Tuesday Tracks: Your Weekly New Music Discovery – June 30
Clockwise from top left: Dent May, The Suffers, Kacy Hill, Saiah, Pink Martini and Anna Graceman.
Every week, there’s a plethora of new music at our fingertips.
Artists on platforms like 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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Saiah,”HEART(BREAK) — Making his entrance with simple electric guitar riffs, 21-year-old singer-songwriter Saiah blasts off with a chorus of heavy hard rock blended with mid-2000s pop. Saiah expresses his feelings toward his newfound love interest. His yearning becomes palpable as his voice unveils a breaking point of desperation with the repeating line, “I miss you.” He also shows vulnerability and fear as he exclaims, “I’m scared you might run away/ And scared you don’t feel the same.” This spirited jam opens a floodgate of pressurized emotion.
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Kacy Hill, “Everybody’s Mother” — Hill displays the heart and soul she pours into each of her relationships with this down-tempo electronic pop track. Even as she shows her nurturing side, she also expresses emotional exhaustion and wonders if those she cares about will reciprocate. Hill’s sultry, mesmerizing singing mixes with an electronic R&B arrangement, giving this track swaying melodies and bopping rhythm.
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The Suffers, “Take Me to the Good Times” — As people around the world continue to grapple with the COVID-19, this upbeat jazz-rock track serves as a reminder of the good times before the pandemic. Powerhouse vocalist Kam Franklin makes her entrance following Travis Thompson’s danceable piano lines. The rest of the ensemble subsequently joins in. Jon Durbin’s trumpet pizazz and Michael Razo’s vibey trombone round off the band’s jazz fusion musicality, while Nick Zamora and Jose Luna’s electrifying percussion accents, Kevin Bernier’s rocking guitar playing and Juliet Terrill’s bass lines add a ’70s psych-rock sheen. The group’s chemistry produces an uplifting, summertime feel that people need while things have drifted so far from normalcy.
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Pink Martini, “Let’s Be Friends” — The innocence of a blossoming relationship defines this spunky and classy single. Bandleader Thomas Lauderdale and vocalist China Forbes take us back in time, as their straight-ahead jazz seems like it came straight out of the 1930s—which is, of course, the Oregon band’s signature. Like Billie Holliday and classic show tunes, this song overflows with a brassy, hard-swinging feel. Forbes takes us on a journey through a friendship that’s “as natural as the sky is blue” with her sweet yet powerful vocals.
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Anna Graceman, “Night Follows” — This chilling yet beautiful piano ballad evokes Graceman’s real, truly terrifying experience. The former “Songland” participant lets her walls down with this elegantly heart-wrenching performance. She recounts a horrifying memory of being carjacked at gunpoint, which continues to haunt her: “It comes out of nowhere/ And no, there’s no telling when.” But at the end of the song, Graceman takes the ultimate victory when she realizes, “It might be here to stay/ But it won’t keep me awake.”
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Dent May, “I Could Use A Miracle” — In a world of obstacles and trying times, Dent May turns frowns upside down with sunny and energetic positivity. In his latest retro-pop single, from his forthcoming album Late Checkout, May uses choppy piano, jazzy modulations and folky undertones to drive his exciting vocals. This upbeat vibe voices his anxieties and frustrations as world events keep turning a constant wheel of misfortune. However, the song’s electrifying melodies embody hope and a will to keep dancing in the rain.
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Amelia’s pick — All of this week’s songs have a uniqueness and memorability in various aspects—from the relatable message of Kacy Hill’s “Everybody’s Mother,” to the swinging flashback brought on by Pink Martini’s “Let’s Be Friends.” After a great deal of contemplation, I chose Anna Graceman’s “Night Follows.” Her piano and vocal performance brings endless goosebumps, but her balance of strength and vulnerability stands as an example to follow for anyone going through difficult times. This song makes room for hope as she pulls through emotional turmoil.
Follow writer Amelia Parreira at Twitter.com/AmeliaParreira.