New Music Sunday – 2/4/2018

Happy February! I think I’m not alone when I say how much January lags on – it’s honestly the Monday of months. I’m back with a HUGE list of amazing new music that I’ve been listening to nonstop over the past week. I hope you enjoy!

If you didn’t know, I’ve made two playlists to go along with these posts. One is the current list of tunes featured, and one is the archived version of each song I’ve featured in these posts. Click here and here to follow both on Spotify.

Like I mentioned last week, I have started to receive a few emails/direct messages/etc. with new songs looking for some promotion. If you are a musician and want your song to be featured, don’t hesitate to reach out via email (kstahlke94@gmail.com) or you can reach me via Twitter. Thank you!

“Cute Thing” – Car Seat Headrest
Release Date – January 23

I enjoyed listening to Car Seat Headrest’s 2016 album in passing, but their sound was nothing that really stuck out for me. I do really enjoy this song in particular and think it has some really witty lyricism.

“Waking Up” – Magdalena Bay
Release Date – January 25

Right when I heard this song for the first time, I was instantly hooked. I have been exploring the electronic genre more and more recently and I find that this track could almost be a combination of a Carly Rae Jepsen track with vocals from the indie pop band Cults. I’m curious to delve into more of this band’s music.

“Cool” – Soccer Mommy
Release Date – January 30

I heard of Soccer Mommy last week after listening to an episode of “Popcast,” which is a podcast by the New York Times. If you can get past the weird stage name, the singer Sophie Allison is releasing some super interesting music. Her debut album drops in March.

“Get Out” – Chvrches
Release Date – January 31

Chvrches is back after a long break following the 2015 release of their album, Every Open Eye. When I saw that they had released a new track, I read the band has been working with Greg Kurstin – who is essentially one of the biggest producers in music right now, working with Adele, Foo Fighters and Sia (just a few). This made me a little worried to see what direction the band was going in (Every Open Eye is probably one of my favorite albums ever). I wouldn’t say that I dislike the song but to me, it seems like it lost a little bit of what made Chvrches stand out to me in previous singles. It’s either that or we have just gotten used to synthy-ness in pop music, what they ‘ve been doing for years prior. I’m still into the song and am curious to see the direction of the album (no release date announced yet).

“Mistake” – Middle Kids
Release Date – January 31

I saw Middle Kids perform in the fall and after hearing this single, I realized instantly that they had performed in live then. I am SO hooked on this band’s sound and this may be one of my favorite songs they’ve released thus far. Their debut album comes out in the Spring and I’m seriously so excited for it!

“Bad Fun” – Courtship.
Release Date – January 31

I’ve been following Courtship for awhile and am loving the vibe of this new song. It reminds me a lot of Foster The People and I appreciate the easy going feeling that the band tends to maintain in their music.

“Bringing The House Down” – Cloves
Release Date – February 1

Cloves was at Lolla a couple years ago – I didn’t get to see her set but I did try to stay up to date with her music. Her newest release does a great job showing off her vocals (which are so beautiful, raspy and strong) and I think this has a lot of potential to get big. It reminds me a lot of Léon!

“Never Tear Us Apart” (INXS Cover) – Bishop Briggs
Release Date – February 2

OOO man. I’ve been waiting for this one! Bishop has such an incredible voice and I’m so happy she got to be apart of such a massive movie (it’s for Fifty Shades Freed). LISTEN TO THIS COVER!

“Ocean” – Flor
Release Date – February 2

It was exciting to see that Flor released a few extra songs on a bonus version of their debut album, Come Out. You’re Hiding. and this song in particular seems to get a little bi darker in sound and style. I think it’s an interesting direction that I hope the band continues to take and it reminds me of The 1975 and Børns.

“LOVE Somebody” – Frenship
Release Date – February 2

I was so excited to review this track ahead of its release for Ones To Watch – read my take on it here. Frenship has been growing since their release “Capsize” was insanely successful and was a viral hit over the summer of 2016, and I really do think this is my favorite song they’ve released thus far.

“Iron & Steel” – Quinn XCII
Release Date – February 2

Honestly, I haven’t loved much of what Quinn XCII has released, it just seems a little too much like Jon Bellion for me, and weirdly sounds like the band that released that song called “Rude” back a few years ago (I googled it – their name is MAGIC!). But for some reason, this song in particular really caught my ear and I like it!

“Lower The Tone” – Rae Morris
Release Date – February 2

I had heard a lot of buzz about this singer’s new album that came out on Friday, and after listening to it once on Saturday, I was instantly hooked. The album is so sonically interesting and cohesive and as a body of work, it’s just an incredible pop album. This song definitely stood out to me the most, which is why I wanted to share it on this playlist. I would definitely recommend listening to the entire album!

“Phoenix” – Rhye
Release Date – February 2

As I type this, Rhye has a new album released into the world after his 2013 debut, Woman. I can seriously JAM to this song and I’m extremely amped to hear the rest of the release.

“Still In Love” – Thirdstory ft. Eryn Allen Kane
Release Date – February 2

I’ve been OBSESSED with Thirdstory ever since I saw them open for Tori Kelly in May 2016. They have some of the most beautiful harmonies I have ever heard and their chemistry is so natural. Seeing that they did a song with Eryn Allen Kane, another amazingly talented singer, I knew it was going to be freaking UNBELIEVABLE. I’m blown away by the soul in this track.

“Low” – Stevie Wolf
Release Date – February 2

This song drew me in because it sounds like such a veteran musician created it – but Stevie Wolf only has three songs released on Spotify! Who would have thought. I am loving his vibe and you should go see the presentation he made about himself on his website because it’s hilarious. I’m excited to see where he goes.

“I’d Like That” – Tyne
Release Date – February 2

I included Tyne on my Winter Playlist and the song featured  “I’m Down,” is a lot more casual and relaxed than this one in regards to lyrical content – but it was nice to see that she’s super versatile in that regard. Grace Shelley is only 19 so like, that’s pretty impressive on its own. Vocally, she also sounds like Selena Gomez (but can actually hold a note).

“Pray For Me” – The Weeknd ft. Kendrick Lamar
Release Date – February 2

I was looking forward to hearing songs off of the Black Panther soundtrack after the first track with Kendrick Lamar and Sza. I’m not the biggest fan of The Weeknd but I enjoyed him on this song. The soundtrack is out on February 9 and you can see the full track list here.

As I stated in the introduction of this post, I have two playlists for these posts. Click here and here to follow both on Spotify.

Thanks for reading!

– Kristin