BEAU + LUCI kick us off with some contemporary folk that’s got a full beat, slinky groove, and some primo duetting.
BEAU + LUCI — Official, Facebook, Purchase from their site
Speaking of big sounds, Australian neo-soul singer Elise and the Vibe want to take you to the river and beyond with soaring vocals that come from deep in the pocket.
Elise and the Vibe — Official, Facebook
For a trippier vibe, Mike Errico’s distorted guitars and dreamy synths evoke coming to terms with the reality of a relationship that’s falling (or drifting? Ha) apart.
Mike Errico — Official, Facebook
Meanwhile, Whim’s asynchronous duet pulled me in. The line about “dreaming of the right side of your face” resonated with me, the way you notice but latch on to small details of your lover’s physical and emotional characteristics.
Nikhil D’Souza takes a more direct approach to expressing his love, belting out with an impressive set of pipes. If you’ve been longing for some piano, here ya go.
Nikhil D’Souza — Facebook
But enough of that sappy stuff. Sløtface brings us some energetic pop punk with a proud message. Really, I just love hearing someone say “Patti Smith would never put up with this shit” over and over again because it applies to many many many situations. But this time it’s about having body positivity.
Sløtface — Facebook
Did you know that there are still ska/punk bands out there? Sing Say manages to leap over a lot of the cliches to create fun, engaging music that still has a strident message. The band is taking an interesting approach to using their music across media, including making comics and video games so I definitely encourage you to check out their site.
Aaron James’ new cut has a lot of passion, but for me what pulled me in was the intricate riff that is the meat and bones of the song.
And I saved the best for last.The lead singer of Pittsburgh’s the Red Western has an uncanny resemblance to queer country darlings Karen of Karen and the Sorrows. The Red Western has a deliciously sharp edge and I’m excited to get more of it in the full album.
The Red Western — Official, Bandcamp
With the exception of the Red Western, these songs were submitted via SubmitHub, where I get paid 50 cents a song to review and post. If you, like me, would like to see more long-form reviews on here and get some great extra content, please considered donating $1+ a month to my Patreon!