If It's Too Loud...

Photo by Santiago Dietche Austin, TX's Sun June have an expanded version of their 2021 album Somewhere coming out in January and have released the first bonus track from that release. "Easy" fits perfectly with the band's excellent album. It's a light, breezy track that fits into the space between indie rock, dream pop, and folk perfectly. Fans of all three genres could make a case that Sun June are theirs, but a song like "Easy" belongs to them all. It's the kind of song you're going to want to pull out during the summer. It's such a wonderfully laid back track that deserves to be listened to driving around or hanging out on a porch when the weather is much kinder outside. Laura Colwell says of the new song: “‘Easy’ is a romantic struggle song. It’s about love and partnership and longstanding arguments that are hard to get past.  We started working on it after quarantine was lifted. Everyone had been cloistered alone for months, so frustrati...

Artist : Nana Yamato Album : Before Sunrise Quick Description : Your new favorite lo-fi indie artist has arrived. Why You Should Listen : This grabbed me within minutes of the first song. Overall Thoughts : I can't be more effusive about Before Sunrise than to say that this is borderline relevatory. Nana Yamato has put forward an album that both can't exist in any other time and yet feels somewhat timeless in its execution. It's indie, it's DIY, but it also feels incredibly deep, with some weight behind it. "Do You Wanna" is great, "Gaito" is great, the whole package is wonderful. I can't wait to go back to this one. Recommendation : Easily the best of the week. Artist : Editrix Album : Tell Me I'm Bad Quick Description : Loud, brash, unapologetic indie punk. Why You Should Listen : Asks a lot of the listener, but to great reward. Overall Thoughts : This was an unexpected surprise. Punk rock, on a whole, can be hit-or-miss for...

Photo by Santiago Dietche Despite having five members, the latest single from Austin's Sun June is a very quiet, introspective song. The instrumentation on "Everything I Had" is both sparse and lush, focusing mostly on Laura Cowell's vocals. It's a charming modern folk/indie pop song, with the music truly complementing and structured around Cowell. It's one of those songs that sounds upbeat and sunny, even though you know in your gut it's just not. Laura Cowell says of the new song: "'Everything I Had' is about feeling stuck and wishing you could go back in time. It misses when things were new and easy and full of promise.  It feels very 'Austin' to us, because things change here so quickly and it's  easy to fall into a rut and feel like the city is moving on without you. Friends are always leaving town too, so sometimes it's fun to think moving to LA or New York would solve all our problems. It's also fair to say that the ...

Photo by Santiago Dietche  Most of us are excited for 2021 simply because it's not 2020. Now we have another reason: Sun June's upcoming album! "Karen O," the first single from the Austin, TX band's new album, is a masterpiece of the whole indie/folk thing going on right now. It's a quiet, near dream pop song, that slinks about calmly, sucking the listener right in. It very slowly builds and builds into a crescendo that never quite pays off, but you're kinda glad it never did. It's a gorgeous song that will have you desperate for 2021, finally for a good reason. The band explains the new song:  "' Karen O' is one of the only songs we've written that takes place over the course of a single night, and we hope we captured what it feels like when you're completely worn out but can't bring yourself to go home and go to sleep. It's about the kind of night you let heartache swallow you whole, and you find yourself heading straight...

A slower week, but one with some pretty impactful releases. Album of the Week : Artist : V. V. Lightbody Album : Bathing Peach Quick Description : Debut solo project from a Chicago-area singer-songwriter. Why You Should Listen : You wish Lucy Dacus would tone it down a bit? Overall Thoughts : This is an album that is a little hard to describe. It's kind of folky, but has some edge to it? The project of Vivian McConnell, she clearly has some great songwriting chops that make you pay attention from the first few notes, and this kind of came out of nowhere for me in terms of how much I liked it. If you like the folky stuff, or even the more contemplative singer-songwriter efforts of late, you should give this a listen. Recommendation : Best release of the week. Artist : The Carters Album : Everything is Love Quick Description : Surprise-yet-anticipated collaboration between Beyonce and Jay-Z. Why You Should Listen : Love it or hate it, this is what people will be tal...