George Ezra

March 23, 2018

March 23, 2018 in Newsletter

It couldn’t be a better time for it to be Friday than right now, dear reader. This week has been filled with many hours of planning budgets and orchestrating a massive, two-day photo shoot for my day job - and it all went way, way better than anticipated. Los Angeles has been raining non-stop for the past 48 hours – and it’s Florida rain, not that insufferably light Pacific Northwest mist that spits down on your enough to make your hair frizz up as soon as you step indoors.

I’ve slimmed down the selections to five songs again this week, and each one of them is a true gem. Some weeks I am so nervous I won’t find enough songs to muster up the enthusiasm to share them with you, but there is so much exciting music waiting to be heard out there.

To completely gas myself up (everyone needs to give themselves a pat on the back time to time) I can’t tell if I’m getting better at this, or if new artists are stepping up their game, but the picks for the past month have been ridiculously good.

As always, I hope these songs inspire you to check out more music by these 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!

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“Set It Off” - JessB | It’s the third week in a row I’m opening the letter with a track by a female MC! How could I not when ladies are killing the fucking game right now. JessB was brought to my attention via my dear friend Ana (who tips me off about what’s happening in New Zealand), and I completely lost my mind from the moment I heard “Set It Off.” She’s an exciting rising rapper from Auckland, making big wakes in the Kiwi hip-hop scene. Her EP Bloom packs pure HEAT, y’all. Keep your ears open for JessB; she’s only just getting started. Listen here

“Falling Into Me” - Let’s Eat Grandma | The best way I could describe the vibe of UK duo Let’s Eat Grandma is a cross between the brutal honesty and organic listlessness of MUNA meets the brutally calculated and left field-ness of Björk. “Falling Into Me” sounds like Lorde channeling CAN and Stevie Nicks all at once. It’s maddeningly fresh. Listen here

“Duck Hunting” - Gundelach | This week’s wouldn’t be complete without a song about melancholic nostalgia. Norway’s Gundelache has you aching with nostalgia in your chest. Between the analog synths and his sweet falsetto, “Duck Hunting” paints a vivid memory of beckoning for hopefulness when you’re on the brink of giving up on everything. It’s beautiful. If you dig “Duck Hunting,” give the rest of his new album Baltus a spin - it’s chock full of glossed up Tangerine Dream-esque vibes. Listen here

“Sure” - Hatchie | Back on my shoegaze bullshit. With swirling guitars stick in a My So Called Life-esque daze, “Sure” is a long lost Cocteau Twins daydream. Hymns to fractured relationships never sounded so gauzy. The Australian singer has garnered a lot of buzz, and I can't wait to hear more from her. Listen here

“Bedroom” - Litany | Alright, y’all. This song turns one year in a handful of months – but that aside, “Bedroom” is that song. "Bedroom" is a simmering, two-step lite, atmospheric pop bop. It's the audible nervously biting your finger and trying not to look at that person across the room. Their 4 Track EP is stacked with cottony jams and has steadily been raking in new fans over the past year. They're allegedly working on an album that's set to drop this year, and I hope the hooks stick as hard as the seductively sing-songy "Bedroom." Listen here

New Music Friday Selects

Hallelujah! Old boy George Ezra has done it! He’s released his sophomore album Staying at Tamara’s. Stand out track that wasn’t a pre-released single has to be “Shotgun” Listen here
Neo John Mayer Shawn Mendes has returned with not one but two new singles. One sounds very retro-James Bay, while the other sounds like a pseudo Mayer Hawthorne bop. Both are good each in their own ways. Listen to In My Blood here and Listen to Lost in Japan here
A collab I never could have foreseen… but Thirty Seconds to Mars and A$AP Rocky???? It doesn’t even slap. Listen here
Drake is back on his bullshit and gearing up for a comeback. This time brother Aubrey has dropped a “remix” (aka slipped a verse onto) N.E.R.D.’s “Lemonade” featuring Rihanna (which DUH) Listen here
Superorganism have covered Carnitas Cabezza “Havana” and now THAT really slaps Listen here
Queen Nadine, the only surviving member of Girls Aloud, has a new EP out Listen here
cmd+f alumn FINNEAS hs a new song, and it’s gorgeous Listen here
Sunflower Bean’s sophomore album Twentytwo in Blue is out today Listen here
Resident brat pop cmd+f alum GIRLI has a new single called “Play It Cool” Listen here

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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 March 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!

March 16, 2018

March 16, 2018 in Newsletter

This week’s been a doozy, innit? We time traveled ahead one hour last Sunday here in the States, and it’s knocked the time-space continuum out of equilibrium. I now am eating dinner after 9 pm, hitting snooze for 50 minutes because it’s pitch black in the mornings, and it’s made me grumpy enough about it to be whinging about something that happens annually that I just gotta elaborate IT HAS RUINED MY LIFE.

It hasn’t ruined my life though… in fact, this week’s been a pretty great week. Despite everyone relevant in the music biz flocking to SXSW in Austin, TX this week, I’ve had ample opportunities to rotate my sweater collection under the crisp, early Spring sun. My friend shared a book she’s been working on for a year for me to read, I had some contracts pull through at work, got to photograph some ancient pottery, and Rihanna has effectively launched the end of Snapchat (more on that in the Selects section).

There are SIX songs I’ve plucked out for you - because I honestly couldn’t part with any of them, and you need to hear them all ASAP.

As always, I hope these songs inspire you to check out more music by these 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!

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“Revoke Thee” - Latasha | This is the most last minute addition to cmd+f this week, and queen Latasha have clawed her way to the opening spot for this week’s letter. A self-proclaimed nerd “hood bitch” from Brooklyn, Latasha is coming to step on all of our necks and take names. She’s a forced to be reckoned with, opening “Revoke Thee” with “Fuck these other queens if they acting like bitches/ Everyone’s a sister ‘til their attitude switches.” The bars are stacked with confidence, a story of a woman who will not be fucked with, and honestly? I feel that. There’s one day in a woman’s life when she realizes she’s tired of putting up with everyone else’s shit, including other women who don’t wanna enjoy the magic of sisterhood, so you just gotta step the fuck up and steer your own ship. But you also gotta be realistic about your relationships with people. If they’re wasting your time - Latasha is here to tell you that you gotta cut these vampires from your life. Listen here

“High Like This” - Kevin George | Make way for a new music prodigy. Kevin George is a 20 year old self-taught producer inspired by Prince, Tame Impala, and The Weeknd. He produced, engineered, and mixed his monster of a track “High Like This.” The moody R&B track is a radio ready single, destined to blow Kevin George out of the water. If DJs slipped this on the radio, listeners would more than likely mistake it for a Rae Sremmurd track – and we all know Swae Lee is the king of hip-hop melodies. Give it six months and we may have a “High Like This” collab with a few seasoned rappers in the mix. Whatever Kevin George is doing, he’s doing it right. Listen here

“Stallion” - The Garden | Orange County’s finest punk outfit The Garden returned at the end of last month with a hair-raising, head-banging, absolutely bonkers single “Stallion.” It’s got it all: rock grinding riffs, frantic drum kicks, abrupt key changes, and sick, sick vocals. Listen here

“Modern Romance” - Satellite Young | Now for a complete 180 from the previous song, I present the sickly sweet, bubblegum synthpop from Japan’s Satellite Young. “Modern Romance” is sugar rush of electric horns and a ridiculously catchy chorus - regardless if you speak Japanese or not. I guarantee you’ll be humming along and bopping your head side to side before the end of your first listen. Listen here

“Fish” - Will Joseph Cook | Will Joseph Cook has been on the radar of many alt-pop enthusiasts for a minute. “Fish” came out last year on an EP released not terribly long after the release of his highly lauded debut album Sweet Dreamer. For “Fish,” Cook turned inward, with lyrics so arresting and sensuous, they paint a story so crisp and fresh on your mind. Listen here

“Pasajeros” - Karma Wears White Ties | This last song came to me by way of my glorious editor, Kimmie, and I have been swimming through it all week. She’s thankfully vowed to put together a Spanish indie playlist (which I’ll link to y’all once it’s complete). “Pasajeros” is truly, truly dope. While most of Karma Wears White Ties are in English, "Pasajeros" is a soft, catchy bop in Spanish, opening with a gentle praise to simply shut up.The Chicago band’s vibe is chill, sounding like a cross between Two Door Cinema Club meets Local Natives. Listen here

New Music Friday Selects

Hollywood’s first high budget film with an openly homosexual protagonist hero Love Simon “came out” today. It’s received a lot of buzz and praise, warmed a lot of hearts, and also dropped a hotly anticipated soundtrack! The soundtrack features new original songs by Jack Antonoff, MO, and Troye Sivan. Listen here
Brother Chuck P is back………. And he has delivered another suave ass BOP. Listened to “Done For Me” by Charlie Puth featuring Kehlani Listen here
Rising South Korean K-Pop group NCT have released their first full length album, EMPATHY, this week. It's a mishmash of experimental pop bops. Listen here
Miguel… up to some antics…. Out here….slapping his vocals on a Kygo beat…. Instead of a whole ass album… but…. Let him live…. Listen here
Leon Bridges dropped two new songs this week: “Bet Ain’t Worth the Hand” and “Bad Bad News.” Both excellent. The second one? Totally slaps. Listen here
George Ezra has dropped yet another tune from his forthcoming album Staying at Tamara’s - this time it’s “Saviour” featuring Swedish folk duo First Aid Kid Listen here
Louisa Johnson also has a sexy new single this week featuring 2Chainz. Aptly titled “YES” and it’s got high key Dirrty Xtina meets Pussycat Dolls vibes Listen here
Lesbian Jesus Hayley Kiyoko has dropped a chamber pop power ballad??? And it’s great? Listen here
Halsey has released a new version of her new single “Alone,” this time featuring bars from Big Sean and Stefflon Don. Listen here
The Decemberists have a whole ass brand new album out! Listen here
As I said in the intro: Rihanna has essentially killed Snapchat. The app stupidly released an advertisement that asked users if they’d rather “slap Rihanna or punch Chris Brown.” Rih took to Instagram, rightfully disappointed, and asked her 60 million followers to stop using the app. The stock shares for Snapchat have plummeted 7% in the time I’ve been reading up on this... Read here

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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.

See you next week!

March 9, 2018

March 09, 2018 in Newsletter

Happy day after international women’s day!

To keep the festivities rolling, I’ve handpicked five songs fronted by female vocalists, and I’m so excited to share them with you. I’m keeping this opening short n’ sweet, and will let these gals do all the talking.

As always, I hope these five songs inspire you to check out more music by these 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!

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“The Game Remix” - Gabriel Garzón-Montano feat. Junglepussy | I spent Tuesday night leaning over a kitchen counter reading a book whilst getting myself reacquainted with Junglepussy’s discography. She’s hands down one of the best rappers from New York ever, armed with solid bars, and oozes levels of self love and confidence that I can feel myself start believing I have within me just listening to her voice. Her latest release is a collab with Gabriel Garzón-Montano, completely commandeering the instrumentals and replacing his lyrics with her own groove. This reimagination is thrilling, just turning the jam on its head. I wanna swim in this song. Listen here

“Wayside” - Renata Zeiguer | For those of you trapped in a snowstorm, and those of you sleeping off the days of the late summer sun, prepared to be swept off your feet by the punchdrunk, hazy folk jam ‘Wayside.” Listen here

“Like You Like That” - L Devine | This choice is an absolute curveball: I heard it back in November when it came out. Well, I actually tried to listen to L Devine’s EP back then, but it was likely an evening I was too overwhelmed by a barrage of higher profile releases, and it was sadly swept under the rug. “Like You Like That” came back to me this week after finding its way onto the formerly-collaborative Popjustice playlist, “POPJUSTICE EUPHORIA COME ON YOU FUCKERS LET’S FUCKING HAVE IT.” Peter’s been slowly chipping down the list from a whopping 1600+ entries, and I dip in the list every other day to see what remains. “Like You Like That” took me by surprise – it’s a highly calculated bop crafted to appeal to pop purists. It’s got the whimsical repetitive vocal inflections a la Terror Jr, and the curious sensuality of a Tove Lo track. Listen here

“Twentytwo” - Sunflower Bean | This song is absolutely gorgeous. I’m a bit annoyed with myself for putting off listening to this until this week, but I’m glad it found me. Sunflower Bean caused a bit of a buzz in 2016 around the release of their debut album Human Ceremony, and were noted to be fresh out of high school despite their sound being beyond their years. “Twentytwo” is a divine, dreamy mid-tempo track boasting a message of resilience on societal expectations for young women. If you can spare a moment, I can’t recommend the glossy, Olivia Bee directed music video enough. Listen here // Watch here

“Cat’s Cradle” - Hannah Epperson | Hannah Epperson is a phenomenon. A trained violinist, Epperson composes two versions of all her tracks: an Amelia (a devoted experimental pop interpretation), and an Iris (a stripped, minimalist interpretation). Using vocals and her loop-pedal, it’s mind blowing how the same song can sound from two worlds – each like a long lost fraternal twin living on separate ends of the galaxy. Highly recommended listening for fans of Andrew Bird, Patrick Wolf, and Sufjan Stevens. Listen here (Amelia version) // Listen here (Iris version)

New Music Friday Selects

Years & Years have finally returned with their first single since the release of their 2015 debut album Communion. Sticking with the lite-Catholic theme, the lead single is titled “Sanctify,” a low key Catholic guilt BOP about dear Olly Alexander engaging in intimate relationships with straight dudes. The music video also introduces us to Years & Years’ fictional universe of Palo Santo, a reversed-Blade Runner-esque society in which the androids are running shit and humans are a commodity. In the video, we see Olly: grind a chair, crawl on the floor, and is really just feeling hisself. 20gayteen is really out here. Watch here
Remember Vera Blue from the November 17, 2017 letter? Homegirl has released her Women’s Reckoning anthem “Lady Powers” as an official single this time throwing Kodie Shane for a verse on the track. YOOOOW! Listen here
Bellowing cherub George Ezra pulls through with yet another taste of his forthcoming album Staying at Tamara’s with the heartfelt ballad “Hold My Girl.” George’s kindly dressed up like a goofy dad for an equally sweet lyric video Watch here
James Bay has cut off all his hair and has apparently shed all that sadness from his shoulders. His latest single “Pink Lemonade” is a surprisingly upbeat, thirst-quenching delight Listen here
Editors return with their 9-track album Violence, and it’s a complete melter. Highly recommend “Hallelujah (So Low) Listen here
My favorite girls MUNA are celebrating 1 whole year since the release of their debut album about u with the release of an acoustic EP, About U: One Year On Listen here
Stranger Things star Finn Wolfhard’s band Calpurnia have shared their debut single “City Boy” Listen here
ZHU and Tame Impala have linked up for the track “”My Life” Listen here
WSTRN jumped on a remix of Mabel’s “Fine Line” and somehow make this jam BETTER Listen here
[yodels] WET ARE BACK! If you’re in need of a bit of a Mood for a light cry after being rejected by someone, please consider bumping “There’s A Reason” Listen here
Sail away with Lil Yachty’s new tape Lil Boat 2 Listen here
The Wrinkle In Time soundtrack has arrived and it has the first officially released Sade track in, like, a decade. How blessed??? Also, please support seeing this film this opening weekend if you can. Listen here
The Neighbourhood, aka American The 1975, have a new self-titled album Listen here
Not only has Vince Staples launched a GoFundMe campaign for $2million to fund his retirement after receiving swashes of criticism for his new live stage arrangement, he’s also kindly released a new track, “Get the Fuck Off My Dick” Listen here
Run the Jewels have remixed Lorde’s “Supercut” and it’s dope, obvi Listen here
The bottom half of the new Beach House song, “Dive” is far superior. Stick out listening to the 2:30 intro and you’ll be rewarded greatly Listen here

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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.

See you next week!

March 2, 2018

March 02, 2018 in Newsletter

This week I started to learn Italian.

No, really. I signed up for a Duolingo account and told my boss I was going to learn Italian for the sake of a project we’re going to be doing later in the year, but I’m mostly motivated by a surprise trip to Tuscany later this year. With that, I’ve asked friends to recommend some Italian films and songs, and about 95% of them got cheeky and recommended Call Me By Your Name. Very relieved to know my friends are caught up on the culture.

Nevertheless, the Call Me By Your Name vibes are looming over about half my picks this week, impressing a major early 80s, lo-fi Italo Disco-y kinda sound on half these jams.

Time for new tunes! Hopefully these five songs inspire you to check out more music by these 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!

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“Opposing Truths” - Sean Nicholas Savage | Opening this week’s picks with a brilliant wildcard I stumbled across in a random playlist. “Opposing Truths” is truly a feeling above all else; it’s a daydream, an afternoon four daiquiris deep in a lounge chair basking in the salty-summer air. Listen here

“People to Go” - Strange Names feat. Jorge Sorcarras | You may recall Strange Names from the December 8, 2017 letter for their single “Into Me.” Now they’ve got a new album out called Data that came out last Friday, and it’s lined wall to wall with prime head bopping material. “People to Go” is a standout track for me considering the unexpected twists, from opening with distorted, bubbling audio, to the kooky lyrics, and the vibrant composition. It’s unusual, but feels a tinge nostalgic (much like “Into Me” sounded like a Jane Austen film adaptation directed by John Hughes). Listen here

“Morning Again” - Elisa Coia | Sometimes life needs you to follow the call of the disco ball. “Morning Again” is an eerily poignant soft, early 80s Italo disco inspired tune that’s so unbelievably relevant to the current hair-raising political climate happening right now in America. Elisa delivers some heavy-hitting lyrics: “The judges, the jury, the shotgun, the sway / The boys in the blue know but they'll never say / Seems like the kid was running for his grave / What was his name?” over a steady kick drum and sultry piano keys. At times, the way she delivers the lines in the song has her sounding borderline exhausted, even a bit numb. Touche. “Morning Again” is a stunning track. Listen here // Watch here (precaution: allusions to gun violence)

“Left to Right” - Marteen | Y’all, I can’t believe we got a Bryson Tiller clone out here who’s actually a baby-faced 16 year old from the Bay Area. Marteen is no Bieber tho– nah, his VOCALS got me positively shook. He’s smooth as hell, confident, and honestly I can’t believe those notes are coming out of a 16 year old??? He’s a self-taught R&B-style vocalist, which is also insane. Marteen’s only got his first EP, NOTHANKYOU., out, but he’s already blowing past the typical corny teen-pop phase and throwing down seriously strong R&B pop jams. With a voice that sounds at least ten years older than the body it’s coming out of, son is on track to releasing big, big, biiiiig things. While the entire EP slaps, I’ve plucked “Left to Right,” a groovy little dance number, to introduce you to Marteen. Listen here

“Baby Don’t Stop” - NCT U | I hands down could not resist including this song, as it’s completely consumed my entire f*cking week. Please ignore the fact it’s got nearly 5 million streams, as I can assure about 3.75 million are from me. “Baby Don’t Stop” is currently only available to stream on YouTube (at least here Stateside), and it’s in music video form. This particular track will cater to pop purists who are in for the whole package: vocals, dance, and fashion - a triple threat that is pushing more K-Pop groups to the forefront of the Western pop charts right now. We pop fans have craved this level of unattainable perfectionism for so long, we haven’t realized how STARVED for entertainment we have been. The glory of early 00s pop is bubbling in South Korea and slowly boiling over into Western music, and I am beyond ready. Now, to briefly summarize this song/video, it’s performed by two members of South Korean boy group NCT, Ten and Taeyong. “Baby Don’t Stop” sonically screams major Troye Sivan mashed with “The Whisper Song” vibes (weird, but, it totally works), but the masterfully synced choreography steals the damn show. My friend Mari described watching their choreo as “making [her] feel like an alien who took over a body [she] can’t control.” It’s amazing what the human body can do to reach that level of coordination, and so gracefully. I’m obsessed and can’t wait to watch every live performance of this damn song. Also: you'll be hearing a lot more about NCT via me and likely more relevant Western music journalists this year. Listen/watch here

New Music Friday Selects

It’s March meaning we are WEEKS AWAY from George Ezra’s sophomore album Staying At Tamara’s! George’s kindly shared a lyric video for another tune off the forthcoming album called “Pretty Shining People.” It’s a delightfully sweet tune about coming together and loving each other, paired with George singing karaoke in an ugly brown suit to a vacant room draped in tacky tinsel. What a wonderful New Music Friday blessing Watch here
New MNEK song called “Tongue” got me wigless. I expected nothing less from him Listen here
It’s been announced that Charli XCX is going on tour with T*ylor Sw*ft and Carnitas Cabeza instead of doing a world tour with Red Velvet, Carly Rae Jepsen, or virtually ANYONE ELSE
Another disappointing tour story: The lineup for the FINAL Vans Warped Tour EVER is out and it’s beyond disappointing. Then again, the most iconic bands who started out on Warped Tour are either disbanded or above the mess that is WT… even for nostalgia’s sake Look here
ALMA has a new EP/mixtape/collection of songs??? or whatever the kids are calling it these days Listen here
2018 continues to give the gays what they want: Kylie Minogue and Tove Lo are performing at NYC Pride, and Years & Years have officially announced their first comeback single is called “Sanctity” and will drop NEXT FRIDAY
I’m double bulletting this Years & Years news because next week the entire letter may just me cruising on capslock about it
ALLEGEDLY DJ Khaled has a new song out called “Top Off” featuring Future, JAY-Z, and Beyonce, but it’s also allegedly only available on Apple Music, which I don’t have, so I will have to wait until iHeartRadio gets hold of it, eh.
Welp. iHeartRadio is about to file for bankruptcy. We’ll see how much content and promo to get rising artists into Top 40 radio happens now… Read here
Everything Everything have a new EP, A Deeper Sea, and “Breadwinner” is MENTAL Listen here
Experimental pop collective Superorganism have shared their debut self-titled album. Congrats! Listen here
SG Lewis has unleashed yet another futuristic R&B jam, “Coming Up” Listen here
Need to diversify your retirement portfolio? Spotify has gone public! Read here
Kelela has dropped a SIMS-inspired music video for “Frontline” Watch here

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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 March 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!

February 9, 2018

February 09, 2018 in Newsletter

So, my sinking into a K-Pop hole has only gotten more dire this week. I’ve resolved into a zombie, just watching dance routine after dance routine on autoplay on YouTube, feeling very much like those hazy college days when I’d pound 3 Benadryl to help me sleep after drinking a pot of coffee – except this feeling I get from watching these videos is disgustingly enjoyable. It’s the whole “your body needs sleep to function AND you have a day job you gotta stay awake for” that’s tripping me up. Fortunately, es Viernes y estoy ready 2 partaaaay.

As noted last week, it’s been brought to my attention that a few readers haven’t realized there is a NEW cmd+f 2018 playlist. This is the playlist where I dump in all of the songs I mention in the letter (that are available for streaming) into a single Spotify playlist. You can find that specific playlist here in which I’ll be updating regularly with the weekly cmd+f picks. Please feel free to subscribe to the list so you’ll have one central place for you to listen to nearly every song I post every week, and share with your friends!

Back to our regularly scheduled newslettering: please go forth and enjoy these five fantastic songs I’ve hand-harvested for you to enjoy this week! Hopefully these inspire you to check out more from that artist, or lead to introducing you to another artist you’ve never heard of 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!

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“Pumper” - MAI LAN | To quote my pal Richard, “Bloghaus is back, baby!” For those unfamiliar with the “bloghaus” genre, it was a very unique grade of electro-clash pop music that blew up during the short-lived but much loved Music Blog Dynasty circa 2004-2010 (around those years I’d say). Labels filing takedowns of music uploads and the creation of music streaming essentially MURDERED the era of music blogging, though a couple giants remain (a la Brooklyn Vegan, Stereogum, and Pitchfork) and have turned into full blown music news outlets. As for MAI LAN’s “Pumper”, it’s a high energy, repetitive BOP channeling French pop queen Yelle and early M.I.A. “Pumper” has inspired maaaany moments of dancing in my kitchen this week. It’s wicked fun and infectious. Listen here

“It’s Alright” - Sam Valdez | Once again I’m pulled into this pseudo-Americana music vibe that’d just been grabbing at my ears the past year. Sam Valdez sounds much less like Jade Bird but more like Trespassers William singing over a Ride instrumental. “It’s Alright” is raw, moving, and dreamy. Listen here

“Let’s Make Out” - Dream Wife | Looking for a last minute Valentine? Maybe this’ll give you a boost - next time you’re out, bump “Let’s Make Out” at full volume, and it’ll convert any room into the Troubadour, and every single person in the room’ll have no choice but to start rocking out. Dream Wife are brash, bold, and FIERCE. You can’t get more in your face than opening a track kicking and screaming, “LET’S MAKE OUT!!!” Listen here

“Come Through” - The Regrettes | I can’t get enough of this second wave evolution of brat pop - The Regrettes are The Runaways incarnate, oh, and did I mention they’re fronted by a cool AF high school teen? Frontwoman Lydia Night formed The Regrettes a couple years ago while taking music lessons in Burbank, and they’ve been churning out smart, Grade A rock hooks ever since. Their newest single “Come Through” is a delight. Listen here

“Never the Right Time” - Janine | Listen to New Zealand pull through AGAIN with another wickedly talented artist! Janine delivers solid, honey smooth R&B vocals for the sensuous slow jam “Never the Right Time.” After an over stimulating week, this tune pairs perfectly with a hot bath (extra bubbles) and a bottle of red. Listen here

New Music Friday Selects

The New Gospel has arrived: Kendrick Lamar’s tightly curated album of tracks inspired by Marvel’s Black Panther dropped today. Staaaaaaaaaaaacked. Can take a 90% guess it’s all you’ll be rinsing this weekend. Listen here
Everyone’s favorite bellowing cherub, George Ezra, is coming out with a podcast!! It’s cleverly called George Ezra & Friends, and that is the entire premise - just a conversation with friends. The podcast debuts on Monday, February 12 with his first guest Ed Sheeran. Pre-subscribe via Apple Podcasts: Subscribe here
George Ezra’s little bro, commonly known as Ten Tonnes, has a new single out today called “Lay It On Me” and it’s a bop. It’s a must listen for fans of early The Kooks and The Cribs. Listen here
The one, the only, the legendary Franz Ferdinand have dropped their fifth studio album Always Ascending today. I’ve listened to a good chunk of it, and it’s lived up to my early 80s disco/new wave expectations. Listen here
Pop-purist leaning friends will be pleased to know the Fifty Shades Freed soundtrack is now available - new tracks from Dua Lipa, Ellie Goulding, Sabrina Claudio, Julia Michaels, and many more. Listen here
Whenever The Wombats drop an album, they consistently surprise the hell out of me. It’s better than I’m expecting it to be, and I’m so grateful they’re still putting out tunes, let alone entire albums. Highly recommend listening to their new album Beautiful People Will Ruin Your Life Listen here
James Bay has cut off his hair, thrown in the hat, and released a new song, “Wild Love,” that is rather good Listen here
Not to be melodramatic, but MGMT have just dropped one of the best albums of the last decade, just over 10 years after their debut album Oracular Spectacular. The production on Little Dark Age is retro, yet timeless, but still reflective of this present cultural crossroads we’re at in the 2018 identity. LEVELS. Listen here
Calvin Harris is allegedly tryna re-invent the dance wheel post Funk Wave Bounce Vol 1 last year, but instead has put out a watered down Major Lazer track fit for airtime on Rinse.FM featuring PARTYNEXTDOOR. I mean, go off. IHEARTRADIO is gonna beat this one to death if it gets a radio deal. Listen here
Looks like Drake is really making sure we don’t totally forget his ass - this week he paid for $50,000 worth of groceries for a community in Miami, and today he’s done more charitable work laying down opening bars AND the hook for BlocBoy JB’s new track “Look Alive.” BRING THIS TYPE OF ENERGY ON YA OWN ALBUM, AUBREY. Listen here
[Jay Sean is back klaxon] Mmmm, yes, love me VOCALS. “Emergency” is beautiful Listen here
EZRA FURMAN’S ALBUM TRANSANGELIC EXODUS IS OUT TODAY!!!! Ezra self described it as a “queer outlaw saga.” Listen here

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As I mentioned above, 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 February 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 19, 2018

January 19, 2018 in Newsletter

Holy CRAP, this week’s new music Friday releases are incredible. It feels like how October and early November music releases used to feel - brimming with fresh pop bops, jams, and bangers left and right. This week we’ve got a host of artists making a comeback with new albums and album announcements, solid singles, intense music videos… and extremely embarrassing rap careers from 1999 being unearthed from the depths of the earth. I’ve put together just enough content to distract yourself from living in the IRL for the rest of the MONTH! If you don’t have that kind of time, at least you can digest most of it this weekend while you try and muster up the energy to find enjoyment in cleaning your toilet.

Check out my top 5 songs by emerging (and established!) artists that may have flown under your radar.

If you like what you hear, spread the cheer.

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!

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“Mind Hijacker’s Curse” - Chad VanGaalen | Chad VanGaalen is by no means a new artist. In fact, he’s been releasing music for the past 15 years - before the rise of music downloads and streaming. I’m almost sure I poached a couple albums off someone’s iTunes in the Bellarmine Lobby using a music sharing software my freshman year of college and listened to maybe half of an album. Anyhow, Chad’s a veteran to this whole music artist thing, and he’s got a solid, established fanbase who’s been sustaining his work for well over a decade. His latest album Light Information dropped last year in September, and I’m gonna be frank: my eyes definitely glazed over that press email from SubPop. This past weekend I made a last minute trip to San Diego to visit with a friend. Her friend was driving us to dinner when “Mind Hijacker’s Curse” came on. The twang of the guitars, and lilting, wavering synths pecked through the speakers dancing around our conversation about a New Zealand restaurant that opened in North Park (I think). It’s high key melancholic, with lyrics clamoring for the preservation of evaporating time. If this is your first time listening to Chad VanGaalen, take some time out this weekend to sift through his discography - it’s chock full of gems like “Mind Hijacker’s Curse.” Listen here

“Lottery” - Jade Bird | As an avid anti-country pop music listener, I’m 1000% sure if most country pop music sounded like the material Jade Bird is throwing down, I’d happily become a country music stan. “Lottery” is a colorful, sweet friends-to-lovers anthem stacked with a big chorus and even bigger vocals on par with Brandi Carlile. While digging up some background info on ol’ Jade, she cites her greatest musical influence as Loretta Lynn, who seeps through her vocals. What shocked the hell out of me more than anything is finding our Jade is only 20 years old and British. A Brit! Nailing this Americana music game! Listen here

“Slower Than Usual” - Ariel Beesley | This was such a pleasant surprise - Ariel Beesley’s first official single! You may recall first hearing Ariel in a previous cmd+f letter as the featured vocalist for Love Thy Brother’s pop belter “Love Me Better.” Her debut single is virtually a Blondie tribute, and that’s definitely nothing to be ashamed of, innit. The tune is about a stranger Ariel met in Stockholm that she essentially fell in love with during her time there, but as the greatest love stories go, timing wasn’t right for either of them. The two lovers shared their very own Call Me By Your Name moment (this particular comparison is likely highly exaggerated, but it brings the drama) where they were very much in love during the time they were together, and they savored every moment they had together. The pre-chorus chimes in with a desperate plea for time to wane: “smoke your cigarette slower than usual/here with me.” Listen here

“Infinite” - solace | Soulful songstress solace’s single “Infinite” is sublime. From the innovative LA collective Milky Wayv, the track transforms from minimal to a full blown atmospheric slow jam. It’s absolutely breathtaking. Listen here

“Egyptian Luvr” - Rejjie Snow feat. Aminé | The first time I properly heard Irish rapper Rejjie Snow, he opened for Years & Years at the Fonda Theater in LA a couple years ago. I’m 100% he is the first and only Irish rapper I can recall of the top of my head. His song “Blakkst Skn” featured a hook sung by the lovely Rae Morris, and was produced by the beloved Kaytranada. Since that performance, he’s chipped his way up the ranks, dropping tunes with cool kid heavyweights Jesse Boykins and Joey Bada$$. Today he dropped a new EP, Dear Annie: Part 1, featuring the opening track “Egyptian Luvr.” The tune’s got a funky groove produced by none other than Kaytranada, features guest vocals by Dana Williams on the hook, and a guest verse by Aminé. “Egyptian Luvr” is slick as hell. Listen here

BONUS

My prayers and good energy sent out into the universe last week have been answered: George Ezra has dropped a BRAND SPANKING NEW SINGLE call “Paradise,” and it’s surpassed all expectations. My new editor, Kimmie, described the sound of the single as making her “want to fall in love immediately like a teen movie” or “when [she] would skip school to drive to the beach with the windows down.” Not only has George inspired playing hookie and falling in love, the bellowing cherub has announced his highly anticipated sophomore album Staying At Tamara’s will be out March 23, and he has 2018 tour dates in UK, Europe, USA, and Canada. Word on the street is First Aid Kid (the folksy Americana Swedish duo who have released their very own album Ruins today) will be featured on a track on the album. PHEW! Big year for Georgey - it’s good to have you back, sir. Listen to “Paradise” here
Today really is better than a post Christmas shopping trip - Rita Ora has also released a new song! It’s sponsored by Absolut Vodka - which, before you say “I can’t believe she has a song sponsored by vodka,” remind yourself it’s Rita Ora we are dealing with here. The finest pop musique hustler in all the land - now enjoy “PROUD,” a mid-tempo generi-pop tune sponsored by Absolut Vodka, and don’t you dare forget it. Listen here
Troye Sivan has released ANOTHER single!! “The Good Side” is a gorgeous ballad that Harry Styles wishes he released as his debut single. Judging by Troye’s first two comeback singles, it’s evident he’s going to be a force to be reckoned with this year on the pop music scene. Listen here
Looks like Rae Morris is pulling a Dua Lipa and continues to release a new single each week leading up to the release of her debut album to the point that we will likely only have three songs we’ve never heard by the time the album drops, but who cares? Who actually friggin’ cares when Rae is satiating that hunger for her album? It’s a blessing. Listen to "Lower the Tone" here
Bad week to drop a single with Offset, Tinashe… what kinda fucked up karma does she have for the universe to keep sabotaging her career? Ironically titled “No Drama,” this single with the human pigeon issa bop. Listen here
Porches’s highly anticipated album The House is now out. From the select tunes I’ve heard, it’s dark, melancholic, and got enough drum machines in it to make you wanna dance. Listen here
Cashmere Cat has finally lived up to this unending hype and released a song I can fuck with, but it’s more than likely because Major Lazer also had their hands on the track. Featuring breathy, distorted vocals from Torey Lanez, “Miss You” is a winner. Listen here
Jorja Smith turns into a hired assassin in Italy in the video for her newest single “Let Me Down” featuring Stormzy Watch here
Lady Leshurr’s got a siiiiick new freestyle video, "R.I.P." Watch here
Unsure if the gays will rejoice, but it appears Kylie Minogue has gone full Joanne for her boot-kickin’ come back single, “Dancing.” What sounds like a long lost STEPS track is a lot of fun, but I really miss the “sticky, bruised knees in a sweaty club and feeling pretty slutty after 3 tall drinks” Kylie, you know? Listen here
SG Lewis has shared another brilliant single, “Aura,” featuring J Warner, and it’s brilliant. No SG Lewis album or extended projects have been announced, but please put in a prayer circle for a damn album. Listen here
Ah, yes, I did mention embarrassing mixtapes up at the top, didn’t I? Well, Tommy No 1, aka Hollywood Heartthrob and director Christopher Nolan’s golden boy Tom Hardy, had an unsuccessful rap career in the late 90s. Tommy No 1’s beatmaker and partner in crime, Eddie Too Tall, was TV writer Edward Tracy. The lost gems surfaced Thursday when Edward dropped the mixtape on Bandcamp. It’s reeeeeally rough, and I’m grateful Tom’s spared himself a lot of grief and become an actor. Read all about it here

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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 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!

January 12, 2018

January 12, 2018 in Newsletter

What a big and exciting week for music! If you’re a pop and dance music fan, the artists have heard your cries and DELIVERED. It’s as if they knew 2018 would start off as a bit of a shitstorm and we’d need some TLC.

Looks like this week’s 5 tunes are full of girl power. Check out my top picks from emerging artists that may have flown under your radar.

If you like what you hear, spread the cheer.

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!

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“raingurl” - yaeji | Crank up the bass - yaeji is here to save your freakin’ weekend. Frankly, I’m ashamed I hadn’t heard of yaeji sooner. I have no excuse as she was nominated for BBCs "Sound of 2018" this year. “raingurl” ticks all of my boxes. It’s got a sick, wobbly bass, and an absurdly good, repetitive hook that glides over a tight, gay club house beat. Yaeji is already an established dance producer in the hip underground outlets (re: Boiler Room), and has racked up millions of streams over the years (hence my surprise I haven’t heard of her until this week? Also, I ‘discovered’ this song as a recommendation on YOUTUBE. I don’t think I’ll be over this reality.Please accept my apologies for not bringing her forward sooner.). More people need to hear her shit to break up the gaudy powerhouse vocals and choral arrangements over dance music that’s been swallowing the genre the past few years. "raingurl" fuckin' slaps. Listen here

“The Kids Are Alright” - Chloe x Halle | Perhaps the most eloquent “fuck you, we’re gonna be fixing your mess soon enough” by millennials ever put into verse, R&B sister duo Chloe x Halle have written a beautiful ballad declaring the youth actually do have their shit together, are capable of standing on their own, and are creating new opportunities for themselves to not only thrive, but also not live in abject misery and hopelessness. The song builds to a wonderful bridge, where they remind fellow millennials: “Don’t let them turn you numb // Don’t let them get you strung // … Better go and get your life.” Listen here

“Bad Boys” - Lilly Ahlberg | What’s a week of cmd+f without a GOOD Scandinavian bop? This is a maaaahassive tune that’s fit for Zara Larrson or Tove Stykre. Produced by Future Cut (who's got production credits for Shakira's iconic "She Wolf," Lily Allen circa Alright, Still aka her best music phase, and a few Little Mix bops), it's a winner. Listen here

“sad boy” - deer scout | From "Bad Boys" to a "sad boy." Just one sad boy - the saddest boy in the world, in fact. When my pal Agnes sent this song to me, I was initially put off by the DIY-sound of the track. It reminded me of the times I went to secret basement parties in college before they were shut down by Seattle PD. Instead, it's a depressive lullaby. The chorus is what totally sold me on this melancholic track. Listen here

“Cut Yr Teeth” - Kississippi | Have you ever heard a song that sounds precisely like the moment in time you’re listening to it? “Cut Yr Teeth” sounds like that post-holidays slump that settles in a week or two after New Years. All of that inflated energy of obligatory faux-joy, the gluttonous indulgence on baked goods and buckets of wine, the sheer exhaustion from socializing too much, the pressure of starting off a new year with big goals and knowing you’re probably setting yourself up for failure all just comes crashing down on you at once. It sounds exactly like all of that. The tune is about a crumbling relationship that was built on a faulty foundation to begin with, so my comparison isn’t much of a stretch. Listen here

BONUS

Troye Sivan’s debut album Blue Neighbourhood has disappeared from US Spotify for streaming, which, honestly, is a hate crime. While this news is completely DEVASTATING, the Australian YouTuber turned gay pop icon has dropped a new single, “My My My!” and has effectively washed over the negative fuckery that’s swindled its way into 2018 so far. Co-written by Allie X, “My My My!” is a low key, sultry bop dripping with confidence. I am beyond excited to see what Troye’s got up his sleeve for 2018. Listen here // Watch here
Other former entertainment star turned gay youth music idol Hayley Kiyoko has unleashed “Curious,” a radio-ready single that’s impressed the shit out of me. Listen here
BBC Music has announced their “BBC Sound of 2018” winner today, and the nominees were chock full of exciting rising acts from the likes of Billie Eillish, Pale Waves, Khalid, Rex Orange County… and they have handed over this prestigious title to Sigrid. After somehow managing to woo top level DJs at Apple Music, BBC, and loads of other music outlets when her debut single dropped last year, her hive-mind hype was massive. If Sigrid the sound of 2018, I am going to take a 300-day long nap.
I neglected to include this in last week’s letter: Amber and Luna of KPop’s severely underrated and underrepresented girl group f(x) dropped a sexy dancefloor filler. SM love to neglect their girl groups and still haven’t made the song available to play anywhere but YouTube. At least we can feast our eyes on the video. Watch here
George Ezra announced in his newsletter yesterday he’s got some “big old music news” next week, and, please @ GOD BE AN ALBUM AND A TOUR ANNOUNCEMENT. If you’re not subscribed to receive his newsletter, I’d like to encourage you to consider letting the bellowing cherub slide into your inbox every week. Subscribe to George’s Weekly Journal Here
Overnight superstar Jorja Smith has linked up with Stormzy for a beautiful new ballad, “Let Me Down” Listen here
Fifth Harmony dropout, Carnitas Cabeza, has released her debut album if you are in the mood for, erm, whatever the mood she does Listen here
I can’t believe I’m at an age where I can call a band I loved in middle school are officially...rock veterans. Anyway, Franz Ferdinand have officially entered their total Blondie phased and dropped another groovy gay disco single, “Feel the Love” Listen here
cmd+f favs The Academic have unleashed their debut album Tales from the Backseat. For fans of Two Door Cinema Club, Mystery Jets, and Bombay Bicycle Club Listen here
BØRNS has put out the album we expected Harry Styles to drop - the polyester Gucci suit and eye shadow-toting pop-rock Blue Madonna. He’s the master of the falsetto hook - give this a spin over the weekend Listen here
Swedish singer/songwriter Skott has shared her new EP Stay Off My Mind. Previous cmd+f selects by her were impressive, soul-shattering ballads. This time Skott offers sweet, uptempo jams. Listen here
For the total rock purists, firstly: I’m impressed you’re still reading this letter. Secondly, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club (personally my favor “Club” band) have shared their new album Wrong Creatures and it fuckin’ shreds. Listen here

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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.

See you next week!