Now Listening: This Week's Tracks
Alfie Templeman- “Everybody’s Gotta Love Somebody”
18-year-old Alfie Templeman has returned with an 80’s pop-inspired single, “Everbody’s Gotta Love Somebody”. Templeman has been developing the sound of this ambient ode to the decade of neon and excess since he was 14. “ I’d always go back to it and try to re-record it but I could never quite get it right - then I went on a Tears For Fears binge and realized that it needed that “Everybody Wants To Rule The World” kind of production,” which is clear in the smooth 80s groove, rhythmic guitars, interspersed saxophone, and all underscored by a bass-driven beat that seamlessly integrates Templeman’s inspirations with slick pop production. The single was even premiered on Annie Mac’s BBC Radio 1 show as the Hottest Record In The World - and this is his 4th time being featured. It is clear that Templeman is becoming one to watch, and the upcoming release of his mini-album Forever Isn’t Long enough is something many have been waiting for since his wildly successful previous four EPs. Templeman says “[It] is the most polished collection of songs I’ve ever made,” and with his latest single, there is no reason to doubt it.
Nari - “Lower My Expectations”
Bay-Area indie-pop songwriter Nari is back with a new single called "Lower My Expectations." In this new gentle, reverb-laden indie-bedroom pop creation about heartbreak and disappointment, "Lower My Expectations" is about navigating through the mixed advice we often receive on love and deciding how much disappointment your heart can take. With it’s ballad-like structure and crooner melodies, Nari presents this song as almost a sickly-sweet lament, detailing flaky lovers, terrible dates, and perhaps a few lonely nights. With lyrics like, “Maybe I’ll lower my expectations | At least I can’t get hurt | Maybe I’ll lower my expectations | At least I’ll find someone,” it oozes with frustration and lackluster - driving a force of empathy from the listener. In the end, “Lower My Expectations,” is a warm, yet delicate piece that will soon be an anti-lovesong anthem.
Blue Canopy - “Banji”
Blue Canopy, also known as Alex Schiff, is a Portland-based multi-instrumentalist whose latest offering “Banji” showcases a soft call to those who deal with anxiety and the universality felt in losing yourself.
Formerly the keyboardist and co-writer for indie band, Modern Rivals, Blue Canopy is equipped with the knowledge to produce sweet melodies and infectious music which allows listeners to escape into momentary delight, and “Banji” is no exception. Blue Canopy's latest release follows on well from the chillwave single “Motovun” which is shimmered with arpeggiated synths. “Banji” gleams with a similar sonic cohesiveness - laced in a groovy underlying bass tone that embodies a haze of summer mornings. This track feels like a hybrid between Wallows’ current and older sound, full of woozy guitars, dreamy introspection and layered vocals which are effortlessly cool.
The singer’s forthcoming EP Sleep While You Can is out on March 5. If the project is anything like its current singles, with their breezy, inviting and refreshing sentiments, it will be an EP to offer more escapism and soundtrack the warmer months of the year.
dad sports - “nrvs again”
In just three minutes and forty seconds, dad sports new single ‘nrvs again’ perfectly reflects on ode to self-love, being a testimonial of fully embracing who you are and believing in yourself. “nrvs again” is the fourth single to their highly-anticipated debut EP, I AM JUST A BOY LEAVE ME ALONE!!!, soon to be released on March 19th. Miquel Plantes, lead singer|songwriter for the band, describes writing this song as a reflection of his insecurities as an artist - using his anxiety to drive him further as a creative. The song, which was recorded, engineered and mixed by Plante, features the band’s signature electronic drums and emo-inspired vocals that melds jangle-pop, electro, emo and indie-pop into one.
The single is accompanied with a music video shot by 18-year-old, Chicago-based director Noah Keckler. It features a pandemic-themed narrative that showcases the ups and downs of quarantine life, with the protagonist recalling the ways we’ve had to find joy in our new standard.
Calm Canopy - “Fiction”
“I’ve been listening to the rain. Catch myself waiting for it on sunny days,” is the opening lyric from the latest single of Mike Papaloni’s indie pop/rock solo project, Calm Canopy. As pensive as the opening line, “Fiction” is a meditative acoustic single that assesses, “ integrity, fulfillment, and following your own path in life rather than adhering to the status quo,” as stated by Papaloni. The single takes advantage of all traits of the guitar, both the percussive and melodic elements. Papaloni’s production does not shy away from audible strum patterns and in fact, exaggerates them with aptly placed reverb which is not uncommon for Calm Canopy. The sonic features that are intrinsic to Calm Canopy are, as he put it, “often defined by the emphasis on doubling and layering many conventional and unusual instruments”. For a song titled “Fiction,” it truly is a song rooted in the present and its atmospheric nature will strike a chord with anyone who misses live shows, and more specifically acoustic performances.
Hollyy - “Sailing”
Hollyy’s new single, “Sailing” is a catchy little song that features glistening piano lines, melodic guitar riffs, and an endearing vocal melody that brings the listener along a narrative nostalgic for summery, warm days. In listening to the track, it is quite easy to understand where their vintage, R&B, Indie-Rock style comes from. Being Influenced by Sam Cooke and Leon Bridges, and the indie rock stylings of Wilco and Whitney, Hollyy erupted onto the Chicago music scene with a sound as vibrant and welcoming. Their debut EP, Miss the Feeling, comes from a year’s worth of studio work that brings together their retro influences with a more modern sound that they have fully embraced. “Sailing” is just a taste of what to expect! Definitely be on the lookout for more!
Mia Madden - “1-800-RUNAWAY”
Two weeks ago, a friend and I spoke about getting lost. Even in our growing 20s we still feel the hunger for our eyes to taste new scenery, or allow ourselves to become wrapped into scenarios that will take us further away from the present - passing over us like a current. Through every lyric sung on “1-800-RUNAWAY” I can sense the same feeling coming from Mia Madden. Usually, any phone line connected to ‘1-800’ is looking for someone to save them, but Mia flips the meaning. She is the only person who can break herself free from her surroundings - one that’s flashing a bright red light on her dreams. “This track touches on the subject of wanting to get out of my hometown. It describes a dream of leaving and starting a new life somewhere else,” she spoke about her new single. The song embraces not only thinking outside the bubble you are in, but expanding it until you are ready to let it pop. In Mia’s case, she is ready to continue creating what self-discovery can sound like - in the same vein as her idols Christine & The Queens and HAIM. Her journey down this synth-pop road is only beginning to start its engines. Mia is ready to get lost, a bit more, before she is ready to declare to her dreams she is the person she has always pictured herself to be. I’m just glad she is letting us tag-along on this beautiful, bubbly road trip ahead.
Jack Frohlich - “School Boy”
Jack Frohlich seems to be taking himself to therapy on his new single, “School Boy.” Throughout the entire session, he is preoccupied with dissecting nostalgia, particularly the parts that haven’t left him singing their praises. Growing up is one of the hardest things to do because there are pieces of life you can control while, much of it, you have zero control over any outcome, especially who you may become. “School Boy,” the second single released from his upcoming EP, Silver Going Grey, uses a jazz-inspired sound to travel back to days he spent as a daydreamer in school, looking out windows hoping to catch a glimpse of a fully-formed version of himself - one he didn’t see when looking into the mirror. Following the successful release of “Superhero,” Jack uses his new track to further put on display his “bright and breezy tones, smooth hooks, and wonderfully captivating vocals” as Charlie Ashcroft from Amazing Radio put it. By the time the self-therapy session reaches toward an ending, Jack offers himself a simple solution: He, who he is presently, is the only answer he needs to life’s biggest mystery. Growth is hard, in any capacity, but when you love yourself it makes the journey more worthwhile. It seems Jack Frohlich is ready to do just that.
Sages of The Subway - “Lights Go Down”
A philosophy professor once asked me, “What does the idea of home look like to you?” At the time, my mind was shuffling through a million different definitions, various interpretations of what the question could mean, weren’t giving me a chance to answer. Sages of the Subway are a four-man band that understands the biggest questions in life can be uncovered by giving ourselves up to it, which was something I didn’t realize could best be answered outside of classroom walls. Living up to their name, “Lights Go Down,” asks the same question my philosophy professor asked me - “What does the idea of home look like to you?” The Sages, channeling a sound that sits somewhere between The Killers & U2, were able to take pieces of their life experiences to give a simple answer: anywhere your ‘person’ will be. The shifting landscapes and roads running throughout the new track show the Sages as nomads, comfortable with new territories sheltering them. But all these new sights wouldn’t matter if they didn’t have their ‘person’ with them because home is all the places that they can see that ‘person’s’ face or, simply, feel their presence - even in the dark. As each uplifting guitar riff sings alongside the passionate vocals of the tune, reflect on who your ‘person’ may be and let The Sages teach you how to make any place with them into the home you’ve always wanted.
Aidan & The Wild - “Running”
Aidan & The Wild’s new single, “Running,” the first single of their anticipated debut album Revelation Never Came, that releases October 8, 2021. The song (along with the album) was recorded during a lock-down period of mid-2020, with production being handled by Aidan himself. “Running” is a track that exudes a modern-take on a vintage folksong, with inspirations drawing equivalence to early Fleet Foxes or First Aid Kid. There is a certain ambience behind the piece, a perhaps yearning for a better time, reflective of the history behind the track itself. Written last March at the start of the pandemic, the song reflects the almost surreal and weirdness of the world around us. It discusses how change can come so suddenly and there was nothing to do about it. But with its dreamy, almost hushed vocals and meditative guitar strums, it is truly a track that eases any nerves which we might have had - and presents a future so bright ahead.
Gentle Organisms - “Take 2”
Late 90s and eighties nostalgia softly radiates on Gentle Organisms’ second single “Take 2”. The Nashville-based indie outfit was created by singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Michael Kelley, with Graham Belcher on drums and currently in charge of production. The 1975-inspired, infectious guitar melody that opens up “Take 2” adds an inviting indie-pop element to the release. The familiarity and intimate vocals instantly feel reminiscent of a late 90s, early 2000s film soundtrack which so many of us find comfort in. The final minute of the song introduces a twang which echoes a country track, seeming to be like the sound of a violin which instantly elevates the song’s instrumentation, providing an even more delicate and recognisable sentiment.
Gentle Organisms forthcoming self-titled EP is set to be released by summer and will hopefully follow suit with the first two singles which have a familiar and comforting indie sound. We can expect the EP to radiate reflections on the past, present, and anxieties that trail in between these times.
Ormiston - “Rebel”
Montreal-based artist Ormiston has released an unapologetically vibrant electro-disco debut single with an indie chillwave and yacht rock sensibility, and it’s exactly what you need right now. Layered with energetic guitars that pair beautifully with the classic disco bassline, splashes of syncopated percussion, and Ormiston’s raspy textured vocals, “Rebel” feels quite appropriately named considering the period that it’s been released in. After a year like 2020, Ormiston provides what can only be described as a “golden slice of audible joy”. While it is an electrifying dance track, the song explores ideas of devotion and the complexities of love. Ormiston says, “Rebel is a song about a turbulent relationship between two lovers. A passionate relationship bringing the best and sometimes the worst out of both individuals.” If you’re looking for more like this ambitious debut, Ormiston may be returning in Spring of this year with a full-length record, but until then, you’ll certainly keep “Rebel” on repeat.
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From Pavietra 🕊️ https://t.co/BXVgWlZud8 -
slowthai by Rosie Matheson 🤩 https://t.co/z7SDfFQ5iF
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RT @i_D: Ian Kenneth Bird photographs young punks on Polaroid: https://t.co/MKT0tMUqO9 https://t.co/a0tTl12ML5
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RT @AnOtherMagazine: #DreamHome – this isolated idyll in the mountains of Lanzarote 🌵 📸 via Nowness, photography by Clemence Blr 🔁 https://t.co/GUusdxD0cg
