A lot has happened in the past week: the best month of the year started on Sunday, I called out sick for the first time ever for the sole purpose of resting my body and not ditching work for a press event or Disneyland, decompressed binge-watching all five seasons of Merlin, booked flights to London for the entire second half of October, and landed & accepted an offer for the start of my dream career. To boot, Blade Runner 2049 opens tonight and my friend got tickets to see Coldplay at the Rose Bowl tonight, so I can officially report back to you about experiencing Tove Lo perform “Disco Tits” live.
Pals in London reading this: my schedule’s open for taking my Chevrolegs around to as many art galleries and museums I can fit in during my stay. I would be grateful for leads on any exciting gigs happening in London between 16-28 October. Give me a tweet, and allow me to buy you a drink for your troubles.
Between all that excitement, can you believe I have managed to dig up five exciting artists this week? Brace yourself – they’ll blow your socks off.
Please reach out to me via the handy dandy contact page on the cmd+f website, or on Twitter with your thoughts about any of the tracks I’ve selected this week. As you already know, I love chatting about music. Let me in on your new favorite band; they’re looking for new fans, too!
As always, you know the drill: if you like what you hear, spread the cheer. Tell your friends about the songs you liked in this letter, but most importantly, let the artists know. There’s a good chance they’ll see your comments. Let them know how good their tunes are, and they’ll crank out even more magic.
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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“Last Time We Danced” - BETSY | Though I included BETSY’s entire debut album as a recommendation in the Bonus section in last week’s letter, I felt compelled to include a track in the letter this today. Sounding like the second coming of Cher aside, “Last Time We Danced” is a bizarre, enchanting burst of feel-goodness basking in the memory of the most perfect moment. Those moments are little beacons to hold onto and keep you going, aren’t they? Perfectly fitting as we eclipse into a new season and the final quarter of the year, yeah? Listen here
“Hands Up Head Down” - Sure Sure | Abso-fucking-lutely put down everything you’re doing right this moment and LISTEN TO THIS TUNE. Listen to this on full volume, quietly with the window open, with noise-canceling headphones, with the shower rumbling in the background – and each experience will uncover a new delectable sonic layer. “Hands Up Head Down” rocks to its own beat, swirled with fuzzy guitars, tinny drums, and snappy melodies. Oh, and it’s got its own dance move: “put your hands up, keep your head down, and then bob to the beat like a zombie.” Happy freakin’ October, y’all. Listen here
“Bubblegum” - YONAKA | Some may say rock has lost its raw spirit, but I say those who say that are likely just boring dudes only listening to other boring dudes singing dull rock music. YONAKA are the wave. Fronted with theeeee realest female vocalist, the group teeter the line of piercing through the rock-mosphere with a pop sensibility. Their sound is hungry, ambitious, and raw AF. All that is best showcased on their new track “Bubblegum.” How fitting their debut EP is titled HEAVY. Listen here
“Pinball” - Luwten | Dutch outfit Luwten’s debut album is dropping next Friday, and I cannot wait for it to become my new spooky non-Halloween-but-absolutely-fitting-for-October album to go alongside Agnes Obel’s Aventine and iamamiwhoami’s kin records. “Pinball” is a chilling, achey, heartbreaking echo of a love that’s not quite right. Listen here
“Míol Mór Mara” - Outsider | I think I’ve stumbled across the Irish Bruce Springsteen??? “Míol Mór Mara” is a blissful indie pop joint that I cannot take off repeat. Listen here
BONUS
Last known living rockstar on planet earth Liam Gallagher has released his debut solo album As You Were. Should he ever read this letter, he’d most definitely make a comment about how nobody actually listens to “music” anymore, and streaming’s ruined everything. That aside, it’s a fuckin’ great rock record Stream here
As I linked/alluded in the intro, Tove Lo has a new music video for her single “Disco Tits.” It’s NSFW, and wild as hell. How wild? Includes number clips of a Jim Henson-esque puppet giving head to Tove Lo in a top-down convertible and in a seedy roadside motel room. Ch’yeah, buddy. Watch here
Kelela has DELIVERT! Her new album Take Me Apart is finally out! Listen here
Need more sultry, sexy R&B tunes, spin Sabrina Claudio’s debut album About Time. Standout track: “Used To” Listen here
Someone collect Craig David, please Listen here
Feeling soft? An entire Blue Hawaii album titled Tenderness is here to swaddle you Listen here
cmd+f favorites ROMES have finally dropped their self-titled debut album. Congrats, gents Listen here
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New month, new playlist! If you’re interested in hearing what else I’ve been rinsing this month (aside from the tracks listed above), peep my personal October 2017 playlist. There I will be dumping in new (and occasionally throw back) tracks as the month carries on. You can dive into the cmd+f archive to hear what I’ve been listening to in previous months this year.
A(lmost a)ll of the tracks I’ve shared this week and past cmd+f newsletters are archived into a single playlist on Spotify for you to follow here. You’re welcome.
See you next week!