#spotify was hyping me up for my music evolution

[solar-halos]

8 and 49 👀

8 - good luck, babe (chappell roan)

49 - after midnight (chappell roan again)

[sleepyowlsleeps]

Sleepy’s Favorite K-Pop Songs of 2020

1. Any Song - Zico -- this song is not particularly special, but the main vibe, “play any song that makes you happy” is exactly how my musical tastes were in 2020, for the regular reasons we all faced AND for some extra, personal reasons that made me search out happier or deceptively happy songs, or songs that lay next to me instead of crawling under my skin. I usually love when a song sings my soul back to me, but there were many moments last year that I just couldn’t handle that, or couldn’t handle it the same way I usually would. Spotify says that Any Song was played the most of, well, any song, and I know why.

2. Midnight Train - Se So Neon -- this is a song that lay beside me, from the first time I heard it and every time after. It actually doesn’t have a ton of lyrics, but the ones it has are vibrating with intention and casual pain. There is ice on the tip of your tongue but it mellows as the guitar takes you out with the tide. Sometimes the melody is clashing so hard against your teeth you’re worried it’ll just swallow you whole, but instead it falls like a heavy rain, washing everything clean. Please, please listen to this song.

3. Scream - Dreamcatcher -- they have never released a bad song, and I actually love their entire discography. It’s one of the few that I do listen to just by itself, no other artists. Dreamcatcher have never been afraid to be brash and in your face, nor do they shy away from saying how it is. There is an open wound inside this song, and your heartbeat is so loud in your ears. The lyrics are intense, the instrumentals are intense, the performances in the vocals are fire and wine and steel. I love it.

4. Can’t You See Me? - TXT -- I really loved Run Away in 2019, which for a debut year was jam packed with content. TXT has this wonderful take on youth and maturity and being real about your emotions. Their voices are soft and sweet, even while this song is talking about the disparity between reality and dreams, truth and lies. Every part of the song captures my attention, I don’t think it has any weak points, and I always picture the MV. Strawberries will never be the same. This song did sing my soul to me a little, but even though the sound was visceral it never cut through bone. It was gentle and kind, and held my hand.

5. Close - Han (Stray Kids) -- I did not expect that this little song would end up meaning so much to me, but it did. Stray Kids had an amazing year as always, but I guess my love for Han’s singing and his lyricism just got me. Han has a way of just pulling back all the weeds surrounding my feelings, but not tugging them straight out. He’s patient with the dandelions and doesn’t insist on clarity right away. This song got closer and closer to me the more I listened to it, until it was stuck in my head and I was never mad about it. There are blue skies and sunshine and someone is waiting for me, ready to smile when I turn around.

6. Back Door - Stray Kids -- the production behind SKZ’s music does continually get better, but I think the more appropriate term is “expands.” Their sound remains largely the same, while each new release tries something new, echoes the old, and continues to push the same message they’ve had since the beginning: inclusivity. Stray Kids is here for you, to welcome you into the club and to have a good time with you while we talk about the struggles we’re all facing. I haven’t yet gotten sick of this song, it goes by in a flash and for once, I don’t have a favorite part, or a section that gets stuck in my head more than others. It’s the whole package for me.

7. Kick It - NCT 127 -- NCT makes a lot of very clean, very specific sounding sounds that I don’t really care for. I have a few favorites, and actually really love the whole of the debut album, but I don’t go out of my way to listen to their music. Kick It, though, was just so much fun, it had sharp edges and and a smooth underbelly. Haechan sounds the best, I love his voice SO MUCH, but everyone sounds good. I like the unison parts, the repeat mantras, the bombastic way the lyrics aren’t really saying a lot but are so enthusiastic that you don’t care.

8. eight - IU, SUGA -- IU just continues to evolve and make music that is really, really good. None of her songs are overly complex or visionary, but they are friendly and relevant, and sit outside your door with brownies and lemonade. IU’s voice can do soft, can do poignant, can do intense, depending on her mood. She is a singer of extraordinary caliber and I love seeing everything she does next. eight was a simple but beautiful song that plays into your nostalgia without sugar-coating everything, and at the same time there’s such a lightness too it. It’s a short song and SUGA’s rap was such an unexpected addition that actually worked really well. 

9. So What - LOONA -- this is a song deserving of a much higher spot, but I think I just wasn’t quite as ready for LOONA’s next evolution as others’. Still, this song is so good, with potentially the best bridge of the entire year. Everyone sounds so good, the song hypes you up and never lets you down. Even though the concept is one we’ve seen before, LOONA never makes anything sound the same. There is no compromise, there is only awesomeness.

10. ON - BTS -- I went around in circles contemplating how much I did or didn’t like this song. BTS is going places with their music that I don’t love as much as their stuff from, say 2016-18, but they are still incredible artists and performers. And ignoring all the rest, all the talk, just focusing on the song itself, it’s really good. It’s really, really good and the kind of song that I unapologetically sing really loudly in the car. There are quieter parts that acknowledge how exhausting it is to keep moving forward when you’re in pain, strong, jagged tantrums that demand that the pain try harder to keep you down, spaces to breath and places to run. This is a song that says we’re going through a battle and it’s hard, but we can see that there is an end, there is hope, and nothing will keep us down. Even through pain and tears, we can go on. 

And now things get a little funky because I had a lot of favorites:

11. Tiger Eyes - Ryu Su Jeong Girls - Nature Villain - Stella Jang Boca - Dreamcatcher Left & Right - Seventeen

12. Come Back Home - ONEUS Summer Breeze - SF9 Apple - GFriend Bon Voyage - YooA pporappippam - Sunmi

13. Me Time - Yubin Easy - Stray Kids Favorite Boys - A.C.E Think of Dawn - Ghost9 The Stealer - The Boyz

14. One - Golden Child Alien - Lee Suhyun A Song Written Easily - ONEUS La Di Da - Everglow Blue Hour - TXT

15. Breath - GOT7 Hands Up - Cherry Bullet Answer/Inception - ATEEZ 90′s Love - NCT U End of Spring - ONEWE

[queenofcrystaltokyo]

My Spotify got DELETED this year so no Spotify Wrapped. Instead I’m just going to list all of the albums I bought on iTunes and go over my thoughts on them. No ratings; ratings are lame.

Cape God - Allie X

It’s no surprise I’ve been following Allie since Collxtion I. This year’s album from her is a natural evolution and a wonderful maturation of her music up to this point. Her previous work was already developed but I find this album just strikes to the center of your person. I feel like telling you there’s a collab with Mitski on here puts that into good perspective.

Personal Standout: Sarah Come Home

Future Nostalgia - Dua Lipa

I haven’t listened to this one much since the week I bought it. It’s a good pop album though with a lot of disco influence which was fun and was definitely a trend in pop music this year. That and metal.

Personal Standout: Don’t Start Now or Physical

SAWAYAMA - Rina Sawayama

I’ve been a fan of hers since we were orange hair sisters in 2017. But oh boy. This album. In many ways album of the year (although I can name three other albums on this list that also vie for that spot). Her use of rock music and the variety of topics (compare Comme Des Garçons and XS) shows the depth of her talent. Still upset I didn’t get to see her and Allie in April.

Personal Standout: Who’s Gonna Save U Now?

Fetch The Bolt Cutters - Fiona Apple

When I first head The Idler Wheel when I was 15, I think my world changed a little. It’s like when you hear The Hounds of Love for the first time. So it was no surprise her next album would be phenomenal. But it should be illegal for an album to be this perfect. Cutting to the core of every possible emotion in a way that only Fiona could do. Flawless is selling it short.

Personal Standout: Drumset

I Disagree - Poppy

I followed Poppy for a bit when she was that one girl who made weird experimental Youtube videos and had one EP. I remember getting 3:36 on her Bandcamp. But I sort of fell off. But THEN I was made aware of this album, gave it a listen, and bought it immediately. I love good, rich rock music and deeply miss it in the pop scene I’ve stationed myself in. This scratches that itch in abundance.

Personal Standout: I Disagree

Petals For Armor - Hayley Williams

Paramore is maybe the most important rock band of the last 20 years. After Laughter is probably my actual favorite album of all time even though I still say Miley Cyrus And Her Dead Petz. But Hayley’s solo work has proven itself to be a separate entity. It’s very deep and personal and is refined in a way that could only come from years of being deeply ingrained in music and understanding it thoroughly.

Personal Standout: Cinnamon

Flamboyant (Deluxe) - Dorian Electra

I was initially hesitant to get into Dorian Electra. I think I thought it was trying too hard. But I warmed up a little and found it speaking to my queer masculine side, which I often ignored in favor of the liberation of femininity.

Personal Standout: Adam & Steve

how i’m feeling now - Charli XCX

How Charli managed to make a no-skip in two months during quarantine is completely beyond me.

Personal Standout: anthems

spice²world - Spice Girls

Now I’m sure you saw this and thought “Wait, what’s that? I’ve never heard of that album.” Well this is actually related to the Spotify deletion. It’s literally just Spice and Spiceworld stuck together. I had it as a playlist on my Spotify and decided to recreate it in my iTunes.

Personal Standout: It’s the Spice Girls. Love Thing is my favorite.

Smile - Katy Perry

I’ve loved Katy Perry since fucking meanplastic posted a soundcloud post of International Smile. From there I delved into her back catalog and learned that One of the Boys is and will always be her best album, which is somewhat unfortunate because, presumably after Lady Gaga blew up, she shifted to pop music and we’ll never get 2008 pop rock goddess Katy back again. But don’t let that deter you. Her music has been evolving since Teenage Dream, which was written by God according to people on here who jump through hoops to hate her. And though Witness was like Artpop in that it sort of broke the facade of infallibility, Smile took what worked from Witness and refined it into a more introspective album that’s trying less hard to be commercial. I hate to admit that that post comparing Katy to Cyndi Lauper as a relic of her decade was right, but I’m okay with that because I feel like Katy is gearing up to be, in the words of Britney Spears, an underground star.

Personal Standout: Tucked

Chromatica - Lady Gaga

I’ve been a little monster since the very beginning. I remember preordering Born This Way at Hot Topic when I was 14. Since then I’ve always held that it’s her best album (though Joanne didn’t make that hard to argue). But Lady Gaga did the impossible. Yes, Chromatica is now Lady Gaga’s best album. The club pop with elements of disco is sheer perfection.

Personal Standout: Replay

Pang - Caroline Polachek

I know I really hyped this album up when it came out last year, but I only got around to actually buying it this year after my Spotify got deleted. But yeah, of course this album is great.

Personal Standout: Pang

Spirit Phone - Lemon Demon

A striking departure from the previous listings. Calling it meme music would not be incorrect. But it’s fun and it’s good. I listened to it all day Halloween but I’m still listening to it right now.

Personal Standout: I Earn My Life

Dreamland - Black Box

Do y’all like house music? If you do, then this album needs no introduction. It is THE house album. Stan Martha Wash.

Personal Standout: I Don’t Know Anybody Else. But you should definitely listen to Ride on Time first.

BONUS:

apathy + Vacuum Noises - Astrophysics

I didn’t buy these albums on iTunes. I got them off of Astrophysics’ Bandcamp. So that’s why they’re bonuses. But I love these albums so much. I only started following Astrophysics this year. You might know them for doing synthwave remixes of anime songs like Connect from PMMM or Komm Süsser Todd from NGE. But their music has evolved into more glitchcore/shoegaze (with a Soviet aesthetic that I love). It’s some of the best music I’ve heard in that field.

Personal Standout: The remix of Sometimes by My Bloody Valentine from Vacuum Noises. Listen to it here!

ベノマ - かいりきベア (Venomer - Kairiki Bear)

This one I also did not buy on iTunes. But I didn’t get it on Bandcamp either. I got it on mikudb, which is my go-to website for Vocaloid music. Venomer is a remix collab album by Kairiki Bear where he invited several other Vocaloid producers to remix his most popular songs. It’s a real who’s-who of the hottest Vocaloid producers right now.

Personal Standout: The Niru Kajitsu remix of Ángel (I have an audio post of it here!)

[taste-in-music]

My Other Favorite Songs of 2019

This is a list for all of my favorite songs of the year that aren’t on my album of EP of the year list. (Read my top albums and EPs of the year lists if you want some context.) However, songs from albums that were on my rapid-fire review list are fare game. That’s enough preamble, this list is in no particular order (except, of course, for the final song.) 

Listen along to the complete mix of all these songs HERE. Let’s talk about some great music!

affection by BETWEEN FRIENDS: This was my favorite song off of BETWEEN FRIENDS’s debut EP from this year, we just need some time together. This is the perfect swoony, dreamy pop song that was my relaxing Summer jam. I love the way the melody on the hook is ushered in with a churning bass in the pre-chorus and washes over me with each listen. 

trevi fountain by Leo Kalyan: Leo Kalyan is one of my favorite, (and most underrated) dream pop artists, always able to capture a sense of otherwordly bliss in his music. If there was one word I had to use to describe this song, it would be romantic. This song feels purely, dizzyingly, head-over-heels in love, and it was on repeat for me all throughout Valentine’s Day. 

Numb by Baker Grace: One of the most instantly catchy songs of the year. Chopped-up vocals don’t always work for me, but here they combine with the punchy production in such a way that they contribute to the “over-it” attitude of the song. God, what a bop. 

Clumsy Love by Thelma Plum: This melancholy love song traipsed its way right into my heart as soon as I heard it. The light tambourines, bubbly guitar, and upbeat melody give this song a sunny feel that contrasts nicely with Thelma Plum’s heartbroken lyrics and delivery. 

Love You For A Long Time by Maggie Rogers: If more people used that reverb-layered-vocal-chorus-of-angels effect in their music, then I would like that very much, because so far Miss Maggie Rogers has used it twice, (on this and “Retrograde”) and it has made those songs some of my favorites from her. This sweet, upbeat track was a surprising single after the album, and I swear I listened to it on a loop for a week straight. I’m going to love this song for a long time. 

Karma by MARINA: This is probably my favorite song off of Love + Fear, or at least it was the song that I returned to the most as the year went on. The icy backing vocals and Spanish guitars give the track a cool and refreshing feel. MARINA’s performance is, as always, gorgeous, her rich vocals skating over the frosty soundscape with grace and a hint of sarcasm. 

Gone by Charli XCX ft. Christine and the Queens: One word: BOP. I seriously considered ending the write-up there, but I’ll also mention that Charli and Chris have amazing vocal chemistry, the lyrics about being socially awkward are seriously relatable, and the bass is sick. Also, Chris’s lines in French? Iconic. Even the instrumental breakdown at the end has grown on me. 

Death By A Thousand Cuts by Taylor Swift: This ended up being my favorite song off Lover, (with “Cruel Summer” taking a close second.) I am obsessed with the sparkly production, (my boy Jack Antanoff, once again, went antanOFF,) especially those flitting, echo-y vocal samples that start the track out and the glittering keys that dance under the verses. Along with that, Swift’s writing is sharp, recounting a breakup in a specific yet relatable way.  

make up by Ariana Grande: This was the first non-single off of thank u, next that I really loved. I think it’s due to the fun, cheeky energy. The beat perfectly balances tense plucked bass, chimes, and vintage-leaning, pitch-shifted backing vocals, I especially love those “hey-hey-hey”s that pepper the chorus. This is a great song to get ready for a party to.

Don’t Say by Robinson: I didn’t realize how much I missed Robinson until she came back with this immaculate synthpop banger of a breakup song. The upbeat production on this make it fun and danceable, but Robinson’s delivery makes it a fireball of emotion as well. She’s supposedly dropping a new EP soon, and I can’t wait. 

Live Forever by Nasty Cherry: Nasty Cherry were one of the most fascinating bands to emerge this year, backed by Charli XCX and a Netflix docuseries. Now I don’t care about all that so long as the music was good, and you know what? They’ve got some damn good songs, and I’m a sucker for all-women bands. This song edged out the band’s debut single “Win” for the list. The harmonies on the chorus, bright guitars, and all-around nostalgic feel of this song made this an instant pop-rock jam in my book. 

Blinding Lights by The Weeknd: I’ve always found The Weeknd’s music to be most engaging when it sounds like he’s having fun, like in “Can’t Feel My Face.” This song is an absolute jam, with an instrumental that sounds like it was ripped right from the 80′s, (but it literally was though, it samples “Take on Me” by a-ha,”) and one of the most instantly likable choruses I’ve heard in a while. 

Playing Games by Anna Of The North: This is just a total jam that I couldn’t stop playing at the end of the Summer. I love the light guitars on the verses and the smooth, relaxed-yet-upbeat feel. It’s probably my favorite song off of Dream Girl. 

Sanctuary by Joji: Joji’s music has always been hit or miss for me, but this song is definitely a hit. The dreamy, spacey atmosphere built up by the spacious synths and Joji’s laid-back delivery instantly puts me at ease. 

Soaked by BENEE: The song that introduced me to BENEE also ended up being my favorite from her. The jaunty, casual feel of this song make it the ultimate laid-back indie pop tune. Both of BENEE’s EPs from this year, FIRE ON MARZZ and STELLA & STEVE are quirky listens that are worth your time. 

The King by Conan Gray: 2019 saw Conan Gray taking his lyricism into a more heartbroken and sarcastic direction, which was an interested evolution to witness. Out of all the singles that Conan Gray dropped throughout the course of the year, this one is my favorite. I love the way the chorus rushes through me with every new listen, Conan’s delivery is so dang breezy. 

Twist by Dizzy: I swear Dizzy have nostalgic melancholy perfected into a science. This song has one of my favorite choruses of the year, featuring lyrics that are heart-twisting (ha, but no really,) and a gentle yet earnest delivery from frontwoman Katie Munshaw. Whenever I hear this I feel sad in a reflective, smiling-with-a-single-tear-rolling-down-my-cheek kind of way.

Joyride by SONIA: I came across this on a Spotify New Music Friday one week and clicked on it just for kicks and it has been one of my favorite finds of the year. SONIA has one of those smoky, sensual voices that I can’t help but love, and her performance paired with the yearning lyrics make for a song that is sorrowful yet romantic at the same time. 

You Sexy Thing by Zella Day: And the award for comeback of the year goes to Zella Day, whose music I fell in love with back in 2016 and have been patiently awaiting for new content from since. She hinted at dropping new music last December, and boy was this worth the wait. This cover of the 1975 release by Hot Chocolate is retro, playful, and, what else? Sexy. I hope to hear more from Ms. Day in the near future, but until then, I will have this, Kicker, and the Man On The Moon/Hunnie Pie single on a continuous loop. 

Red by Lucy Daydream: I found this song in my Spotify Discovery Weekly back in April, and what a fun find it was. This song is a relaxing indie pop bop with inexplicable replay value. I loved this so much that I even checked out Lucy Daydream’s album from this year, Awake & Dreaming, and while the rest of the album didn’t quite match this song in my opinion, I still thought it was a nice listen. I’m definitely keeping Lucy Daydream on my radar going into the future.  

What About Love by BANKS: As I mentioned on my Rapid-Fire Reviews list, I wasn’t all that into III. However, there were some songs on it that I really latched onto, and this was one of them. This song conveys so much raw emotion, with one of BANKS’s most impassioned performances on the whole album. I love the use of autotune, quivering strings, sparse keys, and fluttering vocal samples to create an isolated yet overwhelming soundscape, (it’s amazing with headphones on.) Also, every lyric in this hits like a gut punch. 

Harmony Hall by Vampire Weekend: I thought that I liked this song, but I guess I love this song, because it ended up being my fifth most listened to song of 2019? There’s definitely a reason for that, this song is so instantly likable, with a memorable guitar line, bright pianos, and one of the most anthemic choruses of the year. 

Alligator by Of Monsters and Men: What a smash debut single this was, I was hooked from the very first chord. The energy in this song is unmatched, it has a sense of propulsive power that always hypes me up. The thin layers of distortion and reverb over the guitars and Nanna Bryndís Hilmarsdóttir’s voice give this song a sense of otherworldly eeriness that I really enjoy. 

Blown to Bits by Charly Bliss: This song sounds like the jittery feeling I get after drinking caffeine in the best kind of way, if that makes any kind of sense. The buzzy guitars, vocal layering, and overall electric energy present on this track made it an instant favorite off of Charly Bliss’s album from this year Young Enough. Also the lyrics are weirdly relatable as they recount feelings of uncertainty and nostalgia, and Eva Hendricks delivers them with firepower. 

House Of Glass by Cage The Elephant: This is just a banger through and through, and the fact that the opening riff is reminiscent of “Come A Little Closer” doesn’t hurt either. The verses maintain a nice sense of tension, with Matt Schultz delivering the lyrics in a near whisper. But once that chorus kicks in, it’s official, I have no choice but to become a swaggering badass. 

still feel by half•alive: This was my first favorite song of the year, (and I know it was technically a single from last year, but the album dropped this year, so I’m counting it,) I remember playing this on a loop all throughout January. And you know what? It hasn’t faded on me in the slightest, this is still a banger through and through. The bass groove, the snaps, that little chime that comes at the end of the prechorus, it makes for one hell of a buildup. And once that chorus hits I have no choice but to groove off into the galaxy.

In the Afternoon by MGMT: Another comeback that made this year amazing! Not only are MGMT back with a new single, but they’re also independent now, which inspired my best pun of the year. This song slams, it’s filled with creepy atmosphere but by the end you’ll be dancing and singing along. Needless to say, I’m hyped to see what they bring into the new year.

My Favorite Fish by Gus Dapperton: The melody on this chorus is so catchy, once you hear it it will not leave your head. I also love the vibe of this song, it’s very relaxed and nonchalant in its delivery. I reckon it’d be a nice song to take a long, sunset walk on the beach to. 

Little Trouble by Better Oblivion Community Center: Better Oblivion Community Center, the collaboration project of Phoebe Bridgers and Conor Oberst, put out a lot of great music this year. I was torn between this and “Dylan Thomas” to make the list, but ultimately picked this one because its energy, built up by squealing electric guitars and shuffling drums, is so upbeat, and over the course of the year it never failed to put a smile on my face.

Can’t Buy Happiness by Tash Sultana: Tash Sultana has always been a musician I’ve tended to admire for their talent from afar, never returning to their music all that often. This song, however, broke that pattern with its hypnotically beautiful simplicity. The gentle guitars that open this track blossom into a lush soundscape during each chorus, studded with grandiose synths, light cymbals, and Tash Sultana’s larger-than-life performance. 

Fucking Money Man by ROSALÍA: I’m including both songs on this single release because they’re equally brilliant. “Milionària” is a lively, upbeat track that relishes in opulence, peppered with the playful refrain of “fucking money man” and snappy drums. The tone switches right after with the haunting ballad “Dio$ No$ Libre Del Dinero,” which warns of the dangers of greed. 

Everybody Loves You by SOAK: The way the narrative on this song unfold as the track progresses is just beautiful. I don’t want to go too in depth, because I feel like it’s someone a person should experience without knowing anything prior. Let’s just say that this was a song I came back to whenever I was feeling emo, and the way it blossoms into brightness always has a way of making me feel better whenever I’m down. 

Rylan by The National: So The National have been around for literal decades but I just discovered them this year, loving the song “I’ll Still Destroy You” off of Sleep Well Beast especially. However, I also really enjoyed this song, with its breezy rock sound and melancholy lyrical narrative. The ghostly backing vocals that inhabit the mix send shivers down my spine. Also, the bridge. Just, everything about the bridge. 

Summer Girl by HAIM: This breezy, chill tune was perfect for those long, relaxed days in August where the afternoons drag on until 9:00pm. It reminds me of “Walk on the Wild Side” by Lou Reed, but a bit jazzier, with the saxophone and the playful “doo doo doo” refrain. I aspire to the levels of cool that HAIM have achieved. I know I’ll never reach it, but I still aspire to it.

cellophane by FKA Twigs: If there was any one quality that I would point to in order to describe why this song is so good, it would be its build in dynamics. This song starts out as sounding so fragile it could shatter at any second, which Twigs’s vocals barely rising above a whisper and backed in gentle murmurs and light pianos. However, as the sharper synths slither in and her voice gets more powerful, the sound builds to a gorgeous and jaw-dropping finale that never loses any of its emotion for a second. 

Barefoot In The Park by James Blake ft. ROSALÍA: This song sounds like running through a forest while alien lights flash overhead. The ambiance is romantic and slightly chilling, made up of light marimbas, siren-like vocal samples, and whispering synths. I initially listened to this song because of ROSALÍA, but I ended up loving it so much that I checked out James Blake’s album from this year, Assume Form, too. 

Bags by Clairo: Clairo’s debut album Immunity was a beautiful display of emotion and subtlety, and this was my favorite song off of that project. The production here is sweet and sorrowful, with flitting guitars and light drums, and Clairo’s lyrics and performance match perfectly. Everything about this communicates reserved, tender pining, (are y’all sensing a theme on this list?) It makes me go absolutely bananas every time I hear it.

Get Well by Donna Missal: Y’all know I’ll take any chance to talk about my queen Donna Missal. She released two singles this year, this and the excellent R&B slow-burner “You Burned Me,” but I had to pick this one for the list. Not only did this drop on Valentine’s Day, but I love how restrained and delicate this song is, both in its simple production and in Donna’s bordering-on-fragile delivery. 

Falling by Harry Styles: This turned out to be my favorite song off of Fine Line. (My rapid-fire review for that album: pretty good, but a bit bland, and I missed the rock edge of Harry’s debut.) Still, this is a stunner if there ever was one. I’m just a sucker for a regretful love song with a bare yet effective instrumental and emotive vocals. 

I Lost a Friend by FINNEAS: I’ve spoken multiple times about how I love the way this song builds throughout its runtime. This song starts out with a simple guitar line and slowly adds elements like distortion, flutes, and bass to communicate the emotional intensity in the lyrics. FINNEAS is a fascinating performer and producer, both in his work and with others, and I can’t wait to see what he does in the future. 

Seventeen by Sharon Van Etten: This year I’ve been thinking a lot about the future, and one of the ways I would sate my anxieties about uncertainties to come would be through music, (I don’t know if that was apparent from many of my picks on this list.) No song better described the whirlwind of emotions ripping through me than this one. Sharon Van Etten’s take on giving advice to her younger self served as a comforting voice of reason to me throughout the year. Her performance here is assuring yet slightly concerned, nostalgic and yet tinged with regret. This almost sounds like a lost Stevie Nicks song, with a propulsive build of guitars, unrestrained synths dancing throughout the mix, and a chorus that I want to scream out the window of a car speeding down a highway. I absolutely adore it. 

I Dare You by The Regrettes: If you aren’t surprised, then I’m not surprised. I’m pretty sure I’ve mentioned before that this is my song of the year, hands down. If “Seventeen” was the song that articulated all of my anxieties throughout the year, then “I Dare You” was the song that provided a reprieve from them. This song feels timeless, like it could’ve come out during a slew of decades, and yet it sounds modern as well. Every detail of the instrumental seems perfectly designed to form the most catchy and likable song ever created, from the light snares, to the “oohs” in the prechorus, to the colorful guitars. Also, can we talk about how adorable the lyrics are? They perfectly describe the flurry of feeling that come with a crush, from “you’re the one that brings the sun” to “there's a look that you give me, a switch / and my filter melts, and the words just slip.” Not only was this my most-listened to song this year, but I can’t think of a piece of music this year that made me happier every time I returned to it. Also, the music video was just as cute as the song was. 

And that’s the list! What were your favorite songs of 2019? Any artists, albums, singles, etc. I should know about? Leave your thoughts and recommendations down below.

[slouchyslouch]

Tame Impala’s The Slow Rush and the passing of time

It’s been a long five years since Tame Impala released Currents, the record that pushed the band to mainstream stardom. It’s amazing to see Kevin Parker’s evolution from 60’s guitar psychedelia prodigy to pop-song writing wonder with a reputation to his name. On The Slow Rush, everything circles around the concept of time. Now into his 30’s, Parker attempts to embrace his own ego as a Coachella-headlining act. Taken as a whole, the album sounds like playing Mario Kart on the Rainbow Road map. There is still the Tame Impala sound that is psychedelic and effects-heavy in nature, but this particular record has the feeling of driving through an intergalactic world with a deliberate caution of not leaping into the void. It’s as if Parker is on cruise-control, only wanting to take risks once he’s sure of a straight path ahead. That’s not to say that this record isn’t good. It’s still going to be one of the most polished records this year — enough for anyone to watch their reflection on it with its tighter-than-ever instrumentals and flawless production.

Although his past three albums were much more interesting sonically, his aptitude for perfection at album number four might just be why it doesn’t stand out as much as any of the past records. Mastering all the techniques of recording and production must have put a damper on a lot of the interesting sounds that Parker pursued in the past. It could be that this album might just be too perfect-sounding. Parker’s songs previous to this record would go one direction and then take you by surprise from one moment to the next — moments that would grab you by the shoulder and divert your attention to his genius. Nevertheless, Tame Impala’s evolution into this new decade has produced a record still worthy of a spin.

With each sound level and each parameter calibrated to perfection, opener “One More Year” contains a sound in what he refers to as his Gregorian Robot Choir — a manipulated to precision sample providing the backbone to a mellowed-out track to ease you in to The Slow Rush sound. From the get go, the Tame Impala vibe already feels different from previous iterations of the band. It’s a little laid-back without the grandeur usually offered on a Tame Impala intro. He sings: “Do you remember we were standing here a year ago? / Our minds were racing and time went slow.” It sets the tone of looking into time as an inescapable concept, yet the weak opener might fail to catch anyone’s attention.

Despite leaving the realm of psychedelic rock, at least there are still the relentless grooves of The Slow Rush. “Is It True” gets into funk territory with some bongos (an instrument more prominently used in a lot of the record), and a thumping bassline reminiscent of “The Less I Know The Better.” Halfway through the track, the song transitions into a spellbinding disco groove. Multiple times throughout the record a lull might transpire, but Parker seems to always nudge you back with an attention-grabbing post-track breakdown.

Meanwhile, “Instant Destiny” feels like it can veer into chillwave textures exuding Caribou and Four Tet-like production. Moreover, the hook of “Breathe Deeper” might be one of the catchiest bars Parker’s ever written. “If you think I couldn’t hold my own, believe me I can,” echoes Parker in a mesmerizing turn of phrase. On the track’s outro, just when you think the song’s over, Parker dives into this nasty synth part as if realizing he’s at an acid techno club. On the album’s Spotify feature, Parker muses that the track was influenced by Mariah Carey, Pharrell, and his first time taking ecstasy, which some of The Slow Rush ultimately feels like — a slow rush, if you will, of serotonin flooding your brain and stimulating your senses. It’s a very sensory experience that triggers slow motion club dancing, with Parker’s vocals passing through you like a mist to cool off the heat emanating from your drug-induced body.

Something to note is the more traditional lyric-centred songwriting compared to previous records. Parker’s gone from Zappa guitar freak-outs to added gloss; grandiose synths provide a particularly uniform environment instead of guitar leads transporting you to a wealth of fantastical worlds. Parker never really focused on his vocals and lyrics as much as the instrumentals but there’s more contemplating here when Parker gets into some balladry on songs like “On Track.” It’s a heartwarming song that slows down the album’s dance-centric vibe. Parker laments, “The world ain’t routin’ for ya, nothin’ to lose it over / We’re just a little older, the rest gets easy.” It’s a reminder for us trying to realize our dreams that we’re going to come out of this in the end, as a synth whirls behind Parker’s modesty.

On “Posthumous Forgiveness,” the track might draw a yawn with its slow tempo in the intro, but on closer inspection, Parker provides more depth to his songwriting, musing about his failed relationship with his father. It’s really only in the second half of the track (as usual) where things get interesting: a warbling synth plays as Parker’s mesmerizing falsetto sings a tuneful hook to his deceased father: “I wanna tell you ‘bout the time / Wanna tell you ‘bout my life / Wanna play you all my songs.” Interestingly, the second half of the song wasn’t even supposed to be part of the track according to Parker, in an interview with Zane Lowe. Parker reveals a moving revelation to let go of his spite towards his father. It’s a tender sentiment that reveals more of vulnerable side to Parker’s lyricism.

It’s funny seeing someone succeed as much as he is, coming from the world of DIY indie rock — writing songs and collaborating with artists with the likes of Travis Scott, Theophillus London, Lady Gaga and getting covered by Rihanna, — and still feel the kind of insecurity and doubt he faces. On “It Might Be Time,” he muses about losing his touch: “It might be time to face it / It ain’t as fun as it used to be.” Parker’s self-awareness only brings up our own share of nostalgia for the past, yet is ultimately a distraction for the present. Its chorus can be reminiscent of Lonerism’s psych rock leanings where the track’s drums are hit at the record’s hardest. Despite his insecurity, I can already suspect that he’s going to be nominated for a few of Grammys, as well as possibly winning Best Alternative Album for this record next year, considering the hype and persona he’s built over the five years since Currents. I can even see Parker fitting in as a Grammy-nominated producer in the future as a result of his budding reputation, to the chagrin of many older Tame Impala (myself included).

Long are the days of the “Half Glass Full of Wine” version of Tame Impala. Some can argue that The Slow Rush sound might have started on “Feels Like We Go Backwards,” but now “Glimmer” might portend dance music conductor on future records. Just look at Thom Yorke’s IDM musical stylings at the age of 40, Kevin Parker DJ sets abound. It’s only inevitable for any musician’s career to evolve her sound and style, but the traces of Parker’s to arrive at The Slow Rush have always been there. He’s made three almost perfect albums, so you can’t really give him any shit for a relatively weaker, but solid record. Currents soundtracked a whole camping trip full of fond memories for me. The Slow Rush might just soundtrack the longest periods of our lives in quarantine — a chance for us to dwell on the nature of time and pause for a brief moment.

[touchlotsofbutts]

Tay’s fav new artists, songs, albums of 2019; decade favs too <3

Hello friends. I have listened to 20,000 songs this year (#brag). Some of them I have listened to more than once, and some of them are all together on one really good album I like. Here's some lists of the songs, albums, and people who make them that I liked a lot.

For your listening convenience: a Spotify playlist with the artists, songs, and albums in question. One song from each artist, one song from each album: checka me out

5 new artists from (roughly) this year (unordered)

Slayyyter

Slayyyter is the logical conclusion of the early 2000's pop wave, absolutely bubble gum but no longer pulling and punches with its sexual desire. "He wanna get in my guts" indeed.

100 Gecs

I love high energy, I love noise, and I love catchy. Synthesize major electronic musical movements of the last 10 years and then kick that in the dick and you get 100 Gecs.

Stef Chura

A consistent AF album, with great single songs and a slow procession as well, I'm very hyped for more!

Glass Beach

This band is cutting edge, they know a shitton about music, their hour long album feels like it's only 30 minutes, it teleports you away.

Nilüfer Yanya

Clearly someone who is making music with a succinct style and aesthetic, I find it great to see a full album form around (relatively) simple concepts like an imaginary mental health spa.

10 Songs from this year (ordered)

10. "Good News (Ya-Ya Song)" by MUNA

Unexpectedly a smash hit for me, this is such a simple song but something in the melody stirs a deep and warming feeling within me.

9. "Falling Down The Stairs Of Your Smile" by The New Pornographers

New Pornographers always have great singles. Their albums never quite capture the same feeling, and it breaks my heart every time. Still love the band.

8. "Can't Believe The Way We Flow" by James Blake

A many month throwback, this song was a go-to for the whole year. Seemingly forgotten by many (surely not Dave tho), this album and song really showed additional depth for Blake in my eyes.

7. "24" by IDK

Should to DJ Big Fan. This song is fun as fuck and has so many good one-liners. "She says she not a THOT she a nymphooo"

6. "Clarity" by Kim Petras

This song is a guilty pleasure, not because I am ashamed of its content or sound, but because Kim consistently works with Dr. Luke, the fuckhead who absolutely abused Ke$ha. This song absolutely bops though. Oof.

5. "All I Do is Lie" by Stef Chura

A very small sleeper hit for me, and a big regret when I missed Stef playing nearby, but I love the winding and twisting of this song and the simple mantras bouncing back and forth between meanings.

4. "Lark" by Angel Olsen

This song encapsulates all of Angel's album. It's the lead-in to the album, and it truly matches the scope and grandeur.

3. "Stupid Horse" by 100 Gecs

A song so strong I also want to beat the shit out of a jockey. Distill 100 gecs and for me, this song is at the center. High energy, nonsense, and just total fun. I don't feel bad saying I kind of wish all music sounded like this (sometimes).

2. "Jelmore" by Bon Iver

14,115 feet above sea level, I look out to the sweeping arc of the horizon, a cloudy sky blankets the landscape I left behind. Play this song on your rental car speakers when you choose to conquer fear and ascend a towering mountain.

1. "Gretel" by (Sandy) Alex G

I adore the slow fade in, the garbled vocals, the familiar guitar. The garbled mix slowly devolves into a clear message. Alex G has said he never looks up lyrics, that there is an ambiguity to all words in songs. Is that why he sings this with such clear conviction? There's no misinterpretation here: "good people got something to lose."

20 Albums from this year (ordered)

The first ten are great, but I didn't want to blurb for them all!

20. Clarity by Kim Petras

19. MAGDALENE by FKA Twigs

18. Midnight by Stef Chura

17. Miss Universe by Nilüfer Yanya

16. Dedicated by Carly Rae Jepsen

15. Two Hands by Big Thief

14. Assume Form by James Blake

13. basking in the glow by oso oso

12. Why Hasn't Everything Already Disappeared? by Deerhunter

11. Pang by Caroline Polachek

10. Animated Violence Mild by Blanck Mass

I became stuck in place while listening to Blanck Mass on a plane this summer. One of the only albums I downloaded, it was all I had at 30,000 feet, thrumming engines piercing all the other music I had handy. The cacophony only added to this album, noise layered on noise but turning into melodies and stretching into songs.

9. Father of the Bride by Vampire Weekend

I don't know a ton about jam bands, but I definitely feel it when everyone else says this album was made in hopes of becoming one. This long ass album has some great highs, some charming lows, and honestly a really good chunk of Danielle Haim. Really a soundtrack to 2019 in a lot of ways. But it's really fuckin' long.

8. IGOR by Tyler, the Creator

Tyler's career has had the craziest arc. Rapping about killing women and progressing all the way to IGOR, which, is it even a rap album? The album contains such clear direction and vision, and far less of the reckless anger that Tyler became known for. The energy and sound has been honed down to a fine point, and there's a conciseness that sticks with you for hours after listening.

7. House of Sugar by (Sandy) Alex G

Alex G has always done so much for me. Bedroom music that has transformed each time into bigger and more detailed versions of itself. House of Sugar is no exception. While maybe a little less thrilling for me than Rocket, it's another evolution of this stripped down style, still laid bare but richer all the same.

6. U.F.O.F. by Big Thief

A lot of lists are going to feature some Big Thief. Big Thief is good, their music pierces you through the flesh and hits you in the bones. It stirs the spirit of a time now lost, sidelong glances through thickets of woodsy pines, listening to a friend play a simple song on their new guitar. It's great to celebrate a band and an album that puts a lot of pretense to bed and creates a simple, pleasing experience.

5. Charli by Charli XCX

Charli delivers an album after years of PC Music collaborated mix tapes and psuedo-album releases. Charli isn't some sort of second coming, but is the pinnacle of her expertise: fantastic collaborations, cutting edge beats, and familiar tales of her love and loss.

4. All Mirrors by Angel Olsen

Angel wasn't really known for her grandeur. Her songs and albums were dynamic, sure, with strong emotions, but All Mirrors dives into the direction of a grand pool, crystal clear and vast. "Lark" is a sweeping masterpiece, while "All Mirrors" has a methodical build and release. Angel is fully putting her voice and composition to work with an album this magnificent.

3. the first glass beach album by Glass Beach

My favorite description for this band is "post-emo." Many of my compatriots are not fond of band genres in generally, but for me this really nails it. It's a combination of an emotional, DIY scene with an online mentality, which I feel is representing the pace of the world. Also the music absolutely blasts, grand and epic and quiet and pensive, meandering as it wants.

2. Ghosteen by Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds

Until about two months ago, I wasn't even a huge Nick Cave fan. Serendipitously, I happened to look into his backlog a couple weeks before this surpirse release. I spent a small amount of time looking into his older style, but when Ghosteen popped up, it floored me. That tangible loss, the grief that winds around you and grips you from within, it's on this album in full force. It's an album I know I will listen to sparingly, but lovingly, for ages and ages.

1. 1000 Gecs by 100 Gecs

I typically do not measure these kinds of lists by the number of listens. Usually albums with emotional weight or impact are not so accessible or listenable. This album is an absolute exception, it is crystalline and pure, it is powerful and subtle, its energy infectious. For me, it's a clear message describing the future of music I love.

Honorable menties, not conclusive or ordered, from this year:

Albums:

IDK's Is He Real?

Holly Herndon's PROTO

JPEGMAFIA's All My Heroes Are Cornballs

Battles's Juice B Crypts

Bon Iver's i,i

American Football's American Football (LP3)

DIIV's Deceiver

Anamanguchi's [USA]

Sir Babygirl's Crush on Me

Sharon Van Etten's Remind Me Tomorrow

Hemlock Ernst & Kenny Segal's Back At The House

Jay Som's Anak Ko

Florist's Emily Alone

Songs:

"Harmony Hall" by Vampire Weekend

"Superbike" by Jay Som

"Aute Cuture" by ROSALÍA

Many many others!

Roughly 10 of 2010-2019's best albums (unordered)

Halcyon Digest by Deerhunter

Encapsulate all of the indie rock I listened to and make it so dramatic it oozes lackadaisical energy.

The Idler Wheel Is Wiser Than the Driver of the Screw and Whipping Cords Will Serve You More Than Ropes Will Ever Do by Fiona Apple

The title is as long as the album is great. I am chomping at the bit for Fiona to follow this up with literally anything.

Carrie & Lowell by Sufjan Stevens

Many feel Sufjan could do no wrong, but it's not that he's unimpeachable, it's that he is able to shift his sound in pivotal ways at pivotal moments.

Cerulean Salt by Waxahatchee

Waxahatchee captured the post college ennui I was so suddenly thrust into, and continues to kick ass even after I got over the dread.

Allelujah! Don't Bend! Ascend! by Godspeed You! Black Emperor

This album kicks ass, but also I have an undying emotional connection to it since I listened to it on repeat the months after pops died! "We Drift Like Worried Fire" is entwined in my soul.

Good Kid, M.A.A.D City by Kendrick Lamar

There is a lot of great Kendrick to choose from, but the one absolutely stacked with bangers will remain my favorite (but I totally acknowledge the artistic merit and beyond of Damn. and TPAB).

The Monitor by Titus Andronicus

I only got into this album like four years after the fact, but it scratched the civil-war-concept-album-actually-about-the-Northeast I didn't know I had! Pumped it also taught me a cool Abe Lincoln speech.

E•MO•TION by Carly Rae Jepsen

This album guided me from toeing around pop music to going all in and finally have a good time in life.

Song of the summer:

"Steal My Sunshine" by Len

Remarkably, for the 20th year in a row, the song of the summer is Len's "Steal My Sunshine." What a powerhouse.

[middleeyt]

A Decade In Music

The 2010’s… what a fucking decade. I had just turned 15 and started going through some teenager shit (sorry mom), music started consuming my life, and Columbia House was nearing its end as streaming began to take over. 

Don’t tell me you didn’t cop “B Day” by Beyonce, Chris Brown’s self titled debut album, and Ne-Yo’s “In My Own Words” for a good penny (best scam of the 90’s) 

Within these past 10 years some monumental changes, milestones, and crazes have happened in the music industry. Here are just a few of them: 

The Globalization of Pop 

The reach of American music has always been global. This time around it was not about the reach of American artist, but rather the influence of other artists, languages and genres on American pop music. The biggest reason for pop globalization in this particular decade has been due to the garnered adaptation of sounds and genres from outside the U.S. 

“Despacito” has been one of the biggest bops of this decade. Justin Bieber’s collaboration with Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee gave way to the incremental rise of latin music in American pop culture. Crossovers from Latin producers who have harnessed their sounds into mainstream hits have made Latin music the 5th most popular genre in America. Among Latin music, other genres and languages have started to slowly make strides in hitting our mainstream radios and Spotify playlists, these sounds have now become common adopters in developing smash hits. 

The Return of Boy (and Girl) Groups

This decade saw the emergence of One Direction, 5th Harmony, CNCO, Little Mix, Why Don’t We, the Jonas Brothers and then years later… the comeback of the Jonas Brothers. One of the most successful boy bands of all time, One Direction, owns a chart history that at times outdid The Beatles… the fucking Beatles.... 

Maybe it’s their adorable personalities, or the roles their vocal abilities seem to play in helping touch a series of genres? Over the past several years boy and girl bands have made of fandoms a modern cult-like following. Merch and content gets multiplied by the number of members in a group and soon enough labels and publishing groups are raking in the dough. 

However, the real defining element of this decades boy and girl bands didn’t come from the U.S., but rather from Korea. K-pop boy and girl bands have truly gone global, and the biggest names (which obviously right now means BTS) have got the world on a craze. BoA and Wonder Girls were the first to bring K-pop to U.S. charts, and slowly after other K-pop groups began transcending their way into mainstream U.S. media through collaborations, appearances, and sold out U.S. tour debuts.  

The (continued) Rise of Streaming 

Spotify has more than 100 million subscribers, and Apple Music is at 56 million paid subscribers. Today, streaming services make up 80% of the music industry's revenue...yup 80. Over the past decade since the emergence of Napster, formerly known as Rhapsody, music streaming has become one of the primary ways for people to consume music. The number of songs streamed over the internet increased more than eightfold between 2013 and 2018, and it shows no signs of stopping. As the years have progressed in music streaming, artists have paid closer attention to the streaming game, maneuvering their way through regulations, trends, algorithms, and playlists, hoping to reach the right audiences and assert their place in the industry. 

The Global Release Date 

In 2013 Beyonce surprised the world when she released a self titled LP and accompanied visuals with no promotion… the music industry was shook. Because of her, and because of the slow rise of streaming sites and increased number of illegal downloads (shoutout to my Limewire gang), the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (some London homies with a big say) decided to unify the date of music release for all 1,300 of its member labels. On July 10th 2015, Friday became the world wide recognized music release day. 

Democratized Discovery & The DIY Artist 

With the increased use of music services and social media, the consumer regained the power and allowed themselves the portals to find and discover new artistry. SoundCloud democratized the music-making process in the 2010’s, making worldwide audiences available to anyone with some sort of recording device. Today, Tik Tok is becoming one of the strongest platforms for new artists to get their music discovered and gain a wide reach.

From Soundcloud, came the DIY artist. There was no longer the need for a label or publication, to have your music be hosted in a platform and heard by many. Soundcloud lead artists to become increasingly independent on their music journey, controlling their career and the distribution of their music. Nowadays, big labels are both trying to sign a lot of these independent artists, but also provide smaller opportunities for them to collaborate and retain their independence. Services made specifically for independent artists are starting to appear on major streaming platforms and label partners. These services are allowing artists to find ways to connect with audiences, measure their streaming success, register tracks and collect royalties. 

All in all, the music industry has been hella dramatic this decade. Its continuous evolution, along with consumption behavior changes, and the rise of new platforms, has made artists search for the most effective ways to tap into their niche market. This decade has seen the rise and fall of certain genres, the disbanding of our favorite boy groups, and Beyonce being Beyonce. Looking at how the decade began, it is easy to pinpoint where the big shifts have occurred, giving me enough hype to see what the next decade holds. 

[daysundercover]

Someone should put together a post of just the album related tweets Louis has posted since 2018, im curious to see the evolution

Okay, so I got a lot more involved then I think you planned for. This is incredibly long, so I have all the tweets listed and below the read more are my observations and opinions. I decided to view all album related content (so I am not including tweets that were not solely about his future album) in context to get the best idea as to what was happening at the time and see a picture emerge in this clusterfuck. I would like to give my unending gratitude to @bulletprooflarry for her amazing tagging system, with which I would not have survived, and for being an incredible sounding board through this journey. Anyway, here we go:

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x,x

Observations:

Two tweet a month quota about the album, (with the exception of of the 2/6/18 tweet he retweeted about the Spotify Secret Genius Session–not an original tweet about the album)

iHeartRadio Nominations were announced on Jan 10th. Louis first tweeted about the album this year on Jan 11th. 

His Jan. 30th tweet preceded the announcement of the Calabasas House being listed (1/31/18), which then the story was picked up by multiple sources. His dispute of ownership didn’t do much good since he replied to pressparty rather than the actual OP, Variety. 

Louis’ Twitter album talk and IG Story song snippet on Feb.19 was followed by the release of MRL Ask Anything videos #6,#7,#8 (first and only time so many were released back to back). Genius registers Moonlight on 2/20/18, which could be the song in the snippet and louist91 was tagged in a no audio recording session IG Story on 2/21/18. 

March is a weird month. Why? He was spotted 2 times in March (¾/18 and 3/8/18) outside of IG selfies or personal IG posts, those are 7. To put it into perspective: he was spotted 1 time in January (1/17/18) and Instagrammed 3 times, spotted ZERO times in February but posted his face twice on Instagram, and so far in April we’ve seen him once (4/19/18). For all intents and purposes, it looked like in March we’d finally get some results. Jasper Waller-Bridge took over Rusty’s position as manager. Louis tweeted about having a good session with LunchMoneyLewis, and there was buzz around his iHeartRadio win…and then it just kind of died. There was no other mention of him or his possible album till March 26th when he tweeted about 8 years since his X-Factor audition which is a story that got syndicated, and he then tweeted about touring Hong Kong. 

It seems to me, that a lot of the promo was centered around the hype for the iHeartRadio Award. After he won it, we went radio silent till April 3rd when he tweeted his monthly thank you and Ultimate Music said on Facebook that Louis would release 2 singles. That got talked about (Billboard, CapitalFM, ClevverTV, etc. all of them mentioning “coming soon” with no actual date) till the 7th of April and then nothing again till April 19th when he last tweeted and was seen in London. 

Opinions:

My question is why put so much effort around a fan voted award and then seemingly drop off the map? We all love Louis and would support him in any capacity, but it seems that all iHeartRadio Award related pushes were preceded or directly followed by album related content, while also maintaining that 2 tweet quota, which makes it seem like it was sole fodder to feed our voting…which great, but doesn’t actually assure us there is anything at the end of this road. And why iHeartRadio? He hasn’t done anything with them since September 2017 when he performed with Bebe Rexha. Hasn’t spoken to any of their radio stations or had his songs exclusively promo-ed to them, so why so heavily invested in this award, especially seeing as they let the CapitalFM Best Fan Award go virtually unnoticed?

From an outsiders perspective, at the very least, it makes it seem like Social Media Louis, is trying his best to assure fans. It doesn’t make his label look very good that he is constantly getting pushed back…so my question is, to what end? What story are we setting up, if there is one to set up? Is he being dropped from his label and later he can say it was them? I don’t know.

Who is influencing who in the Sony Asian market? Sony Music Japan, Singapore, and Malaysia are the ones that mostly interact with Louis’ music and content, where as, British and American markets are silent. So is it Sony parent company telling them to interact or are they doing it of their own accord? 

What makes his social media and personal MIA-ness so strange is that it is so different from his usual MO since One Direction started. Never before has he been so absent with not much to show for it. This is not shade towards him or saying he’s not doing something. I am just saying we are in a holding pattern with no end in sight and it is strange that there has been no assurance as to why that is. You can say you’re working on an album and writing music but when we’ve been getting the same information for a year with no change or progress, and when the singles that have been rolled out get minimal promo at best, it leaves me wondering why all the absence. Is the strategy to just have the established fan base buy the product with no promotion in order to not invest money? Why? And if that’s so, no artist can be sustained on stagnation long term.

I have a lot of questions and very little answers. My only conclusion is that this is not a natural way to establish and create a multi album solo career. Whether that’s the plan or not, I am not sure. One thing I can’t buy into is the thought of sabotage on Louis or punishment of any kind. Why? Because no legitimate business will take a loss in revenue in order to be petty. Money is money, no matter where it comes from. Bottom line IS the bottom line. Louis can make them money, so why not take advantage of it? 

[i-found-the-shoe-guys-blog]

Falloutboynatural

I have a whole fic concept based on this! I love FOB, I have since they where touring with hawthorn heights in tiny little Akron music clubs back in the very early 2000s. I know every song and the lyrics are basically imprinted in my brain. Two notes and I’m gunna scream the name of the song and the album and be super hyped. I don’t even care, I fucking love them okay?

Anyway my concept was this: season 15 episode 9, it works. Sam doesn’t lose faith, they capture god in the godbomb and Amara takes the mark and dissolves herself into the universe, basically taking death and the empty with her. She explains before hand that entities like them are not needed anymore, humanity has evolved past any need for oversight by a “higher being” and the natural order should actually be nothing, no order, no oversight, no meddling. She does this because she loves humanity, she loves free will, she loves the creation her brother had made and then forgot about, the accidental evolution that had happened under his nose that he never appreciated or understood, she does. Their dissolved power fixes heaven and hell, makes heaven better, and hell a place of healing instead of punishment. Cuz that’s natural, redemption and growth. Cas’ deal is revoked, it was unfair in the first place and now there is no empty anyway. Cas chooses to stay on earth with the Winchesters, Jack chooses to stay too, they watch as heaven is closed, knowing that they will not be allowed to enter again until they live entire human lives, for that is the new natural rules, you must be human to interact with them. Their powers are intact, but muted, they will age, they will feel, they will live their lives and when they die they will go to heaven and stay. Dean and Cas have a huge ass conversation about it before it happens, Dean wanting Cas to be happy and worried earth is not where he belongs, Cas reassuring him that wherever the brothers are is exactly where he belongs. They are his home. Dean blushes, cuz of course he does, he stutters and flails but eventually just kinda accepts it and is like, “yeah, okay Cas.”

Their lives continue. They still hunt, but it’s different now. Way more intervention then execution. Everyone deserves a second chance and monsters are people too, they try to help first. Sam and Eileen make the hunters network function again, Dean and Cas help. Jack is just a kid, a grown kid but still, a kid. He’s allowed to be a kid. They get him set up to go to college, local community, but that’s what he wanted because he’s a kid and didn’t want to leave his family yet. He makes friends and joins clubs, he learns who he is and his family support him, then them, when they come out as non-binary. Sam goes like… too far with his excitement to be supportive and Jack has to calm him down and explain, “they/them is me. So is Jack. So is he. So is she. I don’t care, that’s the point.”

Jack and Dean have a very long road to travel before they’re okay, and they both know it. Dean does the work, he digs in and actually tries for once, to be the man he should, the father Jack deserves. He stumbles, he fucks up, he gets frustrated and angry still, but he tries. Good god does he try. And Jack sees it and appreciates it. They aren’t okay yet, but one day they will be, and that’s what matters.

Anyways, all that back story to get to this point. The point where Cas and Dean are on a hunt, werewolves, ones who are not willing to change, not willing to be helped. Garth has tried, now it’s their turn to stop them from hurting anymore people. Driving there, in Cas’ truck because the Impala is throwing a fit and Dean didn’t have time to fix it, they listen to Cas’ Spotify playlist. Dean finds ���deans top 13 zepp traxx” as a list and is touched. Then he sees another “the hunters anthems”, confused he clicks and is blown away by the early 2000s emo playlist staring him in the face. Incredulous, he snorts. “What the hell cas? Who got you listening to this crap?!”

“Claire.” Cas answers. Ends up, during the divorce arch Cas spent a lot of time with Claire. As much as his rejection of Dean had hurt he can’t regret it. It gave him the chance to really know Claire, to spend weeks with her, helping her, listening to her, seeing her. He’s so thankful of that time and opportunity. During their time together Claire introduced him to this music, the hunters anthem, she had called it. He resonated with the lyrics, angry, sad, nihilistic, but somehow still hopeful. He’d listened to classic rock since he’d come to earth, the new music was far beyond anything he’d heard before, it sounded like them, it was their anthems and their stories. He fell in love once again, as he is prone to do, and Claire had been over the moon.

Dean gives it a chance. How could he not? With Cas so taken with it and the challenge of “well, driver picks the music, shotgun shuts his cakehole.” Issued against him. He presses play.

[dontlookdown]

Nick’s Favourite Music of 2021 TURNSTILE - “MYSTERY” [YouTube] [Spotify]

Looking back at previous winners, my “album of the year” always seemed like a mathematical decision. It’s the one with no skips. The one that, were I to grade every single track, would end up with the highest average score. That’s probably true for this year too, but I settled on GLOW ON almost immediately for another reason: It was a reminder that the sequence of an album can make a big impact on how much you enjoy it.

Think about it. If you’re re-listening to an old favourite, do you play it on shuffle? Probably not (given the option). It might work out well for some albums, but I can’t imagine, say, Loveless not starting with “Only Shallow” or not finishing with “Soon”. Even on albums where the tracks fade into each other (Dark Side of the Moon and Since I Left You, for example), where not-shuffling is a given, it’s the different moods and sounds of each song that propel you through the experience.

And you want to start strong. First impressions are important, so you put your strongest statement at the front. So many of my favourite songs are album openers, because they have that frame of mind. Consider: The instant foreboding of “Colossus” and “Violet”, The drums of “Do I Wanna Know?” and “Running Up That Hill”, The taunting fake-outs of “Fight Fire with Fire” and “Teen Age Riot”, The steady evolution of the xx’s “Intro” and “Perth”, And the vocal and piano lead of Patti Smith’s “Gloria” and “Green Light”.

Isolated, they still excel as songs. But as the starting steps on a longer journey, they keep you in your seat, buckled up and ready for more. This was my experience with “MYSTERY”. There’d been some hype building for GLOW ON but, of the advance tracks I’d heard, only “MYSTERY” had me properly engaged. And yet, the glowing reviews kept me curious. I saw one person comment that this album could do for hardcore music what Nevermind did for grunge. That got my attention. “I really liked that one song,” I thought, “I’ll give it a shot.”

But “MYSTERY” isn’t just a song. With its arpeggiated synth intro, brick-wall bass and drums and scorching flanged guitar solo, “MYSTERY” is a fucking opener and, after it set the table for me, everything afterwards just…clicked. The transition to track 2, “BLACKOUT”, left me stunned as the band takes the brightness of “MYSTERY” and inverses it, digging deeper into its sound. “UNDERWATER BOI” and “HOLIDAY”, two of the singles I’d heard previously, work better as a pair contrasting each other, and “T.L.C.”, the final single I’d dismissed, works wonders as a penultimate thrashabout with its yells of “Thank you for letting me be myself”.

Of all the albums released in 2021, GLOW ON is the only one that caused me to consider what albums are, and mean, to me. Mathematics can’t dictate that.

Winner of this year’s ‘Best Album Ever’ award [Last year’s winner]

[mediamonkey29]

Album Review: “Witness” by Katy Perry

Katy Perry’s latest album “Witness” was released on June 9, 2017 and it was accompanied by a three day live stream event on YouTube, which captured every single moment of Katy Perry’s life in a house outfitted with cameras, and culminated in a concert for fans where Katy performed songs from her album. “Witness” received a mixed bag of critical reviews with a lot being on the less favourable side, however, I disagree with the critics. There is a certain expectation for Perry to continue to release hit songs that are widely marketed on Top 40 radio, but an artist has to keep progressing and “Witness” is evidence of Katy’s musical progression and life journey. Katy’s fans (the amazing Katycats) seemingly agreed by making this yet another #1 album, debuting with 180,000 sales plus streaming on the Billboard 200. Read on for a track-by-track review of the album.

1. Witness

The album kicks off with the title track and the simple introduction is accompanied with a heavier bass beat, which ensures that the focus is on Katy’s vocals and her lyrics. In a world where we’re all pretty much staring at screens 24/7, Katy’s message about being a witness in life and with each other is a much needed reminder that we need to create actual connections. The chorus is one that draws you in and is one that always gets me to sing along (which does make it harder when you’re trying to write a review…).

 2. Hey Hey Hey

Always one to create power anthems, Katy Perry continues the trend with the song “Hey Hey Hey”. The song is catchy and could be a potential single off of the album. Lyrically, it is filled with descriptive juxtapositions that highlight the multiple layers in any individual’s personality, as well as the true strength that one possesses that the external world doesn’t always realize. Katy. Another strong song and even stronger message.

 3. Roulette

This is quickly becoming a fan favourite. There is a throwback vibe with the percussive beats and the overall vibe of the song is fun but edgy as well. The lyrical flow and imagery created all comes together and creates a pretty great song.

 4. Swish Swish (featuring Nicki Minaj)

This was one of the singles that have been released from this album and it is the one that the media has focused on the most. It is a response to Taylor Swift and her “Bad Blood” but Katy also said it is applicable to anyone that tries to tear you down in life. The track features Nicki Minaj, who always brings it when she features on a song, and this was no exception. The beat is strong and makes it a great song to play at the clubs, and I think Katy’s vocals shine. I thought this would be a bigger hit on the radios.

 5. Déjà Vu

This is another track that is infused with the electronic sound that is currently taking over Top 40 radio. My only critique is that by the 5th track, the beats are starting to meld together and the songs are sounding very similar. This track doesn’t stand out as much for me but one of Katy Perry’s strengths is her use of creative descriptors to get her message across and this song is another example.

 6. Power

I love this song. The Jack Garratt produced song, begins with a strong drum solo that just gets you hyped and this is the kind of empowerment track that I absolutely love from Katy. If you’re going to name your track “Power”, you better back it up with strong lyrical content that makes you feel empowered and Katy does just that. You can’t help but feel like an absolute boss when you’re listening (or singing along) to this track.

“The song is about taking back your power if you feel like you aren’t treated the way you should be because we’ve got that power.”

 7. Mind Maze

Lyrically, I love this song. It’s about the struggle that goes on within the mind when we’re navigating the world. I’m not a fan of the vocal effects on the chorus of this track that create a very synthetic sound and masks the power and vulnerability that could have elevated this track. However, the overall track is pretty good and like I said, I love the lyrics and the message conveyed in the song.

 8. Miss You More

This track is so vulnerable and you can just feel the lyrics in your heart. Katy’s voice is able to convey emotions so well and this is the perfect example of her often overlooked vocal abilities. Songs like this don’t always get heard on the radio but it is the type of song that just makes you slow down and listen. Great track.

 9. Chained to the Rhythm (featuring Skip Marley)

This is one of my favourite songs on “Witness”. This song was the first single released from “Witness” and relayed the “purposeful pop” message that Perry wanted to convey. Many speculated that the entire album would be political, however, that has not been the case. This track and “Bigger Than Me” are the only tracks that are a response to the election results (Katy was a Hillary supporter and appeared at numerous Clinton campaign events). This song is more reminiscent of the sound that we are used to hearing from Katy and it stands out musically from the rest of the album. That is to say, it’s not as cohesive sonically with the overall album, but it is still one of my favourite songs and I’m glad that it was included. The track features Skip Marley, the grandson of Bob Marley, who does a fantastic job with his verse.

 10. Tsunami

Katy loves her double entendres and (sometimes) subtle messages in songs that aren’t so in your face. This track is packed full of them and it’s also an indication of Katy’s growth and liberation. The way that the song is sang is reminiscent of ocean waves, which is absolutely perfect for this song. This is another great song.

 11. Bon Appétit (featuring Migos)

As we already discussed, Katy loves double entendres and this track is no exception. This is a little more lyrically in your face, than the previous track “Tsunami”. It has a great beat and it’s catchy. You can’t help but sing along/dance along to this track. The track features Migos and is continuing with the current Top 40 trend of combining pop and rap.

 12. Bigger Than Me

This is another one of my favourite tracks. Billboard stated that this track was inspired by the 2016 presidential election, specifically Hillary Clinton’s loss. However, don’t think that this is a political track. The lyrics convey a message of struggle in one’s self-evolution in life and in striving to find their purpose. The beats are strong, the production is perfect and Katy’s vocals shine. I love this song and I think it is very underrated.

 13. Save as Draft

“Save as Draft” is another song that is filled with vulnerability and you can hear it in Perry’s vocals. She has stated that this is one of the harder songs for her to perform on her Witness World Tour. One of my favourite parts of the song is when she says “So I take a deep breath…” and she pauses for breath and you feel that tension and emotion building up, then it continues with “and I save as draft”. You can feel the emotions are still raw and this song is very personal to Katy. She shines in songs like this and “Save as Draft” is no exception.

 14. Pendulum

Turn this track all the way up. I love, love, love this song. So much so that I had to listen to it in full once and then repeat to write the review because it is so hard for me not to join in when this song gets playing. The song has a gospel inspired feel to it with a full choir and the production is perfect. I love the uplifting message as well, which is one of those inspirational, you’re going to be okay, kinds of songs that immediately lifts you up from any kind of bad mood. Katy does not currently sing this song on the Witness World Tour and #JusticeForPendulum is a thing. I, for one, hope that she includes it in one of her two Toronto stops…please.

 15. Into Me You See

“Into Me You See” is a play on the word intimacy and it is about a relationship in which Perry’s partner broke down the walls and the guard that she had put up. This created an evolution for her where she is more willing to show her vulnerable side and her true self. This is a really powerful and personal song that shows a lot of strength. It’s not easy to put yourself on display like this and through the Witness World Wide live stream and this album, we know that Katy is no longer afraid to be as vulnerable, although she does have her insecurities (what human being doesn’t?). It’s a very stripped back song and wraps up the standard version of the album perfectly.

16. Dance with the Devil (Target Special Edition Track)

Katy Perry described this track as her battle with alcohol, which got bad during her depression. It’s another glimpse into the personal life of Katy and her vulnerability on full display. The sound is a more electronic inspired, edgy, darker track, which reflects the lyrics of the track very well. It’s a really well produced song and hopefully will be released on Spotify so that fans who can’t get a hold of the Target special edition can listen too.

17. Act My Age (Target Special Edition Track)

Another song that I absolutely love and I wish it would’ve made the standard version of the album. This song could easily be a radio single because it is an anthem. I love it. The production, the sound, the lyrics. It’s all amazing. It’s a shame that most people won’t hear the song unless they can get their hands on the Target Special edition. This is one of my favourites from “Witness”.

Final Thoughts

The progression of the album from “Witness” to “Into Me You See” is a look into the personal life of Katy Perry and her evolution over the past few years, since the release of her previous album “Prism”. The album is packed with a few strong radio singles but it seems like this was more of an artist adventure for Perry and one that I was glad to witness.

Overall, I think Katy does a great job of showing her musical progression and a more vulnerable side to her, with songs like Save as Draft, Miss You More and Into Me You See. It’s not easy being vulnerable on a daily basis and it must be even harder to do it in front of millions of people watching, but Katy has managed to do so and released an album that, in my opinion, should have received a better critical reception. The focus was placed on “rivalries” that the media continues to perpetuate and place all their attention on, rather than giving the album a fair chance. Is the album filled with big hits like “California Gurls” and “Teenage Dream”, no. But if you have heard Katy’s entire catalogue, and not just the released singles, you know that she has always written and recorded songs with more depth to them, such as Lost, Pearl, and By the Grace of God. This is just an album with less frills and more depth. I predict another album in the future that carries forth in this direction, and what many seem to overlook is that Katy has the voice to do an album with more depth. I look forward to the future but in the meantime, I will be enjoying the “Witness” era and I hope you’ll take a listen to the album and judge for yourself.

You can purchase “Witness” on iTunes or stream it on Spotify, and you can also catch Katy on her “Witness” tour (Click here for dates and tickets). I will be going to her concert tonight and tomorrow night, so check back here for the full review. 

[onestowatch]

Muse, Creepy Venue Stories, & “Middle Fingers” To Addiction: A Q&A With MISSIO

“Missio” is Latin for mission. What began as a side project for singer-songwriter Matthew Brue has now shifted into the spotlight, and with major tours and full-length albums in queue, the MISSIO mission has officially commenced.

Accompanied by producer and instrumentalist David Butler, MISSIO sports an alternative/electronic sound with beat-driven hip-hop undertones. Since their formation, the band has been featured on MTV’s hit show Teen Wolf and charted at #7 on Spotify’s U.S. Viral charts. Atmospheric and expressive, this electro-alternative act is keen on a spirit of experimentation. Keep both ears tuned to MISSIO in the coming months, as their project Loner is due out later this year.

We had the chance to catch up with MISSIO minutes before their second performance at the annual SXSW festival in Austin, TX. They shared details on their SXSW experiences as Austin natives, their upcoming album and tour, as well as their love for Lana Del Rey and Muse. 

Read more below and grab your tickets for MISSIO’s Sirius XM Alt Nation Tour, along with 888, Coast Modern, and Sundara Karma. Tickets available here.

OTW: What does it mean to you, as an Austin-based band, to have SXSW support?

MISSIO (David): More than anything, it just feels good. We’re starting our tour, and it feels good to start it at home. And this is the first time we will ever play music that we’ve had actually written at a previous SXSW. 

It’s the start of our live version of what we do, very storybook. It fits into our story quite nicely.

OTW: How was your first show compared to what we should expect now?

David: It’s been an evolution, you know. We started out just writing, mostly a lot more cinematic music. We kind of did this hybrid DJ thing--just him and I, no drummer or anything, and we would have a lot of electronic elements. It was a lot more chilled show, more of a vibey type show. In a lot of our new material, we just got into pretty big beats, and we’ve added a drummer that plays with us live. It’s definitely more of a live band feel to the show now. A lot more hype, very aggressive.

OTW: Is that sort of the direction that your music has moved as well? 

David: Oh, definitely, the music has driven everything. It’s all about just representing what we’ve written. Everything is just kind of organically brewed to the point where it is now.

MISSIO (Matthew): I have always really liked cinematic music so when I started writing the very first songs, several years ago, I wanted to create a lot of emotional depth within the music. But at the same time, I also love hip-hop and I love old folk music. Then, we started co-writing together, he has his influences of old-school rock bands, hip-hop, and then Dwight, who’s the producer, has his influences. 

David: It touches on a lot of different things. Everything is electronic, so you can easily classify it as that. Then, there’s alternative elements but what the heck does that mean anyways? Alternative is just, you know, it’s just good music, I guess [laughs]. I love grid, grind and aggressiveness, and you find a lot of that in our material. Especially a lot of material that we have in our record, which is all what our live show is all about.

OTW: Ohhh, tell us about the record!

David: I cannot wait to get it out! We wrote these songs that we’ve just been really stoked on. I’ve started to play live a little bit, and I’ve been getting some really cool responses--people are resonating with them. It’s going to be really exciting to actually get something out so people can listen to what they’ve heard at shows.

OTW: What’s it going to be called? Is that revealed yet?

Matthew: It’s called Loner.

OTW: Assuming that alludes to the theme?

Matthew: All the lyrics are kind of a sneak-peek into some of the things that I’ve experienced in my life. A lot of addiction. So, it’s a body of work that can be described by times of being super lonely and depressed.

OTW: Do you hope that it helps listeners as a coping mechanism?

Matthew: Definitely, yeah. We talk about it all the time. 

Music is the avenue to get to people, but our goal is to have conversations with people, and hear people’s stories and tell our stories. 

We’re super excited just to stir it. Having one-on-ones with people at shows, or when we meet them and they say, “Hey your song helped me do bla bla bla,”-- I’m super excited for that. 

David: Yeah, man. To me, it’s one thing to make music, but to get to go out and play shows and actually have this real experience with people. All of our songs are very specific to things that Matthew’s gone through, they’re not general things; they’re very specific experiences. 

But it’s also interesting that the more specific and revealing you get with how you feel about a struggle, even if that struggle is very specific to you, there’s a relatability with that. I mean, a struggle’s a struggle.

There’s a lot of music that talks about “I don’t have any problems,” or “I feel great,” but that’s not who we are. We say what we really feel, and reality is that a lot of times we don’t feel great, that’s life. Hence, our single, “Middle Fingers” [laughs].

OTW: That’s your latest single, right?

Matthew: Yeah, it’s interesting to talk to people because they think it’s a very negative song or it’s “F you.” It’s not! We’re talking about struggles that we go through, and it’s actually “F the situation” that we are going through. And I tell people a lot that what’s cool about playing that song live is that you’re in a building with how many people are there, and they all come from different religious backgrounds, and different political backgrounds, and we sing that song and we lift our middle fingers up and it’s like everybody forgets any of that stuff. 

Nobody has a care in the world, and it’s beautiful to me.

David: It’s so interesting. There’s something very liberating about being in a space where you can just flip whatever it is that’s on your mind off and not be judged for it, or not be expected to say whatever is politically correct, just be real about whatever it is you’re experiencing. I think that even though that is different for everybody, it’s a unifying anthem song that everybody can get behind. Everybody is in their own mind, but we’re all together thinking about the same thing.

OTW: And it’s just so fun to sing along too! We read that MISSIO began as Matthew’s solo project and then later you guys linked up. How did that come about and what changed as a duo?

Matthew: I had met him through a mutual friend, and I was in a different band at the time. He was doing some side producing work outside his band at the time.

David: The band didn’t work out; we worked out! [laughs]

Matthew: I was tired of writing these super pop-y songs that didn’t mean anything to me. So, I was like, “Fuck it, I’m just going to write my own songs and go back to some of my old influences like Al Stevens, Sigur Ros.” I had no intention of doing anything with it really, just having songs for my friends and myself and that was it. I brought them to David, and I was like, “Hey do you want to record some of these and work together again?” He was like, “Hell yeah, let’s do it.” 

So, we did, and it was weird because at the time, he and his wife were looking for a third roommate, and I bring this up all the time because I think this is what really helped initiate MISSIO, as far as the work ethic and flow goes. We actually lived in the same house and he was working all the time, I was working all the time, and we got a last-minute place in SXSW, and it was like, oh shoot, we need to figure how to play live. 

It was just this really natural collaboration that happened organically, and then we started co-writing together, and here we are. 

OTW: Where did the name MISSIO come from?

Matthew: Latin, for mission. Maybe four, five years ago I was starting to get clean, and my sister had sent me this phrase, and I fell in love with it because it was a period in my life where it was very encouraging to me. So, I got a tattoo on my wrist, and then when I was thinking about different names to call the music project that I was working on, it had to be MISSIO! I freaking love it!

OTW: Nice! What would be your biggest piece of advice after the addiction struggles you went through?

Matthew: You have to talk to somebody. I don’t care who it is. If you don’t feel comfortable talking to your parents, don’t. But, I held onto things for such a long time that I became this thing that was just filling up and up, and it just exploded. There’s something about sharing, no matter what it is, depression or struggling with addiction stuff, whatever you want to put in that title, you have to share it with somebody. 

There’s a huge freedom about opening up to somebody else and letting somebody come in that makes you feel vulnerable but not alone. To me that was the very first step that I had to take. 

OTW: You guys did a great cover of Lana Del Rey’s “Westcoast,” why that song and are there any other dream covers or collaborations?

Matthew: I love Lana Del Rey! I love her vocals, I love her melodies, I love her hip-hop undertones with the old-school quality of her recordings. 

David: We haven’t done very many covers, but we do our version. We sit in a studio and nerd out for a little while and get tones and re-write the beats. It’s almost like writing a song from scratch, without melodies/lyrics. When you think about it like that, it’s all about about finding melodies that are really inspiring. 

OTW: So, let’s talk about the tour. Any dates that you are particularly excited for? 

Matthew: The Gramercy Theatre in New York City. I’ve heard a lot of friends talk about that place. Also, Milwaukee at the Rave Bar, have you ever been? It used to be an old man’s gathering house basically, as sexual as that sounds [laughs]. 

David: It just got some real creepy vibes, that place. 

Matthew: There’s like an old-school abandoned pool down at the bottom of the floor. It’s three stories high, and there’s venues in different rooms but it’s all super haunted looking. It’s an experience.

OTW: Any tour tips?

Matthew: Don’t eat super late.

David: Oh god, we’re terrible at that. Trying to figure that out. 

OTW: And then you guys are also supporting Muse and 30 Seconds to Mars right? 

David: Yeah! I’m a super fan boy, like that’s insane! To say I have a lot of respect for those bands, that’s an extreme understatement. Matt Bellamy from Muse, that dude inspired me in so many ways as a musician. 

OTW: So, when you first meet him, what are you going to say?

Matthew: Maybe kiss him on the cheek?

David: I hope not, but in the moment, you never know. If you feel it, you just have to go for it. 

Matthew: There’s two types of people in this world. There’s the person that is too cool to take the picture with the person that they respect and then the other person is like, “Oh no hell, no I’m going in!” I feel like I would have to in that moment, take the picture, because I’m going to remember it the rest of my life. I would never get that again; I can’t ignore that.

David: 

Moral of the story, when you’re feeling it, do it!

OTW: Last question: who are your top artists to watch at the moment?

Matthew:  I don’t know how to say his name but XXXTENTACION, the rapper. When I heard his track, I called David and was like, “Dude have you heard this track?!” It explodes on the speakers. I think he’s maybe in jail, which kind of sucks. The track is called “Look At Me” and it’s got like 50 million plays. I don’t know anything about him but all I know is that track has been on repeat for two week straight.

David: I’d say Shug, that’s a guy that worked on one of our songs. Love him. Our producers band, The Wind and The Wave, are also doing some great things.  There’s so much music out there though; it’s an awesome time to be an emerging artist.

[mrwilliamcharley]

Run The Trap’s Top 25 Producer Collaborations Of 2018

This year, a number of massive collaborations erupted onto our SoundCloud pages and changed the dance music game. From combining different genres to unearthing new sounds, 25 producer collaborations hit us hard and were worthy of being praised for their innovation and creativity. Check out our top 25 favorite producer collaborations of 2018 list below.

Run the Trap’s Top 25 Producer Collaborations Of 2018 | SoundCloud Playlist

25. A-Trak & Falcons – Ride For Me (feat. Young Thug & 24hrs)

Fool’s Gold Records has been home to some of the most monumental records of all time but none as historic as A-Trak and Falcons‘ collaborative single “Ride For Me“. The forward-thinking production on this track perfectly vibes with the dynamic hip-hop combination of Young Thug and rising rapper 24hrs. To put it simply, this collaboration bangs.

24. QUIX & Vincent – Hero (feat. David Shane)

Trap wizards QUIX and Vincent collided to bring forward an intense record that is the definition of a heater. “Hero” has made its rotation through countless DJ sets around the world with a presence that is unparalleled. The hard-hitting trap banger brings forth the best of both these talented producers.

23. SLANDER X Crankdat – Kneel Before Me (ft. Asking Alexandria)

SLANDER had a massive year between their The Headbangers Ball EP and collaborations alongside SAYMYNAME, WAVEDASH, and Seven Lions. One of their most monstrous collaborations to date enlisted rising trap star Crankdat and English rock band Asking Alexandria for the electronic-rock banger the world desperately needed. “Kneel Before Me” is a manic dubstep collaboration that opens the portal to hell. Brutal and gnarly, SLANDER and Crankdat wreaked havoc with this collab that will live on to conquer DJ sets for years to come.

22. Zeds Dead X DNMO – We Could Be Kings (ft. Tzar)

Since the inception of Zeds Deads‘ Deadbeats label, the bass duo have continuously shined a spotlight on major up and comers. Amidst a slew of collaborations with the likes of Jauz, Snails, and 1000Volts, Zeds Dead tapped rising UK producer DNMO for an exceptional banger. “We Could Be Kings” is the bass-pop anthem the world desperately needed and is a true collaboration that brings out the best in each of these producers.

21. A-Trak & YehMe2 – Prayer Hands

A-Trak and YehMe2 teamed up for a massive DJ weapon that has a cemented place in house history. As part of their collaborative Skat Men EP out via Fool’s Gold Records, “Prayer Hands” delivered an unorthodox soundscape ready to take on any club scene. “Prayer Hands” not only solidified YehMe2 as one of the most dynamic producers in the game but also showcased his creativity when it comes to collaboration.

20. Slushii – There x2 (ft. Marshmello)

Marshmello and Slushii are two of the biggest names in the game and their collaborative single “There x2” was absolutely magical. Vibrant and beautifully produced, the combination of producers crafted a whimsical, emo-scented future bass track. Crazed with massive dance vibes, this collaboration slaps.

19. Snails & Adventure Club – Follow Me (ft. Sara Diamond)

Snails hyped his SLIMEAGEDDON EP with one of the hottest collaborations of the year. Teaming up with Adventure Club, “Follow Me” combined gut-wrenching bass drops with heart-breaking melodies of epic proportions. Together, Snails and Adventure Club created a smash single that fires on all cylinders and will live on to crush any dubstep or trap set.

18. Louis The Child & Whethan – Chop It Up

Louis The Child and Whethan each had a phenomenal year filled with bubbly future bass originals. Before embarking on a European tour together, the trio of producers joined forces to launch their gooey collaborative Honey mixtape with “Chop It Up” being a memorable favorite. With “Chop It Up”, Louis The Child and Whethan revived their future bass roots and their creativity when it comes to instrumentals, which we rarely see now from each of the producers.

17. SNBRN & Autograf – Move All Night (ft. Kole)

Autograf and SNBRN are two of the biggest names in house music so when they finally teamed up for “Move All Night“, it was almost shocking that it was the first time they collaborated. “Move All Night” certainly lived up to its name with its groove-riddled rhythms and bouncy melodies. The foursome’s robust, club-ready production brought the summer vibes to a chilly October. Together, Autograf and SNBRN created an infectious track that is the definition of dance-worthy.

16. Benny Blanco & Calvin Harris

Benny Blanco emerged this year as one of the hottest producers to make a name for himself. After spending years working behind the scenes, Blanco stepped out into the spotlight and enlisted a slew of the year’s top acts for his debut album Friends Keep Secrets. Amidst his pop and hip-hop crossovers, Benny Blanco coerced Calvin Harris into co-producing and singing on their collaborative house single “I Found You“. It was the first time Harris performed vocals on a track since his 2016 single “My Way”, which makes “I Found You” historic in its own right.

15. Ekali & Medasin – Forever (ft. Elohim)

This year, Ekali and Medasin teamed up for an unforgettable single “Forever” that soared with its whimsical future bass soundscape. Playful and shimmering, the Elohim featured track unearthed a sound we’ve never heard from either producer but is completely awe-inspiring. There’s a softness and elegance in this collaboration that separates it from their catalogs, not to mention it’s absolutely breathtaking.

14. Wolfgang Gartner X K?d – Banshee

Nothing this year was more diverse than the collaborative single between k?d and Wolfgang Gartner. With two incredibly unique styles, k?d and Wolfgang Gartner found a way to combine their respective hard-hitting trap and electrifying electro-house signatures for “Banshee“. With “Banshee”, k?d and Wolfgang Gartner truly collaborated and meshed their styles into one serious heater.

13. REZZ X 1788-L – H E X

REZZ and 1788-L‘s collaboration has become a trap staple. Garnering the most plays across her Certain Kind Of Magic album, “H E X” easily stands out with its dynamic and wild soundscape. Dark and magical, “H E X” checks off every box from intense and unrelenting to powerful and dominating. This collaboration not only cemented REZZ as one of the top producers in the game but also boosted 1788-L to new heights. This collaboration will be talked about for years to come.

12. NGHTMRE & Big Gigantic – Like That

WAVEDASH, and Pell and he still had room to add another stunner to the list. The sign of a good collaboration comes from mixing two unique sounds and that’s exactly what you get from NGHTMRE’s latest single with Big Gigantic. “Like That” pushes the bounds by mixing NGHTMRE’s signature trap with Big Gigantic’s iconic jazz-infused hip-hop.

11. Excision X Illenium – Gold (Stupid Love)

Excision and Illenium teamed up for a crushing banger that absolutely blew us away. “Gold (Stupid Love)” brought together two dynamic forces on one track and the end product was exceptional. There’s nothing tame about this collaboration, and rightfully so. It’s explosive and fearless in all the right ways and will go down in history as one of the most multi-dimensional dubstep tracks.

10. Seven Lions, SLANDER, & Dabin – First Time (ft. Dylan Matthew)

The three-way collaboration between Seven Lions, SLANDER, and Dabin can only be described as an anthemic fireball. “First Time” has already garnered over three million streams on Spotify in just two months and for good reason. The trio of producers found a way to combine their distinctive styles on one track so seamlessly that it’s almost surprising how many people are on this track.

9. Party Favor X Baauer – MDR

Party Favor and Baauer unleashed a high-energy banger that has run rampant through the trap world. “MDR” is grimy and explosive and is one of those tracks that just goes off from the get-go. Party Favor and Baauer brought forth a powerful original filled with layers of creativity that just oozes brilliance. This track was made to bang in any club or festival set.

8. Boombox Cartel X Flosstradamus – ID | Stream

Trap legends Boombox Cartel and Flosstradamus teamed up for a smash heater that was absolutely historic. “ID” builds into a wild and iconic whirlwind of trap and bass that is absolutely phenomenal. The combination of Boombox Cartel and Flosstradamus is truly a match made in heaven.

7. Alison Wonderland X SLUMBERJACK – Sometimes Love

Alison Wonderland‘s wondrous sophomore album Awake was one of the biggest highlights of the year. Amidst the future bass bangers and vulnerable pop-tinged vocals, Alison Wonderland linked with fellow Aussies SLUMBERJACK for “Sometimes Love”. Their collaboration was the dark and dangerous trap banger that lifted her album to new heights.

6. Ekali & ZHU – Blame

Ekali had a major year filled with collaborations alongside Medasin, SLUMBERJACK, and TYNAN, and capped it off with his highly-anticipated Crystal Eyes EP out via OWSLA. But he kicked off the year with one his most monstrous collaborations to date. For “Blame“, Ekali teamed up with ZHU, and together they crafted an unimaginable banger. It’s incredible that two producers with such distinctive styles were able to combine their future trap and house signatures in one flawless record and it’s positively inspiring.

5. Cashmere Cat, Major Lazer & Tory Lanez – Miss You

Cashmere Cat and Major Lazer‘s single “Miss You” was monumental, not only because the duo crafted a gorgeous track but also because it was the first time that the two collaborated. Both have been major forces driving the evolution of electronic music into mainstream pop, bridging a relationship between A-list pop vocalists with top-notch producers to create a new world of dance-pop music. “Miss You” was a staple of that burgeoning genre this year.

4. The Chainsmokers & NGHTMRE – Save Yourself

The Chainsmokers and NGHTMRE teased their collaborative single “Save Yourself” in their respective Ultra and EDC Las Vegas sets before giving it a proper release in August. When it finally dropped, ears erupted from the dangerous blast of bass and heavy-hitting dubstep. Unlike The Chainsmokers’ typical pop-centric originals, NGHTMRE kicked them into gear to turn up on monumental levels. This collaboration definitely will not be forgotten anytime soon.

3. What So Not & Skrillex – Goh (feat. KLP)

Two years ago, Skrillex and What So Not teamed up with RL Grime for an unimaginable collaboration “Waiting”. While this may not be their first collaboration, Skrillex’s appearance on What So Not’s Not All The Beautiful Things album was definitely one of the highlights of the year. Their collaborative single “Goh” resurrects their signature trap vibes with crisp, modern production that will make your heart soar. Amidst the slew of melodic future bass tracks, “Goh” is the most hard-hitting on What So Not’s debut album and stands to be an iconic thriller for years to come.

2. Jauz & DJ Snake – Gassed Up

Stacking two superstars on one collaboration is a difficult task but Jauz and DJ Snake handled it phenomenally. Their double-time bass-house banger “Gassed Up” more than lived up to its name and set on a warpath to destroy dancefloors everywhere. Jauz and DJ Snake geared up to create an absolutely savage original that even described as electrifying, hard-hitting, and earth-shattering is still saying too little.

1. JOYRYDE & SKRILLEX – AGEN WIDA

JOYRYDE and Skrillex‘s “AGEN WIDA” was one of the biggest, most anticipated collaborations of the year. The monumental track not only revived bass-house, but also brought the duo of legends back into the forefront after a quiet year. The wild banger is one that will surely be played for years to come.

STAY IN THE KNOW! FOLLOW US ON SPOTIFY

Read more from Jordan and connect with her on Soundcloud, Twitter, and Instagram.

'Run The Trap’s Top 25 Producer Collaborations Of 2018

The post Run The Trap’s Top 25 Producer Collaborations Of 2018 appeared first on Run The Trap: The Best EDM, Hip Hop & Trap Music.

from Run The Trap: The Best EDM, Hip Hop & Trap Music http://bit.ly/2Q44N1v

[beansonbread2]

BEANSONBREAD AWARDS 2017 - BEST SONG

AWARD NO.3 - BEST SONG OF 2017

PAST WINNERS

2016 > Solange ‘Cranes In the Sky’ (see full list HERE)

2015 > Kendrick Lamar ‘The Blacker The Berry’ (see full list HERE)

2014 > FKA Twigs ‘Two Weeks’ (see full list HERE)

2013 > Oliver Wilde ‘Perrett’s Brook’ (see full list HERE)

2010 > Untold ‘Stop What You’re Doing (James Blake Remix) (see full list HERE)

2009 > Joker - ‘Digidesign’ (see full list HERE)

2008 > Lil’ Wayne - ‘A Milli’ (see full list HERE)

2007 > Panda Bear - ‘Bros’ (see full list HERE)

2006 > Hot Chip - 'Over And Over’ (see full list HERE)

RULES - A maximum of TWO tracks from any one artist. Songs can be tied in the same position.

Some of my favourite album tracks actually released this year may be on last year’s list as singles or lead tracks and not included in this year’s list. Anyway, these are the songs i’ve enjoyed the most this year.

*SPOTIFY PLAYLIST WITH (ALMOST) ALL THE TRACKS*

Special mention to > Girl Ray ‘(I Wish I Were Giving You A Gift) This Christmas’

- which is an amazing song and should really be in my top 10 but they already have 2 songs in the list and it’s a Christmas song, and i feel a bit weird about including Christmas songs.

THE RUNNERS UP (in no order)..

Limmy ‘Turkish Delight techno version’

Rina Sawayama ‘Alterlife’

Lorde ‘Green Light’

Dubi Dolczek ‘Only Human’

Run the Jewels ‘Talk To Me’

Kirin J Callinan ‘S.A.D’

Tim Heidecker ‘Imperial Bathroom’

Andrew Hung ‘Say What You Want’

Kelela ‘Frontline’

Nilüfer Yanya ‘Baby Luv’

ThisisDA ‘Control, Shift’

James Ferraro ‘Twilight Pretender’

Spinning Coin ‘Money Is A Drug’

GFOTY ‘Tongue’

Cardi B ‘Bodak Yellow’

Pillow Person ‘On Your Way’

Kero Kero Bonito ‘Rock ‘n’ Roll Star’

Ed Dowie ‘David Is Unwell’

Yves Tumor ‘E. Eternal’

Flat Worms ‘Question’

LCD Soundsystem ‘Tonite’

Frank Ocean ‘Chanel’ / ‘Biking’

Big Thief ‘Shark Smile’

Julia Jacklin ‘Cold Caller’                                                                                    

Jessie Lanza ‘I Talk BB’

Dean Blunt ‘As Long As Ropes Unravel Fake Rolex Will Travel’

Frankie Cosmos ‘Fish Bowl’ (Kero Kero Bonito cover)

Sacred Paws ‘Strike A Match’

Spectres ‘End Waltz’

Rostam ‘Bike Dream’

Why? ‘Proactive Evolution’

Grandaddy ‘Way We Won’t’

Aldous Harding ‘Imagining My Man’                                                                       

SL ‘Tropical’                                                                                                        

Amber Coffman ‘No Coffee’

The XX ‘Say Something Loving’

Wasuremono ‘For All The Bears’

IAMDDB ‘Shade’

Fenne Lily ‘What’s Good’

Sir Was ‘In The Midst’

Lana Del Rey ‘Love’

Jay Som ‘The Bus Song’

Sweet Baboo ‘Wild Imagination’

Real Estate ‘Darling’

The Horrors ‘Machine’

Hannah Diamond ‘Never Again’

Charli XCX ‘Boys’

Manuela ‘Supermarket’

Dizzee Rascal ‘Space’

The Saxophones ‘Aloha’

Selena Gomez ‘Bad Liar’

Sneaks ‘Look Like That’

Sega Bodega (feat. Shygirl) ‘CC’

Princess Nokia ‘Tomboy’

Grizzly Bear ‘Mourning Sound’

J Hus ‘Common Sense’

S4U ‘Too Much’

Charlotte Gainsbourg ‘Deadly Valentine’

The Evil Usses ‘Gambino’

Klein ‘Cry Theme’

Aimee Mann ‘ Good For Me’  

Superorganism ‘Something For Your M.I.N.D.’

Yorkston/Thorne/Khan ‘Bales’

Colin Stetson ‘All This I Do For Glory’

Lil Yachty ‘Peek A Boo’

Mush ‘Luxury Animals’

MGMT ‘Little Dark Age’                                                                                          

Django Django ‘Tic Tac Toe’ / ‘In Your Beat’                                                          

Slowdive ‘Slomo’                                                                                                    

N.E.R.D (feat. Rihanna) ‘Lemon’

Alt-J ‘Pleader’

Mura Masa & A$AP Rocky ‘Love$ick’

Ariel Pink & Weyes Blood ‘Tears On Fire’

Ski Mask The Slump God ‘Catch Me Outside’

Francois & The Atlas Mountains ‘Grand Dereglement’

Animal Collective ‘Kinda Bonkers’

Yung Nnelg ‘Forrest Gump’

Wharfwhit ‘Keep U Sweet’ / ‘Elbows’

Stormzy ‘Big For Your Boots’

Alvvays ‘In Undertow’ / ‘Hey’

Luxury Dad? ‘Cowbell’ / ‘Millennial Boogie (or whatever)’

Vince Staples ‘Big Fish’

Missy Elliott ‘I’m Better’

Thundercat ‘Them Changes’

Mac DeMarco ‘On The Level’

Japanese Breakfast ‘Diving Woman’ / ‘Road Head’

Robin Allender ‘Train Dreams’

Sleaford Mods ‘B.H.S.’

Laurel Halo ‘Jelly’

Mun Sing ‘Eye’ / ‘Revenge’

Hype Williams ‘Loud Challenge’

Ariel Pink ‘Feels Like Heaven’ / ’Bubblegum Dreams’

J Hus ‘Did You See’

Drake ‘Passionfruit’

Lil B ‘Still Run It’ / ‘DJ BasedGod’

John Maus ‘The Combine’

Kamaiyah ‘Playa In Me’

Alexis Taylor & Lung Dart ‘I’m Ready’

Aimee Mann ‘Goose Snow Cone’

Terry ‘Take Me To The City’

St. Vincent ‘Los Ageless’

Jlin ‘Nyakinyua Rise’

Oro Swimming Hour ‘Martial Arts Washing Cars’

Alien Stadium ‘This One’s For The Humans’

Jay Som ‘Baybee’

Liars ‘Cred Woes’

S4U ‘Friends’

Brian Eno with Kevin Shields ‘Only Once Away My Son’

Bjork ‘The Gate’ / ‘Blissing Me’

Hercules & The Love Affair (feat. Sharon Van Etten) ‘Omnion’

Tara Clerkin ‘John’

Bonnie Prince Billy (with The Roots of Music) ‘The Curse’

Iglooghost ‘Bug Thief’

SOPHIE ‘Ponyboy’

Insecure Men ‘Subaru Nights’

Young Thug ‘Family Don’t Matter’

Yung Lean ‘Red Bottom Sky’

ESPRIT ‘Flounder 202’

Giant Swan ‘Celebrate The Last 30 Years Of Human Ego’

Oneohtrix Point Never (feat. Iggy Pop) ‘The Pure And The Damned’

Four Tet ‘Two Thousand And Seventeen’

Mount Kimbie (feat. King Krule) ‘Blue Train Lines’

Beak> ‘Sex Music’

Wiley ‘Speakerbox’

Baxter Dury ‘Miami’

Alabaster dePlume 'Be Nice To People'

Drahla ‘Silk Spirit’                                                                                                   

The Moonlandingz (feat. Rebecca Taylor) ‘The Strangle Of Anna’                        

Happyness ‘The Reel Starts Again (Man As Ostrich)’

Yves Tumor ‘Limerence’

Coucou Chloe ‘Flip U’

This Is The Kit ‘Moonshine Freeze’

Ibeyi ‘Deathless’

Mogwai ‘Party In The Dark’

Wesley Gonzales ‘I Am A Telescope’ / ‘In Amsterdam’

Iglooghost ‘Infinite Mint’

King Krule ‘Biscuit Town’

Young Thug ‘Liger’

Bas Jan ‘No Sign’

Seamus Fogarty ‘Carlow Town’

Oliver Wilde ‘Big Black Chunk’

Tyler The Creator ‘I Ain’t Got Time!’

TOP 50 SONGS OF 2017...

50. Lice ‘The Human Parasite’

49. Young Fathers ‘Only God Knows’

48. Los Campesinos! ‘5 Flucloxacillin’

47. Mush ‘Alternative Facts’

46. SOPHIE ‘It’s OK To Cry’

45. Phoenix ‘J-Boy’

44. Oro Swimming Hour ‘Ornatrice’

43. Fever Ray ‘To The Moon And Back’

42. Spectres ‘Dissolve’

41. Dirty Projectors & Dawn Richard ‘Cool Your Heart’

40. Rina Sawayama (feat. Shamir) ‘Tunnel Vision’

39. Oliver Wilde ‘You’re So Kool-Aid’

38. Wiley ‘Can’t Go Wrong’

37. Hookworms ‘Negative Space’

36. This Is The Kit ‘Hotter Colder’

35. Playboi Carti ‘Magnolia’

34. Ed Dowie ‘Yungpawel’

33. Arca ‘Saunter’ / ‘Desafío’

32. Brockhampton ‘Gummy’

31. Seamus Fogarty ‘Van Gogh’s Ear’

30. Taos Humm ‘BLUHr’

29. Shabazz Palaces ‘Shine A Light’

28. Sweet Baboo ‘Pink Rainbow’

27. Happyness ‘Through Windows’

26. Field Music ‘Count It Up’

25. Migos ‘T-Shirt’ / ‘Bad And Boujee’

24. King Krule ‘Dum Surfer’

23. Perfume Genius (feat. Weyes Blood) ‘Sides’

22. Kendrick Lamar ‘DNA’

21. Thundercat ‘Show You The Way’

20. Brockhampton ‘Boogie’

19. SZA ‘Drew Barrymore’

18. Perfume Genius ‘Slip Away’

17. Kamasi Washington ‘Truth’

16. Yaeji ‘Drink I’m Sippin On’

15. Kelela ‘LMK’

14. Girl Ray ‘Stupid Things’

13. Edward Penfold ‘Grasshopper’

12. Richard Dawson ‘Soldier’

11. Future ‘Mask Off’

10. Mount Kimbie (feat. Micachu) ‘Marilyn’

9. Self Esteem ‘Your Wife’ / ‘OMG’

8. Blanck Mass ‘Please’

7. SZA (Feat. Travis Scott) ‘Love Galore’

6. Kendrick Lamar ‘HUMBLE’

5. Yaeji ‘Raingurl’

4. Edward Penfold ‘Garden Fresh’

3. Tyler, The Creator ‘See You Again’

2. Girl Ray ‘Preacher’

1. Richard Dawson ‘Ogre’

[leaping-tiger-blog]

Artists that inspire, I admire: Uv boi فوق بنفسجي

On 9/11/17 I met up with Emmanuel aka UV boi at his Airbnb in Auckland for him to be the first interview in my ‘Artists that inspire, I admire’ series. Emmanuel has been a really big influence for me ever since I started listening to him a few years ago and It was so great to sit down and have a chat with him.

Hey man, thank you so much for doing this!

Uv boi: Well, we’re in New Zealand so we’re trying have as much fun as we can and meet some really cool people!

From the other side of the room Uv boi’s manager, Sasha looks up from his laptop.

Sasha: Wait, are you guys recording?

Haha, yea.

Sasha: Ohhh ok cos I was thinking, damn why are they talking like they recording?

UV Boi: *Chuckling* Yea that's my manager Sasha, he wildin’

Awesome haha, well I have to start this off right, what kicks we rocking today?

(A question that always pops up on UV boi live streams)

Uv boi: Well, I only brought two pairs with me this time, my maroon Puma Clydes and my black Nike Air Force 1′s.

Ahh the Air Force 1′s are a classic.

Uv boi: Yea I only copped them like 3 weeks ago, I'm not even like a big sneaker person but it’s become a thing now. I might have to buy a new pair every time I go on livestream now haha.

Love it. So I’ve also gotta start off with your come up because seeing your rise over the past few years has been crazy, how did UV boi begin?

Uv boi: It all happened really organically, so I graduated high school and was studying audio engineering and sound production for a trimester and during that time I started UV and then within that trimester things started kicking off. Initially, it all started online with people starting to pay attention to me, then it grew to radio and from that point my manager linked up with me and soon after that we got a booking agent and I started going on tour. Pretty much everything we planned to do over a year happened in months, which was pretty insane and overwhelming at first but it still felt right and everything progressed kinda smoothly after that.

Yea because, for me, listening to you four years ago and seeing where you are now is so sick.

Uv boi: Yea, I mean it’s been a crazy four years and now that I'm writing the album it's just gonna be like a whole review of the past four years and everything that's happened.

For real, I can't wait till that comes out haha. Your recently released EP, returned alone, is fantastic, seeing the evolution from the early UV days I’ve noticed you’ve been able to create quite a different sound with this EP all the while keeping that classic UV Boi flare, was that a conscious decision?

Uv boi: I think whenever you discover your own sound it will always remain with you, even when you evolve and create something different it will still have that initial signature sound there. When I was creating the EP I wanted to exhibit my skills that I've picked up since my last EP and kind of find a new way to tell the story that I was writing about and so I introduced songwriting and Vocals. Before I had released this vocal track under an alias called ‘Perfect Picture’ and even before then I made this tweet like, “I wish I could rap but I'm trash,” but I just kept working on it and it turned into this EP which is something I really wanted to create. This is kinda the introduction into what I want to make In the future and I'm really glad that people like it and the reception has been great.

Yea It’s really great man! So with the singing what was that like adding vocals to UV boi tracks as opposed to what you were doing with Perfect Picture?

Uv boi: When i started perfect picture I wanted it to be like my songwriting and singing alias and UV was just going to be just the instrumentals, and I also have a few other aliases but I found that something that went really well together was UV Boi and singing from Perfect Picture so I just decided to merge the two. I'm still gonna create Perfect Picture stuff but its gonna be real low-key.

Well, that answers my next question. I was gonna ask if Perfect Picture will be back anytime soon.

Uv boi: Yea He’ll be back for sure, I remember saying about a year ago that I have a Perfect Picture album coming but I haven't started that yet haha. But at least I’ll get like a single out or like a throwaway track from the EP sometime in the future.

I’ll definitely be holding out for that Perfect picture album for sure haha. Something else I thought was cool was having NZ’s own Villette on the EP how did that come about?

Coincidentally Villette walks into the flat with a big smile as I ask the question.

Villette: Hey!

Uv boi: Woah, hey your question just came up in the Interview.

Villette: Oh nice haha.

Uv boi: So yea I came across her on the Internet like two or three years ago and I sent her stuff to my manager and we really loved what she was doing, and when I came to New Zealand for a show she came round to the studio and I was like, “Hey can you please help me out with this song? I’ve got this little idea,” and she magically did it and sang exactly what I wanted. I kept it quiet for like a year until the EP was finished and yea, working with Villette is great and she's got some really great stuff coming out so look out for that!

I love when a good collab comes together aye, and speaking of collabs your tracks with Adamn killa are insane, how did that come about?

Uv boi: So Adamn’s manager is friends with Ryan Hemsworth and he heard my stuff through him and because Adamn and I both have a similar kind of style they wanted me to be part of the EP. So I sent them a few beats I had lying around and I thought they might be too weird and Adamn might not be able to do anything with them but Adamn is so versatile and he was able to make something out of beats that were so weird and the tracks ended up being awesome. I’m really stoked about that and we have another track coming as well for my own thing, so we're just waiting on some other features to come through and should be out next year.

Wow, that will be amazing! Are there any artists you’ve been really digging recently?

Uv boi: I've got like a whole Spotify of things because my appreciation of music kind of jumps from all different genres, like there's this really cool band, Nothing,Nowhere, its this emo, trap, rap thing. I really like Lapalux, Dylan Brady, a band called Good Morning, they make Indie music and yea its all pretty diverse and I try to incorporate that into my own stuff.

Awesome, You’ve been on a roll with these releases first the returned alone EP last month and you just put out Roll Wit Us with Courage can we expect even more UV goodness before the year is up?

Uv boi: Of course! I've got the video clip of is this love coming, which I recorded on my iPhone 5 because I wanted that aesthetic that's low quality but still cool and that should be dropping this month. Then I’ve got a track coming out with a really cool friend of mine called Darcy Baylis from Melbourne and he actually helped on the writing for ‘Bleeding out’ and ‘Is this love yet’ and he's really amazing, we’re also gonna shoot a video for that because the track is actually already done so I'm really excited about that, and then hopefully if we can get the features ready the track with Adamn by the end of the year. Oh and I've also got lots of throwaway tracks that I could put on Perfect Picture, a lot is on the way so be ready haha.

Ready for UV Season!

Uv boi:*Laughing* Ayeeeee

You've also been hanging out heaps with Tkay and Baz (Baro), is there stuff on the way with them?

Uv boi: I was actually helping out Tkay with her live show, I was her DJ and hype man for that past couple of months and that was really exciting, we went to China and played a bunch of shows in Australia and that was really cool. I hope to make music with Tkay, she did help write lyrics for a song that was going to be on the EP but it didn't make it, so definitely something in the future. And then Baz is my man, I think we've got a song with me Nasty Mars and Baro, it’s going to be an acoustic thing, I still have to write and record my shit and I haven't had time but when I get home and around December we should be good.

Finally, can we expect an Auckland Uv boi show soon cos last time you were here it was like a month before I turned 18 lol

Uv boi: Definitely for the album we’ll try and come back, I mean Auckland was really awesome last time, I didn't expect that many people to come or even to know me but Red Bull and Madcap put on a really good show so yeah fingers crossed, and right now we’re here for vacation so we’ll probably come back for vacation again. So UV, 2018, Auckland, Wellington *Turns to Villette* where else is good to go?

Villette: Queenstown, Christchurch.

Uv boi: Oooh yea Queenstown and Christchurch so fingers crossed and I’ll see you then!

UV boi’s EP ‘Returned Alone’ is out now on all streaming services