New Music Mondays | 11.13.17

Bundle up with some cozy tunes. #NMM

‘Jamie’s Sin’ – Night Lovell

“Night Lovell is a young rapper from Ottawa, Canada. You could call him a Soundcloud rapper; I discovered him on the platform. However, his sound is quieter, darker, and more spacey than a lot of the music from Soundcloud’s chart-toppers; he fits better among names like Yung Lean and Bones. ‘Jamie’s Sin’ is the first single since Lovell’s Red Teenage Melody album from last year. With this song, Lovell delivers lyrics with actual substance behind them. He weaves a tortured narrative about a lover of his into a song of his usual warped trap style. It will be interesting to see what direction he takes on his next album. With Red Teenage Melody, Lovell said he put more effort into his lyrics than he did on his debut Concept Vague tape. We’ll see if this trend continues with the next project and what kind of world he’ll take us to this time.” – Spencer LaChance

‘How Long’ – Mauno

“Mauno (pronounced mao-no) is a very new, very talented indie rock band from Nova Scotia, and their latest album, Tuning, is a miniature masterpiece of subtle strength. Its first single, ‘How Long,’ starts as a slow, creeping guitar jam that hides in the shadows, gently propelled by meek proclamations like ‘my heart’s not in it / my mind’s an eggshell’ from vocalist Nick Everett. But the tension keeps building, piece by carefully laid piece, until the band suddenly huffs four bottles of lighter fluid, achieves nuclear fusion, and busts into one of the most cosmically incredible hooks of the year. Pretty cool, right? Well, don’t get too excited, because you only get about five seconds before they drop back to nothing and start the whole buildup over again. It’s an unorthodox song in many ways. In just three minutes, they somehow cram in verses, choruses, multiple bridges, and an ambient interlude. But however haphazard the structure of the song may seem, you can tell that every moment was planned out with care and attention. Not a single second feels forced or unnatural. All in all I would say that this song is Pretty Darn Good, if you’ll excuse my technical language. So watch out for Mauno! I have a feeling that they’re in for a bright future in indie rock.” – Craig Short

‘Take Me as I Am’ – Rina Sawayama

“In a world where the charts are dominated by rap, and many pop stars are moving away from the traditional pop sound, it’s only natural that someone is doing the opposite. Rina Sawayama’s latest EP, Rina, simultaneously calls back to early 2000s pop and R&B and innovates intricate, introspective, and forward-thinking songs. ‘Take Me As I Am’ is an incredibly catchy pop banger and empowerment anthem. The song has insane momentum that makes it perfectly uplifting. Its lyrics detail an abusive relationship where Rina says, ‘Every single day I fight another war / Every single night I feel more powerful,’ a simple, yet determined maxim that shines as this song’s lyrical centerpiece. These empowerment anthem songs are often painfully cringey, but Rina’s voice carries this song in an utterly inexplicable way. And thanks to some stellar production by collaborator Clarence Clarity, everything about ‘Take Me As I Am’ just clicks. It’s fast, energetic, and ultimately has to be my favorite pop song of the year.” – Grant Foskett

‘Tiger Teeth’ – WALK THE MOON

“Having only existed before in acoustic and live performances, Walk the Moon released ‘Tiger Teeth’ on their new album, What if Nothing. This song is a blend of old and new, and fits perfectly into the tracklist. With the band exploring a new identity and sound, ‘Tiger Teeth’ was the perfect way to anchor this album. The instrumentation is very electronic, but differs from their already established synthpop sound. It’s closer to an electronic club dance sound rather than poppy synth music. This remastering gives the song a whole new meaning. It fits perfectly with the album’s theme regarding relationships and vulnerability.” – Marisa Kenny

‘Ignorance Is Bliss’ – Shortstraw

“For their newest project, Those Meddling Kids, alternative-indie band Shortstraw has been taking a staggered release approach, where they post a new song online the first Friday of every month. The band wanted each song to receive its own fair share of attention; the queue format forces fans to get to know one song at a time. The fact that the band did not have a completed album at the time of the release might also have had something to do with it. The first track, ‘Ignorance is Bliss’, released on September 7th, truly sets the tone for the rest of the album. I was pleasantly surprised by this song. I’m not typically a big fan of indie rock’s emo phase, but this tune won me over. ‘Ignorance is Bliss’ delivers a sweet piano melody counterpointed by sad boy vocals expertly mixed over the frenzied mish-mash of guitar and drums. So overall, a fun listen.” – Catalina Berretta