For those weary of pop’s increasingly homogenized soundscapes, the Indianapolis duo LITTRELL emerges as a refreshing antidote. Their latest single, “Dirty,” doesn’t just defy genres—it blends them seamlessly, creating a uniquely turbulent and immersive sonic experience.
“Dirty” combines a haunting atmosphere with intense energy, placing LITTRELL among forward-thinking acts like Massive Attack, Portishead, and BANKS. Lindsay Littrell’s vocal performance walks a tightrope between urgency and haunting restraint, perfectly anchored by Garrett Langebartels’ masterful production.
At its core, “Dirty” explores the inherent messiness of intimacy, rejecting idealized notions of love in favor of raw, complex emotions, in spite of their messiness. The song’s thematic complexity is mirrored in its sound, showcasing LITTRELL’s ability to craft a sound that’s both beautiful and haunting.
LITTRELL’s lyrics delve into the discomfort of shallow relationships. The opening lines, “I don’t wanna be your respite from reality / When you go you leave the ashes of your fantasies,” set the stage for a song that craves genuine connections over escapism. The chorus, “They don’t keep me warm / They just pile up on the floor / And leave me feelin’ dirty,” highlights the emptiness left by temporary comforts.
“Dirty” demands active engagement from its listeners, encouraging them to dive deep into its disquieting themes. LITTRELL understands that true catharsis comes from confronting the messiness head-on and finding transformation on the other side.
“Dirty” is one of 2024’s most compelling releases, challenging the polished, PR-driven mainstream with its bold, unfiltered approach. This track serves as a reminder that impactful art leaves a mark and invites listeners to explore deeper emotions.
LITTRELL has crafted a sound that is both beautiful and moody, with dark electronic elements. With lyrics and songwriting that cut through surface-level platitudes to grapple with deeper existential questions around sincerity, truth, and meaning, Lindsay Littrell and Garrett Langebartels have tapped into something truly unique as songwriters and producers. “Dirty” is a captivating single for fans of alternative and electronic music who appreciate lyrical depth and emotional resonance. Dive into the world of LITTRELL and let “Dirty” envelop you in its raw, emotional embrace.
The headliner of night 1 at Boulevardia 2024 was Milky Chance, a band the event’s organizers had been trying to contract for years. They were giddy as they introduced them, as the night set in on the streets of downtown Kansas City. The band was as fun as ever and the music created an entirely standalone vibe in the main stage. Milky Chance kind of sprinkles magic where they go with their feel-good energy. Photos below to prove it.
Love them or hate them, bands that were popular at the turn of the century are making a comeback. And Hanson? They never really went anywhere. After going indie when their label failed them professionally, the three-brother band has maintained a brand – with multiple creative endeavors within it, including a beer company, tiered fan club membership, collaborative fan community, and more – that has continued to serve them and their growing family over the years. They have consistently toured, continuously contributed to nonprofit funding efforts, and continue to deliver new music as a sibling project year after year.
On Friday, June 14th, Hanson entertained a large crowd gathered in front of the Visit Missouri main stage at Boulevardia in Kansas City, Missouri. There, they announced the release of their new peach cider venture – that comes in honor of the 20th anniversary of “Penny & Me” – that they would be pouring themselves at the Taps & Tastes event the following day.
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Boulevardia draws thousands to the Kansas City area every Father’s Day weekend for an interactive beer and music festival, with local makers and food vendors galore.
Maybe it’s just me, but I think Gen Z needs to be more aware of the countless R&B and funk superstars from the 70s and 80s. A lot of these artists just seem to be overshadowed by larger artists like Michael Jackson, Prince, or Stevie Wonder. I love the music of those three too, but there’s so much great music that needs to be rediscovered and praised as classics. One of these artists is Chaka Khan, known as the “Queen of Funk” and has multiple hits with both her band Rufus and her solo career. She still has a large following, but only a handful of her biggest hits have reached younger audiences. If you’re unfamiliar with her work, I can’t recommend her Tiny Desk Concert performed last week at NPR enough as a starting point.
For those that don’t know, Tiny Desk Concerts are performances held in NPR’s headquarters in DC. What separates them from just a normal concert is that all the musicians and equipment must be able to fit behind the desk where NPR’s weekly podcast “All Songs Considered” gets recorded. That means all the musicians get squeezed just inches apart from each other in an office space. If it sounds awkward, that’s the fun of it! With the audience only a small group of NPR employees right next to the space, it makes the concerts more intimate, up-close, and personal. The limited room makes the music fully center stage instead of surrounding it with other stage effects and unnecessary parts of a more corporate concert performance. Really, just think of Tiny Desk Concerts as a late millennial/Gen Z version of MTV Unplugged except less pretentious and not entirely acoustic.
Despite the tight space that Chaka Khan and her band have, what’s even tighter are the nonstop grooves and funk rhythms they play for their 30-minute show. (Was that clever writing? I thought it was.) The entire time I was listening to it, I couldn’t stop dancing, swaying, and moving to the music. Chaka’s backing band that accompanies her is absolutely on fire, with the funk starting immediately and never letting up. My favorites were the percussion, shakers, and sparkly chimes, as well as the bass playing. If I had one tiny criticism, it would be that a synthesizer is used to replicate horns and orchestrations, even if a lot of classic synth-funk did that as well. However, it still sounds serviceable (even great during the closing songs), and I doubt they could fit anyone else with the limited space they had.
The concert set list is a collection of seven singles from both her solo career and time with Rufus, spanning from 1974 to 1985, with the most famous singles being at the very end. Okay, let’s talk about Chaka Khan herself during this show. You would never believe that she’s 71 years old because she looks and sounds fantastic. Her energy is loose and fun, her singing hits the high notes with ease, and she sounds almost identical to the original studio recordings. Just as good as her are her backing vocalists, who get moments of their own to shine (see Tiffany Smith getting a solo to show off her pipes on “Sweet Thing”). The onstage chemistry between Chaka, the backing vocalists, and the band is always apparent during the show.
Like many Tiny Desk Concerts, part of the fun is also the interactions between the band and the crowd. A show highlight was Chaka letting the NPR audience sing several verses on their own during “Sweet Thing”, and it’s adorable hearing the enthusiasm and love for the music from the crowd. By the time the show closes with “I’m Every Woman”, it’s impossible for anyone on stage (or yourself, for that matter) to keep a smile off their face. Chaka Khan’s Tiny Desk Concert is nothing but delightful, and a victory lap for a monumental artist.
Every Father’s Day weekend – for years now – Boulevardia has taken over a crucial area of Kansas City, bringing the best taps, tastes, and tunes to the metropolitan area. (And region, if we are being honest.) The relocation to Crown Center a handful of years ago made the festival a little more central — though no less sweltering hot.
I arrived later on Friday, making it a point to get there in time to see Pom Pom Squad. Frontwoman Mia Berrin introduced the band as Hanson – who was coming up next on the Visit Missouri main stage – and then proceeded to rip our faces off. Berrin’s dynamic vocals serenaded us through a breezy, hot Midwest sunset. A few fun photos below.
Considering the band members that comprise psych-tinged alt-rock quartet Liily – Dylan Nash (Frontman), Sam De La Torre (Guitarist), Charlie Anastasis (Bassist), and Maxx Morando (Drummer) – are all artistic in a variety of ways, it comes as no surprise that the video for single “Swallow” off their fresh drop Liily was so fully ideated and realized by the band, who directed it. The song – which is very specifically about their disdain for trauma porn – is, according to the band, “a pretty simple rock tune, we wanted to keep it straight forward along with the rest of the EP, no bells and whistles! We saw it as our chance to be musical vs over-intellectualizing something that is meat and potatoes.”
About the composition, they are correct. A little bit of a dirty edge to it, with a steady rhythm most can get into, the song is more catchy than one would assume when they think of the subject matter. With both vocals and a video that are sprinkled with the stereotypical bored demeanor of a true rock outfit, the build of energy in the song is almost unexpected, but equally welcoming.
“Swallow” was shot by members of Liily in 2022 with a little help from Keegan James Hurley, Justin Billings, and Andie Jane. Guitarist Sam De La Torre edited it, giving it an admittedly engaging finish.
Myra Keyes is a good example of a modern-day Renaissance woman. The 19-year-old Chicago-based singer-songwriter released her debut LP Flower in the Brick in February and it’s a criminally overlooked release in modern indie rock. She’s a talent to watch over, wonderful in her vocals and guitar and bass playing, especially in how young she is. Previously, Keyes had released the EP Girl Reimagined in 2022 and worked with the Portland-based indie punk band Rawt.
Keyes’ general style, like a lot of modern indie rock, has its inspirations from the 90s with lo-fi production and some sludgy grunge guitars. She had spoken about how one of her main inspirations is indie rock goddess Liz Phair, and it’s entirely apparent as her voice is occasionally a dead ringer for Phair’s earlier work like Exile in Guyville. I’d love for Keyes to open for Liz Phair at some point based on her enthusiasm for her music. However, she still manages to not come across as an imitator by adding heavy 90s alt-rock guitars and a great rhythm section (provided by Joe Mengis of Eels on drums) for many songs. Tracks like “Powder Blue” and “Clubs” have consistently enjoyable grooves that keep the songs moving at a fast tempo and never let up. This is even during the somewhat silly rockabilly-inspired “Skylight” that features my favorite bass performance from Keyes on the record.
Keyes’ vocals are also a strong point of the album, transitioning easily from a breathy lower register (“MME”) to more expressive songs that focus more on her lyrics and personal sentiments (“A Year Above Ground”). She has a captivating presence that keeps you interested in her, and the way she consistently uses the wide range of her vocals is impressive. At only 29 minutes and eight songs, the album still has a unique voice for each track, and I’m interested in hearing what Myra Keyes offers next. Flower in the Brick is a confident debut LP that suggests more solid work from her in the future.
Another band I’ve seen pop up in my socials a bunch is the band grlztoy of the DMV area, made up of Theo Z (lead vocals, guitar) and Molly Izer (drums). Their EP green!, released last June, is an assured and confident debut I think is worth listening to for anyone into indie pop/rock.
For a release that’s only 12 minutes long, grlztoy easily establishes themselves with just six tracks. The opener, the title song, is only a minute long but still establishes a calming, slightly psychedelic mood through the guitars and slightly echoed drums. It’s ultimately just an intro to the EP, but it still feels complete. Each song carries the same vibe established in the intro title track, creating a hazy, colorful, summer night atmosphere.
The next three songs, “spring (untied shoes)”, “say when”, and “wavelength” are all a showcase to both members’ talents. Throughout the album, Theo’s singing is wonderful, clearly inspired by both a lot of 90s and 2010s indie singers, but she still almost equals those obvious influences in her abilities. Her voice is sweet and soft, but is still expressive when it needs to be. She carries a song like “say when” by sounding sweet and romantic in a way that’s earnest and never anything but genuine. Molly’s drumming is also consistently great, giving each song a fun, up-tempo groove. Her style varies neatly from cozy indie rock (“teenage dirtbag”), sort of bluesy (“keychain piano”), to garage power pop (the totally killer “wavelength”).
Admittedly, the band is still very new and occasionally some songs could use more substance (ex. “keychain piano” being clearly a mess-about band jam but still entertaining) or space to breathe. Still, despite having room to grow, green! is a kind of first release that makes you excited to see where the band will go next.
If you didn’t know who Goose was already, then you could have gotten the full run-down from any man found within a 4 block radius of The Midland on Tuesday evening. “Do you know who Goose is?” a man in a gray tie dyed shirt excitedly asked me as I walked up to the box office to nab my photo pass. “Yes, I’m photographing them.” (And I do know their music. And they’re fantastic.) “Oh.”
But I didn’t have to worry about taking this man’s shine for too long. Almost immediately, he turned to a woman walking from the other direction and excitedly asked, “Do you know who Goose is?” She didn’t, and he was aghast. Immediately he launched into a tale about a young jam band that he and his friends championed from the beginning. I laughed at her expression, got my pass, and went inside.
But that’s what Goose does – they fire up the crowd. They are, in essence, a feel good band with an open, excitable fan base. Walking in, it felt like I was headed to camp. Everyone was complimenting each other’s shirts and looks, asking about strangers’ favorite songs, taking photos with signs and posters.
And that’s another thing… I’ve never seen so many banners and posters in this venue before. I’ve never felt the nostalgia of summer camp inside a venue in Kansas City. In my life. And I’m a native.
That was the vibe they brought. With an enchanting stage set, some quirky accessories (hello stuffed Luigi on a keyboard), and a crowd that was ready to be best friends, Goose brought everyone together on a perfect 70 something degree evening in the midwest.
