Call Me Spinster, courtesy Our Ampersand Photography.

Perhaps a symptom of me being in the dead of winter, this week’s picks are full of contemplation. Check out a soft electronic folk song about motherhood by Call Me Spinster, folky rock by Odie Leigh, a satirical cut by Oxford Drama, insightful rock by Quarters of Change, a heartfelt acoustic tune by Briston Maroney, modern homage to classic house by George FitzGerald and dreamlike rock by Still Corners.

Quarters of Change, “Depression II” — New York City’s Quarters of Change come out strong and loud on their sophomore album, Portraits. Frontman Ben Roter describes the album as a series of portraits, “reflecting a separate emotion or moment.” “Depression II” demonstrates the idea. It describes a moment of heartbreak and the frustration from bottled-up pain. This song is great because it takes that internal struggle and brings it out through ripping guitar and blaring vocals. It helps alleviate a little bit of that pain by creating a space to scream it out. Portraits is full of emotion-filled tracks like this. Check out the rest of Portraits to feel a little bit of everything.

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Still Corners, “The Dream” — Still Corners’ Shakespearean song draws you in with seductive, siren-like vocals and pulls you down, inspired by Demetrius’ quote in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.”

“Are you sure/ That we are awake? It seems to me/ That yet we sleep, we dream,” Tessa Murray sings. Still Corners capture this question. The twirling guitar loop over the driving bass create the sensation that we’re going somewhere, which Murray confirms with her first line, “We are on a night train, heading to the east end.” Meanwhile, the long synth notes and harmonizing backing vocals create a mystical atmosphere. All this builds with the introduction of congas, peaks and disperses to make room for Greg Hugh’s beautiful guitar solo. As “The Dream” enters its third act, Murray reveals this actually may be a “dream within a dream.” Still Corners will be coming through the Great American Music Hall in San Francisco on April 19 in support of upcoming album Dream Talk.

Call Me Spinster, “Feet are Dirty”— Sister trio Call Me Spinster gives us a glimpse into motherhood with all of its joy, exhaustion and absurdity on “Feet are Dirty.” This soft blend of dance and folk feels like the perfect medium to capture what a domesticated life looks like in our modern world. Call Me Spinster’s harmonized vocals come together nicely over gentle bells; making the song feel like a memory from my own childhood.

However, the song’s hook—”I wanna be free”—confirms that motherhood comes with more than its fair share of sacrifice. How these three managed to find the time to create a band while parenting is a miracle. More importantly, they’re giving moms their representation in the music world and creating something to honor all unsung mothers out there who work tirelessly for their kids. “Feet are Dirty” is the first single off Call Me Spinster’s debut album, Potholes, due April 12.

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Oxford Drama, “The Leader” — Oxford Drama made the rare dance track that doubles as political satire. This surf-guitar-driven tune highlights the absurdity of modern governments. Malgorzata Dryjanska embodies the persona of a modern “leader” with her lyrics: making empty promises and accepting donations to foreign bank accounts. Dryjanska’s voice and vocal cadence reminds me a bit of young Bob Dylan, of all people. Despite the disheartening description of our chosen leaders, the song still has an overall hopeful sound, crossing its fingers that even with terrible leadership, the best outcomes are possible. Perhaps, Oxford Drama is saying our leaders aren’t as important as we think they are.

Briston Maroney, “I Told You So” — Briston Maroney teams up with producer Andrew Sarlo (Big Thief, Bon Iver) on this heartfelt track. He’s explained it’s meant to encapsulate the feeling of learning about your partner’s life before they met you.

The track begins with a rewinding tape like an old home movie. An acoustic guitar is gradually joined by the drums, keys and bass slowly elevating the emotion. It eventually climaxes to an almost chaotic crescendo where the slide guitar blends back into the rewinding tape. The tape comes to an end, and the memories are stored away until next time.

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George FitzGerald, “Gleams” — George FitzGerald has explained the song is an homage to continental house records that he discovered in Paris and Berlin. You can hear it in the synths and the driving four-on-the-floor beat. To me, it brings backs memories of music blasting at an arcade or laser tag place when I was a kid. This track isn’t a straight tribute to classic house, however, as it mixes in modern sounds as well, such as the etheric vocal sample and the light oscillating synth.

Odie Leigh, “No Doubt” — Odie Leigh delivers on this song that deals with the insecurities that come with wanting someone so bad but worrying you’re not enough for them to want you back. The song starts simply, as if afraid to do or say too much. But it continues to build, getting louder, introducing new voices, until eventually she’s proudly proclaiming, “I want everything, give me everything.” The brass at the end gives the track a parade-like quality, as if it’s celebrating overcoming the insecurities.

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Peter’s Pick: The soft harmonies of Call Me Spinster’s “Feet are Dirty” gently smack me in the face every time I hear it. Something about this folky electronic track made by three moms is just so cool. Call Me Spinster has made its presence known.