With a powerful yet heartbreaking dance tune like “Blame”, it makes sense as to why duo Yardhaus was successful in opening for superstars like Marshmello and Zedd. They are superstars themselves. The infectious production of the tune by itself proves why they are a force to be reckoned with. But beyond this groove, there is a story being told. The lyrics speak of the ability to foreshadow that a relationship is going to end pretty much before it even got started. This crash course in understanding toxic relationships could have become the next heart shattering breakup ballad, and we would have loved that, too. But the combination of catchy electronic beats and a sobering story of lost love is what makes Yardhaus the superstars they are. By marrying the two ingredients that many look for, they prove that they want to bring everybody on their journey, and we all want to join.
The duo says of the track: “‘Blame’ is a hybrid between dance, pop, and electronic. The song is about knowing how a relationship will end, even from the start. It speaks to the toxicity and short-sighted nature of transactional relationships.”
Though Paola Proctor spent a considerable amount of time traveling in Europe and the Middle East, it was when she arrived in Nashville that she was able to bring to life “How Can I”, a breakup song filled with frustration and confusion. The track sees Proctor trying to put together the broken pieces in order to understand and process her complex emotions surrounding a recent breakup with someone who already seems to be way more interested in other people. Beyond the anger, however, there are notes of vulnerability reflected in the chorus as she admits to still missing the person who hurt her.
While the feeling of heartbreak is all too common, what makes this track special is the openness in portraying the contrasting emotions that often come with the end of a relationship. While some moments may make you feel like you are sitting in on a rant session, other moments feel more tame, trading the fire for quiet moments of reflection that may soon lead to feeling okay again.
Artist and producer Corey Pavlosky may be used to crafting tracks for other artists, but he’s taking this time to create something personal, and that is found in his new single “Out of My Head”, which shines the frustrating and possibly even embarrassing moment when you profess your love to someone who would rather just stay friends. Despite the heartbreak, the tune is a more enthusiastic approach to figuring out what to do when facing such a rejection, opting for a frolic through flower meadows type of therapy instead of crying on your bedroom floor. Still, the track sees Pavlosky struggling to come to terms with how to move on, a common sentiment that could benefit from a playful track like this one. Eventually, you learn to be alright given the circumstances and that alone is cause for celebration. The world needs an optimistic look on an unfortunate situation, and “Out of My Head” is the perfect place to find it.
Pavlosky says of the inspiration behind the track: “[The rejection] was obnoxiously painful, but I’m gonna force myself to be happy.”
When Heather Porcaro decided to jump back into music as her form of self-expression, she did so in a way that bends genre lines. This is reflected in “Charleston”, a heavy tune that addresses the suicide of her cousin’s brother. What makes it even more personal is that it was co-written by her cousin. Together, they crafted a story that takes you through various moments of time, stopping along the way at the most crucial and captivating moments to tell their story. For example, these stops may include heart shattering details about the final conversation that they had with the person who is no longer around. More than just a journey through time, Porcaro does what she does best, giving a sprinkle of different genres. This magic touch ties the entire project together, giving listeners jazz, pop, and even rock elements and an opportunity to dissect while listening.
When sitting down to listen to “Charleston” for the first time, you should be prepared for a heavy theme running throughout the track. While heartbreaking and real, it offers a chance to reflect while also appreciating the musical complexities that Porcaro has to offer.
Hannah Grace has been praised by music legends like Lady Gaga, and you only have to press play on her new album, Remedy, to understand why. From top to bottom, this album is the story of finding and losing love, and in the end, becoming sure of yourself. Tracks like “Feels Like Home” and “Different Kind of Love” are the optimistic phase of falling in love. Both songs reflect on the past with the hope to move forward in what could be a safe and loving relationship. Grace does little to shy away from the more heartbreaking parts about falling in love, however. “Missing the Show” details the struggle of saying goodbye to a lover but recognizing that the back and forth has proven to be unsuccessful and therefore, it is time to move on. The more celebratory pieces like “Blue”, “How True Is Your Love”, and the darker layered “Live Like Love” represent the freedom and openness that we all long for in our lives.
With the help of radiant choirs, powerhouse vocals, and dance breaks when needed, Grace’s Remedy covers important ground when it comes to falling in and out of love. Not only does she give insights on how to love, but she also gives us an idea on how to heal.
The members of VALLEY have a strong work ethic and are perfectionists by nature. This shines through in the lyric video for the title track of their new EP, sucks to see you doing better. The video was released as part of a pair of visuals put out from the EP, the other being “homebody”.
Set on a high school track field, “sucks to see you doing better” shows VALLEY taking a more lighthearted approach to the visualization of a tune that expresses some rather heavy emotions about watching someone you love happier with someone new. The band are creative in choosing how the lyrics appear. Rather than simply displaying the lyrics using some magical postproduction software, they opt for a more personal touch, handwriting. Throughout the entire video, members of the band take turns writing the lyrics on the screen while the other members partake in various, sometimes silly, activities behind them. This makes for a viewing experience that you can relate to without having to get the tissues out. The song easily could have been a heartbreaking ballad, followed by a sad visual. Instead, the sadness cuts deep while still allowing you to let loose. Watching the song come to life only solidifies the notion that sadness can be expressed in seemingly myriad ways. It accomplishes their goal of bringing positivity into a negative, heavy world.
Going in to record their latest collection of “existential psychedelic soul music”, Saroon had to get the tape ready. This is to say that every head-turning moment of their new album, Our Transparent Future, was recorded to tape. But the method of recording isn’t the only unique part of this record. From vocal style to the overall highs and lows that it reaches, Saroon have crafted a unique record.
“Masters of the Road” illustrates this with ease. Here, you are reminded that despite social expectations, we are in charge of so much, yet we miss out because we are trapped in the cycle of doing things the “right” way. Mostly consisting of soft-spoken lyrics and a gentle guitar that speeds up towards the end, it has all the elements of a classic folk song. Immediately following is “Old Fashioned Protest Song”, which actually seems to focus on the things we as humans have less control of. Simply put, Saroon call into question those who put money ahead of more important and worthy causes. Seemingly calling attention to current social movements, they make it a point to reject the idea that we should just stand by and let ignorance win. One of the final songs, “Golden Age”, is both a reflection on the past and a nod to the present, urging us to think of the current moment as the height of our lives.
Our Transparent Future makes its way to various corners of life, all which come together to form an idea for what the future may look like not only for the world, but for individuals. It remains hopeful while not shying away from the heartbreak and struggles that come with being human.
Principle songwriter Ayal Alves explains: “There’s always the element of hope to it, and an acknowledgement that the nature of reality is that there is pain and suffering. The relationship between those two things is a transformational process.”
Eddy Lee Ryder has released her brand-new music video for her awe-inspiring song, “Vultures”. With a visual that flashes between color and black and white, Ryder compares her lover to a vulture, presumably as a metaphor for somebody who takes so much without giving a lot in return. The video seems to represent the very end of a relationship, perhaps the moment she has come to the realization that she was not fulfilled the way she should be. Because the video takes place almost entirely in the car, one may infer that this symbolizes an attempt to move away from a relationship that is harming her. Also significant is a broken-down car that leaves her stranded on the side of the road in the middle of nowhere. This seemingly suggests that she isn’t able to leave the relationship like she once thought. This inability to leave illustrates the struggles of toxic romance in a rather poignant way.
We got to speak with Ryder briefly leading up to the new release.
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What was your first musical memory, or the first album you remember listening to?
When I was growing up, I only loved new, mainstream pop music. I remember being pretty obsessed with The Coors song, “Leave Me Breathless,” specifically that yodel. On the way to a day of skiing with my dad, I made him listen to that song for about two hours straight. Finally, he was like, “This is the last time, then my old people music.” He put on “Solsberry Hill” by Peter Gabriel. That song hit me like a ton of bricks… and I was hooked on classic rock from that moment.
What, specifically, inspired “Vultures”?
I wrote the first line about four or five years before I actually finished the song, so I knew I had the mood down before I figured out what the rest of the lyrics would eventually be. Around the start of the #MeToo movement, I was involved with a guy I thought wouldn’t treat me the way other men in the past had. As the story goes, he ended up treating me worse. He was slowly taking from me, and I felt picked apart. Once I realized that, I wrote the song in about ten minutes.
The colors used in the video are gorgeous. Where did the concept for the video come from?
The concept of the music video was loosely based on The Birds. I wanted a very 1960s Hitchcockian mood. I wanted to be stalked by these vultures, which represent men in my life that I’ve known who have torn pieces of me away, little by little, the way that vultures do. The color palette was referential of vintage Hitchcock, and glitches that happen throughout are meant to segway from color to black and white to represent what’s being taken away by the vultures.
Any fun anecdotes from set?
We had one day to shoot this video due to time constraints, so it had to be done very fast. Because of this, in the aerial shots, there was a body double for me. The body double was a tall, slender man in a wig who offered up his car for the video. But probably the highlight of our stay, we were filming in California, and I booked a beautiful AirBnB that was reminiscent of old Hollywood glamour. When we got there, the Lyft driver dropped us off at the wrong place, so we had to lug our luggage–costumes and bags–up an incredible hill until we found the right place. That should have been the first sign of something ominous.
But when my stylist (and good friend) and I got there, we saw a puddle of blood splatter by the pool. We started calling my then-manager, who had supposedly checked in before us, but he wasn’t picking up. We both huddled in a corner in case there was a murderer on the loose for a long time, afraid to actually go in. We were prepared to cancel the shoot because we were convinced my then-manager had died. We called the police, and saw helicopters overhead. Turns out, my then-manager just left his phone charging in a different room, and was fine, so we figured we’d just ignore the blood splatters and check-in. In the meantime, the director and producer who we had yet to meet were well aware of the possible murder story that was unfolding; and I don’t think there is a better way to meet new people!
Anything else you’d like to share with us?
I have a lot of new music in the pipeline. I’ve been writing nonstop, and I have been developing a concept album. If you like “Vultures,” I think you’ll be really excited for what’s to come!
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Ryder channels the experience of reflecting on a former relationship into a beautiful and heartbreaking visual with “Vultures”. Check out the official premiere below.
Singer-songwriter Francisco Martin releases his first single “Swollen” under 19 Recordings. A multi-instrumentalist and producer, Martin’s love for music sparked at a young age. He was born and raised in San Francisco, CA and grew up amongst his musically passionate family who supported his growth every step of the way. By age nine Martin was playing drums and singing, and by freshman year of highschool he picked up guitar and piano; leading him to discover his love for producing.
This raw, heart-tugging single was created in his bedroom studio in Nevada. Artists who can write and produce their own music allow listeners to hear more than just a song. Martin allows listeners to hear his story about embracing both sides of what being in love can lead to. The emphasis on pulled guitar strings opens the way for his beautiful vocal talent to take you on a journey of vulnerable heartbreak. “I love the way you say you’re scared to hold me / I hate the way you came and left me crawling” are just the starting point of where lyrically, Martin proves he’s not leaving out any details of his feelings. It’s exciting to know what’s ahead for Martin, as “Swollen” is an incredible way to start the narrative of what’s next.
