Girlfriends (Travis Mills and Nick Gross), courtesy.

This week we feature Alexander 23 and Jamie Drake in time for Mental Health Awareness Month, the ska of Half Past Two, the playful punk anthems of Collars and girlfriends, as well as Jayson Cash.

Jamie Drake, “Is There Something Wrong With Me” — Jamie Drake’s heartfelt vocals line the soft, acoustic guitar melody of this introspective and vulnerable track. Drake opens up to listeners about her struggles with depression and insecurities, citing her social life, divorce and her absentee father—among common symptoms of depression like struggling to get out of bed. She asks us throughout the song if something is wrong with her, but if we’re being honest, who’s really 100-percent OK deep down?

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Jayson Cash featuring Major Myjah, “Selfish” — Jayson Cash reflects how neglectful he’s been to his girl, rapping over this bass-laden instrumental with light pinging synth tones and beautifully layered harmonies. “If I’m outta pocket, you put me in my place,” he raps, expressing how he still cares deep down about her perspective—trying to win her back. Major Myjah provides solid backing vocals to elevate the chorus on this sentimental and self-aware track.

Collars, “Baby I’m Bored” — This indie punk outfit from across the pond, where the genre all started, kicks things off with a light, cruising electric guitar melody as snare and cymbals kick up. Lead singer “Dan” (she) revealed the song to be about a dysfunctional time in a past relationship as a defining moment in her life. “Try harder, try harder,” Dan sings in a tongue-in-cheek manner, as if to say, “Why bother trying for something that just isn’t working?” Sometimes the best solution is to just walk away.

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Alexander 23, “The Hardest Part” — Keyboard tones lightly ping alongside a somber piano melody, as Alexander 23 (in his first Tuesday Tracks appearance since 2020) laments the loss of a loved one. As the guitar picks up and the keys swell, you can really feel the pain eating away at his soul. The feelings of hollowness and being directionless following tragedy can be debilitating, and the grief he’s feeling is palpable. He regrets the loss of connection in the immediate sense, and the guilt of not having been around enough. Anyone who has suffered a personal loss like this will understand.

Half Past Two, “Top Gun” — The scratchy guitars and playful horns that blast in the beginning of this veteran ska band’s newest single feel like the kind of poppy and fun music of the early aughts with acts like Reel Big Fish. Yet halfway through, the guitars pick up a harder, metal edge. Lead singer Tera Hahn sings about the fallout of a toxic relationship. Hahn gladly burns the bridge with the person who’s wrought nothing but discord for her and those she cares about.

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girlfriends, “I Thought About You While I Was Taking a Shower” — This pop-punk number offers a playful melody that I, honestly, could see myself singing in the shower. Girlfriends, who are Travis Mills and Nick Gross, lean into the tropes of pop-punk with the cliches of not wanting to follow through on day-to-day responsibilities, but then get lost into the fantasy playing out in the mind of the narrator, who’s thinking about the person he wants to be with.

Tim’s pick: I found myself relating to the heavy sentiments of grief by Alexander 23, and Jamie Drake’s introspective look into her own mental health. Collars offered up a substantial song about self-care in a toxic relationship, but ultimately I have to give it to girlfriends. In a bleak world where so many of us are overworked, Travis Mills and Nick Gross point out that sometimes all you wanna do is drop everything and do what feels right in the moment.

Follow editor Tim Hoffman at Twitter.com/hipsterp0tamus.