Saro

Every week, there’s a plethora of new music at our fingertips.

Artists on platforms such as Spotify and Bandcamp are plentiful, and the radio offers a steady deluge of new singles, but who has time to sort through all that? RIFF does!

We pooled our resources to find some of the best new singles from all genres and backgrounds, so you can find your newest earworm without all the drama. Enjoy this week’s hidden gems:

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Sid Sriram, “6 Weeks” — The Indian-American singer-songwriter, composer and producer released a second single following last month’s “It Isn’t True.” It has a cranked-up intro with blown-out bass, but quickly transitions into a pensive, emo song; as if someone suddenly shut down the party. He closes the tune with a hallowing spoken word poem as the music fades out. The influence of classical South Indian singing can be heard in Sriram’s vocals, which he effortlessly weaves together with a modern R&B and pop blend. He will release his debut album, Entropy, next year.

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Henry Jamison, “Boys” — Soft guitar plucking maintains the tempo throughout this heartfelt anecdotal single by indie folk singer Henry Jamison. Hailing from Burlington, Vermont, Jamison deconstructs and redefines masculinity. The song dips into a reflective bridge where he wishes to become, “like the cherry tree, renewed and fruitful.” He hopes to shed the toxic traits and emotional repression of his adolescence in order to become a stand-up man. The rest of the album, Gloria Duplex (to be released on Feb. 8) will further tackle the subject of toxic masculinity with Jamison’s gentle lyrics and musicality.

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Kim Lenz, “Slowly Speeding” — Angeleno Americana singer-songwriter Kim Lenz has released the dreamy alt-country title track from her upcoming album, Slowly Speeding, which will. also be released in February. Slow-churning drones set in the somber mood, as Lenz brings forth ascending chord progressions and mystical strains. As haunting blues take the wheel, Lenz sings from the perspective of a woman who has dropped her inhibitions and fallen deeply in love.

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Saro, “Please” — Saro, also from L.A., recorded a stripped-down version of this existing song. With the attention diverted toward Saro’s beautiful and incredibly crisp vocals, there’s a raw passion that radiates from the reworked arrangement, for which he more than justifies. There’s still a techno melody that brings back the dance vibes from the original, but most of the instrumentation falls on processed electric guitar.

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Bad Animal, “Blackout” — On first listen, it’s clear this track is ahead of its time. The lyrics literally begin with “we start off 2019…” proceeding with a dark, rebellious foreshadowing. The combination of confident voice, raging drums and zingy guitar riffs allow for any pent-up emotions to escape. If hearing “let go” over garage rock melodies isn’t cathartic enough, wait until the final repeat of the chorus: “When the sound goes/ The sound goes up/ And when she goes/ She goes on.”

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Tarandeep’s Pick — The reworked “Please” took the cake this week. There’s a lot of beautiful notes Saro hits once he pushes his falsetto range. Saro’s delivery is energy-packed, regardless of mood, and the transition between melancholy to celebratory is real smooth. The fact that it’s a live recording proves how talented of a vocalist and performer Saro is. Rather than doubling down on the electronic production, he lays back and jams out in the comfort of a living room. The song’s atmosphere pairs well with the flames blazing in the fireplace behind Sara. It’s a terrific subversion of what one might expect from the often needless dance remixes crowding the radio.

Follow writer Tarandeep Kaur at Instagram.com/toktotara.