Alex Banin, ANT ENOCH, Caroline Kingsbury, deary, DIME, Gel, Woman Scout, Gore., Hans Williams, Her New Knife, Isaac Dunbar, Kaitlyn Olson, Lee Lewis, mary within the junkyard, Medium Construct, Moody Joody, Nathan Ball, Evening Tapes, NOEL, sacha, Stevie Invoice, Talia Raye, TEE, The Brook & The Bluff, The Volunteers
From all of us right here at Atwood Journal, we want you a contented and wholesome new 12 months!
2024 has been an inspiring 12 months for music. Residing legends have additional solidified their legacies, while contemporary faces have turn out to be new favorites.
Atwood Journal has all the time had at its core the mission to have a good time music of all genres, and this 12 months we continued our purpose to be an area of inclusivity and illustration by consciously highlighting artwork and artists from all over the world. The 12 months in music was made all of the extra thrilling due to the broad vary of music we featured and targeted on – from these acquainted names within the High 40, to creatives in essentially the most underground, indie, and different of circles.
For thus many of those artists, music is greater than a mere technique of self-expression; it’s a vessel filled with superior potential. Lately, it has felt more and more necessary to acknowledge and elevate those that use their artwork as a voice for the disenfranchised; the oppressed; the underrepresented; and the underprivileged. This 12 months, we proceed to acknowledge those that converse for extra than simply themselves, whereas on the identical time indulging within the acquainted, timeless themes of affection, loss, hope, connection, braveness, change, and the endless pursuit of happiness.
Because the 12 months involves a detailed, our workers took a step again to honor the songs, albums, EPs, live shows, and artist discoveries that had the best influence on our lives. With out additional ado, Atwood Journal is proud to current our curated checklist of 2024’s EPs of the 12 months, in alphabetical order by artist.
These are our favorites – the EPs that influenced and impressed us essentially the most. Please be part of us in celebrating 2024’s contributions to the music world!
Mitch Mosk, Editor-in-Chief
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Atwood’s 2024 Music of the 12 months
Click on on the artist’s identify to skip proper to their EP’s entry!
Alex Banin, ANT ENOCH, Caroline Kingsbury, deary, DIME, Gel, Woman Scout, Gore., Hans Williams, Her New Knife, Isaac Dunbar, Kaitlyn Olson, Lee Lewis, mary within the junkyard, Medium Construct, Moody Joody, Nathan Ball, Evening Tapes, NOEL, sacha , Stevie Invoice, Talia Raye, TEE, The Brook & The Bluff, The Volunteers
The most intimate, ambient, and weak report I heard this 12 months was, certainly, Alex Banin’s achingly dreamy Since Winona. “And to be any person’s somebody; to really feel like I used to be one thing for as soon as…” she trails off within the EP’s opening minute, her voice a lightning rod of uncooked emotion in a sea of seductive drum work. “I can’t keep concerned with your decisions. I can’t afford what you do in boredom these days.” It’s a spine-chilling introduction, and one that completely units the tone for the subsequent fifteen minutes because the Los Angeles-based singer/songwriter pours her coronary heart out, bringing listeners into her interior sanctum with soul-stirring finesse. Private highlights have included the intoxicating, totally mesmerizing “Doc Whiler,” the tender and turbulent “IN FEAR, ETC.,” the loss and longing-fueled “FKA Passat,” and the superbly gut-wrenching, hypnotic, and heartrending “From a Totally different Life, It Appears” – every of which stands by itself, however is made higher by the songs round it.
Like all the very best data, the true energy and power of Since Winona comes out whenever you hearken to the report in full, permitting Alex Banin to take your thoughts, physique, and soul on a sweetly spellbinding journey that, whereas fleeting, proves immediately memorable and irresistibly shifting. – Mitch Mosk
Some artists select to introduce themselves by means of glimpses of triumph and celebration. Australian singer/songwriter Ant Enoch has ostensibly completed the alternative; his first steps into this world replicate his lowest lows, and fairly frankly, we wouldn’t have it another approach. A breathtakingly stunning exhale of affection, loss, grief, and progress, the artist’s debut EP Huge Discuss Huge Celebration aches with the burden of life-altering change. Launched in Might, it’s a smoldering, soul-stirring report of intimate connection and unfiltered vulnerability: The Sydney-based singer/songwriter and producer spills the contents of his heavy coronary heart out in six diaristic and dreamy songs that really feel as if they had been wrenched from his innermost depths. He approaches every observe with a delicate, cautious contact, constructing ambient, all-consuming soundscapes crammed with sonic warmth and visceral feeling.
The ensuing expertise is unavoidably cathartic and soul-baring, as the sunshine of Enoch’s humanity shines by means of the darkness in his midst. The hazy, moody nuance and confessional upheaval of EP opener “Pure Gentle” units the tone for your entire EP. “Tv” invitations audiences to dwell with him in sweltering swimming pools of profound heartache as he sings a couple of pal’s home burning down, reaching out to a beloved one in want. “Tunnel Street” is a shiver-inducing seduction of intimacy’s depth (and fragility) that includes fellow Aussie (and Atwood’s Editor’s Decide) Moreton, aka Georgia James Potter. “With each breath they take, each candy lyric, each refined exhale, each line they ship in soul-stirring concord, all of it feels autobiographical, which makes experiencing this track that rather more intense,” Atwood wrote in our observe premiere, honing in on the provocative, emotionally potent lyric, “Every thing that makes you’re feeling, makes me really feel” – a line that speaks to the magnetic, majestic, empathetic power when two hearts beat as one. Becoming a member of the above three songs are new, beforehand unheard tracks “Rookies,” “Huge Discuss,” and “Huge Celebration,” every of which is as irresistibly catchy as it’s heartrending.
Enchanting, entrancing, and altogether impassioned, Huge Discuss Huge Celebration is a seductively soothing masterpiece. Simply certainly one of this 12 months’s finest debuts, Ant Enoch’s EP treats listeners to spellbinding snippets of life’s lows, and even a couple of of its highs ( you, “Tunnel Street”), all wrapped in a smoldering blanket of wondrous, soul-soaked sound. It’s a young tempest; a delicate large of emotionally-charged, musically nuanced self-expression that lingers on the ears, and on the center, lengthy after its nineteen-minute runtime. – Mitch Mosk
Caroline Kingsbury’s new EP opens on an plain, irresistible excessive be aware – each actually and figuratively. “What if I informed you there’s a paradise right here on earth? Child babe it’s you and I,” the indie pop artist sings over pulsing drumbeats and strutting bass guitar traces. Inside seconds, she creates in her music an area for connection and freedom, the place all are welcome and embraced for who they’re. “In our home, simply you and me,” she proclaims in a blinding refrain, “They are saying we’re loopy, however child we’re free!” It’s a celebration – an easy euphoric embrace of herself, her group, and the broader world as she is aware of it.
Life isn’t all the time straightforward, however there are nonetheless loads of causes to smile – and on I Actually Don’t Care, Kingsbury pours her coronary heart and soul into 5 sparkly, cinematic pop songs that specific simply how a lot she actually does care. Launched in October, the five-track report delivers fifteen nonstop minutes of daring and breathtakingly passionate indie pop that may have audiences dancing like nobody’s watching, singing like nobody’s listening, and smiling uncontrollably from ear to ear – as a result of this isn’t simply feelgood music; it’s feelgreat music. I Actually Don’t Care is similar Caroline Kingsbury followers have adored for years now, and but it’s in contrast to something we’ve heard from her earlier than. The songs pull from ‘80s dance pop, new wave, indie rock, and extra as Kingsbury asserts herself not simply by means of her gorgeous vocals, however by means of a shimmering, spellbinding array of devices that steal the highlight in the easiest way potential. Merely put, this report feels absolutely realized not simply from a singer/songwriter’s perspective, however from a full band’s perspective. – Mitch Mosk
Haunting and heavenly, delicate and dramatic, deary’s sophomore EP is a spellbinding dream pop seduction. The British duo naked their souls in a cathartic, all-consuming soundscape soaked in candy vocals, dazzling reverb, and dreamy sepia tones; moments of nostalgia, craving, connection, and wonderment collide and coalesce into one because the soul-stirring six-track Aurelia dares us to be daring, to dream massive, to be true to ourselves, and are to without end put on our hearts unapologetically on our sleeves.
An Atwood Journal artist-to-watch, the London-based duo of vocalist Rebecca ‘Dottie’ Cockram and guitarist-producer Ben Easton have been drenching our airwaves with ethereal and soul-stirring music ever since they launched themselves in early 2023. Aurelia follows deary’s lush self-titled debut EP (launched final November), constructing upon the atmospheric, reverb-drenched world they launched us to final 12 months. While they actually evoke the likes of Mazzy Star, Slowdive, and Cocteau Twins, deary have, from day one, stood out as one thing particular – and their sophomore effort additional units them aside from the swathe of contemporary dream pop and shoegaze bands.
Highlights abound on the journey from Aurelia’s seductively dreamy, scene-setting title observe to its soothing finale, “Dream of Me.” Lead single “The Moth” is immersive, enchanting, and totally fascinating: A feast for the thoughts, physique, and soul, its thick wall of sound engulfing the ears as Cockram invitations us deep into her world: “You may be my universe,” she sings as heavy, reverb-laden guitars swell, soar, and drone alongside pulsing drums. Her golden vocals are a beacon of heat mild in a cool, all-consuming surroundings. “I misplaced my approach within the hearth, I’m a moth to the flame. Dancing too near want to really feel once more.” Songs like “Selene” and “The Drift” additional construct out Aurelia’s intoxicating, enveloping musical world marked without delay by darkness and light-weight, motion and stillness, heat and coolness.
Into the whole lot they make, deary inject their very own unfiltered, unabridged humanity – making these songs, every one a dizzying, dazzling rush, all of the extra compelling. Intimacy and vulnerability are however two hallmarks of Dottie Cockram’s songwriting; she pours her full self into her lyrics, as into her efficiency, leading to music that appears to make time itself stand nonetheless. Whereas for therefore many artists the sophomore EP is a steppingstone, for deary it’s a assertion of evolution and intent. – Mitch Mosk
Local hardcore music scenes are usually very tight-knit and protecting communities, with most artists cultivating loyal fanbases concentrated in close by cities and few extending far out. I found Miami’s DIME by happenstance (or was it by destiny?) whereas briefly by means of my Instagram discover web page, and God, am I glad I did. Although deeply related to their hometown roots, having solely performed reveals in Florida and surrounding states, the band has considerably captured my consideration in San Diego over the previous few months, as I incessantly test their web page for the potential for a present announcement in Southern California.
The five-piece launched their debut self-titled EP, DIME, in early February, an introspective but larger-than-life five-song mission mixing the likeness of post-hardcore and nu-metal, simply commanding ears and minds with vocal, instrumental, and lyrical rawness teeming with emotional complexity. The juxtaposition of pounding guitars with at occasions melancholy vocals permits the mission to strike a steadiness between heavy and melodic, packing loads of punch whereas maintaining it wholly immersive. DIME builds a powerful, identifiable basis with an excellent stronger musical debut, making a memorable and infectious listening expertise throughout a brief 5 tracks. – Isabella Le
Gel have tightened the screws on their new EP, Persona. It was launched on the finish of this summer season, and it finds the New Jersey-based hardcore band with a extra refined sound than earlier initiatives. The five-track EP was impressed by Carl Jung’s idea of the “shadow self,” and it delves into themes of authenticity, accountability and self-confrontation. There’s an alt-rock sensibility all through the EP that makes it extra accessible to only a hardcore or metallic viewers. A standout observe is “Disgrace,” during which vocalist Sami Kaiser scrapes the perimeters of their very own unconscious to indicate us an unflattering view of themselves with a degree of verve and uncooked honesty that borders on self-flagellation. Their screams are a catharsis, a balm over the publicity to facades that folks preserve, significantly inside the hardcore scene. “Disgrace” actually showcases Gel’s potential to mix thick, sludgy energy cords and chugging riffs with dynamic tempo modifications, leading to a cohesive idea mission that could be a testomony to the band’s progress and attain. – Kendall Graham
One of the most popular acts to come back out of Sweden lately, Woman Scout mix uncooked, unfiltered indie rock ardour with emotional depth, catchy songwriting, and breathtaking vulnerability with the whole lot they make. Their critically acclaimed first two EPs Actual Life Human Rubbish and Granny Music (each of which have been featured on Atwood Journal) laid a robust, provocative basis, atop which their third EP Headache reckons, rises, roars, and radiates an intense, unrelenting, all-consuming warmth.
Although simply seventeen minutes robust, the feverish five-track report feels without delay seismic and spellbinding – demanding its viewers’s undivided consideration by means of spirited sonic seductions crammed with youthful vigor, earnest aching, and charged, charming, cathartic, stadium-sized refrains. It’s not a lot that Woman Scout’s songs are all-consuming, however slightly, they’re ever-present – every one crammed with magic moments that promise evoke actual emotional responses out of us listeners, all whereas getting caught on repeat in our heads. – Mitch Mosk
Gore. Are a hardcore trio primarily based out of Texas, and so they launched their debut EP, A Bud That By no means Blooms by way of Spinefarm Information. I’ve seen over the previous two years feminine metallic, hardcore and heavy rock vocalists getting much more of their due. I need to put Gore.’s EP into the combo, as a result of it deserves the hype that it’s gotten. It’s a unbelievable mission with imagery that’s equal components brutal and exquisite. They arrive to the scene with a dynamic mixture of metalcore and industrial with different rock sensibilities, due to guitarist Alex Reyes and bassist Devin Birchfield’s synergy; all of this performs towards singer Haley Roughton’s enrapturing mixture of harsh and clear vocals. “Babylon” is a standout observe, completely encapsulating what’s so nice about Gore. There’s churning and chugging riffs, tempo modifications and sharp, witty lyrics that disarm as a lot as they enchant. It’s a really enjoyable, menacing face-melting journey exhibiting that Gore. has positioned itself expertly to be a family identify within the heavy music scene shifting ahead. – Kendall Graham
With his charming, emotionally charged voice and a litany of heartwarming melodies in his arsenal, singer/songwriter Hans Williams is a surefire alternative – and straightforward favourite – for all followers of the “Stomp and Holler” folk-pop style. The 5 songs off his debut EP Extra Than One Manner Residence are soulful, sentimental, and seductive – calling to thoughts better-known contemporaries like Noah Kahan, Zach Bryan, and The Lumineers, all whereas standing aside from them. It could be a short while earlier than the Vermont-born, New Orleans-based Williams carves out his personal definitive “area of interest” in what has clearly turn out to be one of many 2020s’ “it” genres, however he’s certainly on the hitlist, with songs like “Pores and skin,” “No Marvel,” and the titular “Extra Than One Manner Residence” aching with intense, all-consuming folk-soaked fury. – Mitch Mosk
Shoegaze may’ve reached essential mass final 12 months. However in contrast to the Brits — who, by the mid-’90s, had already fled the scene for Oasis — this new wave of younger People remained on indie rock’s innovative in 2024.
Her New Knife banded collectively over Florida’s school airwaves, however that they’ve settled into a distinct segment proper right here in my hometown makes excellent sense. Although sometimes solely an business chief in relation to carjackings and mascot debauchery, Philadelphia has stood on the frontline of shoegaze’s revival due to native champions Julia’s Conflict. Similar to their labelmates, Her New Knife aren’t dulled by nostalgia. chrome is lullaby polished their pedalboard with aching slowcore, the glint of post-punk and a cartoonish hammering of krautrock.
Zoomers salvaged shoegaze from the cultural dustheap partly as a result of it displays their concern for our collective future, however Her New Knife are sick and uninterested in dreaming. “That is taking too lengthy“, Edgar Atencio muttered with all of the veiled contempt of a traditional overachiever. Written in an try to hack away at their very own preconceptions for the band, “purepurepure” places a contemporary scare into the time period free spirit. The guitars don’t swirl like pinkish clouds of cotton sweet; they scrape and screech like an extended and crusty fingernail throughout damaged glass. “Cease f*ing with your self / Simply do what you need.” As if on command, a digital splash of keys ripples above the murky bass line with an identical twinkle to the look in Norman Bates’ eye.
With this many tips up the sleeve of a single EP, it’s what Her New Knife are able to that’s really horrifying. – Will Yarbrough
To his credit score, Isaac Dunbar has all the time been a “fearless freak” – a singular voice beating to the tune of his personal drum, following his coronary heart, trusting his intestine, singing loud, proud, and unapologetically – but on his new EP, the singer/songwriter sounds particularly free. It’s as if one thing clicked inside as he entered his twenties, and his world went from reds, greens, and blues, to whole technicolor. Such is the dynamic shift that happens when one strikes to the Huge Apple, town that by no means sleeps. Dunbar channels New York Metropolis’s uncooked, relentless (and irresistible) power into Beep Beep Repeat, a daring, in-your-face, and totally intoxicating report of letting free, dancing all night time, dreaming massive goals, and discovering your house within the concrete jungle. If he could make it right here, he could make it anyplace – and if these six songs are any indication, then there really isn’t any restrict to what Isaac Dunbar can do or the place he can go.
Launched in April, Beep Beep Repeat is exhilarating, intense, and – like town that impressed it – completely all-consuming. Isaac Dunbar’s first launch since 2022’s eight-track Banish the Banshee EP sees the alt-pop artist from Massachusetts really coming into his personal whereas channeling the spirits of pop trailblazers earlier than him: Bits of Bowie, Mercury, Gaga, and Jagger shine by means of breathtaking, soul-stirring, and head-turning vocal performances filled with glitz, glam, and unfiltered, uncompromising ardour. From the fiery beats and celebration environment of “Condo A” to the extreme, instant, and emotionally charged power-balladry of “American Excessive,” the cathartic, intimate upheaval of “Backseat Woman” and past, Beep Beep Repeat is the product of a soul unleashed.
And Isaac Dunbar is most actually unleashed. – Mitch Mosk
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“I put on my coronary heart out on my chest,” Lee Lewis sings initially of his debut EP. It’s the bare-naked reality, and the proper introduction to an artistry constructed round unfiltered, unapologetic self-expression. Lewis’ songs had been themselves a type of remedy and therapeutic, and so it comes as no shock that they’re as cathartic as they’re confessional. The Los Angeles-based singer/songwriter dwells within the deep finish of life’s emotional spectrum as he untangles the brutal net of interior battle and turbulence that outlined his twenties, unpacking his identification and lived experiences to find his precise voice as an individual: In different phrases, his humanity.
An Atwood Journal artist-to-watch since his very first single, Lee Lewis holds nothing again on the seven-track One thing Burning, an achingly intimate and all-consuming seduction of clean, sultry R&B and smoldering soul. It’s an unforgettable entrance, and one which immediately units Lewis aside as a singular powerhouse of passionate, breathtaking sound. – Mitch Mosk
Based out of London, experimental alt rock trio mary within the junkyard launched their debut EP, this previous home, again within the spring. It’s an excellent illustration of their model and ethos. It’s slightly bit bizarre, slightly bit unsettling, you all the time really feel like some big breakdown is true on the verge of many of the songs. Though this type of catharsis is delivered in different methods throughout the 4-track mission, the band excels at maintaining listeners on their toes in a near-constant state of pressure, ready for some sort of chaos to occur. This EP is actually about managed chaos and what a gaggle of eclectic musicians can do with it. They’ve been described by Dazed as “offended, weepy, chaos rock” and that looks as if an apt summation of the band’s power. Opening observe “ghost” introduces cyclical drum patterns intertwining with a deep bass line, creating one thing virtually without delay mystical and legendary. Vocalist Clari Freeman-Taylor, bassist and viola participant Saya Barbaglia and drummer David Addison have brewed up one thing very distinctive right here, counting on the emotional depth of each the music and the lyrics to spotlight their bright-looking path within the different music scene. – Kendall Graham
Medium Construct’s Nick Carpenter tapped his roots, his historical past, and his household for 2024’s critically acclaimed album Nation, after which he went again house in November’s Marietta EP. Named after his first hometown again in Georgia, the five-track shock launch homes songs that didn’t make the lower for April’s full-length album, in addition to some newer tracks that Carpenter refused to take a seat on. From the intimate rush of “John & Lydia” – a dynamic, dramatic, empathetic ode to his personal dad and mom – to the non secular hang-out of “Yoke,” which options the one and solely Julien Baker (a longtime, shut pal), Marietta is a good, turbulent, and masterful work. The hard-hitting opening observe (and lead single) “Triple Marathon” aches on a number of ranges as Carpenter wrestles with romance whereas his profession takes off, singing from each his and his associate’s views as steadiness – and happiness – appear to evade or elude him at each twist and switch. Closing tracks “Dad’s 4Runner” and “Light Blue” are sonic opposites – one an indie rock rager, the opposite a heat, light folks ballad – however each discover the singer/songwriter baring his soul in traditional Medium Construct vogue, singing his coronary heart out whereas leaving all of it on the sector for us to see, hear, and (most significantly,) really feel. – Mitch Mosk
The presidential election outcomes had been made a little extra palatable for me with the discharge of Moody Joody’s enchanting debut EP just some days later – and whereas the sting of American politics stays in my bones, so does this report’s cinematic heat. A radiant, energetic, and emotional 20-minute report crammed with escapist goals and romantic reveries, Dream Woman is a spirited, sweetly shimmering seduction of indie- and alt-pop marvel. The Nashville-based trio of Kaitie Forbes, Kayla Corridor, and producer Andrew Pacheco dwell in intimate areas of want, doubt, connection, and catharsis on six infectiously catchy, sweaty songs – every of which appears to spotlight one other of this fascinating band’s many marvelous sides. The anxious waves of uncooked, stressed power that ripple all through “Floor Management” make for a excellent introduction, and all that lies forward – be it the drama and warmth of “Dream Woman,” the steamy pulse of “Velvet Connection,” or the glistening glow of “El Camino Excessive” – is pure, unadulterated musical gold. – Mitch Mosk
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Listening to Evening Tapes’ new EP actually does really feel like diving headfirst into somebody’s goals, and maybe it’s simply as effectively – the aptly titled assisted reminiscences is a seductive soundtrack filled with hypnotic melodies, sultry beats, and sweaty synths. Add to that alluring combine lead singer Iiris Vesik’s celestial vocals, and the result’s totally enchanting, if not wholly mesmerizing: By seven spellbinding tracks, the London-based trio create a heat and wondrous cinematic journey full of heavy feelings and fascinating sounds. Whether or not you’re taken to the report’s extra ambient moments (the softly stirring “straightforward time to be alive” is pure perfection in that regard), or extra moved by the gorgeous electro-pop pulse of tracks like “projections,” “loner,” and the Daft Punk-esque “drifting,” assisted reminiscences proves itself a lovely, different wonderland of sound. – Mitch Mosk
I first encountered Swedish singer NOEL when his track “With out Calling” was pitched to me again within the spring. I loved the observe and wrote favorably about it in our Weekly Roundup, concluding that “He’s on an admirable development proper now, all issues thought of.” A number of months later, I’m happy to announce that that admiral development of which I as soon as spoke has been prolonged into the autumn and manifested in his most up-to-date EP, Mementos. Right here, “With out Calling” is joined by an extra 4 tracks that additional showcase NOEL’s strengths within the songwriting division.
“Out of my Thoughts” outlines the mounting stress and stress in his life, maybe as a result of life within the present biz: “My concern will get the very best of me, it steals away my sanity, I shut my eyes however I can’t sleep… these demons hang-out me each night time.” The remaining tracks paint an additional image of his present psychological state – “Nightmares,” as an example, talks about “the insecurities and doubts that may come up whenever you’re chasing your goals.” NOEL’s abilities as a multi-instrumentalist additionally shine all through, as he will be heard shifting between the piano and guitar, together with his Scandinavian buddies like Kris Eriksson contributing some 808 drum-heavy manufacturing as effectively. In the long run, Mementos ought to give NOEL loads of momentum to take his musical profession even additional within the new 12 months. – Josh Weiner
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Stevie Invoice is as charismatic, as charming, and as unfiltered in actual life, as she is in track. The Dutch artist’s sophomore EP I used to be a platinum blonde is a stunningly dreamy, achingly intimate, and superbly weak exploration of self-discovery by means of a younger grownup’s lens. It’s a spellbinding (re)introduction to the New York Metropolis-based singer/songwriter: A heat and alluring report whose catchy interior reckonings and candid reflections captivate and compel, bringing us ever-closer to Invoice and the wondrous indie pop world she is constructing, each round herself and inside herself, in actual time.
For Invoice, altering her outer look by going blonde had an influence on the woman inside as effectively. It was an act of transformation, exploration, revolution, and self-discovery. It was as a platinum blonde that she discovered the braveness to take some main life dangers, get away of her consolation zone, and discover herself as a younger twenty-something navigating New York Metropolis. In order her blonde hair grew out and she or he grew to become a brunette as soon as extra, a barely older, barely wiser Invoice determined to embrace inventive modifications inside her music – embracing the traditional rock influences and pop-oriented sounds she grew up listening to. The ensuing EP is a sonically and emotionally charged reverie: A fascinating wonderland of guts and progress, all channeled by means of a litany of immediately memorable, simply lovable melodies and intoxicating, infectious beats.
Highlights abound on the journey from tender title observe “Platinum Blonde” by means of “Hahaha,” the visceral and spirited “Hurts to Maintain On,” and finally the cathartic nearer, “Our bodies.” “Lalala,” the EP’s last single (launched in early August), is a definitive standout; an irresistibly catchy and carefree anthem (named after the Kylie Minogue traditional “Can’t Get You Out of My Head”), it’s a a seductive celebration of music’s particular potential to empower, encourage, uplift, and enrich our lives. “And it goes identical to this, sing it with my lips like, la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la,” Invoice sings, deep in her personal sun-kissed daydream. “And I swing with my hips and I blow you a kiss like la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la.” And identical to that, we’re hooked.
Then, after all, there’s “Hahaha,” which was named certainly one of Atwood Journal‘s Songs of 2024: Between the celestial heat of Invoice’s gorgeous falsetto, the infectious power of her melodic guitar work, and the uncooked ache embedded deep in her songwriting, the indie pop artist gained me over immediately along with her infectious breakup anthem. As charming as it’s churning – and extremely inventive – “Hahaha” is a type of broken-hearted confessionals that lifts you to larger heights, whilst Invoice dwells in her personal achingly intimate depths.
Whether or not you’re singing “Hahaha” or “Lalala” or something in-between, these songs seize a younger artist coming into her personal sound with grace, confidence, and an unapologetic dedication to share her true self by means of music. What extra may anybody probably need, or hope to listen to? As she unpacks themes of change in and out, Stevie Invoice dives into what it means for our most cherished relationships to evolve; for us to let go of family members and depart reminiscences behind us as we develop and evolve; and, after all, for hair itself to rework. – Mitch Mosk
2024 was a giant 12 months for Essex-based artist, Thalia Raye. She launched her debut EP, Shadows, which propelled her right into a succession of gigs and festivals across the nation, massive TV appearances – and secured her a function on David Grey’s 2024 single, “Plus & Minus.” Who doesn’t love Grey? The headline observe on the Shadows EP is “Not A Heartbreak,” which I had the pleasure of seeing stay, from a small stage in Harlow, Essex, when Raye was simply getting on her ft in 2022. Even again then, the uncooked emotion, honesty, and vocal expertise blew me away. I anticipate massive issues from Thalia Raye in 2025 and past. – Hamish Monk
A poet first and all the time, the Liverpudlian born Terell Farrell – recognized to the remainder of the world by his artist identify, TEE – has, for the higher a part of the previous decade, been one of many UK’s best-kept secrets and techniques. In 2021 – after working alongside the likes of Little Simz, Ghetts, Cleo Sol, and N-Dubz – he grabbed maintain of the mic and stepped into the highlight, formally introducing himself and his weak, visceral phrases by means of stunning raps filled with breathtaking ardour. VALLEY FM, launched in June, is his third mission (following 2023’s LOOP and A Dozen Roses // A Love Story), and his most formidable manufacturing thus far. TEE himself has described the report as his most weak – “the very best model of myself” and “my assertion to the world,” all of which is born out within the precise music – by means of achingly intimate, emotionally intense performances on songs like “don’t sleep” and “getaway,” the latter of which is a heated fever dream reckoning with the selection to remain in or depart a poisonous relationship. TEE’s candid lyricism and his distinctive strategy to songwriting (the person cares extra about storytelling than he does a “catchy” refrain), mixed with the dramatic moments he deftly crafts on each track, assist make VALLEY FM a wide ranging world unto itself – one which aches by means of and thru with the artist’s personal uncooked, stunning humanity. As TEE passionately sings on EP nearer “make it”: “So right here’s my toast to those on the highway much less traveled, ain’t simply the robust ones that settle for the decision to la and la… That is all I’m made from, each morning, each battle, that is blood, sweat, and tears, the one piece to my puzzle.” – Mitch Mosk
Happy accidents occur whenever you least anticipate them – and the outcomes will be really extraordinary. For The Brook & The Bluff, a sequence of recording classes with completely no strings connected led to among the most enjoyable music of their profession. The Nashville band’s newest EP is a breathtakingly stunning golden-hued reverie: A daydream come to life, filled with sunny, candy tones, sultry, seductive choruses, and spellbinding lyrics that ache in and out. A breathtakingly stunning mix of yacht rock, soul, folks, and traditional ’70s pop, This Might All Go Nowhere may very effectively keep true to its identify, and turn out to be a deep lower for the diehards; or it could possibly be the beginning of a daring new period for one of the crucial thrilling indie bands of the 2020s. As a result of that’s the factor about glad accidents: You by no means fairly know the place they’ll take you.
Launched in November, This Might All Go Nowhere is a spiritually uplifting, smile-inducing kiss of sonic sunshine from a band that wishes nothing greater than so that you can really feel nearly as good as they did whereas making these songs. Highlights abound all through the EP’s 18-minute runtime, with every observe inviting audiences to indulge in a second of sun-kissed heat and dreamy connection. All 5 songs should be listened to in full, beginning with the report’s lead single and opener “Dangerous Dangerous Information,” which kicks the whole lot off with a candy, seductive sonic warmth laced with aching emotion. Wealthy, stacked vocal harmonies harking back to The Beatles and The Seaside Boys add contemporary layers of depth and feeling to the band’s efficiency, making the rise from light verses to hovering choruses all of the extra exhilarating:
These moments I lay right here,
Staring on the ceiling fan,
the shadows are boxing
They battle with these slippery arms.
It goes on and on and on once more that feeling
It goes on and on and on once more
I really feel like I’m falling aside.
Child, it’s unhealthy unhealthy information,
however it is best to let me down straightforward
Darling, it’s unhappy however true you
must let me down straightforward
Songs and EPs come and go on a regular basis, however I’ve acquired a sneaking suspicion this newest batch will likely be sticking round for an extended whereas. As irresistible as they’re totally infectious, these 5 tracks seize the magic of The Brook & The Bluff – a band who, on the finish of the day, are having the time of their lives, whether or not or not we’re tuned in. – Mitch Mosk
With infectious indie rock magic and R&B/dream pop vocals, South Korean different quartet The Volunteers have by no means didn’t ship a propulsive and thrilling listening expertise. On the band’s newest EP “L”, traditional rock ‘n’ roll guitars and empowering percussions drive the resonant 5 tracks, as frontwoman Yerin Baek’s sweet-yet-haunting vocals ramp up drama and melancholy. Although not essentially the most lyrically intricate, the attraction of the EP lies someplace else – exactly, its potential to evoke nostalgia in all its varieties and powerfully salient reminiscences by means of pure sonic greatnesss. The Volunteers inform an evocative and poignant story throughout a short 18-minute EP, a superbly immersive and dreamy rock mission that’s certain to captivate new and previous listeners alike. – Isabella Le
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