Music Department Summer Newsletter – Issue 2

By: Akina-Naomi Kennedy  

 

☆ indie/psychedelic/experimental

julia pratt – family feud [EP]
wispy, ethereal, and underrated sad girl bedroom indie folk. reverb-drenched indie instrumentals with a voice smooth as butter singing songs about family conflicts and growing up. a favorite of mine, for sure ✮⋆˙
riyl: clairo, alice phoebe lou, faye webster, billie eilish
rec tracks: 1, 5
youtube  spotify

habibi – dreamachine
soothing and groovy at the same time, dreamachine evokes its name in its music. with hazy jangle pop production and bonafide indie everythings, habibi creates a dreamscape in the form of an indie record for our waking enjoyment ✧˚ ༘ ⋆｡♡˚
riyl: beach house, la luz, japanese breakfast, tennis, the marias
rec tracks: 1, 2, 3, 6
youtube  spotify

mabe fratti – sentir no que sabes
when i struggle to assign a release to one genre, that’s usually a very good sign: and sentir no que sabes (translating to “feel like you don’t know”) most definitely doesn’t disappoint. this experimental album blew me away with its combination of latin, jazz, electronic, and indie elements, with cello (fratti’s main instrument) at its core and a foreign language on top of it—making it a dynamic and engaging record through and through. a sonic journey in every sense, and a must-listen for 2024.
riyl: the marias, fievel is glauque, esperanza spalding, jenny hval, ML buch
rec tracks: 1, 2, 4, 6, 9
youtube  spotify
 

 
homeshake – horsie
indie psychedelic done so, so right. a left turn from his more rock-focused album from earlier this year, homeshake maintains an effervescent, minimal, and vibe-rich sound.
riyl: tame impala, mild high club, the marias, jay som, crumb
rec tracks: 1, 3, 4, 7, 11
youtube  spotify

the marias – submarine
evoking the feelings of sinking, swimming, and floating, the marias brings a nautical weight to an indie pop record that makes you feel like you’re underwater, listening to a slowed and reverbed edit of your favorite song. pair the lush, synthy production with smooth vocals and infectious grooves, and you have another solid album from bona fide indie darlings.
riyl: jay som, men i trust, crumb, khruangbin
rec tracks: 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 11, 13 (all of them!)
youtube  spotify

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☆ jazz/r&b/soul/hip hop

hiatus kaiyote – love heart cheat code
an impeccable blend of neo-soul, jazz, electronic, and psychedelic music all melded together to create an immersive, high-vibrational, 10/10-worthy record that’s quickly become a 2024 (and all-time) favorite of mine. playful at times and locked in always with messages of introspection, societal observation, and some universal truths. give this one a listen if you’re ready for a soul-filled trip–just when you hit a vibe, hiatus kaiyote hits you out of left field again and again, constantly enhancing the experience of listening to this masterpiece of an album.
riyl: erykah badu, willow, cleo sol, esperanza spalding
rec tracks: 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10
fcc warning: 10
youtube  spotify
 

liana flores – flower of the soul
continuing the incredible momentum that is her single nightvisions, liana flores keeps that same ethereal, soothing, jazzy energy all throughout the illustrious flower of the soul.
riyl: laufey, clairo, bryony jarman-pinto, audrey powne
rec tracks: 1, 3, 8, 10
youtube  spotify
 
catpack – catpack
neo-soul meets jazz meets r&b meets electronic in a smoothie of delectable musicianship. catpack is comprised of jazz scene staples jacob mann, phil beaudreau, and amber navran (of moonchild fame), and their individual influences—name influences—come together wonderfully in this project.
riyl: moonchild, jacob mann big band, hiatus kaiyote, dana and alden
rec tracks: 1, 4, 5, 7, 10
fcc warning: 1
youtube  spotify 

 

lupe fiasco – samurai 

a cocnept album creating portraiture of the late and great amy winehouse. evoking old-school boom-bap hop-hop and combining it with more modern hooks is something that lupe fiasco does incredibly in this release; as well, he utilizes dreamy, mellow lo-fi beats, combining the two sensibilities to create delicious hip-hop tracks. his amazingly written rhymes cover his takes on modern american culture, hierarchy, and the music industry. all of these elements culminate in a cohesive, insanely re-listenable and well-crafted record. 

riyl: erick the architect, the roots, common, black thought, tyler, the creator, noname 

rec tracks: 1, 2, 3, 5, 8 

fcc warning: 3, 4, 5 

youtube  spotify 

 

the joy – the joy
the debut album from a south african acapella group that was featured on doja cat’s scarlet. the lead singer riffs effortlessly over acapella vocals coming together to create harmonies that soothe the soul. the joy gives us a reason to get through the day with this record 🙂
riyl: ladysmith black mambazo, blind boys of alabama, the real gorup, the university of pretoria camerata, doja cat
rec tracks: 1, 2, 9, 10
youtube  spotify

johnny burgos – all i ever wonder
this one is an incredibly cohesive, well produced, and deeply in-the-pocket funk/soul record, perfect for a smooth-sailing sunday morning–or, if you just wanna hear some tight grooves and good vibes (with a velvety voice, i might add!), look no further ☆
riyl: vulfpeck, tom misch, john mayer, gareth donkin
rec tracks: 2, 3, 4, 5, 7
fcc warning: 4, 6, 9
youtube  spotify

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☆ pop

charli xcx – brat
an infectious club dance record, but it’s more than meets the eye: over hyperpop tracks produced by the legendary a.g. cook, charli xcx uses the lyrics of each song to let us into different parts of her emotional world. from grief over the loss of our beloved SOPHIE, to the feeling of looking at a cute stranger across the room, to her thoughts about motherhood–and from hard-hitting rave beats to mellow moog moments to a beat made only of piano, brat is simply one of the best albums of 2024, in my humble opinion ⋆⭒˚｡⋆
riyl: sophie, 100 gecs, kaya hoax, jpegmafia, a. g. cook
rec tracks: 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 13
fcc warning: 1, 3, 6, 13, 15
youtube  spotify
 

talker – i’m telling you the truth
this album is a down-to-earth exploration of real experiences of relationships, friendships, and personal growth in this day and age. a refreshing departure from wall-of-sound production styles common in pop/rock today, i’m telling you the truth is layered, organic, and dynamic in style and substance.
riyl: olivia rodrigo, japanese breakfast, paramore, chappell roan
rec tracks: 2, 4, 5, 8, 9
youtube  spotify

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☆ rock/grunge/new wave 

 

youbet – way to be
fuzzy, minimal, refined, and other adjectives. this album is a sleeper hit of the year. new york’s youbet mixes indie rock with shoegaze and older styles of production, boasting a vocal style reminiscent of both kurt cobain and fiona apple. it’s an incredibly refreshing listen that’s indicative of the times we’re living in in music right now; blending styles and sensibilities to create music that is unique to each artist that makes it. this gives me nostalgia for 2000s alternative music, making me feel like a kid sitting at the television watching MTV for the first time. way to be is a record wrapped in care and indie post-grunge excellence, and a real “you had to be there” album: you won’t know what i mean unless you listen!
riyl: fiona apple, nirvana, crumb, tennyson, cavetown
rec tracks: 1, 2, 5, 6, 8, 9, 11, 12
fcc warning: 10
youtube  spotify

been stellar – scream from new york, ny
another solid album from new york rockers with consistent energy, urgency and quality, and with optimistic nihilism, slices of life, and inner reflections depicted in empathetic, well-crafted lyrics. evoking more nostalgia for a different time in music (new yorkers seem to do that well!), been stellar lay their hearts and minds out for us to receive and relate to.
riyl: deftones, nirvana, friko, fontaines d. c., diiv
rec tracks: 1, 2, 4, 5, 7, 9
youtube  spotify

holy wire – the ending of an age
a reincarnation, a splitting image even, of the 80s new wave group pulp. alain paradis (this group’s lead vocalist) sounds so much like jarvis cocker that it’s hard to tell the difference, and the production styles between the two groups are uncannily similar. but, despite the difference, holy wire feels fresh, like this sound is just who they are. if you like dancing to sad lyrics set to nostalgic 80s instrumentals, then look no further!
riyl: pulp, arctic monkeys, the human league, suede, idkhow
rec tracks: 1, 2, 3, 4, 7, 8
youtube  spotify 

 

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