As we roll out of those horrible winter blues (made 10x worse because of the pandemic), spring is on the horizon, and with that comes new music. Here are some recent (and some not so recent) releases I’ve been loving lately.
Pom Pom Squad - Lux
Pom Pom Squad’s latest track, Lux, is powerful, punchy and punk rock. The Brooklyn group’s latest release is, as lead singer Mia Berrin describes “about the fear of intimacy I felt as a teen that stemmed from negative early experiences of male attention.” The song is named after one of the characters in The Virgin Suicides and the music video pays homage to the 1999 film of the same name. Lux is noisy and loud and has a razor sharp bite to it that just makes you want to listen to it more and more.
Hayley Williams - Flowers for Vases/Descansos
Hayley Williams surprised fans when she released her second solo effort, Flowers for Vases/Descansos. The album comes just nine months after her first solo record, Petals for Armor. The album was recorded and written entirely by Williams at her home in Nashville. Williams has described this album as a prequel to Petals or ‘some sort of detour.’ What makes Flowers for Vases different is it’s a departure from the floaty, art pop of Petals for Armor and explores more of an indie folk sound. Like Petals, it’s a raw and beautiful record that is vulnerable and intimate.
Boygenius
I’m embarrassed it took me so long to get into Boygenius, the supergroup that features Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers, and Lucy Dacus, but now I’m hooked. The group released a six song EP in 2018 that features a beautiful blend of indie rock and folk pop. Everyone in the group carries a unique quality about their music that when comes together, feels like a perfect blend of soaring choruses and harmonious joy that is absolute art to the ears. Although they haven’t released music as a trio since the EP’s release, they have been featured on Hayley Williams’ Petals for Armor, and have been known to work on one another’s projects. In the mean time, I’ll be here patiently waiting for more.
Sincere Engineer - Out of Reach
Chicago punk-rock band Sincere Engineer have released their latest song, Out of Reach, the third of a string of new songs since signing to Hopeless Records in 2020. The new track leans more towards a pop-punk power ballad in comparison to their earlier efforts, but by the time the chorus kicks in, goes full speed into a great punk song about feelings of isolation and loneliness. The video carries a similar theme with lead singer Deanna Belos obsessively watching every screen in a massive home on a dark and dreary day. Very on the nose given the current state the world is in. Sincere Engineer are due to release their second studio album soon, and are absolutely one to watch.
Taylor Swift - You All Over Me
Taylor Swift has unveiled the first of the planned six of her re-recorded albums. Fearless (Taylor’s Version) is coming out April 9. The album is her 2008 sophomore record, Fearless, re-recorded entirely and features six songs ‘from the vault,’ tracks that didn’t make the album and have never been heard before. And while fans got a first listen with the re-release of Love Story, Taylor is now giving fans another treat by releasing one of the vault tracks. You All Over Me, which features Maren Morris on backup vocals, is pure country Taylor. From the slow acoustic intro to the twang in her voice, any hardcore Taylor fan will recognize that this easily belongs from the Fearless catalogue.