by Kendal Chandler | Apr 13, 2020 | albums, review
Trivial Shields is the moniker of songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Christian Carpenter for sonic exploration. Now, he drops a collaborative EP titled Levity, featuring vocalists from Bells Atlas, Body Language, and Lip Talk. Levity follows the release of Carpenter’s debut EP Peripheral (2018) and precedes the release of his debut album due out this fall.
Levity centers around the clarity that can be found in the midst of a bad breakup, and does so in three different vignettes. “For the Best”, which features Angelica Bass of Body Language, is a joyful break-up song that recognizes and celebrates the end of a relationship. “Rejection Therapy”, which features Sandu Ndu (vocals) and Geneva Harrison (percussion) of Bells Atlas, is a track that looks at the process of getting over a relationship and working through what it means to let someone go.
The EP features 3 tracks both with features from stellar musicians along with the instrumental versions of the same tracks. This choice allows listeners to hear Carpenter’s words and his instrumental together and separate. The words paint the picture but the instrumentation garners the feeling.
by Kendal Chandler | Apr 8, 2020 | albums, review
LA indie duo Carrousel continue an incredible year with the release of their new album Magnificent Desolation. This 10-track album examines the dystopian direction of current life and the spiraling process of depression, both in ourselves and the world we live in.
Joel Piedt (songwriter, vocals, production) and Sharon Piedt (songwriter, vocals) craft pop melodies that are more futuristics and lean towards the prophetic. Carrousel’s music seamlessly lives on the plane of several genre styles cohesively.
Standout track “Exile in NY” focuses on the feelings of depression and its toll on the individual and how that affects those around them. By playing with echo and atmosphere, this track feels like it’s being pulled straight from your inner thoughts. With a slow build up by the middle of the song all sounds and feelings overlap to create a state of unrest. Ending the track with recorded voicemails help show separation between the two subjects of this track, as we know see them drift away from one another.
Consistently, the duo creates music that looks to disorient the understanding of the present, and the over-digitization of knowledge, and does so in a way that does not hold back.
by Kendal Chandler | Apr 6, 2020 | albums, review
Brett Newski’s fourth studio album Don’t Let the Bastards Get You Down centers around regaining control, and we only have to wait until April 17th to experience it in its entirety. At a time of high depression and anxiety because of the current global health crisis, Newski’s newest album sheds some much needed optimism.
Newski creates a call to arms against the destructive forces one may find themselves battling, which pertains to individual struggles with toxic relationships, low self-esteem, loneliness, and apathy to the global challenges we are already facing in 2020.
Newski and collaborator Spatola blend Newski’s lyricism with Spatola’s up-beat tempo and guitar-driven alternative style to create the sound of this record. Tracks like “Last Dance” lay out the challenge of trying to stay informed and engaged while trying to not consume too much that it negatively affects one’s mind. Meanwhile tracks like “Lousy T-shirt” describes the traps of social comparison in the wake of social media.
Don’t Let the Bastards Get You Down is a reminder to not let outside forces negatively affect you. Keep up with Brett Newski here.
by Madi Toman | Apr 3, 2020 | singles, wolf tracks
LA-based pop artist Ella Vos’s new single “Burning Bridges” is here to heat up your dreary self-quarantine experience. This most recent release from Vos is the third in a series of consecutive releases, with each piece just as striking as the last and each one offering a unique shine.
Despite being a newcomer to the indie pop scene, Vos has already racked up over 100 million streams on Spotify. A cancer survivor and a mother, the young woman is an inspiration to many and has a stellar skillset to match.
“Burning Bridges” is an emotional narrative about a toxic relationship going up in flames. The catchy indie-pop tune features Vos’s angelic voice floating over the springy track with grace and ease. Vos is a blooming new starlet on the indie-pop scene, and we can’t wait to see what else she has up her sleeve.
by Kendal Chandler | Apr 2, 2020 | singles, wolf tracks
Drawing influence in an array of places, Bay area native Chelsea Collins exists in a world somewhere dizzyingly electrifying. With her new track “Used to Be (L.O.V.E.)”, she offers a bold standout. Her appearance and style can be found in the place where anime, gothic aesthetics, and troll dolls meet. This eclectic mix makes Collins alluring in her many visual appearances and voice.
“Used to Be (L.O.V.E.)” is a brash pop song that looks back on past love and where it went wrong. Collins samples Frank Sinatra’s track “Love”, but changes each letter’s meaning to showcase her negative feelings towards this person she once loved.
The track release is accompanied by a music video, which provides another way to showcase Collins captivating aura.
Her independent releases have garnered millions of streams on Spotify, and “Used to Be (L.O.V.E.)” is just one of the few anticipated tracks Collins is set to release this year.
by Madi Toman | Apr 2, 2020 | singles, wolf tracks
Rising indie singer-songwriter
Zachary Knowles (I’m not hip to any knowledge of relations to Beyonce but I encourage you to form your own conspiracies) has recently released his newest offering to the world, a single entitled “Cherry Wine”, which serves as the centerpiece on his forthcoming EP,
Magnolia (Out May 2020). The Texas-bred artist has released a hypnotic new music video to accompany the single as well.
“Cherry Wine” sees Knowles gently glide across a brightly picked acoustic guitar track with his angelic and carefully placed falsetto. In similar fashion, the music video shows him floating through landscapes, first pedaling a bike and then sprinting through forests and fields, softened by the sweet and constant presence of slow motion. Knowles only stops when he reaches a tumultuous seascape.
Of the track he explains, “The meaning behind “Cherry Wine” is super personal. I wrote about what life looked like before I was dating the girl I love. Before we started dating I was crazy about her (at the age of 14 haha that’s crazy to say) but didn’t know if she felt the same. I wanted to capture what that time of my life felt like.” Tranquil and sweet like simple syrup, the delicately crafted single showcases Knowles’ ability to build a sonic haven around himself that transcends the harsh borders of the outside world.
“Cherry Wine” is out now and Magnolia will be available for your consumption in May of 2020.
by Madi Toman | Apr 1, 2020 | videos, wolf tracks
Indie-pop singer/songwriter Stevie Wolf has released new single and music video for “Paper Maché Doll”. Wolf has a propensity for crafting intricate and intimate songs that make you feel not so alone, and this brilliant track is no exception.
The Colorado native was diagnosed with Tourette syndrome and major anxiety disorder at a young age and found relief in channeling his impulses and angst into music and songwriting. After attending college, Wolf found his way back to music and is finally ready to share his work with the world. “Paper Maché Doll” is the second release from Wolf’s upcoming EP.
The video features Wolf among a jungle of red strings as he sings the soaring ballad. He becomes entangled in the strings as his passionate vocals soar while he tackles relatable issues such as social anxiety and self-esteem issues. Wolf scrutinizes societal expectations and powerfully and passionately sings that he “want(s) to be so much more than my body, than my acne scars..” Wolf skillfully builds the song and navigates the impressive arrangement and is a relatable and inspirational figure for all to look up to.
“Paper Maché Doll” is out now on all streaming platforms.
by Madi Toman | Mar 27, 2020 | albums, review
Chicago singer-songwriter Anna Holmquist formed Ester back in 2017 with the help of friends and collaborators, and now they’re about to release their first full-band LP, Turn Around. The record is a meditation both on major life changes and looking back at the past to help you understand your own growth, and Holmquist, possessing a rare vein of talent in both songwriting and singing, expertly guides their band through this task.
Most of the songs were written within the 6 month window around the beginning of Holmquist’s Saturn Return, which is psychologically viewed as the time that one reaches full adulthood and is faced (often for the first time) with adult challenges and responsibilities. The album’s exploration of adulthood is vulnerable and introspective, presenting a lot of moments for personal reflection.
Turn Around pieces together folk and rock elements around the centerpiece of the album: Holmquist’s honest and confessional lyricism and sensitive and emotional vocals. The songs are well-crafted, with the words written just as artful and important as the music.
“Little Shadow” is draped in haunting strings and gently plucked guitar. The ominous track builds to great heights with Holmquist’s quivering voice pulling mysterious melodies across the night sky.
“Holy Daze” feels like a float down a lazy river, with warm, slow bass coating the track in thick golden honey. Holmquist shows off her control and flexibility, easily flipping into their head voice before landing skillfully back with both feet on the ground. They sprinkle themself over the calm and breezy instrumentation like a colorful candy coating before tapping into their stock of emotionally-charged vocals, the intensity of their feeling evident to even the most casual listener.
“John’s Car” starts off sounding like a simple yet ominous indie-pop track, but Holmquist stuns, expertly building the song’s intensity with precise and attentive skill before it naturally peaks in a cathartic explosion of emotion. Holmquist is not only a powerhouse, but one who is smart enough to form important moments by holding back just the right amount before laying all of her cards on the table and damn, it’s a good hand.
“Thirsty” is reminiscent of a modern Fleetwood Mac while tracks like “When You Wake” channel the power and authority of Florence Welch. “Wildflower” is a breath of fresh air, providing even the most stressed out soul with a breath of fresh country air.
Turn Around is available now.
by Madi Toman | Mar 26, 2020 | singles, wolf tracks
Husband and wife duo The Grahams delve into new territory for their third album, Kids Like Us, trading traditional Americana for neon-colored indie-rock experimentation.
“Fuck the genre labels people want to put on us. We never felt they fit us anyway.” These are the bold words of Alyssa Graham, who makes up ½ of the duo, the other half completed by her long-time romantic, life, and musical partner Doug Graham. Every release the two have had began with an adventure that expanded their musical horizons, and their third effort is no exception. “Perhaps we started writing this album with a sense of escapism,” says Alyssa. And that escapism is palpable within the record, with the two managing to actually capture that taste and inject it into their music.
Running the rivers of balmy and graceful dream pop, 50’s mod influenced garage-rock energy, 60’s and 70’s style groovy guitars, and an explosive Morricone-esque cinematic intrigue, the couple bravely explores new sounds, proving their versatility and personal creative freedom runs deep. “We wanted to just let go and explore, and it made all the difference,” says Doug Graham. “For the first time, there was no self-doubt, no self-loathing – just gratitude, bliss, and a complete sense of satisfaction in the process and the results.”
The Grahams took off on a motorcycle journey along Route 66 to garner inspiration, witnessing life frozen in time along the historic highway. The music that resulted contained moments of fantasy, horror, and even the supernatural, beguiling their experience into the album.
Kids Like Us was the final project of Richard Swift, producer and former member of The Shins before his death in 2018 and was then taken over by co-producer Dan Molad. Their influence helped to enable The Grahams to channel all of their chaotic stimulus into something big, lush, ambitious, and profoundly satisfying.
The album’s 11 tracks were born from motel-room whispers and roadside musings as well as studio experimentation. “We started in Chicago with the blues and Motown,” Doug says of their journey, “and we ended in L.A. listening to the Beach Boys. And all of it found its way into the record.”
“Don’t Give Your Heart Away” perfectly captures the feeling of cross-country cruising along a desolate highway. A twangy and peaceful pop number that both soothes and quietly thunders, it fills in a broad soundscape of wide open spaces with its chilling echoes. Alyssa glides over the dreamy notes in a quiet storm of hypnosis while the instrumentation behind her pulls listeners in with a siren call of the desert.
“Kids Like Us” is more concentrated. The number is painted with darker colors, echoing across a nighttime scene with brassy sounds and a heightened intensity brought to the table. There is urgency within the Grahams as they take a modernized Antonioni feel in new directions for this one.
“Searching The Milky Way” draws heavy influence from the 50s, with shiny keys and sickly sweet “shalalas” moon-lighting the way through the track, which drips starlight that tastes of a million years ago. It feels both cool-toned and warm and fuzzy, and is sure to transport listeners to another place in time.
The record was also influenced inevitably by the surreal 2016 election, with Kids Like Us evokes the modern American condition in remarkably empathetic ways. “We’ve definitely written a very political record,” Doug says. “These aren’t protest songs, but some of them are certainly a reaction to the big pile of shit America has stepped in, and our personal fear for the future”.
This melting pot of influences manages to blend together to make a deliciously flexible and versatile album. It never feels stagnant or stuck in one place, and pulls a lot of unexpectedly beautiful feelings from places both light and dark to create a shimmering piece of work. Freedom bleeds onto every track and colors each one in a different light within the same shadows, leaving behind a record that manages to be both eclectic and cohesive.
Kids Like Us is available everywhere on March 27th. Keep up with The Grahams here.
