July 27, 2018

¡¡¡Ya es viernes!!!

*Clink clink* for the freakin’ weekend, baby. I’m back with five songs to welcome into your next week. We’ve got new songs from music vets, reappearances from cmd+f alums, and supa dupa fresh tunes.

Before we dive into the music, did you know you can contribute to cmd+f? Those of you who have read the previous letter sent out will see I’ve copy+pasted the same details outlining how you can take part in cmd+f’s upward trajectory. Read more below:

After the success of the cmd+vent calendar, in which I asked a dozen friends to write about how music impacted their lives throughout 2017, I’ve decided to steer cmd+f into a more communal atmos beyond the holiday season… by inviting one reader per month to share their music discoveries by emerging artists, or artists likely flying under our radars.

To the dear readers currently subscribed to this letter via email, I’d like to encourage you to reply to this letter (really, just hit “reply” at the top of your box and I promise I’ll get your message), give me a hello, and let me know if you’d be interested in taking over cmd+f one week. You’ll get to write an opening monologue, introduce yourself, and gush about five songs really hitting at your heartstrings.

I’m currently keeping this invitation open to email subscribers only — so if you have a friend with a vibrant musical palette that isn’t currently subscribed, please have them head over to this link right here! Please reply to this email if you’d like more details.

Now, let’s get into the new music. I’ve got five tunes by incredible ladies that have been jumbling around my brain for many weeks now. I’m beyond excited for you to finally be acquainted.

Remember: if you like what you hear, spread the cheer. Tell your friends about these artists and share the love.

You can contact me by replying directly to the newsletter that is mailed to your inbox every Friday, via my Twitter account, or using the contact page on the cmd+f website.

P.S. If you would like to have this letter sent to your email every Friday, please head over to this link right here to subscribe to never miss a weekly roundup!

________________________________________

“Good Love” - Aly & AJ | I’m sure a handful of readers last heard of Aly & AJ when they were awkwardly making their way through middle school and religiously watching episodes of Phil of the Future on the low lest they look “lame” to their classmates who were watching The Real World. Aly & AJ, an understated duo from the Disney Channel stars of yesteryear, who also happen to be siblings, have been making music together for nearly 15 years. Poptimists who’ve closely followed their trajectory collectively agree: all of what they’ve put out has been really damn good. “Good Love” is their latest single, a brooding dark pop follow up to their 2017 EP Ten Years. Drenched in heavy synths reminiscent to Berlin’s 1986 smash hit “Take My Breath Away,” the ghostly track is grated in luscious reverb with tender lyrics. Listen here

“Heartbreak Hotel” - Alice Chater | Alice first blipped across my radar back in April. Then she was known as just “alice” and had a bangin’ (yet somewhat unfinished sounding) debut single (that highlighted her potential to being a really interesting popstar). Overnight (literally, I woke up and my playlist updated) she’s tacked on her last name (which, thank god - it was unbelievably difficult to find her socials), and has since dropped “Heartbreak Hotel.” Virgin/EMI are putting $$$monaaay$$$ into her A&R and visuals, and I think it’ll be well spent. “Heartbreak Hotel” is the pop bop we DESERVE. There’s a delightful chorus packed with enough cowbell to ring-a-ding-ding you into the fifth dimension, and [gasp] a MIDDLE 8! It’s a touch Dua Lipa meets early Gaga (à la “Paparazzi”) meets Anita Ward’s “Ring My Bell.” Amen @ the pop gods! Listen here and Watch here

“Flexin’” - Tkay Maidza feat. Duckwrth | Heeeeeat waaaaave! Aussie emcee Tkay Maidza dropped her first SOLO release since her 2016 debut album and it’s pure heat. Featuring rising LA rapper Duckwrth, the track is about being yourself - unapologetically. Get loud, grab some win, kick over a few chairs, and dance on the m----f--- table. Listen here

“Honey, Don’t Kill My Vibe” - YESEO | Korean electro pop goddess YESEO writes, produces, records, and mixes all of her own music. “Honey, Don’t Kill My Vibe,” taken from her debut LP Damn Rules, shifts away from her initial electro-R&B sound and venture into funky synthpop reminiscent of Little Dragon. Listen here

“Jugg Everything” - Nezi Momodu | Nezi Momodu is a Nigerian Muslim rapper living in Texas, and after listening to her, I am bald. Phew! For those of you who crave old school rap and hip hop, dominated by effortless, syncopated flows with the ease of Missy Elliott, or the ruthlessness of Lil’ Kim, Nezi Momodu is your answer. She’s the future, she’s current, and she’s exactly what hip-hop needs right now. Listen here

New Music Friday Selects

• Japanese R&B pop trio GLOSS have released their first EP, TYO GLO, which includes the ear tingling single “Big Mad” (which was featured on cmd+f a couple months ago) Listen here

• Blood Orange, aka Devonte Hynes, is back with his new single “Charcoal Baby.” He’s also announced this week a new album is on the way. Listen here

• Pale Waves have announced their debut album My Mind Makes Noises drops September 14. They’ll be kicking about on a North American tour from October through December, so go swipe up tickets ASAP. Listen to their newest single “Eighteen” Listen here

• If you’re fond of watching choreography, Ten, a member of the Korean pop group NCT, released a dance practice video for his song “Dream In A Dream” last week. It’s mesmerizing to watch; his movements are like ASMR for the eyes Watch here

• Number one hustler Tinashe continues to lay groundwork for a whole new era after finally dropping her album JOY RIDE this past spring. Check out her latest drop “Throw A Fit” Listen here

• Leon Bridges covered Ginuwine’s “Pony” for a Spotify Singles session and it’s [chef’s kiss] Listen here

• Charli XCX has a new single and… oh, yes hunny! Listen here

• Legendary UK girl group All Saints have a brand new album, Testament, and it’s rather good! Listen here

________________________________________

A(lmost a)ll of the tracks I have shared in this week’s letter are archived into a single playlist on Spotify for you to follow here.

Subscribe to that playlist, share it with friends, or take some inspiration from the ever growing list to compile some of your own.

If you’re interested in listening to what I’m rinsing this month, you can follow my July 2018 playlist here. There I will dump a hodgepodge of new and old songs that fit my mood and the trends of the month. Having a personal monthly playlist makes a year in review so easy. Share your playlists with me!

See you next week!

June 8, 2018

P H E W.

Life is starting to heat up in sunny Southern California, and with that it calls for more bangers, bops, and jams.

Last week I left you with a grab bag of genres to wade through, but this week I’m here to serve up hearty slices of poptimism.

As always, I hope these songs inspire you to check out more music by these particular artists, or lead to introducing you to another artist you’ve never heard before!

Remember: if you like what you hear, spread the cheer. Tell your friends about these artists and share the love.

You can contact me by replying directly to the newsletter that is mailed to your inbox every Friday, via my Twitter account, or using the contact page on the cmd+f website.

P.S. If you would like to have this letter sent to your email every Friday, please head over to this link right here to subscribe to never miss a weekly roundup!

________________________________________

“Ordinary Superstar” - Rina Sawayama | This is the third time I’ve dropped Rina into the weekly cmd+f picks, so she should REALLY be on your radar. While “Ordinary Superstar” came out last October in her exquisitely produced RINA mini album, the music video made it’s grandiose debut on i-D’s YouTube channel this week. The hair! The makeup! It’s ultra glam á la Jean Paul Gaultier’s Fifth Element. Like I said last November, keep your finger on the pulse for Rina! She is out here making massive waves in the pop circuit. Watch here

“Do It Again” - No Rome | If your first thought when hearing “Do It Again” is “this sounds like The 1975,” you’d be right on the nose. No Rome is not only one of Dirty Hit’s newest signees to release a new single, but also the protegee of The 1975’s Matty Healy and George Daniel, both of whom lent a hand in producing the dizzying debut. When digging around for more details on No Rome himself, I found a little note burrowed on his SoundCloud: “no rome is an art project by rome gomez - a personification of teen love, melancholy & everything in between.” There isn’t a better way to describe the effervescent mood of “Do It Again.” Listen here

“Do You Wanna Dance” - Cosha | Cosha is the artist formerly known as Bonzai. Yes, the Bonzai featured on Mura Masa’s 2016 hit “What If I Go.”  The Irish singer has recently rebranded her music identity as Cosha last month with the release of her new album, RIP Bonzai. Far from the distorted glitch noises and brash synthesizers of her Bonzai days, Cosha has linked up with (former Vampire Weekend member and Charli XCX/Carly Rae Jepsen producer extraordinaire) Rostam for her lead single. “Do You Wanna Dance” rumbles slick whistles over a wobbling, relentless bassline. Can I get an Amen for this evolution? Listen here

“All The Work” - Amber Mark | We have another cmd+f alum making an appearance this week! I would have had this song up sooner had I not be rendered half-conscious for nearly all of May…. Now my ears are wide awake and fallen into utter BLISS for Amber’s new Conexão EP. My personal pick for standout track is the sultry and finger-snappin’ “All The Work.” Listen here

“Small World” - Sabina Ddumba | Sabina Ddumba’s vocals. This is where I’m launching my pitch. The Swedish singer made her start in 2012 on Swedish X Factor, released her debut album in 2016 (which includes the marvelous track “Time” produced by MNEK), and has proven herself to be a powerhouse R&B vocalist in her own country (which already has a reputation for housing some of the greatest pop artists of ALL TIME). “Small World” is Sabina’s latest release, and honestly it’s about time for the world outside of Europe to hear Sabina and all her glory. Listen here

New Music Friday Selects

• Christina Aguilera’s dropped a new single, “Like I Do” featuring GoldLink. It’s another god damn JAM. Xtina’s album is shaping up to be one of the best albums of the year… this song is so damn good Listen here
• Interpol have announced a new album is on the way, and have shared a new ball-busting tune, “The Rover” Listen here
• Jorja Smith’s highly anticipated debut album Lost & Found is out and everyone is losing their mind Listen here
• Everyone’s favorite dreampop outfit Wild Nothing returns with “Letting Go” Listen here
• Former Disney Channel star and cmd+f alumnus Sabrina Carpenter is back with a BOP! Listen here
• 20gayteen coming thru with some fab video content!!:
• The Internet have dropped a charming new video for their new single “Come Over,” starring Syd wooing cute girl next door with her sexy vocals, and Steve Lacy in a yellow turtleneck with smiley faces on it. Watch here
• Troye Sivan out here serving high fashion, god tier LQQKS in his new music video for “Bloom” Watch here
• Tove Lo recruits Charli XCX, Icona Pop, ALMA, and Elliphant to teach ya mans how to eat pussy in the “bitches” music video. I mean, I guess I should note it’s a bit NSFW? Watch here

________________________________________

A(lmost a)ll of the tracks I have shared in this week’s letter are archived into a single playlist on Spotify for you to follow here.

Subscribe to that playlist, share it with friends, or take some inspiration from the ever growing list to compile some of your own.

If you’re interested in listening to what I’m rinsing this month, you can follow my June 2018 playlist here. There I will dump a hodgepodge of new and old songs that fit my mood and the trends of the month. Having a personal monthly playlist makes a year in review so easy. Share your playlists with me!

See you next week!

June 1, 2018

My oh my -- we’ve officially eclipsed the mid-way mark of the year.

In the northern hemisphere, this is that sweet spot in the year when all the summer jams start cropping up at breakneck speed. This week I’ve mixed things up a bit, pumpin’ the brakes on the bubble gum pop bangers and instead dishing up a variety of vibrant tunes.

As always, I hope these songs inspire you to check out more music by these particular artists, or lead to introducing you to another artist you’ve never heard before!

Remember: if you like what you hear, spread the cheer. Tell your friends about these artists and share the love.

You can contact me by replying directly to the newsletter that is mailed to your inbox every Friday, via my Twitter account, or using the contact page on the cmd+f website.

P.S. If you would like to have this letter sent to your email every Friday, please head over to this link right here to subscribe to never miss a weekly roundup!

________________________________________

“Cold Fire” - PREP feat. DEAN | “Cold Fire” is in fact actually pure heat. London outfit PREP is comprised of a classical music composer, a house producer, and masterminds behind some of the UKs dopest pop R&B acts (RAY BLK, AlunaGeorge). Featuring DEAN, one of the top (okay, the KING) pop songwriters in Korea (who’s also worked with Anderson.Paak, The Internet’s Syd, and Mila J), “Cold Fire” is a groovy, retro-future dance bop dusted in handclaps and punchy chords hinged over a neo-disco instrumental. If this doesn’t inspire you to hit the dance floor to pull out the hokey finger guns to help liven up your Electric Slide… then you really need to loosen up. Listen here

“Blink” - Bad Gyal (prod. DJ Florentino) | Hailing from Catalonia, Bad Gyal is OUT HERE. Working with some top notch producers (Jam City, El Guincho, Dubbel Dutch, et. al.), Bad Gyal is making waves in the Spanish urban scene. Raised on a musical diet of dancehall and reggaeton, Bad Gyal weaves lyrics between Spanish, Catalan, and English. Listen here

“Street Fighter Mas” - Kamasi Washington | If you’re lookin’ for something wavy, look no further. As one of the leading and most progressive soul/jazz-adjacent artists of the moment, Kamasi Washington is a far more familiar name than you may realize. Having performed with the likes of Snoop Dogg and Lauryn Hill, the multi-instrumentalist really hit his stride after the release of his 2015 debut solo album The Epic, and laying the groundwork with his saxophone on Kendrick Lamar’s To Pimp a Butterfly. Washington has an eagerly anticipated (amongst the circle who knows about his work, obv) sophomore album Heaven and Earth coming out at the end of this month. “Street Fighter Mas” is Washington’s theme song he’s imagined over the years to play prior to his personal entrance into a round of the video game Street Fighter. Listen here

“Us Vs Them” - Spring King | Heeeeeeeeell yeaaaaaaaah. Listen here

“a.t.w. (against the wall)” - Ben Khan | I’ve been waiting years for Ben Khan to release a new music, and boy has he DELIVERT. “a.t.w.” is the third single released from his hotly anticipated debut album (I’m still searching for a release date, but it’s been thrown around as ‘this summer,’ meaning in the coming months) after disappearing sometime around 2015. WELCOME BACK, BEN! Listen here

New Music Friday Selects

• For the first time in my life I cannot be assed to give a single fuck about a new Kanye West album. I’m sad about it. For those who want to expend the energy, a Ye listening party in Jackson Hole, Wyoming went down yesterday with a live stream. Big shrug.

• Continuing with the “too big to ignore” news for this week: K-pop group BTS became the first South Korean music act to have a number 1 album on the Billboard Hot 100 chart last week -- with over 100,000 pure sales of the album alone. While the album was still heavily streamed, these sales numbers show they’re a forced to be reckoned with. Sorry to nerd out with top 40 chart stats, but in the age of streaming, declining album sales, and labels buying out ridiculous radio contracts as if the radio were indeed an advert space, it’s impressive when there’s a clear, new shift made by some dedicated fans. Like I said above: this is “too big to ignore.” Where does K-pop in the Western world go from here? For a start: Listen here

• K-pop veterans SHINee honored their 10th anniversary as a group this week with the release of a house-rattled The Story of Light EP, all the while remembering their late member Kim Jonghyun who died by suicide last year. The lead single “Good Evening” is a glossy club bop paired with a highly aesthetically pleasing music video Watch here and Listen here

• Happy Pride Month! MNEK has blessed this month with a vibrant collab with Hailee Steinfeld aptly titled “Colour” Listen here

• The Internet have announced their new album Hive Mind drops July 20, and have shared a new single “Come Over” Listen here

• Welcome to a new era of The 1975. While the music is still wildly saccharine and soaked in cliche lyrics about growing up and finding yourself in your late 20s… “Give Yourself a Try” is rather enjoyable Listen here

• Allie X continues to highlight WHY she is one of the best pop acts and songwriters out right now with her ethereal new single “Focus” Listen here

• Drake released a boring track (“I’m Upset”) and got bodied by Pusha T this week. Things aren’t looking too good for Aubrey.

• Cardi B released the video for our future song of the summer, “I Like It” feat. Bad Bunny and J Balvin. Her outfits are cute as hell! Watch here

• Charli XCX has a new song, “5 In the Morning” Listen here

• cmd+f alum Rex Orange County linked up with Randy Newman to record a new cover of “You’ve Got a Friend in Me” Listen here

• Holy Balls: Gorillaz not only dropped a new single and music video featuring Jack Black and a swarm of Powerpuff Girls references for it, but also have an entire album dropping at the end of this month. PHEW! Watch here

________________________________________

A(lmost a)ll of the tracks I have shared in this week’s letter are archived into a single playlist on Spotify for you to follow here.

Subscribe to that playlist, share it with friends, or take some inspiration from the ever growing list to compile some of your own.

NEW MONTH, NEW PLAYLIST! If you’re interested in listening to what I’m rinsing this month, you can follow my June 2018 playlist here. There I will dump a hodgepodge of new and old songs that fit my mood and the trends of the month. Having a personal monthly playlist makes a year in review so easy. Share your playlists with me!

See you next week!

January 5, 2018

Whoa. Welcome to 2018.

It’s a brand new year full of brand new flavors and feelings. So far in this first week it’s been a bit of a shitstorm - quite literally on the East coast as y’all suffer it out under a deep freeze (stay toasty, buds).

This year, I wanna take steps to make cmd+f to feel more like a community. After the response to cmd+vent, I believe it’s feasible. I know I spend every week telling y’all what you could be listening to, but that’s from one perspective. To accomplish this, I’d love to hear from you about your music experiences throughout 2018. Was there a song on your Discover Weekly that blew your mind? Were you stopped in your tracks in the middle of picking out a detergent and heard a wicked tune humming over your head? An above average concert opener? How about a song from that party you went to last weekend when your friend’s cousin DJ’d? As I said last year: your new favorite music act is always looking for new fans. Give us the goods, and everyone wins.

If you like what you hear, spread the cheer.

For now, it’s business as usual: strap in for 5 exciting emerging artists to slip onto your radar.

You can contact me by replying directly to the newsletter that is mailed to your inbox every Friday, via my Twitter account, or using the contact page on the cmd+f website.

P.S. If you would like to have this letter sent to your email every Friday, please head over to this link right here to subscribe to never miss a weekly roundup!

________________________________________

“Prune, You Talk Funny” - Gus Dapperton | Gus Dapperton has the full package to dive headfirst into 2018 as one of the most buzzworthy and compelling acts to watch this year. He already has a loyal following of fans trickling in by the day from all corners of the net, racking up millions of streams on YouTube bootlegs and authorized streaming platforms. Gus not only has a formative, definitive aesthetic about him (eccentric art school weirdo who clearly worships David Byrne), but he’s got off-kilter earworms that’ll burrow into your brain for days. “Prune, You Talk Funny” is a whimsical, breezy bop. What’ll assure your love for this tune is the music video - so please watch that before skipping straight to the song stream. You’ll understand this elusive charm that just oozes from him and his music; from his bowl cut, to his oversized polyester suits with deck shoes, and teal eyeshadow. Gus is at the top of my list of artists to watch this year. I have a feeling he’s going to catch on with a large audience. Watch here // Listen here

“Fever Thoughts” - Louis III | This is a debut single. This! A debut single! What in the hell?! “Fever Thoughts” sounds exactly like that hazy, nauseated restlessness an insomniac feels when trying to go the f*ck to sleep. The production is definite Frank Ocean-esque, paired with crisp R&B vocals. The dizzy sample loops scratch at your spine and try to seduce you to sleep. Listen here

“1986” -  HÅN | Perhaps the most cinematic single plucked out for the letter this week, “1986” is magical. Italian songstress HÅN’s creamy vocals glide over an increasingly confident chorus of melancholic synths. This song is begging to get tipped by a music supervisor for an episode of Shadowhunters (which, yes, please) - the sweet intimacy and honesty in the lyrics is like fresh, powdery snow. Listen here

“King of Pop” - Roy Irwin | New Zealand artist Roy Irwin churned out one of the catchiest tunes about battling with depression in 2017. The lyrics are pretty vague, but there’s mentions of leaving the house wasted but coming home jade. Sonically the tune sounds like a bike ride in the park on a perfectly sunny day. Irwin’s entire album, also titled King of Pop, is littered with catchy tunes about avoiding Your Actual Feelings to Avoid Getting Into How Bad Things Are Actually Going With Someone You Don’t Really Care to Get Into It With. That was a mouthful, but people with depression will get it: sometimes you gotta fake it, or you gotta circumvent your reality to make it through the day, or a single conversation. Irwin’s managed to bottle this essence of irony so effortlessly.  Listen here

“Don’t Fade” -  JGrrey | After living with this song for a few weeks, I found out this song was almost never released as a single. Rising South London artist JGrrey whipped up a recorded version for a performance on YouTube channel COLORS (in which artists are invited to perform live in a brightly painted monochrome room), got a rave reaction (duh), and released a proper studio recording. It may be a cheap shot to suggest JGrrey is a “mini Adele,” but girl got pipes and incredible song lyrics. Listen here

BONUS

• Running out the gate, the best release of the week is Liam and Rita’s “For You” for the Fifty Shades Free OST. The quality of the tune has come as a surprise to virtually every pop fan who’s laid ears on it, but I knew they had it in ‘em. Is 2018 Rita’s breakout year? Will she finally stop getting lucrative yet shoddy TV hosting gigs and finally be a music artist? Anyhow, ISSA BOP. Listen here
• An official press release came out this week announcing Kendrick Lamar and TDE are supervising Marvel’s Black Panther soundtrack, including his new collab with Grammy nominee SZA - “All the Stars” Listen here
• Bruno Mars out here, continuing to be the king of releasing the song of the summer in January. He’s dropped a remix of “Finesse” featuring none other than America’s sweetheart from the BX, Cardi B. The music video, an homage to 90s comedy sketch show In Living Color, has caused quite a buzz. I even shared it with my mom and she bumped to it. Watch here
• Last week Allie X and VERITÉ officially released a music video for their soon-to-be sleeper hit “Casanova” Watch here
• Charli XCX has covered Wolf Alice’s “Don’t Delete the Kisses” and transformed it into a distorted, desperate hyper-pop ballad. Listen here
• Interscope labelmates Lana del Rey and BØRNS join forces on a euphoric collab, “God Save Our Young Blood,” and honestly, it’s okay, and isn’t a total waste of your time listening to it Listen here
• THE VACCINES ARE BACK Listen here
• Raunchy rapper and frequent Charli XCX collaborator cupcakKe has dropped her new album Ephorize. Please proceed with extreme caution if considering playing this around prude co-workers - “Spoiled Milk Titties” in particular is not safe for work (in case the title didn’t give that away). Listen here

________________________________________

The New Year has brought on a clean slate - thus, a fresh playlist is born. A(lmost a)ll of the tracks I am going to share in the cmd+f newsletters this year will be archived into a single playlist on Spotify for you to follow here.

Subscribe to that playlist, share it with friends, or take some inspiration from the ever growing list to compile some lists of your own.

If you’re interested in listening to what I’m rinsing this month, you can follow my January 2018 playlist here. There I will dump a hodgepodge of new and old songs that fit my mood and the trends of the month. Having a personal monthly playlist makes a year in review so easy. Share your playlists with me!

See you next week!