Tuesday Tracks: Your weekly music discovery
Every week, there’s a plethora of new music at our fingertips.
Oftentimes, new singles are lost among the sea of radio hits and artists that are tough to sort out on Spotify go unnoticed—these are the hidden gems we’ve decided to share. This month, we’re starting a weekly feature for new singles of all genres and backgrounds to help you discover something new. Find a song that suits your fancy.
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NEW MYSTICS, “Modern”— In this refreshingly uplifting song from Other Lives‘ Josh Onstott, he sings, “Everyone knows/ The modern age is over for the girls/ The modern age is over for the boys.” The single is mainly piano-driven, but it’s layered between vocals and crashing drums. The band even posted a minute-long clip of a young girl burning a Ken doll to the song alongside a message: “Hey Donald J. Trump the youth of our nation has been watching….#trumpwelldone.” All I can say is: #scandal.
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JAMIE ISAAC featuring WIKI and DENZEL CURRY, “Cnt U See”— Three and a half minutes is not long enough, Jamie. Melancholy, active and poignant, Jamie Isaac really hits it out of the park with this one. “Cnt U See” is a delectable fruit salad of Kendrick Lamar, Frank Ocean and Kanye West, with a jazzy piano and saxophone (you can never have enough sax) sampling in the background. Isaac’s album Couch Baby (Revisited) is set to release March 17, with upcoming tour dates throughout the month.
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RODES ROLLINS, “Feedback” — One of the coolest things about this single is that powerhouse Stella Mozgawa of Warpaint plays drums. Overall, “Feedback” is a blend of psychedelic undertones and brings the theme of the fleeting nature of beauty and youth to life. Rollins says she enjoys that some have marked her work cowgirl poetry: “When I envision performing these songs, I’m at a campfire in the desert.” Her five-track collection of coming-of-age anecdotes, the Young Adult EP, is available now.
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CHARITY, “Metal Boy” — Say the word “dream-pop” and I will come running. This single reminds me of the Stranger Things theme at some points, though it falls a little short. The lyrics seem a little impersonal: “Keep it just between metal boy and blonde baby.” Charity claims this song was sonically and visually inspired by Blade Runner, so fans of the film should definitely check it out. The biggest reason to give her a listen is for her decision to produce all of her own music. After moving from Arkansas and feeling dissatisfied with others’ work in Nashville, she wanted to take matters into her own hands. You go, Blonde Baby.
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TEI SHI, “Keep Running” — I am so pleasantly surprised with this week’s songs. Tei Shi bumped up the momentum with “Keep Running” and her technicolor music video gave a nod toward hazy ’80s teen flicks. The single is electronic, deep and highlights her voice until it sparkles from every corner of the room (yes, yes, yes). Her debut album, Crawl Space, will be released March 31, in preparation for her tour in London and Paris. In the U.S., she will open for for MØ will perform at SXSW. Tei Shi is one to keep on the watch list.
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AMANDA’S PICK: Like I said, I’ve struck gold with this week’s tracks. Not only was I offered some dream-pop, but every song has a small nugget of gold in it. The choice was hard to make, but I have to go with Jamie Isaac’s “Cnt U See.” It’s easy to let rap songs disappear into the void, and most of the time I only listen to them when I feel like it, but this single threw me right back into the hip-hop melting pot, and now I’m ready to dig in. It’s raw and it sounds like a warm Sunday morning in the Bronx, or something. I’m all ears.
Follow reporter Amanda Limond at Twitter.com/mandylimond and Instagram.com/photolimond.