Category: Music News and Interviews

Music news, interviews, features and giveaways

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Miscellaneous Music News and Interviews

Songs That Have a Hold on Me – “Amoeba” by Clairo

I have a few select songs constantly on replay and I thought why not make a series covering them?

I’m starting a series about songs that have a death grip on my mind and we’re starting off with “Amoeba” by none other than Clairo.

Yes, it is one of her most listened-to songs and that’s probably why it has such a hold on me.

Initially, when Clairo’s sophomore album “Sling” was released, I was drawn to the song title as a Biologist. However, it was the meaning behind the song and the catchy guitar melody that got me hooked.

Aspects of the song were described as what it feels like to be drunk, with this bounciness of background instrumentals. 

What I particularly love about this song is the lyricism and how many of the lyrics could be taken in multiple ways. It’s a song that Clairo took a creative risk with compared to her first album with less direct lyrics and it paid off. 

Clairo describes the track as being about what it feels like to navigate a toxic relationship or an uncomfortable social outing.

Yet the song is also about how she got so caught up with her career when she was first put into the spotlight and how she often forgot to keep in touch with her family and friends because of how drained and chaotic her life got.

The title amoeba actually related to the single-celled microorganism as well as meaning to change or alter in Greek. As a result, the track about Clairo shifting her lifestyle after realizing it was not the healthiest was given a fitting title. 

The piano chords along with the bubbly guitar instrumentals and soft vocals give the whole track an airy feeling. The drums kick in during the chorus and give the song an overall groovy funky beat.

The lyrics that hit the most are the verse “Aren’t you glad that you reside in a hell and in disguise? |  Nobody yet everything, a pool to shed your memory |  Could you say you’ve even tried? You haven’t called your family twice | I can hope tonight goes differently, but I show up to the party just to leave” 

Especially when we get into a new routine or start a new opportunity for the first time like a new school year or a new job it’s not hard to immerse ourselves in it. 

It happened to me last Fall when I finally got to experience college in person again. I was so caught up with school and events that I would often forget to call my parents.

I feel the song’s most underrated verse is towards the end. “Pulling back, I tried to find the point of wasting precious time | I sip and toast to normalcy, a fool’s way into jealousy |  I mock and imitate goodbyes when I know that I can’t deny | That I’ll be here forever-while, I show up to the party just to leave.”

Though all the lyrics in this song are super relatable if you’ve experienced anything similar, this verse hits the hardest. When you’re trying to blend in at a social gathering mentally count the minutes you’ve been there. Pretending you’re having fun when in reality you want to leave. You’re jealous of the people leaving early but you want to put on a facade that you’re staying longer to enjoy your time there. 

What I learned from this track is to prioritize your mental health and check in with those around you even if you are having the time of your life. It’s easy to be distracted but it’s still important to prioritize your needs at the same time.

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Music News and Interviews

What happened to The Growlers?

The future looked promising for the alternative/indie band The Growlers. So where have they been for the last few years?

Content Warning: This story contains mentions of Sexual Assault Allegations.

The Growlers

Between the years of 2009 and 2019 The Growlers released nine albums. The band started its career in Dana Point, California in 2006. The Growlers began as a duo of lead singer Brooks Nielsen and guitarist Matt Taylor, later to add Anthony Braun Perry on bass and John Kaiser on drums. Though a few others were in and out, Nielsen and Taylor were the only consistent members throughout the decade.

Each of the albums garnered thousands of listeners and a lot of support, leading The Growlers to tour with The Black Keys, Devendra Banhart, Night Beats and more. They have also performed at Coachella, Bonnaroo and Lollapalooza.

The Growlers are even credited for coining a new subgenre: “beach goth.”

It seemed like they had something great going. But they haven’t released an album since 2019 or toured since 2020 and have faded away from social media. A Google search will show you that longtime member and founder Matt Taylor is nowhere to be mentioned. What’s going on?

Scandal

On July 30, 2020, Arrow De Wilde, the lead singer of the rock band Starcrawler from LA, made an Instagram post explaining in detail the sexual assault that she faced while on tour with The Growlers. During January of 2020, Starcrawler joined The Growlers for a leg of their tour in Australia.

Sparing details, De Wilde explained that while none of the Growlers themselves were directly involved with the incident, they were responsible for encouraging it and should be held accountable.

After De Wilde’s post, The Growlers’ Brooks Nielsen responded the next day with his own Instagram post. He expressed that the whole band was taking responsibility for their actions and bad judgement. In addition, Matt Taylor would be leaving the band, though the post has since been deleted.

Since these statements, we have heard very little from The Growlers and it seems that their future is doomed. Ironically, frontman Brooks Nielsen seems to have rebranded himself and is now playing solo shows all over California. He typically plays his original music, but still plays a few of The Growlers’ songs. Conveniently for him, he can get away with carrying the sound of The Growlers’ alone – his vocals – while removing himself from the image of the band.

As for Arrow De Wilde, she is still singing for Starcrawler and making music successfully.

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Miscellaneous Music News and Interviews Playlists

“Gilmore Girls” and Indie Music

Photo of the town Gilmore Girls took place in. Features a mountain covered in green trees in the background, and a white church building in the foreground.
An image of the town "Gilmore Girls" took place in. Taken by Flickr user Joe Flood under the (CC BY-ND 2.0) license.

For those of you who don’t know, “Gilmore Girls” was a show on The CW that aired from 2000 to 2007. 

The show was about a quirky mom, Lorelai, and her daughter, Rory. It focused on their mom-daughter relationship as well as their relationship with Lorelai’s parents and the people in their small town. 

Granted that their characters were seen as witty, sarcastic, and super knowledgable in terms of pop culture, music, and movies, the references to underground artists often came off as snobbish at the time. I would never understand the music references they made and felt like I was somehow behind.

A lot of moments on the show felt like Rory and Lorelai constantly wanted to seem “not like the other girls”, however, after watching it regularly I grew accustomed to their rapid banter and uniqueness. 

Eventually, their quirkiness turned into their charm.

There are a handful of bands I discovered specifically through that show. Rory and her best friend Lane, a female drummer, both were huge music geeks and after hearing their music references, curiosity got the best of me.

I wanted to see if the bands they referred to were truly worth the snobbery. 

Here is a brief list of the bands and artists that were mentioned in the show: The Bangles, Paul Anka, Sonic Youth, The Shins, Arcade Fire, The Go-Gos, New Order/Joy Division and The Libertines. 

The “Gilmore Girls” show writers were big music connoisseurs as well and wanted the music to be on the forefront to give the show its own vibes and sound.

Since the show’s primary audience was mothers and daughters, the music references in the show made pre-teen and teen girls get into music that Lorelai and Rory found to be cool.

A handful of the musicians they reference throughout the show actually made cameos as well.

The band Lane was a drummer for, Hep Alien, performed a lot of cover songs on the show too. They performed “London Calling” by The Clash, “Fell in Love With a Girl” by White Stripes, and “I’m the Man” by Joe Jackson along with many others.

The show is an acquired taste so I would only recommend watching it if you’re open to an eccentric family-centered show.

It’s a show that was revolutionary for its time making underground pop culture references seem like the ‘it’ thing and music was a huge part of Rory and Lorelai’s characters. 

If it’s not for the characters, there are a lot of great tracks found throughout the show.

Here’s a playlist if you’d rather skip straight to the music!

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Music News and Interviews

Delightful Dessert Tunes for Your Free Time

Slice of strawberry cheesecake
Picture of a slice of strawberry cheesecake. Provided by the public domain.

Light, pop styled tunes create a dessert-like euphoria for my ears, which feed my soul a bit differently than the rage and chaos of punk and metal. I enjoy listening to bright, intoxicating melodies just as much as the metal and hardcore bands I dive into in my previous article. 

Sweet melodies bring new types of joy to my ears that can consist of light, beautiful vocals. The intoxicating factor of dessert flavored tracks is how an artist or band’s instruments emphasize and support their vocals. Heavy drums would lead to a heavy, forced rhythm, light electronic noises might cause a vocalist to create a dreamier tone and sharp guitars could influence the vocals to have a syrupy, smooth effect. 

I Am the World Trade Center

So what are some examples of these sugary rhythms and addicting tracks? 

Well, I have been unable to stop listening to I Am the World Trade Center. They are a duo from the late 1990’s who unfortunately stopped making music due to their name and a split in the partnership. Their three studio albums all have electronic, danceable beats and silky smooth vocals. 

Out of my favorite tracks, I think “You Don’t Even Know Her” and “Pretty Baby” are the most addictive ones. 

The airy vocals and deep, techno instruments in “You Don’t Even Know Her” create a soothing ambiance like a cloud covering the sun. In “Pretty Baby” the instruments are more rhythmic and the vocals more apparent. I equate the emotions that I get from “Pretty Baby” to the way an other-worldly being might get by smelling the emotion of jealousy. 

I don’t really understand my attachment to I Am the World Trade Center. I don’t think their music or beats are extremely unique from a lot of modern electropop, but my brain drives me to listen to their music often. 

Jens Lekman

Lekman is a Swedish pop artist who released two albums this year, “The Linden Trees Are Still in Blossom” and “The Cherry Trees Are Still in Blossom”. I still have only listened to “Linden Trees”, but with how much I enjoyed it I will definitely be getting into “Cherry Trees” soon. 

A storyteller in music is always one of my favorite types of musicians. People that convey morals, humans and emotions through songs and albums are able to draw in listeners because of the story. Lekman is one of these artists. 

In “Shirin” off “The Linden Trees Are Still in Blossom”, Lekman shows off his vocals, storytelling and emotions. The epic combination of drums and string instruments adds an ambiance to the sound waves. Lekman explores love and rejection in a quick four minute track, which is done with grace and loving personal anecdotes. 

Jans Lekman is able to offer a different type of intoxication than that of I Am the World Trade Center. His is more focused in the heart, while the latter focuses on driving you to move your feet in rhythm.

SPELLLING

How do I describe what makes SPELLLING’s (Chrystia Cabal) music so beautiful? Is it the way her voice puts every single one of my brain cells in a perfect bliss? It’s like every single nerve in my body twitching out of excitement and joy. Every moment of her songs pounce on you unexpectedly. They feel golden, epic and full of never ending joy. 

Her newest album “Turning Wheel” is produced masterfully. New artists worked with her to perfect the back up instrumentals, vocals and effects. How could I ever tire of something as elegant as smooth silky vibrations sliding up and down my spine to sedate me into the perfect rest. 

I can’t say I fawn over many artists, but Cabal is different. In “Emperor with an Egg”, Cabal uses unique metaphors to describe the actions of a determined emperor. Epic instrumentals spring forth and add to the absolute treasure hoard of sounds, and that’s only 3 minutes of music. 

I lay awake at night thinking about the hours and hours worth of B-Sides, new projects, off shoots and mistakes that might exist. My greedy fingers need to tear through the sublime worlds brought to life through Cabal’s evocative music

Post-Dessert Coffee Thoughts

SPELLLING, Jens Lenkman and I Am the World Trade Center all make dreamy music that spawned physical requirements for me to continuously listen to them. Syrupy tunes end up making beautiful, epic representations of life worth living. 

In the constant darkness that surrounds many of our daily lives, it’s great to feed that rage and chaos, but getting your daily dose of Vitamin D in the form of intoxicating, electro-pop tunes is extremely healthy.

Suck in the syrupy goodness of the world around ya

Ben

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Music News and Interviews

Conan Gray “People Watching” Song Review

Conan Gray’s sophomore album “Superache” was recently released and there is a single on there that I haven’t gotten out of my head since 2021 when it was initially released.

“People Watching” is one of his most relatable songs to me personally. Although, most of Conan’s songs hit super close to home for me.

At first, I was skeptical of Conan being such a famous artist who writes so much about love and yet somehow has notably never been in a relationship in his whole life. But watching interview after interview, I realized we both might be similar regardless of his status as a celebrity; we both have high standards and are super picky about almost everything. 

“People Watching” is an indie-pop track about how Conan is a people watcher and he observes all these couples and people wishing he could feel and experience the things they are. 

The swelling of the piano instrumentals and drums builds as the passion in his vocals does and gives such a distinct depth. It stays upbeat while maintaining this light energy to it.

As I discussed in the blog about “Yours”, Conan has strong vocals and isn’t afraid to showcase them in his bridges. The bass kicks in as the piano and drumming get more intense and instead of sounding chaotic the whole piece comes together to get this angst and longing across. 

For the lyrics themselves, Conan never hesitates to write about thoughts we all have.  The lyrics have a way of storytelling, not just to portray emotions but play a scene in our minds as we listen.

The song starts off with the lyrics ‘That wasn’t funny but she laughed so hard, she almost cried |  They’re counting months they’ve been together, almost 49 | He’s making fun of how she acted ’round the holidays | She wears a ring but they tell people that they’re not engaged.” 

It’s a simple people-watching scenario including the small details that those who don’t people-watch might not notice. It’s subtle but it highlights from the get-go that Conan is already micro-analyzing their relationship. 

The chorus hits the hardest and is the part of the song where he is the most vulnerable singing “I wanna feel all that love and emotion |  Be that attached to the person I’m holding |  Someday, I’ll be fallin’ without caution |  But for now, I’m only people watching” 

Personally, this hits the hardest because it’s so easy to watch people in relationships and think they are happy and living their dreams but we’ll never really know what their relationship is like. 

My favorite line in the whole song is “Someday, I’ll be falling’ without caution.” Overthinking often leads to problems and when you’re in a secure relationship, it’s something you don’t need to worry about or be afraid of.  Falling without caution. Being able to fall in love without worrying about yourself too much.

Anyway, before things get too sappy, the concept of People Watching is so interesting to me too.  Being able to observe people’s lives and imagine scenarios about them in mind for fun. It’s an easy distraction from the mundane every day.

Check out the music video:

Music video for “People Watching” by Conan Gray.

If you want to listen to the full “Superache” album check it out on Spotify.

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Music News and Interviews

Head Smashing and Sweat Inducing Bands

Ultra Violent album cover art by Zac Strum of Impulse Machine
"Ultra Violent" cover art by Zac Strum of Impulse Machine.

Hardcore and metal music aren’t some stiff sheet of protection from the elements. These genres are warm blankets when you have a 100 degree fever and your chills are shaking your body relentlessly. 

The hardcore and metal genres are reminders that it’s okay to not be okay. Rage, hate and pain should and does course through everyone’s bodies as they’re normal human emotions. 

The need to sweat in a pit, feel a bit of blood pumping through an accidentally split lip or accept the sharp pangs in your ears from loud guitars will course through me for a long time. In the chaos of a good pit, there are no rules. Working through the crowds of people to feel an elbow in the stomach is a good sign of a good pit. 

My day to day taste in music is driven mostly by my general feelings of the world and myself, as it probably is with many people. Whenever I get the urge for songs to thrash to, I have found a few bands that are worth supporting.

Impulse Machine

This North Carolina band defines their music as “experimental rock and metal”. They are an arts and media collective working to experiment as much as they can off and on the stage to bring new, chaotic sounds to metal and rock.

One of my friends introduced me to this band, and I enjoy what they do and that they are local. I haven’t been able to go to one of their live local shows, but I’ve heard they try to make their performances theatrical and thrashable, which is all I ever want out of most concerts. 

Some of their tracks are a little lost on me. For example, I found “A Town Called Liberty” to be a bit corny, but kind of in a good way. Still not sure about it. It’s not the metal I listen to them for, so I toss it aside. 

Some of my favorite tracks of theirs are “kill_me” and “I’m Not Going to Die a Horrible, Gruesome Death (And Other Hilarious Jokes You Can Tell Yourself)”. These tracks are roughly 5 minutes long and have heart pounding instrumental sections and good old metal screams too. 

One special aspect of Impulse Machine is their lyricism and vocals. I think their lead singer sounds great when he sings and when he does his metal terror rampage, which I can’t find when I listen to many metal bands.

Gulch

Gulch is one of those special metal bands that instantly connected with me. Their hard, fast rhythms, intense vocals and lyrics sucked me in immediately, and I don’t want to stop listening to their music when it’s over so quickly. 

A few of my favorite tracks include “Sin in My Heart”, “Lie, Deny, Sanctify” and “R.S.A”. All these tracks pierce right through your ears and electrify you in the process. Specifically, “R.S.A” brings that beautiful coarse guttural metal noise and then explodes into a flash of fury that makes me start punching the air. 

Also, one of my favorite parts of “Lie, Deny, Sanctify” is the opening screech from the guitar. The drums on this track bring an incredible dark beat to the deep sounds of the guitar and bass, and all this makes this short song burn right through your ears (in a good way of course). 

As a small, new band, the only thing I hold against them is that they don’t have enough music. I am craving more tracks and albums from them, but I will have to keep waiting for them to produce more in the future.

Lexan

I have so little information about Lexan it’s disappointing. All I know is that they’re from Ohio and they have one EP that was released earlier this year in February, but all that is okay because they released some banging tracks.

Their four songs off their “Demo” EP pump me full of death defying energy. The raspy vocals of this punk group work well with the rhythm guitar, bass and drums. Basically, their sounds combine, making a chaotic scene of rage feel comforting and moshable at the same time. 

I found “Man Made Ultra” to be my favorite of their four songs so far, as I like its lyrics the most:

“Polycarbonate fused to the hate,

Now im a carcass even earth wouldn’t eat.

I’m man made, ultra, plastic monster.”

Lyrics from Lexan’s song “Man Made Ultra“

Lexan is a hardcore punk band, so their lyrics are understandably dark and dreary. The whole EP talks about being a plastic monster of a man, which is a neat way to express the hollowness of the world surrounding the artists and emotions they might feel. 

Some Concluding Thoughts

All three of these young bands are still making music and trying to find their footing in the music industry. I appreciate their unique qualities and perspectives that they have brought to the hardcore punk and metal genres. 

I hope you all have been able to gain some comfort from the raging and screaming as I do, but I completely understand if the music doesn’t “click”. Absorbing other people’s emotions through music and art presents new perspectives to learn from and adapt ourselves better, which is why I try to involve myself with increasingly diverse content to appreciate the lives around me a bit more every day.

Devour some souls and proteins <3

Ben

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Music News and Interviews

Breaking Through the “Nepotism Baby” Title

In the music industry, there are quite a few artists that come to mind when I hear “nepotism baby.”

To preface, in this case, I do not mean this term with a negative connotation. There are a few indie artists that just happened to be nepotism babies like Clairo or Finneas because they had connections to the industry before pursuing their careers. However, even with this privilege, these artists have worked art to earn a name for themselves as musicians. 

In this post, I want to talk about Maya Hawke, one of my favorite “nepotism babies.”

Though her parents are the Uma Thurman and Ethan Hawke, she wasn’t big in the acting scene until Season 3 of “Stranger Things.” She didn’t want to be an actress like her parents in the first place, but eventually, after growing up around movie sets and theaters she found a good fit.

Her parents were in movie classics such as “Kill Bill,” “Pulp Fiction,” “Dead Poet’s Society” and “Training Day.” 

What many people don’t know about Maya Hawke is her music career. 

Like most people during quarantine, Maya Hawke began exploring music production. The first two singles she released in 2019 were called “To Love a Boy” and “Stay Open”. 

At first, I didn’t have many expectations for her music because a majority of young actors these days do music on the side. But her voice and style are so unique and unexpected.

“To Love a Boy” is a unique take on a love song. It’s about wanting to be in love, yearning for that feeling when you don’t yet have it. The authenticity of the lyrics and her ability to display her insecurities for an audience like that is impactful. 

“Stay Open” is much different. The violin with a guitar makes for a folk melody. It’s a song about keeping your heart open for someone regardless of their flaws. It’s short and sweet. Like the countryside during the fall.

The acoustic guitar with her soft vocals and instrumentals make these songs feel like sitting on a boat drifting in the river on a rainy day. They are dreamy and have a ’90s jazz vibe to them. Something about the harmonies and drums brings the songs to life. A childhood nostalgia to them, or a song fit for a Pixar movie. Short yet eliciting deep emotions.

All of her music is like this. Maybe that’s why I find it so comforting. 

She released her first studio album in 2020 titled “Blush” and it’s chock full of healing tracks. Many songs sound like lullabies and apologize to friends and family. The feelings of sentiment are fitting for the time they were written.

The vulnerability she highlights in her music and the intellectual lyrics at times give her an edge against many newer musicians. 

Maya Hawke’s latest single is called “Thérèse” and is an unpredictable track. Going from a light acoustic guitar too hard electric guitar yet it carries the messages all the way through. The slow introduction of drums takes us back to the initial melody. It’s more upbeat compared to her and sounds dreamy at times. The song is about a painting called Thérèse and how Maya sees herself in it. 

Seen in the lyrics “She reminds me of memories | Sleeping off the growing pains” and “Thérèse does not belong to you |

The horses, cars, and cowboys do”.  Maya highlights that neither Thérèse nor her belong to the public even though they have both been in the spotlight for most of their existence. She sees herself in Thérèse, always facing criticism from strangers, as the child of famous parents. 

It’s my favorite one.

While she doesn’t have a lengthy discography quite yet, I do think she has a distinctive voice she could bring to the industry. As an up-and-coming actress as well as an up-and-coming musician, I can’t wait to see and hear her future projects.

If this sounds interesting to you, check out Maya Hawke’s discography.

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Music News and Interviews

New, Unwavering Built to Spill Singles

Album art for Built to Spill's "When the Wind Forgets Your Name"
This is the album art for Built to Spill's "When the Wind Forgets Your Name".

Built to Spill has been in the forefront of the indie music scene for a little under 30 years now. They were one of the first bands that I latched onto when I started to listen to more alternative music, and being able to start with them has let me appreciate Martsch’s musical writing talents to the fullest. I love Built to Spill and Doug Martsch, but these latest singles for their new album are underwhelming. 

Built to Spill is on tour in the United States right now (I went to their concert at Cat’s Cradle a few months ago), and they are using it as a preview to their new album coming out this Fall. Martsch is working with Melanie Radford (bassist from Boise, Idaho) and Teresa Esquerra (drummer of Prism Bitch) for this new project.

The Tracks:

The most recent song, “Fool’s Gold”, is alright. None of these songs are bad or not exciting to listen to, but they all leave me wanting a bit more. In “Fool’s Gold” specifically, I wish the opening wasn’t so long and the instruments were a bit more distinct from the classic Built to Spill sounds. 

I found “Understood” to be the strongest track that has been released so far. The guitar riffs and drum beats are solid and definitely starts with a more distinct sound than the other two tracks. I enjoyed the lyrics in this song the most because they explore the unknowability of understanding a concept or person.

In “Gonna Lose”, I found too many similarities to the Built to Spill classic track “Goin’ Against Your Mind”. “Gonna Lose” is a whole 6 minutes shorter, which makes me want a bit more from it so it can be different enough to make a solid impact on my ears. 

Concluding Thoughts:

These songs are still fun to listen to. I like hearing them every now and again, but my issue with them is they don’t try to do anything new with Built to Spill’s sounds. It’s extremely difficult for artists to constantly reinvent their art, but these past couple of albums for Built to Spill haven’t really led to anything new and exciting. 

I will keep listening to the older wonders of Built to Spill and keep, and an ear to the ground for anything they make, but I truly hope Doug Martsch and company can explore the possibility of their musical talents with more gusto in the future.

Keep eatin’

Ben

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Music News and Interviews

Emei “Late to the Party” Song Revi

Lately, I have been starting to compare myself to my peers once again. It was easier during the pandemic since we were all stuck in our houses suffering together. However, this summer almost everyone I know has an internship at some well-known company or has a decent idea of what they want to do with their careers. 

I somehow have always sucked at finding internships or jobs. Of course, it’s not good to compare yourself to others cause we are all on different journeys in our lives. Sometimes it’s just inevitable.

In the song “Late to the Party”, artist Emei feels just that. Imposter syndrome. 

What if I’m doing something wrong. Why is everyone more successful than me. These are thoughts I constantly have that Emei captures so perfectly in alternative pop music. 

The way I encountered this song was through a video of Emei performing this song in the basement of a college dorm building with a band. It’s something about watching music being performed in its raw form that hits so hard. 

My passion for being a scientist is totally different from Emei’s wanting to be a highly regarded musician but the feelings are no different.

The song starts off with the lyrics “Twenty-one without a grammy or degree |  Too bad that’s sad, maybe at twenty-three |  Don’t wanna care how people look at me |  But I still feel late to the party.” 

The sentiments of this song can be applied to most college students and honestly anyone regardless of their age.  No matter what we want to pursue in life, it always feels like even if you don’t care what people think of you, you somehow can’t stop judging yourself. I definitely have moments where I feel late to the party.

A thought I have always had was, that if only I taught myself the guitar at a young age I would have easily been living a lavish life at the age of 20 being able to perform all over the world. This song unfortunately has opened my eyes to the reality that any passion or career you want to pursue takes hard work and sometimes sheer luck.

A verse that stands out to me for that reason is “Sitting on the couch with my friends right now |  Overheard a conversation about how |  Someone from high school just got engaged | While I’m out here making minimum wage | But really I just wanna be on the stage |  Why do I care about people my age?”

Hearing this song feels like Emei took thoughts from my mind. I love this song because it helps me appreciate that everyone our age has experiences like these.

People are always going to be in different stages of their lives, whether they are married or still in school or touring the country.

It’s a song I feel can resonate with a lot of people.

The track itself is alternative pop. The darker pop melody accompanied by Emei’s dynamic and unique vocals makes the song sultry and catchy. With a touch of angst, the whole song comes together so well.

The ending of the song sticks with me even after a couple of listens. The lines “What’s the rush | What’s the rush for?” Repeat over and over. The repetition of the song accompanied by bass keeps things refreshing and leaves you wanting to listen one more time.

If you’re looking for a relatable song and are feeling late to the party just like I am, this song will help you stop feeling alone in your worries.

Late to the party or not, keeping that same passion and determination to achieve your dreams is the way to go.

Check out the music video for “Late to the Party” on YouTube.

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Music News and Interviews

Sarah Kingsley “The King” Song Review

When I first “The King,” it was like something I had never heard before. 

Sarah Kingsley’s talent as a producer is so powerful. The way she makes an indie bedroom-pop song sound so majestic with her vocals.

The consistent piano and drumming instrumental melodies and harmonies in the background of the song add a component to this song that is reminiscent of an ABBA song.

If you’re a fan of Maggie Rogers or Mitski, then Sarah Kingsley’s style will be a familiar one.

Sarah Kingsley is a strong advocate of women producers being able to share their work and be praised for their talent as much as their male counterparts are. This is where the concept of being “The King” comes from. 

As a student who was studying music theory at Columbia University, Sarah really gave her all with this song. Being able to recreate such cinematic musical swells while still incorporating a touch of classical music to it. 

The song itself is about Sarah’s coming of age and how she feels about adulthood. Her journey of self-discovery as she gets a chance to explore more about herself as a musician.

This is seen throughout the song with lyrics such as “So tell me |  Before we get older let’s do everything |  You’re scared of when it’s over | You’re still young and you’re still free.“ This verse is her talking to her younger self essentially telling herself that before she gets old she wants to do everything that she dreams of. 

During the song, she is talking to her younger self and it’s almost sentimental to see the way the recalls her memories “I built a castlе far away in the sand |  We were higher than we knew with nothing to lose |  Until it washed away in our hands |  And you said you could never love again | Well it must’ve been fate then | ’Cause I know exactly how it ends” 

Having that childhood innocence before realizing how difficult achieving your dreams can be, especially if you are a soft-spoken introvert that might not be confident in your skills. It’s the way she describes this through her lyrics that I find to be so impactful. 

In the song she says “I want to be the King of your heart” and a quick listen might make the audience think she means in a romantic sense, but she actually means to say that she wants to be the King of her own heart and reach the top of the hill through hard work.

Though the lyrics are somewhat serious, this song has such European summer vacation energy. Something you’d listen to while biking in Greece or walking in an Italian village under the sun.

Check out the music video for “The King.”