SHINee

July 23, 2018

cmdf HK garden.jpg

Thank you for waiting.

The start of each cmd+f is typically reserved for neutral/positive chatter on popular culture without getting too personal. It’s intended to excite you, dear reader, for new music — an act that should be joyously celebrated as often as possible. Music should move you, and be there to engorge your enthusiasm, or put a damper on times of listlessness.

After disappearing (yet again) without warning for well over a month, I’d be foolish to tell you everything is okay.

Everything is not okay. We’re all (hopefully) looking at the relentless, hellish 24 hour news cycle; the world is a mess. Despite all that, I have well over 50 songs queued up in my never ending cmd+f playlist, but tuning in each week to deliver a letter the past several weeks has been difficult as hell. For the first time in over a year, I felt no joy in wanting to talk about all of this new music I’ve been excavating. Watching the quick decline in the health of my beloved companion, certified best boy golden retriever, Duke, was one aspect of my persistent lethargy. We said goodbye a handful of weeks ago, and my routine has been all out of sorts. I no longer having regular walks around the neighborhood, or him to watch me dance to my new cmd+f digs in the kitchen throughout the week.

Creating cmd+f has been so deeply fulfilling, but to be completely honest, the routine/predictability of it all has been wearing me down. This letter started as an outlet for me to share music recommendations with friends, but along the way, I’ve found the act of exchanging music with other people is vastly more rewarding.
After much thought, I've decided it’s time for cmd+f to step away from my voice from time to time. Me stepping back will help bounce back from this burn out, and allow more time to expand cmd+f’s potential. There are so many opportunities for this space to grow, and I hope you would like to join me in making it possible.

With the success of the 2017 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! If you're unsure if you're ready to commit and aren't subscribed, sign up using the link provided and reply to the next cmd+f letter that hits your inbox.

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.

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“Laugh It Off” - Chelsea Jade | cmd+f alum Chelsea Jade dropped her debut album Personal Best last Friday. Newsflash: it’s fucking incredible and sounds like the sophomore album you had expected from Lorde – yet so distinctly original. I first featured Chelsea Jade in May 2017 for her tune “Life of the Party,” and described it as a “Broods bop on Benadryl.” That dazy, dreamy quality runs throughout the album, like smooth silk and warm tea in an ocean breeze. “Laugh It Off” opens with a wavering sample of Des’ree’s 1994 hit “You Gotta Be,” then melts into a blissed-out, clap-stomping bop. Listen here

“Evergreen” - YEBBA | This stunner was brought to my attention about a month ago from my dear friend Hope. “Evergreen” is YEBBA’s debut single, packed with tenderness, soul, and breathtaking harmonies. Lauded by Ed Sheeran, Sam Smith (and Hope, and Me), Abbey Smith, AKA YEBBA, has been working on new material to knock our socks off.This song dropped last OCTOBER, and although that was many moons ago in terms of delivering you fresh tunes, I couldn’t NOT highlight it in a letter. The ghostly, powerhouse vocals will give you chills. Its timelessness is a testament to its namesake; it’s truly “Evergreen.” Listen here

“Stock Image” - Miya Folick | My most rinsed song of the last three weeks has been “Stock Image.” When the first chorus bursts through, it’s like squeezing juice from an orange directly onto your tongue; tangy, sweet, and a burst of energy. As I noted in the opening remarks, I’ve been journeying my way through a bit of a personal funk. It was oddly satisfying to find the making of this song was rooted in feeling not quite yourself. Miya noted: “‘Stock Image’ is the conversation you have with yourself when you're feeling lost and your color has faded…. I wrote it from a place of feeling shallow and gray and wanting to feel full! Vibrant!” Listen here

“Sticky” - Ravyn Lenae | Neo-soul, Chicago singer-songwriter Ravyn Lenae linked up with The Internet’s Steve Lacy to produce a confident, off-kilter five-track EP. “Sticky” dropped in December last year, but holds it own over wonky riffs clunking around beneath Ravyn’s ropy staccato. Listen here

“Mother” - Ina Wroldsen | If you don’t think you’ve heard of Norwegian songwriter Ina Wroldsen before, think again. She’s steadily climbed the ranks, starting out with dozens of bangers written for The Saturdays, then eventually leading up to Calvin Harris’s 2015 international, radio ready club banger with Disciples “How Deep Is Your Love” (featuring her vocals!!). She’s paved the way for Anne Marie’s commercial success in the UK the last couple years, coining songwriting credits for Anne’s Clean Bandit collab “Rockabye,” and now Ina stands on her own two feet with her latest EP, HEX. I’ve chosen to highlight “Mother,” a soaring, cinematic ballad of epic proportions, rooted with a thunderous chorus. Listen here

 

New Music Friday Selects

  • So many dope releases have dropped in the last month. To catch up to speed, I’m going to highlight mostly past featured artists, and rising acts!
  • Compton rapper Buddy’s debut album Harlan & Alondra is out and it’s a modern masterpiece. Honestly so, so, so incredible Listen here
  • The Internet have dropped their highly anticipated and aptly titled album Hive Mind Listen here
  • Billie Eilish is back at it again with her latest single “you should see me in a crown” Listen here
  • London producer Deadboy has dropped a new EP titled Psychic Hotline Listen here
  • Allie X is out here serving some somber neo-Lana del Rey realness with her new single “Not So Bad in LA” Listen here
  • Not only have Years & Years FINALLY unleashed their sophomore album Palo Santo, which is start to finish a GEM, they also surprise dropped a remix of their single “If You’re Over Me” featuring Key of the legendary K-Pop group SHINee Listen here (album) and Listen here (legendary remix)
  • Jay Park’s first EP under Roc Nation is out and it’s really dope Listen here
  • Pale Waves have a sweet video out for their new single “Noises” Watch here
  • Ben Khan has confirmed his debut album is dropping August 10!! Check out his music video for “a.t.w (against the wall)” 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 MUSIC! 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 soon!

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!

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“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

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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 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!