1. Henry Jamison — “Sunlit Juice” is a good song to close out the weekend (or, depending on when you’re reading, begin it.) A quietly reflective moment, “Sunlit Juice” is a gentle reminder to pause and reminisce once in a while.
2. Malena Zavela — “Should I Try” takes its cues from dreamy pop music but that background guitar reminds me of Two Cow Garage’s “Ain’t No Shame” (to be clear — that’s the only similarity) and I can’t resist the sad tone it casts on the song.
3. Chelsea Williams — “Fool’s Gold” gets to that post-breakup moment where you wonder if maybe you should have stayed, that maybe your standards are just always too high, but you also know that that particular relationship was dragging you down.
4. Josh Okeefe — “Keeping Me Goin,” on the other hand, is an emotional about-face. I guess Okeefe found that person after all.
5. The Ruralists — “Savages” is driven by big chord progressions that remind me of Karen and the Sorrows. The towering music supports a delicate vocal structure that ties this song of regret together.
6. Son Little — “Demon to the Dark” is the second single off Son Little’s recently-released New Magic. It highlights Son Little’s distinct blend of blues, pop, and R&B.
7. DocFell & Co. — “Home on the Hill” tracks some of the most sobering moments in adulthood with a warm and gentle touch.
8. Sonofdov — “Let Me In” is the song I’ll turn to next time I need a reminder of all the people I have supporting me.
9. Bloody Beach — “Au Revoir” shakes this playlist out of its sleepy lull. The Norwegian duo’s happy beats remind me of a late ’90s great: the Getaway People.
10. Bye Bye Empire — “Around” is one of the few good things to come out of Staten Island in a long time (and yes — I’ll fight the guys on that.) Bye Bye Empire has some ACDC swagger without the aggression. The pop swing of the song takes the sting out of the regret.
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gratitude…