If It's Too Loud...

Artist : The Innocence Mission Album : Midwinter Swimmers Quick Thoughts : The Innocence Mission is in decade five of making gorgeous, lush records with no sign of stopping. Their new album feels a little more sparse than what we've been used to, but far from anything off-kilter, and the vocals are as lovely as ever. I don't have a ton to say outside of this being one of the best listens of the week. Songs of Note : "Midwinter Swimmers," "Cloud to Cloud," "A Hundred Flowers," "Sisters and Brothers," "Orange of the Westering Sun" Artist : Juanita Stein Album : The Weightless Hour Quick Thoughts : The Weightless Hour is functionally what I desparately want Lana Del Ray to be. It's got that sort of smoky bar quality as if it's coming from an entirely different era, and I just love the mood that Juanita Stein brings to the table on this one. A great listen. Songs of Note : "Old World," "Carry M...

Photo by Giovanna Ferin Juanita Stein's latest single lands in this world where it's a straight up singer-songwriter track but also experimental sounding. "Carry Me" is a captivating song that has one foot firmly in the 1960's and another in the world of 90's alt-rock while still sounding modern. It's uplifting while being melancholy, and has a lightness while also sounding heavy. For being a mellow song, "Carry Me" is intense. Stein has crafted a song that is almost too engaging. The secret of the song might be how simple it is without sounding like anything is missing. Juanita Stein says of her latest single:  "One of the most fluid and magical songwriting experiences I’ve ever had. Whilst escaping the hard lockdown in England, August 2020, myself and family, who were in France at the time, decided that instead of returning home, we would keep driving in the direction of Italy and take our chances. 14 hours later, we ended up at an isolate...

You're going to want to join us in our newfound obsession with Brighton-based, Australian borh Juanita Stein. Her latest single, "L.O.T.F" is going to hit most of our readers right in their sweet spot. "L.O.T.F" (aka Land of the Free) chugs right along in that Americana way, complete with twangy guitars. But this is a straight up alt-rocker. It combines the drums of The White Stripes with the mainstream art rock noise of mid-career Wilco. It's an intense combination paired with an intense song that is going to be virtually impossible not to love. The songs on Juanita Stein's upcoming album were inspired by the 2019 death of her father. Stein explains:  " It feels fundamental to understanding the devastation and eerie silence thrust upon us after his sudden death.  It was a daunting task to sum up the life of one man such as my father. He was endlessly inspiring, charming, deeply talented and passionately spiritual. He admirably, and at times f...

The latest from Juanita Stein's upcoming album has a certain eerie quality, despite being absolutely beautiful. "The Mavericks" is far from a folk song, even though it keeps some very basic elements of Americana. This is a quiet indie rock song that can be a difficult listen, even without the more noisy, confrontational sounds typically associated with difficult indie rock. And, yes, it's still a completely beautiful song. This challenging aspect is what will keep you going back to "The Mavericks" multiple times while we wait for Juanita Stein's upcoming album. Juanita Stein says of the new song: " ’’ The Mavericks ’ is a song that came together over a few years. The first half I’d already had written, the lyrics came in one blessed burst of lyrical expression, then I stashed it away, not knowing quite what to do with it. I was later able to complete it, whilst writing the songs for ‘Snapshot’. With the razor-edged perspective loss can bring, fi...

Juanita Stein, formerly of Howling Bells, is set to release her third solo album. "Snapshot," the new single from the album, has some folk adjacent qualities, but is otherwise hard to pin down. It's almost mainstream, but goes off in too many bizarre directions to be mainstream, even though it's definitely not exactly experimental. It starts off in a hypnotic, kind of mellow way, and then just progresses into a more full, more odd direction. And then it just keeps evolving into different directions. It's almost like the song branches out like a tree while the main structure remains the same. If anything, it's similar to some of The Beatles's more oddball songs. You can watch the video for "Snapshot" below. Snapshot , the new album from Juanita Stein, will be out October 2 on Nude Records. You can pre-order the album here . For more on Juanita Stein, check out her website .

Here comes the last third of the year... Album of the Week : Artist : Riley Pinkerton Album : Nothing Ever Is Quick Description : Debut full-length from a favorite here. Why You Should Listen : We've been a fan for a while, and her previous releases have been great. Overall Thoughts : My favorite listen of the week is this rootsy album. It’s rare that an album can feel both vulnerable and fragile while also basically being in your face. So many great songs on this album that we’ve been waiting on since her EP landed a few years back, and the end result is something that feels familiar without feeling derivative. Recommendation : Absolutely worth your time this week. Artist : Juanita Stein Album : Until the Lights Fade Quick Description : New album from a compelling indie artist. Why You Should Listen : It both fits in with some of the alt-rock throwbacks while still feeling new and different. Overall Thoughts : I had a couple of Juanita Stein’s songs hit the Spot...