If It's Too Loud...

Artist : Johanna Samuels Album : Excelsior! Quick Thoughts : I love good singer-songwriter folk-adjacent music these days, and the title of this record definitely gives off a fun and light vibe. The actual music, though, is extremely appealing, with a lot of interesting stuff going on. I love the gorgeous instrumentation, and the songwriting is top notch. If you're looking for something really pretty and gorgeous, with enough interesting flourishes to keep you coming back? This is your record. Songs of Note : "Sonny," "Nature's Way," "All is Fine" Artist : Smol Data Album : Inconvenience Store Quick Thoughts : I don't recall how I tripped up on Smol Data but holy crap is this good and fun. This is a neat little indie pop/punk record that's really just a good time start to finish. It reminds me a lot of The Beths crossed with Illuminati Hotties, which is right down my alley and might be up your alley, too. Songs of Note : ...

Photo by Bendrix Littleton We've been swooning for Sara Bug's particular blend of alt-country, indie rock, and alt-pop ever since we first heard "Rosebank" back in January. The more we hear from her upcoming album, the more devoted we get to our fandom. "Ride On Sundys" further cements that. It's a perfect blend of those three genres. It has the lilt of pop, the edge of indie rock, and the twang of country. Bug is blending these sounds together expertly. I want to call it a perfect pop song, but it's no more pop than the other two sounds, so it can't quite be that.  In a press release, Sara Bug says of the new song: "It’s a play on words I guess. Sitting inside writing on a sunday afternoon instead of out in the sun driving or riding or at the lake with my friends. Ride on Sundys is about the guilt of being sad and trying to bandage it with isolation." You can listen to "Ride On Sundys" below. Sara Bug's self-titled debut ...

Photo by Bendrix Littleton One of the bright spots of 2021 has been the discovery of Nashville's "World's finest southern kitsch artist" Sara Bug. Her music has danced along the borders of country, folk, indie pop, and indie rock, never quite choosing one over the others. Her latest single, "The Beholder," sounds like it might be going the pure pop route. At least, at first it does. Then the twang starts to kick in, so you think Bug might be going straight country pop. Of course, that's when it gets odd. You notice the twang has a little too much reverb and noise on it, and the beat starts going on its own little off kilter way. Once you start to adjust and get really, really, really into the song, it ends at one minute, thirty nine seconds. Sara Bug is a master of leaving us wanting more. Sara Bug says of the song: "Beholder, one of the most recently written songs on the album, is me admitting that I care too much what others think of me. As I get ...

Photo by Bendrix Littleton Nashville's Sara Bug is the self-described "World's finest southern-kitsch artist." Her latest single, "Lotta Pride," doesn't sound like what you would consider Southern. It's not quite country, although it kinda is. Maybe country-adjacent? It's this endearingly odd mix of indie pop, lo-fi indie rock, and country. Plus, it has a killer string arrangement over fuzzed out guitar. "Lotta Pride" doesn't really know what it is, so how should anyone, really? It's a captivating little one minute twenty second song that will truly have you needing more. Sara Bug talks about the new song: "Lotta Pride was written in 2016 when I was in the middle of moving back to the south from new york. After living there for a couple years, working in the fashion industry, I was ready to move home for multiple personal reasons. After losing a close family member my priorities shifted. Lotta Pride is an accumulation of th...

Photo by Bendrix Littleton Last month we became smitten with the indie rock/alt pop/classic country of Sara Bug's song "Rosebank." She's back with a new song that keeps on going with that sound. "Die With You" keeps up the Stef Chura meets Phoebe Bridgers and Dolly Parton sound that we loved with her previous single, but leans a little more heavily into the indie rock side and introduces some psychedelia into the mix. Think late 90's jam band influenced Sonic Youth. Plus, the country edge is explored a little bit more, making this a comforting yet bewildering sound. Sara Bug says of the new song: "I wrote  die  with  you , the oldest song on the album, in 2013 on my parents front porch. It seems like a love song, but I don’t remember who it’s about, or if it ever even was about someone specific. In 2013, during some of my darkest moments, I remember thinking a lot about and writing a lot about how badly I desired the approval of my loved ones and ev...

Photo by Bendrix Littleton Sara Bug's latest is a mixture of some of our favorite sounds, but done in a way we haven't quite heard before. Bug describes herself as the " World's finest southern-kitsch artist. born in Mississippi, raised in Louisiana, stuck in Nashville." Her new single, "Rosebank," mixes the indie rock sensibility of Stef Chura with the alt-pop of Phoebe Bridgers with some Dolly Parton thrown in. It's the kind of song that blends all the styles in a way so that it's not quite any of them, and is just its very own thing.  Sara Bug explains her new song:  "Rosebank was written about the joy and calm I feel when I’m on my motorcycle. Everything else in the world disappears and I can think clearly when I'm taking time to myself, cruising around. The song was written when I was still a beginner. Every night I would drive down this long, curvy road in Nashville called Rosebank for practice. During a hard emotional time in my l...