Tuesday Tracks: Your Weekly New Music Discovery – Sept. 8

Diana DeMuth, Kurt Baker, Blake Rose, Birdy, The Inoculated Canaries, Chloe Flower

Clockwise from top left: Diana DeMuth, Kurt Baker, Blake Rose, Birdy, The Inoculated Canaries and Chloe Flower.

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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Birdy, “Open Your Heart” — Birdy flutters in with shining vocals as she aims to tear down the emotional walls of a love interest in the latest single from her new four-track EP, Piano Sketches. This ballad uses peaceful vibes with mesmerizing presence and complex, repetitious piano phrases. Lyrically, it has a sad, lonesome overtone. Birdy yearns to get through to this person who continues to block her out, embodying a sense of false hope as she won’t give up on freeing him from their romantic barricades.



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Kurt Baker, “Over You” — In this powerful pop anthem, Kurt Baker blends ’70s rock influences with glossy pop. He blasts off with layers of exhilarating guitar riffs that shift from distorted palm muting of the verses to the retro vibes of the chorus. Meanwhile, Baker’s distinguished voice paints a picture of his aching heart, realizing that despite his best efforts, he never really moved on from a past love.

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Blake Rose, “Ordinary People” — Australian singer-songwriter Blake Rose offers a lighthearted atmosphere that captures the bubbly innocence of young love. At the same time, he expresses cautious vulnerability. The fluttery feelings of a joyful romance take a turn with lines like, “I really hope you don’t leave like ordinary people/ But a fool could see that you would never be in love as deep/ And it tears me apart.” Rose supports his soothing and soulful vocal whispers with acoustic guitar picking.



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The Inoculated Canaries, “Hypocrite” — Although The Inoculated Canaries began the writing process on this political rock anthem more than a year ago, they felt that now is the best time to release it. As the United States experiences renewed calls for social justice, this song expresses the feelings of many voters leading up to the presidential election. Lead vocalist and guitarist Michael Rubin takes charge with his electrifying ’70s hard rock vibe. He takes the perspective of an American politician who claims to help the people, but only has his own self-interest in mind. Rubin’s character justifies wrongful actions with the line, “Everyone is a hypocrite just like me.” James Terranova’s beats mix naturally with Dylan Gross’ bass grooves and Brian Sweeney’s complementary keys, giving “Hypocrite” incredible energy levels.

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Diana DeMuth, “All The Liars” — Diana DeMuth’s powerhouse vocals become the driving force of the building piano undertones on the first verse, before light percussion helps establish a soulful, sultry chorus. DeMuth takes listeners on a tour of inner fears, pleading for the love of someone who remains emotionally unavailable. She expresses her yearning with lovesick passion: “I shed so many tears ‘cause I could not reach out/ An ocean of tears for crying out loud.”



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Chloe Flower, “Flower Through Concrete” — With this metaphor-lined piano ballad, Chloe Flower encourages listeners to realize and own their inner strength. She recaptures classical styles of Frederic Chopin, beginning with a slower feel, before she crescendos with strengthening modulations to create an intense sensation. The artist wrote the song during quarantine as a mechanism of hope, empathy and endurance for those facing the same uncertainty.

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Amelia’s Pick – Out of all the captivating choices, my vote goes to Kurt Baker’s “Over You.” Even though this track touches on a bittersweet theme, its balance of layered guitar, energetic drumming and powerful vocals make for a head-bopping jam. The instrumentation certainly turns the melancholy mindset around and pushes through the motions of heartbreak. It’s safe to say this song will be playing on repeat in my playlist for quite some time.

Follow writer Amelia Parreira at Twitter.com/AmeliaParreira.

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