Photo courtesy of Bob Doran, under Creative Commons.
2023 has been off to a decently solid start through its first couple of months. As for more popular artists, some have seen a massiv surge in popularity, like Ice Spice. Lil Yachty put his heavily autotuned singing to use on a psych rock album. There’s still so many artists who may not be as popular, but their releases have been just as–if not more–intriguing to listen to.
Lumi – Snail’s House
Official audio for “gemini” by Snail’s House
If you’re looking for some new study music, Snail’s House has you covered. “Lumi” dives into a more soft-spoken future bass sound filled with magic and wonder. The only goal this album pursues is to uplift listeners, and it does so wonderfully. There is such a variety of instruments and melodies even if there isn’t much exploration out of Snail House’s typical genre influences. Whether you’ve hit a snag writing an essay (as I have recently) or are taking a short break from your work, “Lumi” is bound to bring your spirits back up and get back into the swing of things.
After the Magic – Parannoul
Official audio for “We Shine at Night (우리는 밤이 되면 빛난다)” by Parannoul
“After the Magic” might not be the most invigorating album you’ve ever heard, but Parannoul has seemed to hone in their craft with this record. Each track takes listeners on a journey, enabled by the nearly six minute average song length. While this makes individual songs euphoric to listen to, going through the whole album at once can be draining. The Korean shoegaze band did have some masterful production on “After the Magic” though. Everything blends together nicely without becoming a slurry of drums, guitars, and vocals.
The WAEVE – The WAEVE
Music video for “Sleepwalking” by The WAEVE
The WAEVE is an artist I’ve been following for a short while. I’ve enjoyed some of their previous discography, but this album seems to drag behind some of that work. Many of the tracks aren’t active enough to keep me engaged, and the lyrics aren’t exactly revolutionary either. There’s a couple of songs that innovate on their relatively quiet, light sound though. “Kill Me Again” has a solid groove and bass guitar with a lot of presence on the track. Overall, “The WAEVE” just does not have a dynamic enough style to keep me invested.
Bless This Mess – U.S. Girls
Music video for “Futures Bet” by U.S. Girls
U.S. Girls have quickly become one of my favorite artists as of late. This new album, “Bless This Mess” takes a synth-pop approach to Meg Remy’s new experiences with motherhood. The singles for this album, such as “Futures Bet” and “So Typically Now”, are especially whimsical and fun. But, even the remaining tracks on the album diversify and solidify U.S. Girls’s lyrical and musical range. From dance pop to more somber tunes, “Bless This Mess” was a joy to listen to from front to back.
Nordista Freeze is a psychedelic pop rock project and persona by singer, songwriter and tambourinist– Freeze.
His discography is defined by whimsical love songs and smooth ballads reminiscent of 60s pop tunes. However behind these gentle songs is a dramatic, high energy performer made for the stage.
Discography
Taking a look at his recorded discography, his most recent album “Big Sky Pipe Dream” is refreshingly sweet.
“Wysteria” is one of my favorite tracks off the album. Nordista Freeze creates a feeling of weightlessness in his songs. “Wysteria” in particular is a great example of the vocal and musical style Freeze has accomplished– airy, light and mystical.
The characteristics of 60s pop unite “Big Sky Pipe Dream”. However, this influence is relatively new in his work.
In his 2017 album “Cosmis Haus”, there is a greater presence of 90s pop-rock influences.
Track “Florida” off “Cosmis Haus” is bolder and a little more rustic– and captures the energy of his early work.
Something that is missing from “Big Sky Pipe Dream” is a slower, more sentimental track. “Good Time” demonstrates Freeze’s ability to slow it down and reflect beautifully.
I really admire Freeze’s ability to tie together high and low energy into his work– while still maintaining a bit of goofiness and otherworldly pop energy.
With each release his persona and sound continues to get more confident and bold.
The Narrative
One aspect that really pulled me into his music is the narrative he have built around his music.
“A flaming blue orb came flying out of the sky and smashed into the earth, and there, lying sprawled in the crater, was a man wearing only his underwear with a tambourine in his hand. He rose to his knees and took off running over the rim of the crater and into the distance yelling ‘Na Na’. Where did he come from?”
Freeze has created a narrative of supernatural, time warping events that creates his music. It’s silly, goofy and set the foundation to his on-stage and off-stage presence.
Music has the power to redefine and reinvent the creators. In may ways Nordista Freeze and his music are one entity– and the two come alive in live performance.
Live Shows
I had the pleasure of seeing Nordista Freeze open for flipturn during their 2022 Shadowglow tour.
I was so excited to see flipturn and did not expect much from an opener– but I walked away that night amazed most by Nordista Freeze.
In my experience, openers typically give a solid performance but nothing over the top. The audience may dance a little and get warmed up, but I have never seen an audience mosh to an opener until Nordista Freeze.
What makes this even more remarkable is that his recorded work does not allude to his remarkable, chaotic stage energy at all.
Nordista Freeze opened as if he was the main event– and succeeded brilliantly.
It is clear he cares deeply about connecting with the audience, and Freeze goes above and beyond to ensure everyone walks away associating his music with a good time.
“There are two goals, the internal one to make the art I want to make, which can be dissonant or cooperative with my secondary goal of interacting with a crowd and creating an engagement where people leave with good memories”
Freeze provides an infectiously excited energy to his shows. His recorded work simply does not convey the same level of radiating adrenaline and unbridled passion in comparison to live performance.
One of the elements I loved about his performance is the live vocal mixing and editing. As seen in this recorded performance, Freeze amplifies and adds to his songs throughout his live performances.
This love for live performance is prevalent in his booking history. As outlined in his artist bio:
“The Nashville psych-pop artist is such a prolific performer that, as of the beginning of May 2021, he boasted 516 live shows since 2016 — a rate of one every three nights for almost five years”
Concluding Thoughts
Nordista Freeze is a talented performer how brings a refreshing silliness and sweetness to the music industry.
I am excited to see how his work grows and matures through his career– and I’m looking forward to where his live performances take him next.
My first introduction to Danny Brown’s music was through his 2016 album “Atrocity Exhibition”. After subsequently visiting the rest of his discography, this album still holds its place as Brown’s most introspective and critical.
Over the 45 minute runtime, Brown delivers a haunting portrayal of a life intimately tied to drugs, including all of the pleasures and struggles that accompany them.
Admittedly, it takes some getting used to his voice on the majority of “Atrocity Exhibition” tracks. However, Brown’s whiny, nasally rapping helps reinforce the sense that he is most certainly not sober as he raps.
“Ain’t It Funny”
Brown’s primary goal with “Atrocity Exhibition is to keep people from getting sucked into heroin, cocaine, alcohol, and other drugs. At the same time though, he knows why people do get involved, and much of the rest of the album is dedicated to exploring those reasons.
Live a fast life, seen many die slowly
Unhappy when they left so I try to seize the moment
Lyrics from “Ain’t It Funny” by Danny Brown
“Ain’t It Funny” explores Brown’s own denial of the dangers of hiding away his problems with drugs. Part of the denial comes from a place of drugs being inescapable. Growing up poor, drug use seems “inherited in our blood”. He also falls victim to toxic masculinity, seeing drug use as a sort of ritual that all the men in his area undergo. Therefore, even though he “might need rehab”, he’s not going to for fear of seeming weak.
Music video of “Ain’t It Funny” by Danny Brown, directed by Jonah Hill
The title of the song itself, “Ain’t It Funny” reflects Brown’s feelings on exposing his most vulnerable self to an audience primarily looking for entertainment. Especially considering his previous work, many listeners have taken home a message of: “doing drugs is fun kids!”
Brown simultaneously knows that people get drunk and high at parties to his music, which he does make a living off of, yet these tendencies are extremely harmful to both himself and others. He needs to stop, but he can’t due to addiction to the chemicals, the thrill, and the success.
A Race to The Bottom
If there’s anything Brown especially excels at, it’s pacing. The album never feels like it stalls anywhere, even when songs slow down their bpm and feature less intense beats. “Downward Spiral” begins the album with a raucous, uncertain experience of not feeling grounded. Intensity of tracks fluctuates slightly through the ghostly “Lost”.
All hell breaks loose as “Ain’t It Funny” hits and the energy from that climax seeps through the following four tracks into “Dance In The Water”. This track forces you to keep up as best as you can as it speeds through its sporadic yet hypnotic verses and party-fueled chorus. You feel pulled into the need to “dance in the water / and not get wet” as if that task were actually possible.
And then, everything just stops with “From The Ground”. The beat on this track is far more minimalistic than anything else on the album, especially compared to the prior song. Brown also shifts to his speaking voice, which sounds more sober, matured, and heartbroken.
“When It Rain” immediately contradicts this sense with the now familiar whiny vocals you’ve come to expect from Brown. The beat, which is almost completely made from sampling of the experimental “Pot au feu”, imitates the feeling of Brown taking an absurd amount of drugs to escape the worries he discusses on “From The Ground”.
Personally, I feel the urge to continuously speed up while driving when listening to the track. The thrill is invigorating, but it’s progressively more dangerous to both myself and the people around me as I do it. Brown’s whole point is to keep from giving in to that urge.
Only way you hang is with a noose
Beef with us, it ain’t no truce
Lyrics from “When It Rain” by Danny Brown
Concluding Thoughts
There is a level of depth of analysis that can be applied to “Atrocity Exhibition” that I’ve only seen a few other albums be able to achieve. Brown subverts the whole gangster rap genre while also fitting in perfectly by referencing all of the “right things”: gun violence, sex, drug abuse, etc. The entirety of the album reeks of irony: even though the experimental, sample-heavy instrumentals seem to encourage escapism, only excaping the grip of these pleasures will keep you alive.
Rating: 9.5/10
Best tracks: “Ain’t It Funny”, “Pneumonia”, “Dance In The Water”, “When It Rain”
Some days, things are just going bad. Sometimes, we know the root of that cause, sometimes we just feel unlucky. Sometimes, there hasn’t even been anything bad that’s happened, we just feel awful.
In the moment, it can be near impossible to ignore the emotional reality that you’re experiencing. It’s difficult to fix problems that do exist and matter when you’re having a rough time.
I’m putting this collection of tips out there for those days when things just seem to be going badly. It’s difficult to know when to seek help, or even if you need help, but it is easy to know that this might not be the greatest of days.
Eating healthy and drinking water regularly are both extremely helpful for your mental health. Even if the food you’re eating isn’t perfectly “healthy”, having balanced meals with carbs, fats, and proteins in some capacity can help a lot. If you don’t feel like you can prepare a meal, eat some mixed nuts with whatever bread products you have access to. Maybe eat a banana or some grapes with it.
On that note, buying foods that can be prepared in bulk ahead of time can be quite helpful in alleviating the stress of making a meal in the moment. Additionally, try to at least drink a water bottle’s worth of water a day. Fill a reusable water from the tap or a Brita filter if you have it, or just grab a plastic water bottle.
Take a shower if you’re at home. Don’t worry about how long you’re in there or how hot the water is, just keep the temperature comfortable and get clean.
Likewise, dress into some clean clothes if you haven’t gotten dressed today. It gets you out of the tired mindset that being in pajamas may put you in, giving you more energy during the day.
Things you can do with and without people
If you haven’t really interacted with people, especially friends or family yet today, try to meet up with them, even if it’s just for an hour or two. If you can’t meet in person, text or call them. Don’t worry about getting work done during this time. Ask for a hug from friends or family if you’re comfortable. This doesn’t necessarily apply if those people are part of the reason you’re not doing that great.
If you’ve spent large chunks of the day around people, even friends or family, take some alone time. Play around with hobbies, whether it be knitting, playing video games, or programming. Sit down with a show or a movie.
Hell, watch Tiktok or Youtube to unwind for a bit, though try to limit these to an hour or so.
Things you can do to be active
Exercise also helps your mental health greatly. People who do a lot of intellectual or emotional labor may find exercise especially helpful. If you have access to a gym, take your pick of what activity you want to do, whether it be strength exercises, swimming, or walking/running on a treadmill.
Personally, I’ve found lifting weights to relieve my mind of stress, since all of my focus is on physical exertion.
Going outside in any capacity is probably the most helpful piece of advice I could possibly give here. Whether you go on a walk, sit on a bench for a while, or run around for a bit, these all tend to be more beneficial to your mental health than staying inside. If you have access, go to a local trail through the woods.
I cannot stress enough how rejuvenating a nature walk like this can be. Green spaces more generally are also relaxing compared to dense urban environments.
How music can help
Music tends to be prevalent through all parts of my life. I use it to highlight pleasant moments and relieve negative moments. There’s a number of different types of music that I tend to gravitate towards when I’m struggling with a variety of things, and I want to share those here in the hopes that they help others.
Healing – In Love With a Ghost
Music video for “Healing” by In Love With a Ghost
In Love With a Ghost is probably my most played artist when I’m having a bad day. Their lo-fi, bedroom pop sound allows listeners to let their thoughts drift away as they listen. Their music is perfect for those times when you might not know exactly why you’re sad or upset, just that you are.
Pills & Good Advice – Left at London
Lyric video for “Pills & Good Advice” by Left at London
On the contrary, sometimes I just need to vent my emotions until I’m satisfied. When I feel wronged, especially by someone I know well, I tend to come back to Left at London’s music. Her album “t.i.a.p.f.y.h” is phenomenal for giving me something to sing my heart out to in the car. Songs like “Pills & Good Advice” give me the perfect opportunity to feel like I have closure over some bad event that’s already finished.
Meant to Be – SAFFRA
Official audio for “Meant to Be” by SAFFRA
Other times, the most helpful music is that which will get me back into the swing of things. “Meant to Be” is the debut single from SAFFRA, and it rides the line between positive energy and low-key relaxation perfectly. Its long solos in the middle of the song provide a wonderful chance to just close your eyes, sit back, and let the music wash over you. I tend to use this (and songs like it) after artists like Left at London to get myself back into the swing of things.
LAW OF AVERAGES – Vince Staples
Music video for “LAW OF AVERAGES” by Vince Staples
Sometimes, all I need from music is to have a soft, somewhat depressing tone to stew in my emotions for a while. Unlike Left at London’s invigorating, aggressive attitude, Vince Staples sounds more low-key, as if he’s having a serious, emotional conversation with listeners. This sentiment is especially true on his last two albums: “RAMONA PARK BROKE MY HEART” and “Vince Staples”. I especially recommend his music if you’ve had a rough day at work and you’re driving home.
Listening to “Counterfeit” by Fordmastiff is like peering into a dull throbbing memory of incandescent lights, cold city pavement, and merry crowds, and it wound up being one of my favorite albums of last year.
Fordmastiff is a Brazilian artist who seems to be one in an emerging scene of cassette tape based producers coming out of Brazil. This first release of theirs is a strange lo-fi concoction that is far too swirly and hazy to be techno or house, but too thump-y and danceable to be 100% ambient.
The production style on “Counterfeit” is interesting. It sounds grainy and lo-fi, but it doesn’t sacrifice anything to achieve this effect. Each and every moment of this album still sounds full and lively, and the soundscape is incredibly rich.
Perhaps this is Fordmastiff’s cassette tape style shining through. What really makes “Counterfeit” stand out though, is its sense of place.
This is a rare instance of abstract music coming through clearly and tangibly. We often hear ambient music as a set of ideas that can only be objectively described using a musical language; “the piece has this duration,” or “this section has this timbre,” and so on.
We can try to relate it to other abstract concepts, perhaps a mood or a color, but when we start to relate it to the concrete, we are forced to turn to our individual experiences to shape our conclusions.
What got me thinking about Fordmastiff’s vision on this album was an article from Daryl Worthington of “The Quietus” detailing his favorite cassette tape releases of the year. He spells out nearly the exact same conclusion that I had; which was that “Counterfeit” is about trying grasp at strands of memory. Maybe this is just a coincidence. However, I prefer to see this as evidence of Fordmastiff’s ability to gently guide the listener to exactly what he wants us to experience.
I experienced this album while walking under the moon and the sharp city lights. The timing was perfect. I was travelling somewhere, but I was enjoying myself so much just walking around that I took a couple of detours to finish the album. I was transported to another place. It was incredible.
Overall, I give Fordmastiff’s “Counterfeit” a strong ★★★★☆. Great album.
Phoneboy is a three piece indie pop band from New Jersey.
Their discography is toe tapping and inescapably danceable. High energy and radiantly positive, this band provide a youthful optimism to the music world.
With much enthusiasm, Phoneboy is currently on tour and is coming to North Carolina on Tuesday Mar. 28 at Cat’s Cradle Back Room. Tickets are currently being sold for $18. For more show information and tickets, you can visit the Cat’s Cradle website.
Brief History and Successes
Emerging in 2018, this band was an instant internet success. In an interview with The Stute Magazine, band member Ricky Dana recalls the release day of their first single “Acid Girl”,
“I remember looking at my Instagram stories and seeing the whole thing was the color of pink and red because everyone was posting it. It was crazy. Friends from home, people from our fraternity. If we didn’t have that support, it wouldn’t have gone anywhere or gotten that exposure at all,”
“Acid Girl” single cover art by Phoneboy
From their immediate success, they have continued to gain traction. Their 2021 self-titled album “Phoneboy” greatly contributed to their momentum.
Tracks “1987”, “Hey, Kid!” and “Nevermind (feat. Justin Magnaye)” are just three of the many popular songs off the release. It is easy to hear why Phoneboy is such an immediate success– from one listen there is an instant feeling of positivity.
Phoneboy makes music that sounds like candy. It is sweet, stark and begs for another listen. This is especially apparent in track “1987”, it’s incredibly wholesome and bright. From backing guitar, drums and lyrics, this song effortlessly evokes a feeling of a happy summer day.
The positive energy heard throughout their discography will undoubtedly seep onto the stage.
Latest Releases
In their latest singles, “Ferrari” and “Runaway”, they hold onto a childlike, careless energy.
“‘Ferrari’ represents the lack of responsibility we had when we were teenagers, and how much we took that freedom for granted. We hope any kids that are transitioning into adulthood and feel like they’re drowning can listen to this track and feel a little bit less alone.”
In many ways this theme of childhood and freedom connects their entire discography. To be in the moment without impeding responsibilities.
“Ferrari” Music Video by Phoneboy
Although much of their discography has genuine themes and deeper meanings– It’s clear they don’t take themselves too seriously and they have a good time making their music.
They make music to evoke a good time away from the stress and screens of daily life, and they succeed in this goal without any bells or whistles.
“Runaway” Music Video by Phoneboy
This carefree energy is very clear in their newest music videos and cover art. I’m excited to see how the personalities seen in the videos and heard in the music translate to a live stage.
Concluding Thoughts
It goes without saying the Phoneboy concert will have fun, positive energy.
The core purpose of their music is to encourage the listener to be in the moment and live a little more carefree– I am excited to see and hear how they promote this purpose on stage.
Regardless, it will be a great event to get away from attention hording phones and dance the night away. See you at the show.
