy

Statues - Amy Macdonald

Sunset Lover - Petit Biscuit

Samara - Blanco White

Sve Još Miriše Na Nju - Parni Valjak

Sweet Woman - Cris Williamson

Saturn - Sleeping At Last

Sausalito - Lydia Luce

Shut Up and Dance - WALK THE MOON

Strah me je - Jet Black Diamonds

Stranger - Bec Sandridge

Would you believe me if I said I did actually try to cut as many songs as possible? Anyway, if you've read until the end, thank you (what a mess) 💛

[swimmingback]

every time i like a sweet little indie rock album its bc ethan gruska produced that shit geared specifically for my tastes

[nofatclips]

I Know the End by Phoebe Bridgers from the album Punisher - Director: Alissa Torvinen

[paddypubs]

one of my favorite spn extended universe facts is that jay gruska (composer of the spn soundtrack + notably americana & dean's theme) is the father of ethan gruska (producer of phoebe bridger's strangers in the alps & punisher)

[deadcactuswalking]

REVIEWING THE CHARTS: 21/10/2023 (Fred again../Jozzy, Troye Sivan, Drake/SZA)

Content warning: Brief mentions of mental health, violence, emotional abuse and death

For a second week, Kenya Grace leads the pack with “Strangers” - welcome back to REVIEWING THE CHARTS!

Rundown

As always, we start the episode off with our notable dropouts, which are songs exiting the UK Top 75 - which is what I cover - after five weeks in the region or a peak in the top 40. Firstly, we see a couple top 40 debuts exiting as soon as they entered, like “Normal People Things” by Lovejoy, “Toxic” by Nines featuring the Bad Boy Chiller Crew, “You & Me” by JENNIE and “American Town” by Ed Sheeran, as well as “bad idea right?” by Olivia Rodrigo prematurely dropping off thanks to the three-song rule. Then we have some of the more long-term hits dropping off like “The Weekend” by Stormzy and RAYE, “0800 HEAVEN” by Nathan Dawe and Joel Corry featuring Ella Henderson, “Popular” by The Weeknd, Playboi Carti and Madonna - that lasted way longer than I expected - and despite the recent gains, “Snooze” by SZA.

There is just… a lot of everything this week, but particularly gains. We do have some re-entries too, with “Style” by Taylor Swift back at #73 before her re-recording is even out, followed by “Someone You Loved” by Lewis Capaldi at #71 - what did I tell you? - and bizarrely enough, “Pompeii” by Bastille all the way up at #37 thanks to an orchestral version with Hans Zimmer. Alright then. As for our notable gains… let’s just run through it: “Another Love” by Tom Odell at #59, “Party All the Time” by Hannah Laing and HVRR at #58, “Anti-Hero” by Taylor Swift at #39, “On My Love” by Zara Larsson and David Guetta at #38, “Would You (go to bed with me?)” by Campbell and Alcemist at #35, “Got Me Started” and “Rush” both by Troye Sivan at #36 and #27 respectively - more on him later, “Back on 74” by Jungle at #25, “Stick Season” by Noah Kahan at #18 “Cruel Summer” by Taylor Swift at #14 thanks to the new versions, “DNA (Loving You)” by Billy Gillies featuring Hannah Boleyn at #12 and Mitski gets her first top 10 with the fantastic song “My Love Mine All Mine” at #8 - more on that later in the year.

As for our top five, we have “Baddadan” by Chase & Status and Bou featuring their posse at #5, “Water” by Tyla at #4, “greedy” by Tate McRae at #3, “Prada” by casso, RAYE and D-Block Europe at #2 and of course, “Strangers” at the very top. Now for our list of new songs, and it’s a lot - not a ton of it makes all too much sense either. As you can clearly tell with…

NEW ARRIVALS

#60 - “Just How You Like It” - K.A.D and Kak Hatt

Produced by K.A.D

I listened to a regional BBC Music Introducing show a couple weeks ago and heard a variety of stuff. One of the songs that stuck with me was a pretty mediocre but charming hip-house tune by some guy and it went “give me some time, I’ll have a Rover, lookin’ like a four-leaf clover, tell that girl, come closer”. It’s honestly probably terrible but it was at least honest fun, ending up comical not because he tried to be, but because it was a bit of a genuine fun, not trying too hard to offend anyone or even pretend he was a talented rapper. It was just stupid, and that was okay. This song, with the guy’s Bitmoji in the cover art, seems to think very highly of itself despite the fact it sounds worse than a clearly amateur recording from a guy who I’m sure has way less than the millions of streams this has. It’s pretty easy for me to tell when a song is devoid of personality or anything that personally interests me, but it’s rare that we can get a song devoid of talent - or at least any interest in getting any better. Hope this falls off quick.

#56 - “Black Hole” - boygenius

Produced by Collin Pastore, Jake Finch, Ethan Gruska, Calvin Lauber, Marshall Vore and boygenius

And for a change of pace, we have indie-rock threesome boygenius, consisting of critical darlings Phoebe Bridgers, Julien Baker and Lucy Dacus, with this coming as a bit of a surprise but they did carry some streams from the rest, a little accompanying EP for their debut album from earlier this year. I have yet to listen to any of the collaborative stuff from boygenius, even if I do like a fair bit of Baker’s and Dacus’ solo work. The song starts minimally with Baker despairingly mentioning the few stars she can see in the dark, as the lowered cacophony of strings, glitches, and plummering percussion start to rumble into prominence, battling with a lo-fi piano recording that just sits there, is let hang in a really awkward, but again, despairing way. Eventually, there is a full ruffling of drums but it’s distorted and busy, way too much so to feel organic or natural, so the seemingly endless verse of contrasting phrases from Dacus and Bridgers float across it, way further in the mix, like a cry for help in disaster - “my thoughts, all noise […] sometimes, I need to hear your voice”. It’s a great line to end on to, as the song dissipates out into the next on the tracklisting through a clattering software break instead of anything that sounds like it actually functions or resolves the song’s conflict. It’s a bit of a short, depressing tune, but it gets its point across pretty damn well. Wouldn’t mind more boygenius charting in the future, or just good alternative rock in general… just saying…

#52 - “WORTH IT” - Offset featuring Don Toliver

Produced by CHASETHEMONEY, Heavy Mellow, Cory Rose, OTTI, BEAM and Dave-O

The amount of producers on these big-name rap projects is getting out of hand. Does Offset really need six guys on the boards? To be fair, this was originally a song just by BEAM and CHASETHEMONEY that got deleted and repurposed into this track, which itself samples a Busta Rhymes classic “Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Could See”, which peaked at #16 in 1997, as well as the reggae-pop hit “You Don’t Love Me (No, No, No)” by Dawn Penn, which hit #3 in 1994. Yet somehow with all those samples, nothing of interests pops out. I guess this has a vague reggae rhythm to it thanks to the shaking percussion, and I mostly like Don Toliver on this kind of sound - he fits really well! Offset is here, on his #62 album that somehow charted two songs in the top 60 thanks to big-name features, and he just is entirely alien to this kind of song. There’s nothing that screams “chill reggae-pop” about Offset and it doesn’t seem like the mastering engineers cared much to rectify that. I don’t mind some of the melodic flows he ends up with, but they’re not anything I’d give a second listen. Maybe Offset’s next track will impress me?

#49 - “SAY MY GRACE” - Offset featuring Travis Scott

Produced by Vinylz, FNZ, Maneesh and Tom Levesque

Ever read a song’s title, artists and producers and know EXACTLY how it’s going to sound? This elevated, staccato luxurious trap beat was not a surprise to me at all, and I could even vaguely predict Set’s flow on this, which is sadly a bit more awkward than it should be when he’s asking God some genuine questions about why the people around him are dying, why there is systematic racism in the American justice system and… how his pinky ring cost him a Phantom. Travis Scott comes in saying he flooded the crib with cars and anything genuinely challenging or exciting about the song leaves with his verse, as the atmosphere mutes itself to a compressed synth for the entirety of his substanceless garbage that is sadly now not atypical of Travis. It had potential, but ended up honestly pretty bad.

#45 - “the grudge” - Olivia Rodrigo

Produced by Dan Nigro and Ryan Linvill

I was secretly hoping that no extra songs from GUTS would end up charting because I have very few good things to say about them but also very few good reasons for why I don’t like them. I can appreciate them as songs but they don’t resonate with me and particularly not this one, in her typical wordy fashion with those distant pianos and breathy delivery about a manipulative relationship where she just doesn’t have the strength left in her to forgive, which she really doesn’t need to. It is completely in her right to hold that grudge, and the framing of the song doesn’t entirely absolve her on that front, which is interesting, pretty disagreeable to me at least to me but I just wish the song gave me more actual melodic resonance outside of what acts practically as speaking over solid enough piano backing. It’s just lacking in some of the essentials for me, sorry.

#43 - “THIS YEAR (Blessings)” - Victor Thompson featuring Ehis ‘D’ Greatest

Produced by Samduke and Henrietta Thompson

This is a Christian Afrobeats song, I’m pretty sure, and not an awful one at that. Thompson is a Nigerian gosepl singer, and whilst the production is expectedly cheap and messy given a budget I assume just isn’t there, given that Christian music isn’t the mainstream market in Nigeria either, the delivery from these guys is so devoted it is pretty impressive, especially with Ehis’ shaky falsetto. That hook is insanely catchy also, and the slightly minimal, flexible Afrobeats groove is a solid foundation for two very slippery vocalists. I like the little screech that comes in every few measures, the choir vocals are beautiful as you’d expect - I love pretty much any use of choir in music - but why is this charting? Afrobeats is big, but these guys aren’t, and devoted Christian songs don’t often chart. There is a “French version” with Vacra and a sped-up version so I can assume some global TikTok virality… oh. Gunna is on the remix. There was a hidden Gunna song in here all this time. He’s not even bad here, though a bit strained, you can tell his passion is there even if the lyrics are generic. It’s an odd fit but not the worst, I suppose.

#31 - “DArkSide” - Bring Me the Horizon

Produced by Zakk Cervini, Oli Sykes and Daisuke Ehara

And straying as far away from possible as Christian Afrobeats songs featuring Gunna, we have the newest Bring Me the Horizon song, and man… this one’s about the “dark side” winning, going for a semi-introspective semi-populist touch that ends up just being gross in how it explores mental health. It goes for an anthemic pop-metal throwback to their mid-2010s days but without the specific narrative of POST HUMAN: SURVIVAL HORROR or the same level of sheer angst that I’m not sure they have in them anymore. It feels like an attempt by record label executives seeing the success of Bring Me the Horizon to make a song that could still be a hit whilst sounding like Bring Me the Horizon, with a touch of iffily-approached mental health lyrics that basically amount to “you wouldn’t be able to handle me when I’m crazy!”, furthered by the quirky vocal layering, obnoxious 2012 electronics and mostly substanceless, surprisingly rote songwriting. This is just nothing - there are no risks, there’s no interesting turns of phrase. It’s not even three minutes. It’s just depressing to see a once innovative band caught in this cycle of repeating themselves.

#28 - “Can’t Play Myself (A Tribute to Amy)” - Skepta featuring Amy Winehouse

Produced by Skepta

So in 2007, Amy Winehouse released “Tears Dry on Their Own” as a single, and in all honesty, I don’t like it. It is heavily reliant on its interpolation of “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough”, a classic duet that it clearly tries to flip in how she and Salaam Remi built a pretty ambivalent song over one of the most recognisably upbeat, motivational anthems, about not feeling too bad about a relationship breaking up because it wasn’t made to last. Yet fittingly, it never really made me feel anything. It peaked at #37 on release then upon Winehouse’s death re-peaked at #27. Now as a tribute to the lost singer, UK rapper Skepta has remixed the track but not in a style you’d expect. It’s just a straight future house song and disappointingly not very interesting at all. Sure, it has a bit more fuzz and static than the usual house cut, but it doesn’t feel exactly on purpose, just moreso that Skepta can’t fully pull off atmospheric house, considering the factorial percussion and very flat-feeling pads and synths that coat Winehouse’s organic vocals. I may not be a fan of the original song but at least I’m able to admit her vocals will never really fit that perfectly on something that isn’t in that soulful vibe. It does pain me because I do want to enjoy this, it seems like a genuine tribute and re-imagining of a song he loved from her, but I don’t really like the execution here, it feels like it could have been done by anybody, which for Skepta, is kind of sad. Sorry.

#21 - “Rich Baby Daddy” - Drake featuring Sexyy Red and SZA

Produced by Gordo, Klahr, LIOHN, BNYX, TheLoudPack and UV Killin Em

This may be my favourite Drake song. To be fair, there is some healthy competition - and it is completely expected for me to like this kind of song, at least when you boil it down to its essentials - but the amount of Drake songs I genuinely love probably doubled with the release of For All the Dogs. “Rich Baby Daddy” appears to be the fan favourite as well, or at least the one going most viral on TikTok, and I couldn’t be happier. This is a straight-up Atlanta bass record based around a heavenly pad and angelic vocal sample from Jessica Domingo that elevates the song immediately into a state of transcendence, to the point where the pitter patter of the typical Miami bass percussion is more a sprinkled decoration than main rhythm despite the fact that it is still absolutely hypnotising. Of course, Sexyy Red of all people is here and her tonally void club-ready chant about shaking that ass for Drake is perfect for this kind of bop. Drake contrasts her staccato constant with a feeble warble that flexes, sure, but drenching himself with the same paranoia present throughout the album, with the lyrics about a girl dragging love out of him seeming reminiscent of those questions asked by the vocal sample: “I could be enough, is it all?”. SZA kills it as always, going for a fast-paced, sometimes incoherent sliding delivery, and I love how the vocal sample re-appears as prominent in the mix during her verse, it’s a great mix of vocal layers that compliment each other, especially when SZA is desperate to turn this one-night stand into something further. Ms. Red has a pretty short verse but her leaving the track to run bare, just repeating “I’m lucky” as an ad-lib before the hook comes back in definitely doesn’t sound like an error, it sounds like the emptiness of the song - which it has down even to its minimal instrumentation - creeping in, of course before it becomes increasingly obvious with that abrupt beat switch to a downtempo track of Drake crooning. Now, I’ve heard this song with this part excluded, I read a lot about how it ruined the song or at least the momentum, and I completely agree, but Drake’s best weapon in his arsenal is to make the audience hear conversations they never wanted to even know of. So of course after his incredibly accessible dance banger about masking the fragility of a relationship with the fun you’re having, he gets in his feelings about how much he did for this girl yet how distant and inexperienced she still is. Is it gross? Yes, of course it is, especially over those eerie looming synths. But Drake also latches onto some killer melodies and awful lines that make me recoil into my skin a little bit. Because he’s Drake, that’s what he does, and he’s doing it best here. That strained “You know I’m the one” is a great thing to leave in the air, because it sounds far from sincere. This is an excellent song, I’m glad it’s probably going to be a hit, and if this is the last song I talk about from that Drake album, just know I still think it’s his best and I know my opinion is garbage. WIth that said, how out of all of the songs on there the Yeat one still in the top 10? I would never have predicted that.

#17 - “One of Your Girls” - Troye Sivan

Produced by OZGO

As you can probably expect, so, say it with me now: No, I did not listen to the Troye Sivan album. Who do you think I am? Someone who likes pop music? You would be correct in that assumption and I was tempted to check it out when “Rush” was the only single but “Got Me Started” tempered me very much so. And wow, isn’t this a terrible inclusion to the list of singles? First of all, he sounds like Harry Styles over this murmuring synthpop instrumental, and secondly, he implies support for copyright law, which is nothing we here at the deadcactuswalking establishment can support. I would respect the rejection of the song’s sound to add five unnecessarily blaring synths before the acoustics come in the pre-chorus, if they didn’t sound like a scary logo compilation from 2011, and then a different synth tone comes in the outro - it is clearly a purposeful attempt to sound ugly, and for such a comforting and warm song lyrically, it puts me off from even wanting to come back to it, apart from it being generally dull. A few weird moments does not make an experimental song… or even an interesting one.

#16 - “ten” - Fred again.. and Jozzy

Produced by Fred again.. and Tony Friend

Interestingly, I can’t find the origin of this song’s samples, maybe it’s an unreleased set of tracks from sessions with Jozzy and Jim Legxacy, or just from sample packs, or stuff genuinely too obscure no one has found yet, but it definitely doesn’t sound like it was made for the song. In fact, “ten” has that same blue, jumbled sound as “adore u” but the lack of frame of reference regarding the lyrics may actually help because as a result I can fully submerge in this as what it is, which is practically an instrumental. The song immediately captures the club-ready set with that “back it up and dump it” refrain yet seems to pull you away or at least follow you on the road with its cold, limping synths, punctuated by a lo-fi chipping of drums, wherein Jozzy’s vocals act as another instrument at Fred’s disposal, manipulated not to make sense but to fit with the song and reach the exact melodic impact he wants, which is a great decision considering this song is about missing home. Lyrics that felt solid and developed, especially on the heavily-filtered, subtle and minimal atmospheric house beat would be almost a distraction. They simply want you to carry on with this one, as any homesick person with responsibilities may want to do also: just stick with it despite feeling completely out of it, and as someone who has recently moved home and is feeling particularly fatigued, it hits pretty hard. I do usually snark at the whole slow-down outro thing, but it works pretty well here considering it’s that moment of feeling absolutely lethargic and unsure of yourself before it picks up once again, actually speeding back up to pace for the true outro, with even more twinkling synth patterns and a whirlpool of distortion that eventually completely devours the song… yet it still goes on, like life always does. I don’t know if the song was made to be about stretching yourself unnecessarily just in order to get through life, but it sure feels like it and it hits home as a result. This is fantastic, and I hope it has a run like “adore u” did.

Conclusion

I mean, obviously, whoever the hell featuring who gives a damn gets Worst of the Week for “How You Like It”, but it’s sad to say that “DArkSide” by Bring Me the Horizon wasn’t far behind with the Dishonourable Mention. As for the best, it was kind of difficult but it is very difficult to reach Drake’s best so he gets Best of the Week for “Rich Baby Daddy” featuring Sexyy Red and SZA, with a tied Honourable Mention between boygenius’ “Black Hole” and “ten” by Fred again.. and Jozzy, both pretty incredible songs. As for what to expect upon the horizon, I don’t know and this episode was too long for me to care. Thank you for reading, see you next week!

[ginkgopaw]

rootspring?

Grand Lies - Ethan Gruska

[chorusfm]

Lauren Mayberry Announces Solo Album

Lauren Mayberry will release her debut solo album, Vicious Creature, on December 6th. Today she’s shared the new song “Crocodile Tears.” Lauren Mayberry, the frontwoman for acclaimed electro-pop band CHVRCHES, has announced the release of her eagerly awaited debut solo album, Vicious Creature, coming this December 6th on Island Records. Pre-order is available HERE. Vicious Creature is both a startling new era in Mayberry’s artistry, and the culmination of two decades of life in a band that came before. Across its songs, she writes about sexuality and empowerment from a profoundly personal perspective for the very first time, reconnecting with the icons of her youth (Tori Amos, Fiona Apple, PJ Harvey and Kathleen Hanna) as well as ‘90s British girl groups such as All Saints and Sugababes, whose music made a formative impact on her in the 2000s.  For her first full-length release outside of CHVRCHES, Mayberry sought freedom: from rules, expectations and preconceptions. Working with prolific producers like Greg Kurstin, Matthew Korma, Tobias Jesso Jr., Ethan Gruska and Dan McDougall, she accessed not only a new world of inspiration but the deep well of creativity she’s had within her all along. “So much of this process has been an exercise in empowering myself to listen to my own intuition – something I really trained myself out of,” Mayberry says. “That's ultimately why you start making things – because you felt a feeling, and you wanted to articulate that somehow. I think it was important for me to relearn that kind of independence, and recognize what I bring to any table I choose to sit at.” Over the course of the past year, Mayberry has been sharing songs from the new record, most recently the Brit-pop infused “Something in the Air”. Previous releases include “Shame,” “Change Shapes” and “Are You Awake.”  Today, she reveals “Crocodile Tears,” a track written with Matthew Koma and Ethan Gruska. Mayberry wanted to adopt “a sort of character where I could really let go of the idea that I need to be ‘nice,’ because I think that holds so many women back in their lives. If I didn’t have to be seen as ‘nice,’ I would feel comfortable telling certain people to fuck off when they treat me like shit – on this record, and in these songs, I get to do that.”  Listen to “Crocodile Tears” HERE Watch Video HERE Along with the album announcement, Lauren Mayberry has announced a North American tour for early 2025. Beginning January 28th at San Diego’s House of Blues, the tour will take her cross country and back, playing dates in Chicago at Thalia Hall (2/5), NYC at Webster Hall (2/13), Austin at Emo’s (2/26) and back to the west coast, ending in Los Angeles at The Belasco (3/2). See all tour dates below. Mayberry has been in bands since she was 15, and has enjoyed monumental success with CHVRCHES, which has accrued more than 1.7 billion global streams to date and a string of awards and nominations. In 2023, with the approach of the 10th anniversary of CHVRCHES' groundbreaking debut album, The Bones of What You Believe, Mayberry, felt reflective in a way she hadn’t anticipated. Looking back at all of the incredible moments of personal evolution and musical growth during her years with the band, she realized that she had hit a creative wall that she wanted to move through. Much like the artists who only lived in her headphones as a teenager, there was a part of her own artistry she had locked away. She says, “There’s things I’ve never been comfortable performing or sharing with a band of men. As much as my time with the band has always had this feminist narrative underpinning it, a lot of my role felt like it was more about me trying to fit in than leading the conversation, and I wondered what it would look like for me to create under different circumstances.”  When starting work on Vicious Creature, her goal was to push herself harder than ever before to excavate a new level of musical truth from the depths of her creative soul, and to create a record that… https://chorus.fm/news/lauren-mayberry-announces-solo-album/

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