We’re roughly halfway through the semester. Many are experiencing an onslaught of midterms, clinging to the promise of the upcoming spring break as an oasis.
Several of our writers chose a few songs that have been keeping them going recently. Listen to the playlist here and read their write-ups below.
Anya
Lana Del Rey feat. Sean Ono Lennon – Tomorrow Never Came: This song keeps true to the traditional Lana sound; a slow-moving simple instrumentation with melancholic lyrics. Sean Ono Lennon, son of famous John Lennon and Yoko Ono, adds incredible depth in his responses to Lana as the other character in the love story. They toggle between the pleasure of knowing someone special and the pain in not having a future set up with said person. References are made to 70s artists, like Elton John (“you’d be my Tiny Dancer”) and John Lennon, and Lana actually acknowledges the fact that she is singing with his son (“Now I’m singing with Sean”). This created a unique narrative and left me thinking: classic Lana.
Michael Jackson feat. Paul McCartney – The Girl is Mine: Although less popular, “The Girl is Mine” is a highlight in the Thriller album. A playful back and forth where two men compete for a girl, there are few songs that can keep a listener captivated the way these two icons can. Equipped with a catchy beat, two lovely voices, and a synthesizer that is undeniably early ’80s, this one will never be a skip.
Golda
Samia – Bovine Excision: Samia has carved out a distinct place for herself amidst the glut of sad-girl-indie-folk acts by conjuring staggering emotion out of vividly specific imagery. This skill is on full display on “Bovine Excision,” the lead single off her third album, Bloodless, due April 25th. Samia uses the practice of bloodless cattle mutilation, which lends the song its title as a metaphor for what she describes as “a clinical pursuit of emptiness.” This numbness saturates the mundane tableaus that make up the song’s lyrics: Diet Dr. Pepper, Raymond Carver. Long baths and lime chips. Strung together like thrifted charms on a chain, the subtle dread buried deep within these images bubbles up moments of quiet devastation. “I want to be untouchable.” “I’m old, but I’m not dead.” Atop a clarion instrumental of strummed guitar and subtle drum shuffle which escalates in the song’s final moments, Samia’s words cut deep.
Chloe Slater – Fig Tree: Is anyone else tired of getting pummeled with conflicting messages about what it means to be a woman? British indie rocker Chloe Slater certainly is. Slater’s catalogue turns a shrewd gaze towards the slog of modernity, and on her recent single “Fig Tree,” it’s trained on batshit beauty standards and anti-aging sentiments. “Why does the world want a woman to look like a kid?” she posits, slinging out zingers about buzzwords and the pink tax, ads for diet soda and supplements. On the bridge, Slater throws this lingo salad into sharp relief against the earnest determination to embrace herself and others: “I wanna choose to riot […] choose to hold my mother up / Choose to age like fine wine…” Take a page from Slater’s book and muscle through the crud by sharpening your wit on a whetstone. In her words, “Better to have creases than to never have laughed.”
Thomas
Bruiser Wolf – Momma Was A Dopefiend: Beautiful little coke rap ballad. Bruiser Wolf is usually super ridiculous, off the wall, but also surprisingly introspective and smooth. He clearly is pained talking about his mother, and the soft horns in the back feel like they almost draw that out of him. It’s always beautiful to see a rapper open up and be vulnerable.
People Under The Stairs – Tuxedo Rap: “Tuxedo Rap” is very evocative of an old-school breakbeat block party, but with much more modern backing production. Beautiful rising synths throughout, with constant refrains that PUTS members Double K and Thes One ride really well. Both keep a really constant energy with an infectious positivity; it’s hard to listen and not get a little bit of that.
Jo
Bon Iver – Everything is Peaceful Love: Historically, I’ve gone to Bon Iver as a classic listen for when I am melancholy and want to feel worse. Living Scripps stereotype. And so it’s funny to hear him make music that feels hopeful. This song, following the other three-song tease for his new album SABLE, fABLE certainly piques my interest. The combination of the twangy string instruments with electronic, seemingly amusical elements makes for the classically confusing Bon Iver sound, one that can be appreciated by dedicated fans and casual listeners alike.
Black Country, New Road – Concorde: One of the central songs to the concept album Ants From Up There, “Concorde” is a fantastical production of yearning, perfect for entertaining delusions to. It alternates between using a 6/8 waltz in the verses and a resolute 4/4 chorus, allowing the listener to be swept along on this journey and follow the metaphor of the crash-and-burn Concorde jet project. After the breakdown, the subsequent buildup and second section are more exuberant and grandiose—the texture of the song feels pensive or hovering until that multi-instrumental release. The singer, Issac Wood, has a wavery and intense voice which, in my opinion, would not be palatable without the other musicians shaping the textures of the song. Yet within the context of “Concorde” and the mandolin, piano, and stunning sax, no other vocalist could do what he does for the piece.
Alison
Jane Remover – Dancing with your eyes closed: Have you ever wanted to feel like a video game protagonist? Then you might enjoy a lot of Jane Remover’s discography, but her new song “Dancing with your eyes closed” really seals the deal for this concept. When I listen to it while walking to class, I find my walking pace much faster than what it is normally, and the song can really only be described as making the world seem 10x more saturated. The production on this song is insane, with some of the samples coming from Pokémon and Super Smash Bros, and Jane’s vocals and their lyricism meld together in one great digital symphony. If this review doesn’t convince you to give the song a listen, I hope the song’s introduction does–a sample of the scene where Nancy kills Chris in the 1996 cult classic film, The Craft. “Jealous? You don’t even exist to me!”
Wheat – These Are Things: Wheat is mostly known now for their songs featured in films (my personal favorite is “Don’t I Hold You” from Elizabethtown), but I truly think they are one of the most fun indie-rock bands from the late 1990s. “There Are Things” is an upbeat song with slightly less upbeat lyrics; vocalist Scott Levesque sings about leaving someone whom he used to love for his own benefit. With the lyric “For now, I’ve got to look out for me,” the song captures that bittersweet realization that sometimes, you just have to put yourself first, even if it feels a little uncomfortable. A lesson we could all learn from at times! It’s introspective without being too heavy, like a late-afternoon sigh set to sweet melody.
Jesse
Nadia Oh feat. Space Cowboy – Got Your Number: Don’t get me wrong, “Got Your Number” is unmistakably a 2008 pop song. But, unlike many of its contemporaries, it stands the test of time and likely will for years to come: it almost feels like a 2020s emulation of late 2000s pop. Reclusive British proto-hyperpop cult favorite Nadia Oh delivers disinterested, nearly monotone vocals, effortlessly cool against a simple yet infectious instrumental driven by a thumping beat. The song’s palette of synths feels like a diverse cast of characters that each play their role perfectly. Space Cowboy truly outdid himself with the production. The end credits to a perfect night out partying.
Wokeups – fragged aht: In the current underground hip-hop scene, aspiring up-and-comers are constantly forced to experiment to differentiate themselves. Detroit Pluggnb artist Wokeups does so on “fragged aht” by delivering one of the most passionate vocal performances ever put to tape (this is not an exaggeration). Upon its release and viral rise on TikTok in spring 2024, this song was first met with laughter; many even assumed it was an intentional parody. Eventually, though, there was a collective realization: “Wait, this is actually beautiful.” Indeed, Wokeups captures something transcendent here; for a few fleeting seconds, whether by design or by accident, he is Michelangelo, and autotune is his paintbrush. The instrumental is almost as stunning, with angelic piano chords over an intricate synth line. Whether you find it amusing or genuinely moving, “fragged aht” is a two minute experience like no other.
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