Emotional by The Front Bottoms
Opening their first album since 2020, “Emotional” by The Front Bottoms starts off with quick strumming and autotuned vocals, reminiscent of early 2010’s pop-punk sounds. The track includes expected acoustic elements similar to their old releases but also showcases their growth and change of production over the decade. The bold songwriting paired with the auto-tune shows success in the experimental aspects of the creation of the album. As the first verse is ending the instrumentals build up with bright piano keys, punchy drums, and an outburst of guitar strokes and cries, “You got hope tattooed on your throat / And I got respect, the side of my neck”
waiting alonE by Riovaz & Kanii
An invigorating electro-pop song that is as lively as it is groovy. Riovaz collaborates with Kanii to create a melody that is unique, exciting, and easy to vibe to. Mid-song the track begins to slow down with Riovaz’s voice overtaking and then continuing into a musical production that is bass-heavy and with magical synths. The song itself feels mysterious and alluring while simultaneously being a fun track to dance to.
So You Are Tired by Sufjan Stevens
Another delicate song released by Sufjan Stevens along with his heartwrenching lyricism. The track begins with soft piano keys and his humming vocals transcending the listener to a magical place. As the song continues more instrumentals take over paired with vocal harmonies that of a choir, creating a beautiful harmony. Sweet guitar strums pick up with light percussion which gets heavy as his breathy storytelling continues, “I was a man still in love with you / When I already knew it was done”.
bogus operandi by The Hives
With a powerful start to a song, The Hives have made their comeback known loudly and with pride. Beginning with an intense guitar riff and overpowering drums, it evokes head nods and catchy lyrics to scream along to. This is yet another opening track to an album that excites the listener and prepares them for the rest of the album. From start to finish the track is exciting and upbeat with fascinating songwriting, “My personality is rotten all the way”.
Henrietta Hudson by MegaGoneFree
If there’s any artist you are searching for with a knack for creating art with a sense of individuality and talent look no further than MegaGoneFree. “Henrietta Hudson” is a seductive, confident, and bold track containing vocals with inspiration from R&B, but has an outro that adds a nice twist. There is an instrumental breakdown that almost feels alternative with a mesmerizing guitar solo and strong beats transitioning into a raunchy, whisper-like monologue. Overall the lyrics are clever and the melody ties the whole song together, perfect for the confident baddies.
Losing You by Del Water Gap
Brooklyn-based indie-alt artist, Del Water Gap (S. Holden Jaffe) has released three singles that are on his upcoming album I Miss You Already + I Haven’t Left Yet. While every drop from DWG is exciting on its own, “Losing You” amps up the anticipation for the album by a landslide. With an upbeat melody contrasting the self-reflecting lyrics, the track combines everything that makes an alt-song good. A unique production and fun instrumentals, his use of sincere songwriting creates a comforting atmosphere, “Don’t wanna be right if it means losing you”.
Forever by Ciara & Lil Baby
As part of Ciara’s newly released EP CiCi, she collaborates with one of the biggest names in hip-hop today, Lil Baby, to create a devotional love song. Ciara talks about the importance of sticking to R&B roots in her music, and with this track her intentions are clear. With the repeating catchy chorus and Baby’s feature adding onto the outspoken love for a significant other, this song encapsulates faithfulness to one, “I don’t want it if it isn’t forever”.