Atwood Journal is worked up to share our Editor’s Picks column, written and curated by Editor-in-Chief Mitch Mosk. Each week, Mitch will share a set of songs, albums, and artists who’ve caught his ears, eyes, and coronary heart. There may be a lot unbelievable music on the market simply ready to be heard, and all it takes from us is an open thoughts and a willingness to pay attention. By means of our Editor’s Picks, we hope to shine a lightweight on our personal music discoveries and showcase a various array of recent and up to date releases.
This week’s Editor’s Picks options Nami, Borderline, Litany, Lucy Dacus, Social Order, and zzzahara!
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Bproper, bubbly, and intoxicatingly catchy, Nami’s third-ever single, “Suzette,” is an on the spot earworm dripping in playful appeal and vibrant power. Fueled by the pleasant delirium of need, the music radiates a carefree spontaneity that captures each the joys and insanity of chasing after somebody who feels simply out of attain. Mixing addictive melodies with subtly mischievous lyrics, “Suzette” transforms longing into one thing infectiously danceable.
“‘Suzette’ is an brisk file,” Nami tells Atwood Journal. “I let my inspirations soften into this tune and tried to make it as catchy as doable. I’m pleased with it; it’s your chase after the woman music – in case you learn into the lyrics, it may come off creepy, and that was on function – a few of my favourite songs learn a bit creepy,” he laughs.
I noticed your fairly eyes
Passing me by yeah
Simply give me an indication
And I’ll make you mine (oooh)
You realize you need me too
On a regular basis, (yeah the entire time)
However you’re so undecided
Acquired me ready on the road
Pushed by a uncooked, unfiltered, and plain ardour, “Suzette” is each feisty and feverish: “Suzette, I ain’t acquired you but, however nobody’s taking you from me,” Nami sings within the monitor’s infectious, emotionally charged chorus, calling to thoughts the King of Pop himself. “Suzette, I’ll free all my breath in case you carry on working from me.”
‘Trigger you’re, sure you’re
The one one for me
Child can’t you see?
Suzette (Suzette)
I ain’t acquired you but
However nobody’s taking you from me
Suzette (Suzette)
I’ll free all my breath
In the event you carry on working from me
Nami crafts an completely alluring soundscape, masterfully balancing lush instrumentation with moments of unflinching, unpolished honesty. The monitor’s buoyant rhythm and dynamic chord development propel listeners ahead, mirroring the emotional push-and-pull embedded in its narrative. Whereas “Suzette” is solely fictional – extra an intoxicating concept than a tangible, real-life individual – Nami expertly channels emotions of hopeful anticipation and playful obsession right into a music that’s as sweetly seductive as it’s delightfully quirky.
At the moment primarily based in LA, Nami humbly identifies as a pupil first and an artist second, emphasizing his curiosity and keenness for artistic exploration. “I design stuff, I like speaking about any and all the pieces,” the file producer, designer, and songwriter shares. “I don’t assume there’s a separation between me and my artist venture, which is possibly unhealthy in another person’s e book, however in mine it reads simply tremendous.”
She acquired me proper all the way down to my knees
I’m begging and pleading her please
Oooh wee , oooh weeee
She run by way of my thoughts on repeat
Ah, nobody else can compete
Oooh wee , oooh weeee
Whereas he has labored as a sound designer and co-producer for globally famend acts like Ariana Grande, Bryson Tiller, Jack Harlow, and Cordae, his personal artist story is just simply starting – he launched his debut single “Northstar” in January, adopted by “Connoisseur” this previous Valentine’s Day, and “Suzette” in mid-March.
“Suzette” is particularly close to and pricey to Nami as certainly one of his most upbeat and uptempo tracks but, reflecting his artistic ambition to supply one thing immediately memorable and joyously addictive.
“I would like folks to spend years having fun with it,” he smiles. “There may be lots of element in my music, some extra noticeable than others, however all present up in their very own time. I spent good power and time producing it. My precedence was retaining the primary melody working all through the monitor, after which Buddy Ross got here up with that unbelievable chord development within the pre-chorus that actually took the concept to the subsequent degree.”
“Lots of its parts remained uncooked and bare! I believe that’s one of many favourite issues about my album. There have been many alternatives to ship an excellent clear, compressed and overly corrected model of all songs, however I purposely selected the choice course as some kind of soft-anti sentiment.”
“Suzette” is pure enjoyable, and an outstanding introduction to an artist – ahem, pupil – with a vibrant and thrilling future forward. From its daring, feel-good beats to its tantalizing melodies, Nami’s third launch proves an on the spot singalong, inviting listeners to lose themselves in its carefree spirit. With its irresistible hooks and effervescent vibes, “Suzette” firmly establishes Nami as an thrilling new voice poised to captivate listeners, setting excessive expectations for what’s nonetheless to come back. Nami’s debut album WARM is due out Might 9th by way of ONDAS!
‘Trigger you’re, sure you’re
The one one for me
Child can’t you see?
Suzette, I ain’t acquired you but
However nobody’s taking you from me
Suzette, I’ll lose all my breath
In the event you carry on working from me
“When It is Raining”
by Borderline
How becoming that I’m writing a couple of music referred to as “When It’s Raining” whereas it’s so moist and dreary exterior. Artwork imitates life, I suppose – or possibly the climate simply went full technique actor on me. Little does it know, Borderline’s newest single is as darkish and stormy as it’s full of heat and hazy mild – a soulful, cinematic energy ballad that aches in and out, channeling uncooked emotion right into a fantastically daring, spiritually cleaning launch.
She is aware of, she is aware of, she is aware of
She had a great factor
Exhibits up in my goals
If she was trustworthy
she’d know, she’d know, she’d know
It’s only a fever, wish to consider her
Somebody inform me save us
She is aware of, she is aware of, she is aware of,
I do know
In keeping with the New Zealand band – who fashioned round 2021 and launched their infectious seven-track debut, Good Film Scene, in 2023 – “When It’s Raining’ is all about “attempting to seize the sensation of being fully misplaced in your anger and unhappiness – when you may’t see a future the place issues get higher. It’s a common feeling, and we hope this music will make folks really feel seen and perceive that they’re not alone of their struggles.”
“The inspiration behind ‘When It’s Raining’ comes from a number of locations,” frontman Ben Glanfield provides. “Musically, we have been listening to lots of Fleetwood Mac and ‘80s rock energy ballads. Lyrically, we needed to painting extra of a sense than a particular story so you may actually really feel it nevertheless you want, which is one thing we’re being aware about when writing.”
It’s not unfair, she talks and I’m invisible
There’s one thing tearing us into oblivion
It’s not unfair, she talks and I’m invisible
There’s one thing tearing us into oblivion
Massive, echoing piano chords mark the music’s dramatic entrance, instantly setting a heavy tone as Borderline construct their world out of intimate, visceral feelings. It’s a sluggish burn at first—delicate, deliberate – however the depth rises steadily as layers of guitar, synth, and drums swell round Glanfield’s impassioned vocals. There’s stress within the air, just like the thick quiet and eerie calm earlier than a thunderstorm breaks.
That storm hits hardest within the second verse, the place Borderline wring their hearts out in what appears like a breaking level: A second of complete collapse. It’s gut-wrenching, intimate, and painfully human:
Crying on the steps down the hallway
Screaming please consider me
I can see the color
drain out of your face
if you inform me you like me
Falling out of time pack it up
you received’t see me within the morning
That is actual, because of this,
wanna die, when it’s raining, it’s pouring
By the point the band hit their climax, it’s all cinematic launch: A cathartic eruption of sweltering, smoldering sound and fervent feeling that leaves you breathless and emotionally rinsed. It’s not simply rain; it’s a downpour of all the pieces you’ve been holding in. In some way, they’ve wrapped despair in heat – delivering a monitor that’s each devastating and deeply comforting, like being held by way of the tempest.
It’s not unfair, she talks and I’m invisible
There’s one thing tearing us into oblivion
It’s not unfair, she talks and I’m invisible
There’s one thing tearing us into oblivion
Wouldn’t you realize it, the solar’s now peeking by way of the clouds! Poetic timing, actually. “When It’s Raining” isn’t all darkish skies and internal churn; for as brutal and gutting because the lyrics are, the music itself is a deep, cathartic exhale à la Journey’s perfect energy ballads (assume “I’ll Be Alright With out You,” “Separate Methods (Worlds Aside),” “Who’s Crying Now” – the true, larger-than-life anthems that hit dwelling with ardour and ache).
Borderline don’t simply dwell within the turmoil – they discover one thing luminous inside it. “When It’s Raining” is the form of music that hurts in all the correct methods, and like the perfect energy ballads, it doesn’t simply echo your heartbreak – it helps you rise from it, leaving you just a bit lighter by the tip. Borderline have crafted the right storm.
She is aware of she is aware of she is aware of
She is aware of she is aware of I do know
It’s not unfair, she talks and I’m invisible
There’s one thing tearing us into oblivion
“I’m only a unhappy woman, and that makes me blissful,” Litany sings in a dramatic fervor, her glowing voice hovering in a pool of pulsing bass and swirling synths. “I’m only a unhappy woman, don’t want you to heal me.” As invigorating and empowering as it’s unapologetically sassy, the title monitor off Litany’s upcoming debut album captures a second of catharsis and confession, reckoning and radiance.
Concurrently she involves phrases with arduous truths about herself, the Yorkshire born, London-based indie pop artist (née Beth Cornell) embraces these so-called detrimental qualities and harnesses them to shine brighter than she’s ever shone earlier than. The result’s a spirited, seductive anthem for sadgirls all over the place to acknowledge and reclaim their energy – in the beginning, by rejecting the haters and accepting themselves for who they’re, ‘completely imperfect’ – the best way it ought to be.
Right here comes a TED Speak
The topic in fact, me!
And all the pieces I may do
If I’m to enhance
However actually have you ever thought-about this
I don’t want to fulfill and greet the brand new me
‘Trigger I don’t want fixing
Launched January 31st by way of Nettwerk, “Sadgirl” is as exhilarating as it’s immersive – the form of high-energy banger that brings Litany again into the highlight at simply the correct time. A favourite of our pages since 2018 (she’s now a two-time Atwood Editor’s Choose and a longtime artist-to-watch), Litany brings a wealth of colour, drive, and taste to all the pieces she touches. “Sadgirl” joins the ranks of beloved fan favourite tracks like “My Dude,” “Love Letter,” “Uh-huh,” and “Jelly Tot” – every of which hits arduous large, daring pop beats and melodies, all whereas providing intimate glimpses of the Beth Cornell’s uncooked humanity.
Name it indie pop for the emotionally weak and sonically savvy: Litany’s irresistible singalongs have that particular sauce that nobody can deny. She rises to an plain fever pitch as she reaches the music’s emotionally charged refrain.
If I-I-I hear yet one more ti-i-ime
“You should loosen up,
get outta the home”
If I-I-I hear yet one more ti-i-ime
It won’t occur,
flip that frown the other way up
I’m only a unhappy woman
And that makes me happy-y-y
I’m only a unhappy woman
Don’t want you to heal me-e-e
“This music is a denial dancehall banger and the ‘I instructed you so’ anthem for fogeys all over the place,” Cornell tells Atwood Journal. “For a few years I used to be in denial about how dangerous my psychological well being had gotten, however writing ‘Sadgirl’ turned my approach of confronting it – turning one thing painful into one thing that feels highly effective and liberating.”
That liberation radiates by way of each second of “Sadgirl,” a music that channels private reckoning into euphoric launch. Litany doesn’t simply personal her feelings – she celebrates them, reworking vulnerability right into a badge of honor. Her capacity to craft catchy, emotionally charged pop with a fearless edge has lengthy set her aside, however with “Sadgirl,” she raises the bar: It’s as a lot a private anthem as it’s a common invitation to bounce by way of the darkness and discover pleasure in self-acceptance.
One other lecture
And guess who’s mеntioned, me!
And all of the methods I’vе gone incorrect
You sing the identical music
And actually please
Let me wallow in my distress
Possibly take a break day or three
As Litany gears as much as launch her debut album, “Sadgirl” units a daring tone for what’s to come back: A file filled with perspective, honesty, coronary heart, and hard-earned confidence. With each beat and breath, Litany reaffirms why she stays certainly one of indie pop’s most magnetic voices – unfiltered, unapologetic, and fully unforgettable. Sadgirl is ready to launch April 25 by way of Nettwerk!
If I hear yet one more time
“You should loosen up,
get outta the home”
If I hear yet one more time
It won’t occur,
flip that frown the other way up
I’m only a unhappy woman
And that makes me happy-y-y
I’m only a unhappy woman
Don’t want you to heal me-e-e
“Finest Guess”
by Lucy Dacus
Singer/songwriter Lucy Dacus actually is aware of tips on how to sneak up on you emotionally – a superpower she harnesses again and again all through her breathtakingly lovely fourth studio album. Launched March 28 by way of Geffen Data, Perpetually Is a Feeling is Dacus’ sonically expansive, achingly intimate ode to like (the highs, mids, and lows), and in flip, to our very humanity – all these issues that join us to one another on that deepest, most weak and visceral degree. Highlights abound on the thirteen-track masterpiece; on the darker aspect are songs like “Bullseye” (that includes Hozier) and “Speak,” a dramatic upheaval observing two hearts rising aside in actual time. On the ‘lighter’ aspect lie the dreamy, hopelessly hopeful “Ankles,” the meditative, delicately soul-stirring title monitor “Perpetually Is a Feeling,” the lilting, longing-fueled “Come Out,” and the sweetly sun-kissed “Finest Guess” – a mild, full-throated embrace of affection’s good imperfection.
Clasping your necklace
Zipping your costume
Arms in your waist
Kissing your neck
I like your physique
I like your thoughts
They’ll change
So will mine
However you’re
My greatest guess on the future
You’re my greatest guess
If I have been a playing man, and I’m
You’d be my greatest wager
Since its launch in February, this music has been on repeat – in my ears, in my head, and in my coronary heart. It’s the closest Perpetually Is a Feeling will get to an unbridled, unfiltered, unflinching love music, with Dacus confessing her emotions on to her paramour, in no unsure phrases, “You’re my greatest guess on the future… If I have been a playing man, and I’m, you’d be my greatest wager.” There’s no hesitation and little internal battle; only a declaration of ‘true blue’ devotion and unwavering need.
Tracing your tan strains
Making you mine
If this doesn’t work out
I’d lose my thoughts
And after some time
I will probably be tremendous
However I don’t wanna be tremendous
I would like you, you, you’re
My greatest guess on the future
You’re my greatest guess
If I have been a playing man, and I’m
You’d bе my greatest wager
Dacus, for her half, as described it as an anthem of queer tenderness – one which “captures that blend of pleasure and uncertainty as two folks take a romantic likelihood with each other.” Nothing is definite, aside from their belief in each other, and that’s greater than sufficient. Dacus says it greatest within the music’s breakdown, recognizing that individuals are simply that – folks: Every of us is a unending work in progress, and that’s not going away any time quickly, but when we will settle for ourselves for who we’re and provides one another grace, then we will additionally love intimately and unapologetically, with our full hearts and with no circumstances, hesitancies, or regrets.
Herе is the church
Right here is the steeple
You have been searching for saints
However you solely discovered folks
Ain’t that simply the best way it goes
I watched you fall from grace
You have been swish
In any case, it’s a small world
You will not be an angel
However you’re my woman
You’re my pack a day
You’re my favourite place
You have been my greatest buddy earlier than you have been
As a hopeless romantic myself – and one who’s been fortunately in love for practically ten years now – I believe I instinctively love “Finest Guess” for a way Lucy Dacus chooses to like ‘love’ – vulnerably, and with open arms.
My greatest guess on the future
You’re my greatest guess
If I have been a playing man, and I’m
You’d be my greatest wager
You’re my greatest guess on the future
You’re my greatest guess
If I have been a playing man, and I’m
You’d be my greatest wager
“Lights Off”
by Social Order
It’s the darkish drama of Social Order’s “Lights Off” that hits hardest: A passionate, percussive pulse born out of misery, denial, and need. The Las Vegas post-punk trio roar to life on their second single of 2025, begging us to give up to the darkness yet one more time; to lose our inhibitions, bask in our innermost fantasies, dance like no one’s watching, and let our impulses – our shadow selves – information the best way.
Are you able to keep the evening
I’ve been hangin on
Forged your spell with each transfer you make
Play your depraved sport and I’ll give up all
I would like you now
inform me it’s not too late
We are able to do it with the lights off
Inform me all the pieces you need now
I don’t wish to lose you this time
Keep the evening once more
“‘Lights Off’ captures the sensation of wanting to remain near somebody whereas avoiding the truth that your particular bond has ended and it’s time to maneuver on,” Social Order’s Mason Musso (who performs with Anthony Improgo (Metro Station, Parade of Lights) and Andrew Ward (Nuwave Fighters) tells Atwood Journal.
“The music encapsulates a second of disaster and alternative. It’s a story of somebody grappling with deep attraction and worry of loss, aiming for redemption or not less than a big second of connection, underscored by the urgency of ‘now or by no means.’ The imagery of chains and spells suggests a battle between freedom and captivity, each in love and inside oneself.”
Social Order maintain nothing again as they enshroud the ears in a sonically charged soundscape, the place bodily attraction and emotional depth intertwine:
We are able to do it with the lights off
Inform me all the pieces you need now
I don’t wish to lose you this time
Keep the evening once more
“Anthony, Andrew, and I got down to create one thing that was each upbeat and danceable but carried a darker undertone,” Musso continues. “I had the guitar chords lingering in my thoughts for some time, and as we wrote the lyrics, they felt like an ideal match for the music. Sometimes, we begin with the music first and construct from there, however this music was a little bit of an anomaly in our course of.”
I can’t resist you now
I’m begging you to remain
We’re tousled in all of the mess we made
Each breath you are taking will get me nearer now
You’re mine tonight I see it in your face
Your face
We are able to do it with the lights off
Inform me all the pieces you need now
I don’t wish to lose you this time
Keep the evening once more
With its pulsing rhythm, emotionally charged lyricism, and magnetic sonic contrasts, “Lights Off” is a placing show of Social Order’s evolving artistry and uncooked, unapologetic spirit. It’s a music for the moments we really feel most unmoored, and a soundtrack for the nights we let go of cause and run headfirst into feeling. “We are able to do it with the lights off / Inform me all the pieces you need now,” Musso pleads in a breathless, pressing refrain — a second of longing suspended in time, the place bodily need meets emotional desperation. Because the band proceed carving their place within the trendy post-punk panorama, “Lights Off” stands tall as each a private reckoning and a communal launch — moody, messy, and completely mesmerizing.
Because of Social Order, we’ll be doing it with the lights off all 12 months lengthy.
Tears go by
I received’t allow you to fall this time
I do know that it’s now or by no means
I’ll take off all of the chains
Tears go by
I received’t allow you to fall this time
I do know that it’s now or by no means
Now or by no means
Take off all of your chains
We are able to do it with the lights off
Inform me all the pieces you need now
I don’t wish to lose you this time
Keep the evening once more
“Want You Would Discover (Know This)”
by zzzahara
I preserve coming again to zzzahara’s sophomore LP, Spiral Your Method Out, and every time I do, I discover extra causes to like Zahara Jaime’s unflinchingly uncooked songwriting and equally visceral efficiency. For me, the file’s centerpiece is monitor 5, “Want You Would Discover (Know This)” – a music that channels the emotional wreckage and unapologetic nature of the album’s title right into a cathartic, catchy, and soul-stirring eruption.
Maybe it’s no shock that this music is extra stream-of-conscious than it’s rigorously crafted concoction – although each are inevitably true of the tip end result. Written in simply 5 minutes, the music flooded out of zzzahara suddenly as they put pen to paper and wrote all of the ideas and emotions that had been left unsaid.
“The attitude that I wrote it from was identical to letting any individual drive the automobile,” Jaime tells Atwood Journal. “I wrote it about my ex, and it felt like she was at all times driving the automobile and as an alternative of being vocal or communicative. I felt like had tried a lot by that time that I simply let the automobile drive. That music was me simply spitting bars about how I felt.”
“Want That You Would Discover” is true catharsis manifest in two and a half minutes of angsty, dreamy different. It’s zzzahara’s innermost confession – an intimate plea given a voice after being ignored or prevented for a lot too lengthy. Launched on January 10th, Spiral Your Method Out was one of many 12 months’s first releases, nevertheless it’s vital to not let it get buried underneath all of the music that has since adopted; a cohesive and achingly weak murals dwelling within the artist’s darkest depths, zzzahara’s newest providing deserves to be skilled from bitter finish to bitter finish, as we take in the depth and fullness of their emotions dropped at life in music.
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