These are all songs that have influenced both our lyrics and sound. It’s a screenshot of the music we’ve been spinning lately and artists we admire. From pump it up jams to little broken hearts.
Keep up with Moonray here.
Susannah Joffe’s newest EP, Cult Leader, is full of Americana inspired pop ballads and represents the lengths that love and heartbreak brings us to. Susannah Joffe is a singer-songwriter originally from Austin, Texas. She has had recent success on social media, particularly with the song, “Die Your Daughter”, which was on her last EP, Your Mother’s Name. But, Joffe has taken a new look on life on Cult Leader, and it’s full of spite, lovelust, heartbreak, and reflection.
The EP’s title track, “Cult Leader”, sets up the theme as Joffe plays spacey pop with a dark country twang. Joffe’s airy vocals sing about americana ideals and tropes while she professes her love-hatred for an ex-lover and his new flame.
As she sings about her confidence in her superiority, a deep jealousy underlies within her words and sets up a complex narrative of love and the inability to move on. Joffe’s vocals are the shining star of this track as her voice ebbs and flows throughout the verses and chorus (reminiscent of Lana Del Rey), and the instrumentals take the backseat to fully allow Joffe to have her moment.
“Antler Queen” keeps up the spaciness that is a mainstay throughout the EP, moving further away from country influence. It’s a bittersweet romance ballad that explores unrequited love and yet again the struggle to move on. The chorus is infectious with a driving drum beat and Joffe’s love proclamations such as, “I’ll shoot you up, Get high on reluctant love.”
The instrumentals on “Antler Queen” are extremely chill with sweet guitars and a stable percussion section to pick up the chorus. As she concludes the song, she reinforces her love’s bittersweetness as she says, “I pledge my heart to you my antler queen.”
“You’d Kill Me If You Could” is a stripped back ballad that sonically serves as a break in the EP’s sound and leans into a 90’s sound. Joffe has given up the loud emotions present in the previous two tracks, and has become sorrowful and reflective. The heartbreaking lyrics portray a harmful relationship and her dealing with the emotional aftermath.
The echoey vocals, acoustic guitars and stripped back percussion, make the song feel like it could’ve been written 30 years ago. Bright synths work with Joffe in the bridge, as she repeats, “Like mother, like daughter.” The phrase is almost a mantra, increasing in intensity the more Joffe says it, and deepens the song’s meaning when you consider the cycle of abuse and what people pass down with them.
“Shit Out Of Luck” is a hazy heartbroken ballad that speaks to unfulfillment and unresolved promises. It is threatening, vengeful and passionate, as she sings, “I’ve got passion and I’ve got a gun.” Electric guitars squeal in the background and Joffe employs a strong percussion section yet again. Joffe’s vocals are the shining star on this track as she uses layered harmonizations to sing words of spite and biblical musings.
“Sofia Coppola” went mildly viral on social media and is a bright lesbian pop power ballad. The song is flirty and full of lust and unabashed attraction. The prechorus is infectious and feels almost like a nursery rhyme, which leads into the double infectious chorus in which she professes, “Idolize you, My Sofia Coppola.”
The bridge is wonderfully layered and Joffe’s vocal capability is put right on display in this track. “Sofia Coppola” is a gorgeous listening experience and uses a blend of strings, synths and percussion, which culminates into a twinkly and magical song about bright eyed love and attraction.
Joffe leans into another consistent trope present on the EP as she writes about a love-hate relationship in “Call Me Pretty.” It’s a complicated dynamic of wanting to both be devalued but cherished as she sings, “I’m your dog and nothing more.” It’s a casual relationship gone wrong, as she invests more than her lover. Her breathy vocals in contrast to the heavy electric guitars build power and tension in the song. The guitars aid Joffe in relaying the final rendition of the chorus and concludes the heartbreakingly honest and self deprecating track.
The EP finishes off strong with the final two tracks, “Stillborns and Six Lane Highways” and “Horses Can’t Outrun Me.” “Stillborns” discusses biblical conflict and terror, as she speaks directly to the people that peddle hate singing, “Heaven hates you” repeatedly. The melodic guitars backing instrumentals are stunning as the beat uplifts the depressive nature of the song. Her echoey and hazy vocals blend amazingly and the rich instrumentals coupled with the lyrics behind create a complex and enjoyable listening experience.
“Horses Can’t Outrun Me” is an excellent end to the EP and is a highlight of the tracklist. Joffe’s bright vocals begin the song as she sings the chorus. A deep electronic bass beat is introduced as she sings of feeling freed of a suffocating relationship and environment. She strips it down and speaks in the pre chorus and then dives into her airy vocals once again.
There is a deep, radical sense of freedom as the lightness of her vocals and the bright guitars, keys and drum beats feed into the energy of the song. As Joffe sings, “Heaven’s where you can’t reach” she ties all of the themes on the EP into one reflecting upon freedom, religious ideation, relationship issues, love, and heartbreak. We are allowed the opportunity to watch Joffe grieve, grow, and change, as we watch her learn and reflect upon her experiences and heartbreak.
It’s an exciting high to leave off on and leaves us wondering what will Joffe take on next in her musical journey? Cult Leader asks a lot and leaves behind very little, as Joffe proves her vocal and musical capabilities and has created a piece of work that is sonically and narratively consistent and clean.
La Raca Flaca taps into a new-age pop nostalgia on her most recent track “Peaks and Valleys.” “Peaks and Valleys” is an earnest pop track that explores love’s staying power, and its resistance to outside forces.
The song begins with a string arrangement that leans into the romance and allure of the track. La Raca Flaca’s voice then takes charge and with it comes a backing full of bass and synthy beats.
Her lyrics are conversational and are delivered as such, as she speaks to her lover directly, letting them know that outside barriers will not inhibit her love.
“Peaks and Valleys” chorus uplifts the narrative of the song as she further enforces her love’s staying power, and her confidence towards her relationship and its longevity. Her voice becomes stronger, and her message becomes even more powerful when she sings, “This special love will find a way.”
Throughout the verses, La Raca Flaca calls out to her lover creating an intimate bond within the song, and letting us in on her romance and its vulnerability. The song speaks to a greater union and alliance as she emphasizes the power that is created when her and her lover come together. The simplicity of the backing track gives La Raca Flaca the chance to speak to her lover with no distractions, and keeps the focus on her lyrics which are a declaration of unified love.
La Raca Flaca also released a music video which emphasizes the song’s title, “Peaks and Valleys”, as she walks through and exists within nature.
“Peaks and Valleys” is a testament to love and devotion, and La Raca Flaca’s lyrics capture the importance of the human ability to trust in love completely. This song is perfect for long distance relationships, reconnecting with a former flame, or really any relationship that’s ever had some sort of barrier. If you love emotional pop ballads, this one’s for you.
Ben Kweller is a well established musical artist currently located in Dripping Springs, Texas (another win for the Texas musical scene!) who is currently celebrating the his latest full-length, Cover the Mirrors. This is Kweller’s first release since the death of his son Dorian in 2023 and is dedicated to Dorian. The album explores the devastation and grief that Kweller experienced after his son’s passing, but it also delves into the multifaceted nature of grief to dismantle and alter every aspect of life.
Cover the Mirrors discusses what happens to you and the people around you after a loved one passes, and the alteration of daily life and experience. Kweller explores relationships, depression, emotional wellbeing, isolation, and so much more in this album. The album itself is a testament to the impact that the people we love have on us, and their permanence in our lives long after they are gone.
The first track, “Going Insane”, really sets the tone for the emotional exploration and absurdity the album presents to us. Kweller is talking about serious issues but he doesn’t shy away from making light out of a bad situation or being a little absurd at times. “Going Insane” is a steady piano ballad that explores desperation and dealing with life’s turmoils. This is contrasted by the lightness in lyrics such as “rattlesnake, carrot cake.” It creates an interesting juxtaposition as he writes that he and the people around him are all “balled up inside.” The orchestral strings are a nice touch to this lyrically experimental ballad on struggling through the days.
Cover the Mirrors has many amazing and big name features such as: Waxahatchee, Coconut Records, The Flaming Lips, and MJ Lenderman. “Dollar Store (feat. Waxahatchee)” further expands upon the idea of inner turmoil as he battles with the struggles and standstill of a relationship. Kweller battles wanting to keep trying but also not wanting to dwell on the struggle itself.
The chorus of the song is infectious and Waxahatchee’s vocals linger throughout the background which make for a delightful listening experience. Throughout the album, I noticed that Kweller loves a big outro to a song and this track is no exception as we end with the drums and guitar coming together to assist Kweller scream out the song’s chorus. The music video is a great visualizer for the song’s message and was filmed at Bluebonnet Food Mart and Heart of Texas Hotel right here in Austin, Texas!
“Depression (feat. Coconut Records)” is a sonic shift at this point in the album as they drop the overt folk sounds and lean into electronics and bass. This album has proved to be extremely thematically consistent, as Kweller continues to question his sadness and isolation. The bridge is a real standout on this one, as the drums dominate but allow for some beautiful backing melodies. The lyrics are heartbreakingly honest as Kweller writes, “I used to think that I was strong and tough, but I can’t even get through the day.”
The album feels like it is constantly in conversation with itself, and Kweller is further thinking about the quality and worthiness of his relationship, and his willingness to fight for it. “Don’t Cave” adopts a more hazy and hopeful tone as he navigates uncharted territory of “the goodbye we shouldn’t say” in his relationship. The instrumentals on this track culminate into an uplifting ballad that highlights each element (drums, strings and guitar) wonderfully.
“Optimystic” is one of the standout tracks on the record for me. It adopts a heavier and punky guitar tone and Kweller’s lyrics are a conversation to himself about his delicate mental state during this time. Definitely the most *mosh* worthy track on the album. The guitar tone is infectious and the chorus will definitely get stuck in your head. Also, Kweller’s coined phrase of “pill-popionaire” is just too good!
The music video is essential in my opinion to visualizing the track, and the playful animation done by Mystery Matter is wonderful and engaging.
“Killer Bee (feat. The Flaming Lips)” is yet another killer feature on the album. The song is sonically aligned with the rest of the album and the buzzing bee sound of the keyboard/synth is a great and interesting touch. The scaling guitar during the chorus highlights the song’s message of exploration and insecurity. Kweller posted a demo on Youtube much before the songs release, and the direction they took it in made for a dynamic and explorative listening experience post production.
Kweller’s lyrics are exceptional on this album and they get a chance to truly shine in “Letter to Agony” where he confessionally explores his depressive mental state and how that is affecting his attitudes towards his relationship. It has a similar sound to “Park Harvey Fire Drill”, a previous track on the album, but takes a much more serious tone. He discusses undesirable thoughts of wishing ill will on someone he loves and is remarkably self aware of his own shortcomings and chemical imbalances. The minor chords feed into this sorrowful tone, as he writes, “all of the toxic waste spewing from me tonight, I fear there’s no end in sight.” Kweller is quite literally isolated on this track, as it only features Kweller’s vocals and guitar.
Kweller not only writes about grief, but also how to fight through it. “Save Yourself” starts out with a simple guitar melody and by the chorus becomes a loud explosion of drums and guitar as Kweller fights his way to say, “Don’t let it beat you up.” This is a fight song against the dangers of grief as it emphasizes the importance of saving oneself from the “unknown loss”. The exciting instrumentals and conversation between the guitar and drums create a truly epic listening experience, and has the potential to be very motivating to anyone who has ever struggled through grief and loss.
“Oh Dorian (feat. MJ Lenderman)” is my favorite song off the album and is an excellent close to the deeply personal conversations we’ve had with Kweller as listeners throughout the album’s tracklist. The heartbreak in this song is not only caused by the loss of Dorian, but that Kweller allows us to know Dorian’s glowing personality and traits, and we learn to mourn alongside Kweller for his son.
The charming pianos introduce the song and give it a lighthearted and sweet tone, which coupled with the celebratory and beautiful lyrics about Dorian create a sonic memory and memorial. The electric guitar work from Lenderman and piano from Kweller on this track really highlight the beauty of him and Dorian’s relationship, ebbing and flowing into our ears and delivering the lyrics on a platter for our enjoyment. The lyrics are tear jerking but Kweller will make you smile through the tears as he writes about Dorian,
Crystal child, double-Gemini
A million songs in his head
Doesn’t care if you’re wrong or right
He believes what you said
Kweller further creates an environment where we feel like we know Dorian through lyrics like,
Watch him glow and radiate
When he walks through the door
Understands a-what you say
’cause he’s been there before
Kweller paints a deeply personal picture on this track, and if you are going to listen to one song on the album this is most definitely the highlight. But I would really recommend listening to all of them! Kweller lets us in on life while battling grief, and how he is navigating the world without his son. He highlights the radically changing quality that grief has on you and the people you love, which makes this album so much more than grief itself.
Cover the Mirrors is a journey through Kweller’s mental, physical and emotional battles and he does not hold back. It is musically and lyrically explorative and provides the listener with sonically diverse tracks with clever and interesting lyrics. It may be about intense issues, but much of the album does not feel explicitly sad, but rather emotionally experimental. Ben Kweller has fully fleshed out what it means to grieve, and has created an album that is a testament to his love for not only his son, but his journey of loving and understanding himself and others.
BBNO$ is back and he’s not knocking, he’s kicking the door in. Released May 1, “boom” is the latest single from Canadian rapper-slash-Internet-chaos icon BBNO$ (pronounced baby no money), and it’s exactly the kind of high-energy, genre-defying madness we’ve come to expect. Clocking in at just under two minutes, the track explodes with self-aware swagger that somehow feels both effortless and entirely unhinged. Produced by longtime collaborator Y2K alongside BBNO$ himself, the song launches into a minimalist, bass-heavy beat layered with trap snaps, distorted synth stabs, and a forward momentum that makes it feel like you’re being chased through a cartoon car chase.
Lyrically, “boom” doesn’t slow down. The verses hit with rapid-fire confidence, weaving flexes, absurd metaphors, and tongue-in-cheek callbacks into a tightly packed sonic cannonball. As BBNO$ puts it, “On my mama, I ain’t gonna stop until I’m rich” it’s a flex and a punchline rolled into one. The hook? Instantly catchy. The ad-libs? Chaotic in the best way. The vibe? Like someone took a meme, threw it in a blender with a designer tracksuit, and hit go.
If you’re not already familiar with BBNO$, you’ve definitely heard him. With viral hits like “Lalala”, “Edamame”, and his chaotic collabs with Yung Gravy under the duo name Baby Gravy, he’s become something of a digital cult hero. Known for everything from fever dream–style music videos to cosplaying random characters in his social media content, BBNO$ has built a persona that’s part performance art, part pop culture sponge, and 100% entertaining. He doesn’t just make music. He creates moments.
But behind the jokes and flashy outfits is a surprisingly grounded artist. He’s been outspoken about issues like AI’s role in the creative industry, advocating for real human artistry in an increasingly automated world. He’s also spoken out as a proud trans ally, steadily earning a devoted and diverse fanbase that spans from hypebeasts to queer teens to producers who see the method in the mayhem.
“boom” is the first taste of a new album currently in development, and if the rest of the project leans into this same manic energy and finely tuned absurdity, we’re in for one hell of a ride. This track doesn’t just slap. It struts in, steals your drink, and leaves with your friends, all while making you laugh on its way out.
Stream “boom” now on Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you soundtrack your most chaotic main character moments.
If Madilyn Mei’s music has always felt like a handwritten diary entry passed across a high school lunch table, her latest single, “What’s Going On?!”, might be the doodle-covered cover. Released May 16, this track finds Mei deepening her indie-folk bedroom pop roots while leaning into more experimental territory, complete with alien metaphors and a healthy dose of existential dread.
Produced and mixed by Scrawny and mastered by Joe Hutchinson, “What’s Going On?!” captures the disorienting experience of trying to “fit in” when you feel like you were dropped onto Earth from another planet. The track opens with an eerie, circus-like intro and transitions into a whimsical, layered soundscape that blends plucky acoustic strings with jittery synth textures. Mei’s voice, delicate yet resolute, delivers lines packed with metaphor, self-deprecating humor, and quietly devastating insight. Lyrically, the track dances on the edge of absurdity and melancholy, a balancing act Mei pulls off with signature flair. It’s the kind of track that makes you laugh, cry, and spiral into a late-night identity crisis, all within three minutes. It’s a story of trying to belong when you feel unrecognizable to yourself and others, a meditation on loneliness that’s somehow comforting in its honesty.
The music video, streaming now on YouTube, takes the song’s surreal undertones to new heights. In it, Mei appears as a claymation alien, amplifying the song’s themes of disconnection with a dose of off-kilter whimsy, with some circus aesthetics lurking not far behind. Her current website and Instagram bio, complete with a circus tent emoji, only add to the intrigue. Could this be the first clue of a larger, thematically cohesive project on the horizon? If so, we’re buckling in.
If you’re new to Madilyn Mei, you might recognize her from viral tracks like “The Milk Carton”, “Partner in Crime”, or “Blue Haired Boy”, all beloved for their vivid storytelling and genre-defying charm. The Arizona-based 22-year-old singer-songwriter has been quietly redefining what bedroom pop can be. Known for her poetic wordplay, genre-blending arrangements, and storytelling flair, Mei has released a debut album, three EPs, and a steady stream of singles, all written and recorded from her bedroom. Her work is intimate yet imaginative, weaving together deeply personal themes with a touch of magic that feels just left of reality.
And now, she’s taking that world on the road. Mei is slated to open for AJR and others on tour this July. It’s a major step forward that speaks to her growing influence and genre-crossing appeal.
TOUR DATES:
7/20 Mountain View, CA Shoreline Amphitheatre
7/22 Salt Lake City, UT Utah First Credit Union Amphitheatre
7/24 Denver, CO Fiddler’s Green Amphitheatre
7/26 St. Louis, MO Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre
7/27 Tinley Park, IL Credit Union 1 Amphitheatre
7/29 Clarkston, MI Pine Knob Music Theatre
7/31 Noblesville, IN Ruoff Music Center
8/6 Camden, NJ Freedom Mortgage Pavilion
8/8 Wantagh, NY Jones Beach Amphitheatre
8/9 Mansfield, MA Xfinity Center
10/4 Los Angeles, CA Hollywood Bowl
“What’s Going On?!” isn’t just a catchy new track. It’s a question, a cry, and a cosmic shrug all in one. It’s for the alienated and the awkward, the overthinkers and the dreamers, and anyone who’s ever left a party wondering if they said too much or not enough. Stream “What’s Going On?!” now on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, YouTube, Pandora, and wherever else you soundtrack your identity crises. If this is just the opening act of her circus-themed era, we’re bracing ourselves for a wild, wondrous ride.
In what seems to be a continued, conscious effort for all the musician babes to bring ultra-poppy tracks to the masses for a summer of community and fun, Kesha has launched her new single “Boy Crazy” into the universe. Yes, the monotonous drawl of her vocals is very AI, very chic, and very modern. But Kesha’s cute shrieks and the quick pace make it feel like the next natural step in the progression of pop-synth tracks like “I’m A Barbie Girl.” Her vocals are concerted yet delicate, she is on a concerted hunt and we are along for the ride.
Coming off exhilarating and incredible performances at both Coachella and Stagecoach, Kesha is ready for the new trio of tracks to catch fire in direct anticipation of her highly-anticipated upcoming album . (PERIOD). 2024 brought her back into rotation with Kesha’s “Joyride” and on Charli XCX’s “Spring Breakers,” and helped Kesha bring more of her quintessential “I couldn’t care less” attitude back to the forefront of pop culture.
July 4th is about to pop off (for all the right reasons) with the release of . (PERIOD). Get your first listen to “Boy Crazy” below.
KESHA – LIVE 2025
MAY
29 – Glasgow, UK – House of Kesha @ O2 Academy 1 (SOLD OUT)
30 – Manchester, UK – House of Kesha @ Albert Hall (SOLD OUT)
JUNE
1 – London, UK – Mighty Hoopla †
† Festival Performance
KESHA & SCISSOR SISTERS: THE TITS OUT TOUR – NORTH AMERICA 2025
JULY
1 – West Valley City, UT – Utah First Credit Union Amphitheatre ^
3 – Mountain View, CA – Shoreline Amphitheatre ^
5 – Inglewood, CA – Kia Forum ^
6 – Phoenix, AZ – Talking Stick Resort Amphitheatre ^
8 – Dallas, TX – Dos Equis Pavilion * ^
10 – The Woodlands, TX – The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion ^
12 – Tinley Park, IL – Credit Union 1 Amphitheatre ^
13 – St. Louis, MO – Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre ^
15 – Nashville, TN – Riverfront Park – Ascend Amphitheater ^
16 – Cincinnati, OH – Riverbend Music Center ^
18 – Noblesville, IN – Ruoff Music Center ^
19 – Clarkston, MI – Pine Knob Music Theatre #
21 – Toronto, ON – Budweiser Stage #
23 – New York, NY – Madison Square Garden *
24 – Mansfield, MA – Xfinity Center #
26 – Burgettstown, PA – The Pavilion at Star Lake #
28 – Cuyahoga Falls, OH – Blossom Music Center #
29 – Philadelphia, PA – TD Pavilion at The Mann #
31 – Buffalo, NY – Darien Lake Amphitheater #
AUGUST
2 – Virginia Beach, VA – Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater #
3 – Raleigh, NC – Coastal Credit Union Music Park at Walnut Creek #
5 – Charlotte, NC – PNC Music Pavilion #
7 – Alpharetta, GA – Ameris Bank Amphitheatre #
9 – West Palm Beach, FL – iTHINK Financial Amphitheatre #
10 – Tampa, FL – MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre #
^ w/ Slayyyter
# w/ Rose Gray
* w/ Vengaboys
Future Islands creates synth-pop that helps us to disconnect from reality — and sometimes become more connected to ourselves. Seeing them live is an experience unto itself, and we were lucky enough to check them out last week on their stop through Kansas City, Missouri. The Madrid is a beautiful, historic theater that was the perfect backdrop to this lineup.
Petoskey, Michigan bred folk-rock quartet Michigan Rattlers – expertly comprised of Graham Young, Adam Reed, Christian Wilder, and Anthony Audia – is probably showing up close to you sometime soon. They mounted a three-month tour in February, and don’t show any signs of slowing down. We got a few minutes to catch up with lead singer Graham Young ahead of their March 12th show in Kansas City.
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Was there a moment when you realized you wanted to pursue music as more than a hobby?
Graham: I feel like I’ve always kind of been somebody that goes all in. When I was a kid, probably between the ages of 5 and 11, I played hockey and I was going to play in the NHL. It wasn’t just for fun.
Then I got a guitar for my 12th birthday and I’ve seen some live ACDC videos. I needed to get a guitar because that’s what I wanted to do. I needed to be in a band and play a big stage and be a guitar player. So it was kind of like, from the moment I started it was all I wanted to do. And do it seriously.
It really was never a hobby to begin with. I went in full steam ahead.
That’s incredible, to just know in your bones. You found your people pretty quickly too, yeah?
Graham: I grew up in a small town so there weren’t that many kids and people around. Seemed like I got a guitar and Tony – everybody that’s in the band now – we’ve all been playing together in some iteration since we were 12 or 13 years old.
Part of it too, where we grew up the school band program was pretty intense and pretty respected and we were all part of that. Kind of going to school every day and playing music and learning different instruments. Saxophone was my first instrument. All the other guys played percussion. You’d go to the band room every day from 6th grade to 12th grade and play that. Then after school we’d kind of do the rock band thing. Playing music together was always part of what we did.
I’m just happy your region had resources to be hard! That’s amazing. Over the years – and maybe even more recently – how have you noticed your music shift and maybe your approach to it?
Graham: When we first started the band it was really a bunch of songs I had written by myself in my bedroom. It was just me and a guitar. That was kind of where it started, then as personnel expanded and instrumentation expanded, you just kind of are able to do more things. It was kind of a natural evolution in terms of how we create the music, what it sounds like. And there’s a little bit of an audience too. It’s not something you like to think about, but it does certainly factor.
When you think about creating this body of work, I feel like we are far enough down the road a little bit – almost like 10 years – and you can kind of get a bird’s eye view of where we were and where we’re going and kind of take that into consideration.
I did feel more connected to this third album. It is such a journey, is there a particular song on this release you identify with the most or have a story about?
Graham: Good question. I mean, all of them. For us, as a band, I think it’s true that this third album does feel kind of like the first album that we really made in the way that we wanted to make it. We really took our time with it, with the songs. Some of these songs started in Covid, 2020, 2021. It took years to kind of shape them in these different ways.
The title track, “Waving From A Sea,” is pretty important to me. In the past I didn’t do a lot of rewriting. I was kind of just like “This is how it is.” But with “Waving From A Sea,” we were in Burlington, Vermont on tour and had a couple of days off. I was sitting in the Air BNB and had a moment. I had the guitar out and was flipping through some notebooks and just fell upon some lyrics from… I don’t even know how long ago I’d written them. And it was kind of like a verse. And I was like, “Well, this is pretty sweet” and then just started messing around with it. So it was a process of finding these old bits I’d completely forgotten about and working with them. It kind of sparked this new feeling to just take these and run with them. So that was that song.
And “Heaven,” sonically and phonetically, was one of the touchstones for this album. Just the bigger, more filled out sound with the synths and guitars. And the idea of just kind of not living in this weird, nostalgic past and not being in this anxious, uncertain future. Just telling yourself; “You’re living right now and your life is going to be over soon, you’re going to be really pissed that you missed it.” You’re here, in Paris, with a beautiful lady. So let’s live here and not worry about what’s coming next. So that was kind of “Heaven.”
The little spoken outro was something too. We got some gear this time so I was able to do some recording and demos on my own. We had kind of been going in and out of the studio here in Nashville. I was just at home and I felt like there needed to be something at the end. So I was messing around with this weird spoken, half sung thing that I would have been way too embarrassed to do in the studio with everyone else just watching me try this thing. Since I was by myself, I was just having fun. And I was like, “Oh shit, this is actually pretty sweet.” So I was able to take a chance and if it sucked, I was the only one that knew about it. So that was kind of a fun piece of it.
It turned out so well, too! What a lesson in confidence. Speaking of “Heaven,” how did the concept for the video come about, or do you have any stories from set?
Graham: The “Heaven” video was directed by my girlfriend, Ally Bernstein. And then her friend and our friend, Shelby Goldstein who has taken a bunch of photos for us over the years. We were doing things on this album we hadn’t done and we wanted to create this world visually too. We knew “Heaven” was gonna be one of those singles and really it was just kind of Ally and Shelby who came up with the concept of it.
Kind of in tandem, though, we shot “Heaven” and “Gridlock” on the same day in the exact same spot. We didn’t have a ton of money, we shot it in LA and Shelby had some connections. It was a whole crew, it was a real deal production which was really fun. We did the “Heaven” video around 11am and finished at 4pm. And then we reset and did “Gridlock” after that. So they are kind of connected in this way where it’s kind of “Heaven” and then “Gridlock” kind of descends into this dark red, hellish vibe.
[The “Heaven” video] was fun [to make]. It’s easy to have fun when you’re playing, it’s a little strange when you’re lip syncing and dancing around and trying to vibe out in front of the camera with a bunch of people watching.
You are NOT wrong! Michigan Rattlers are stopping thru KC on March 12. Anything you’re looking forward to?
Graham: We’ve been to Kansas City a handful of times. It’s one of those places where it took a couple times to feel like we had kind of broken through in a certain sense. The last time we were there was definitely the best turnout. But yeah, Kansas City was fun. I feel like we always go to Arthur Bryant’s, so done that 2 or 3 times. Everywhere we go we try to find good food and a bookstore or something.
Fantastic! Now, you all started tour already and you’re going through, more or less, the middle of May. How did you prepare yourself for that?
Graham: I feel like I’m still preparing, we’re still figuring it out. We did a lot of rehearsal. Outside rehearsal, you just have to do it live and figure it out. We have been touring for a while, so we kind of know what we’re getting into with these long stretches. It has been a while, we didn’t do much touring last year at all. This is the first time in a while that we have really hit it hard.
You just take it a day at a time and you try to treat it like you’re waking up and doing it at home. Don’t treat it too differently. Find the little things to make yourself comfortable.
Any items you have to have with you on the road?
Graham: Healthyish bars, protein bars, things like that. Can’t snack on Chex Mix all day long. You gotta have a water bottle and some vitamins.
Good! We take care of ourselves! I’m proud of you guys.
Graham: It’s been about a decade. When I was 20, we weren’t as conscientious about being healthy. And we have so much more gear now. Back in the day, it was a couple guitars and a bass. SOundcheck took 15 minutes. Now, it takes almost 2 hours to load in, soundcheck. It’s a little more physically intense than it used to be so you have to prepare yourself and be able to just do it. It’s not just oplkaying the show, you’ve got to be in shape enough to do the other things. Otherwise it’s truly miserable.
If you could be any superhero… or have a specific power, who or what would you choose?
Graham: Umm I’ve always kind of been drawn to Batman. He’s just a regular dude that’s trying his best. I mean, regular, filthy rich guy. He’s just kind of like a weird guy doing his thing.
A superpower? I think being able to hold a book by the covers and absorb everything that’s in the book. Like, all at once. That would be incredible. It would save a lot of time.
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Michigan Rattlers play Encore at the Uptown Theater on March 12. Waving From A Sea is out now. Check out the “Lilacs Bloom” video here.