Happy Sunday! I’ve compiled a list of 21 amazing new songs to check out. I hope you enjoy them! As always, you can follow these playlists on Spotify here and here. If you are interested in being featured, shoot me an email at kstahlke94@gmail.com.
Enjoy!
“Water” – Caroline Pennell
Release Date – January 12
I’ve been meaning to listen to Caroline’s debut EP for awhile, but life happens and you forget about things like that. This is about a month old, but I think it’s so great that I wanted to make sure I included it in this post. I was a HUGE fan of hers when she was on the fourth season of the voice and discovered that she was making music over the summer. I had heard her song “Drive Me Home” and was hooked. This is probably my favorite track from her EP and I’m looking forward to seeing what’s next from her.
“Muted Beatings” – Albert Hammond Jr.
Release Date – February 2
I should have known that Albert Hammond Jr. is a band member of The Strokes, but honestly I didn’t know. I had seen his name floating around a lot and decided to take a listen to his newest single and I’m really into it. If you are liking his sound, he’s playing a show at the Bottom Lounge in Chicago on April 6.
“Move” – Jesse Saint John
Release Date – February 7
I think music is really cool because you can hear a song by someone and not know anything about them, their appearance, background or anything. I felt like this song in particular was cool in regards to it being able to be appealing across pop, dance and rock genres. What I learned after a quick google search is that Jesse Saint James is a leading songwriter in the industry and has collaborated with Brittney Spears, Camilla Cabello, Charli XCX and more. It’s cool to hear him create his own sound.
“White Dove” – Koda
Release Date – February 7
There’s something inherently spooky about this song that really drew me in upon first listen. It reminds me a lot of Twenty-One Pilots sans their pop-punk feel.
“Consideration” (Spotify Sessions) – St. Vincent (cover)
Release Date – February 7
While I don’t think just anyone can successfully execute a Rihanna cover – especially of this song in particular (because it’s one of my favorites from her), I think St. Vincent executed this so brilliantly. She really did make it sound like it was her own song and I would guarantee that someone wouldn’t bat an eye at the cover if they had never heard the real version.
“Wild Love” – James Bay
Release Date – February 8
Let’s get one thing straight – I was SO into James Bay during his solo record but I was unsure of how he was going to return after such an amazing debut. But he definitely delivered with the lead single off of his upcoming release. I think he did a really great job maintaining his sound while still tweaking it a little bit to make it sound contemporary to include current trends in music.
“Volcanic Love” – The Aces
Release Date – February 9
I’m sorry but I can’t stop writing about The Aces. Out of everything they’ve released thus far, I would 100% say that this track is their best and really solidifies their sound as a band. I have a great feeling about their release – out later this year – and will definitely continue to cover their music.
“Disappear Here” (OurVinyl Sessions) – Bad Suns
Release Date – February 9
This song isn’t new, but I really enjoyed the version that Christo recorded for OurVinyl sessions – and I even noticed that he slipped a little bit of Bad Suns’ song “Off She Goes” in it, which I thought was clever. I’m also always a sucker for a stripped down performance of a song.
“This Body” – Baum
Release Date – February 9
Another musician who never fails to deliver for me – Baum. The song is about her recovering after an eating disorder and dealing with the aggressive cat calling culture that we are living in in 2018 and how she continues to find self-acceptance. I think that this song is really important and it was the perfect moment for her to release it. I feel really grateful towards her for sharing things so personal.
“Apparition” – Blue Americans
Release Date – February 9
There’s something about this song that feels really emotional without it being sappy and I think that’s a difficult balance to achieve. It turns out that the duo, Blue Americans, were former members of an alternative rock band titled More Than Conquerors.
“Drive Slow” – Carly Paige
Release Date – February 9
I would first like to say that the overall vibe of this song (the name, the appearance of the singer, and the album artwork) make it seem like it would be a country song, but it definitely isn’t. I can’t even begin to describe how much I relate to what she’s singing about, not wanting something to end and trying to pull anything out of thin air to keep the night going. Although most people in Chicago don’t have cars and we don’t drive in circles here. Ha. I thought it was funny. But yes, this song was a pleasant surprise for me!
“Easy” – Chelsea Lankes
Release Date – February 9
The concept of being in love and the feeling that it’s easy is a sentiment that I would imagine that anyone would enjoy listening to. Something interesting about this song is that I feel like the lyrics can be crafted to fit any genre of music and make it just sound right, which is something that I don’t think works for everything or everyone.
“Growing Pains” – Coin
Release Date – February 9
I’ve enjoyed Coin’s music here and there but not much has really stuck with me other than their song “Talk Too Much” – but I really enjoy this new song and could really relate with the subject of really not knowing what you’re doing or what you want – something I’m sure plenty of people my age are dealing with.
“You Boy” – Delaire
Release Date – February 9
I love the vibes of this song and think it’s a cool R&B twist on a song that I really think could have worked for Carly Rae Jepsen – but obviously she doesn’t really have much of an R&B infused sound at all. But I think you should listen to the song and you’ll get it.
“High” – Dua Lipa, Whethan
Release Date – February 9
Everything that Dua Lipa does turns to gold, including making her mark on the newest Fifty Shades soundtrack. I’m SO into this song and really think it sounds like it could be her own track on an album. I also just learned that Whethan – the collaborator on the track – is only 19-years-old (and is from Chicago, hey!)
“Overdose” – Grandson
Release Date – February 9
I had heard a song from Grandson in the fall of last year after the album artwork was an illustration of Donald Trump with his eyes x-d out (please google the song “War” by Grandson and you’ll see it). From that point I’ve been into them for obvious reasons but they really are a little bit more hardcore version of Twenty-One pilots. I listened to this song while I was running on a treadmill the other day and it really is a great workout jam.
“Hott” – KOPPs, Joywave
Release Date – February 9
If you get past the obnoxiously ugly album cover for this song, please do. The song is so interesting to listen to and I love the guitar part in the chorus. It has such easy listening appeal that makes it sound pop (thanks to the female singer on the track) but there are elements of the song that make it sound very rock oriented.
“Basement” – More Giraffes
Release Date – February 9
If I am understanding correctly, this is the first track from this duo (I really want to know what their group name means) and I was so shocked at how catchy I really found it to be. It’s a little more cotton candy pop/electronic than what I am usually drawn to, but the production is really sonically pleasing.
“Never Over You” – Rozzi
Release Date – February 9
I was happy to write about this song for Ones to Watch – read it here – and am super impressed with Rozzi. She was actually discovered by Adam Levine when she was 19 and had the opportunity to tour with Maroon 5, which taught her a lot about the industry and gave her time to work on what she wanted her music to sound like. Her voice is so beautiful!
“What Can I Say” – No No Yeah Okay
Release Date – February 9
I stumbled across this band maybe a month ago and was happy to see that they were releasing a new EP – the first one since 2015. I think my favorite from the EP is “What Can I Say” but I would recommend to listen to them all. They’re also from Milwaukee which is cool. I think that they sound super different than anyone else that’s making music right now, I feel a lot of Glass Animals meets Alt-J – and I really think the lead singer sounds like the singer from Bronze Radio Return. Can someone please solidify this for me?
– Kristin
0 comments on “New Music Sunday – 2/11/2018”