August 18, 2017

Happy Friday! Coming at you live from Portland, Oregon! I’m here to provide you a brief break from the reality of (most of) America (just) waking up to a racism problem (understatement), and I come bearing a lot of music. So much, I got it coming out my ears and into yours (that sounds gross).

Before I share the SEVEN tracks I’ve scooped up for you this week, I’d first like to give a shout out to my friend Elise. She’s the header picture for this week’s edition of cmd+f, and she’s getting married this weekend (that’s why I’m in Portland!). I’ve spent this past week dusting off the cobwebs of some ancient iTunes playlists in my archives and compiling a list of songs I remember we listened to whilst living together in college (that was 7 years ago!!!). I remember when Gaga’s “Bad Romance” demo leaked and I played it on repeat for hours in our room, and the rich irony of me snapping at her for playing La Roux’s “Bulletproof” everyday. I got her a gigantic poster of Eric Northman for our dorm because we were obsessed with True Blood, we danced to Metronomy regularly, and bonded over our fascination with Patrick Wolf. The list is evergreen and I’ll dump new tracks in there from time to time, but it’s mostly a time capsule of tunes circa 2010. I get strong emotional attachments and associations with songs -  and I can say 100% of the songs dumped onto this playlist bring me such great memories of my friendship with Elise.

You can listen to my mix for Elise anytime here. Love you, girl!

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. 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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“Waking Up Slow” -  Gabrielle Aplin | This little slice of pop perfect has been on loop for the most of this past week. It’s got the lowkey sunpunched mellowbanger quality of a Carly Rae Jepsen track, aka it’s amazing AND will implant itself in your brain. Gabrielle’s had massive international success the past few years, particularly in Brazil, mostly pushing soft vocals over acoustic instrumentals… but Gabrielle Aplin the cinematic power pop princess? Into it. More, please. Listen here

“Water Me” - Lizzo | Lizzo is a damn goddess. “Water Me” is a celebration of her entire self, declaring she is her own source of inspiration, embraces the practice of self-acceptance and love, and she’s the source of her own personal growth. As a fat woman of color myself, Lizzo truly is the most refreshing and exciting acts out there killing the game. She is marching her way into the spotlight as a proud, big black woman, and she has written anthem after anthem about how much she loves being in her skin. The “Water Me” video takes it a step further, and celebrating the outward beauty of blackness. Beautiful, beautiful song. Listen here and Watch here

“Hot Mess” -  GIRLI | I know what you’re thinking - another GIRLI song?! So long as she cranks out these bops… I will not stop until she’s somewhat of a household name in the pop music community. “Hot Mess” is frantic, bold, fun, and high key relatable. Listen here

“Warning Signs” - Boilermakers feat. KLP | Boilermakers is Matt Okine, a jack of all trades of the entertainment industry from Australia. Beat is dope, but the hook carried out by KLP is luuuuush. “Warning Signs” is smooth as hell. Listen here

“Every Day’s the Weekend” -  Alex Lahey | Heyya! Would you look at that? Alex Lahey is another fellow Aussie cranking out fun, relentless rock tunes. “Every Day’s the Weekend” is a delirious, insatiable flask of indie pop. Listen here

“Favorite Girl” -  Henrik the Artist | Henrik the Artist stems from the self-proclaimed “first club music boi band” collective Rytmeklubben which they blend club and pop music. “Favorite girl” is cut from the same vein as the UK’s PC Music producers, but in this instance he mixes a slightly less demented and softer brush of late 90s/early 00s commercial pop vibes. “Favorite Girl” is a sticky, sweet delight. Listen here

“Black Cat Heavy Metal” -  Dan Luke and The Raid | Last but certainly not least is the debut single from Dan Luke and the Raid - a fast and heavy psych rock jam. With a weighty distortion on the vocals, the only words I can manage to slur my way through deciphering are “black cat” and “neon sign,” but I can’t help pretending how to sing the words all the way through. The hook on that chorus is so clutch. Listen here

BONUS

• BRAND NEW RELEASED (their final????) AN ALBUM !!!!!! A select handful of fans who pre-ordered the album today, but you can buy and download Science Fiction here

• A$AP Mob’s most consistent member A$AP Ferg dropped a surprise Still Striving mixtape and it’s doooooooope. “Plain Jane” is my shit. Tape includes features from everyone relevant in rap right now and Meek Mill Listen here

• Justin Bieber has released yet another country song disguised as a pop bop. Producer BloodPop had his hands in this one so it’s fuego Listen here

• New Weezer album is in the horizon. For now, listen to their new song “Mexican Fender” if you are in a mood to rawk out  Listen here

• 1000% not fronting: Miley Cyrus’ new song “Younger Now” bangs Listen here

• Katy Perry has added Purity Ring and CARLY RAE JEPSEN as openers for her upcoming tour. Yep, Jeppo is opening for KPez. Bet that woke you up

• The sound of 2008 has evolved: Alice Glass, formerly of Crystal Castles, has released her debut EP and it was produced by Jupiter Keyes formerly of HEALTH, and I forgot how much I missed a wet, juicy bass line. Listen here

• Dance yr nite away “tonite” with new LCD Soundsystem Listen here

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If you’re interested in hearing what else I’ve been rinsing this month (aside from the tracks listed above), peep my personal August 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!

May 19, 2017

This is an archived post originally sent out via the cmd+f weekly newsletter

Before I start this week’s letter, I need to address a very obvious elephant in the room: for those who are unaware, there has been an incredible revelation regarding PWR BTTM, one of the five artists I featured in last week’s cmd+f. Allegations of sexual assault from one half of the group have come forward, and since PWR BTTM have been dropped from their label, had their album pulled from streaming services, and their tour canceled.The backlash has been swift and ruthless, as it should be against sexual predators. But the backlash has left others shocked how quickly PWR BTTM’s relevancy has been crumbled whilst other aggressors in the music industry continue to maintain careers.

While there are a lot of thinkpiece-y Twitter threads on this that floated around last weekend, I would ask you to take a moment to read about the situation filtered through the POV of a friend of mine who is actively involved in the queer DIY music scene. Please note the article contains themes revolving around sexual assault and emotional abuse.

Click here to read “It’s Bigger Than PWR BTTM” by Reed DeLuca

With that, SCHOOL’S OUT!!! I’ve got some great track up my sleeve that I’ve been excited to share with you.

P.S. School does not very much suck. I kinda miss it.

Got any questions? Tips? Please reach out to me via Twitter at @hellogoodbritt (or any other way you may know how to contact me) with your thoughts about any of the tracks I’ve selected this week. I love chatting about music. Let me know what you’re listening to that everyone else should be listening to, 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. It’s only good manners!

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“Feel OK” - GIRLI feat. Lethal Bizzle | GIRLI  has returned in all her hot pink glory to serve us the most electric one night stand anthem we've heard in years. I’ve dropped GIRLI into cmd+f a few months ago, and that tune was vastly different from “Fuck Right Off Back to LA.” Whilst that was more a novelty jam, “Feel OK” is a serious ass pop jam. I love GIRLI, and I’m ELATED to know she had this mulling inside of her. Could honestly listen to this on loop all day. Listen here

“April Flowers ” -  Jesse Jo Stark | Got a new sad girl jam for y’all: this one's got me feeling like I'm back at my windowsill in Seattle watching the rain patter outside while looping Hole for hours on end avoiding my Victorian Lit dissertation and how things could have been if I didn't let me crippling anxiety keep me from going to another part the night before. Yeah; one of those kinda sad girl jams. Listen here

“Awake and Pretty Much Sober” - Violents, Monica Martin | This track is my own personal surprise of the week. For those of you who haven’t checked out the podcast Switched On Pop, they have an episode where they break down The Chainsmokers. I hope you’re still reading this, and as much as I personally have never vibed with a single The Chainsmokers song, the hosts break down their song formulas and why they work so good, and it’s because they tease the chorus right from the start. In “Awake and Pretty Much Sober,” we get the instrumentals for the chorus straight away too, establishing that melody and ultimately some emotional intimacy with the song. It’s a damn nice chorus, the entire song sprinkled with cinematic qualities (including a brilliant strings interlude 3 minutes into the song before a bridge breaks through). It’s easily one of the most gorgeous songs I’ve listened to in a long time. Listen here

“Dead for seconds” -  Moto Boy, Nina Persson | I have been sitting on this one for a week now after going down a Scandinavian music hole. Moto Boy’s latest album is surprisingly enough titled New music, and it got me through a tumultuous week clogged with over time and exhaustion. The morbid romanticism of being “dead for seconds when you look at your object of affection. Let's be real: high key relatable theme as I know feeling very well whilst watching Tom Hardy on screen. Listen here

“World of Wonders” -  Buddy | If you listen to the lyrics too closely, I am like, “you’re really gonna push this, you cocky MF.” With lyrics like, “gonna make you love me long time,” and “what you got on underneath that? I wanna know,” it warrants some serious eyerolling, but honestly I think Kaytranada’s smooth production on the instrumentals brings down the cringey . I can’t help but groove to this, and I made it through the whole song a few times, and it gets better with each listen.  Listen here

BONUS

• For the past five years, I have harrowed through a tumultuous journey, traveling across the country for three consecutive summers, wept, screamed, clawed, yearned, and prayed for this day. For this moment. To hold onto the meaning of this feeling. The feeling of Liam goddamn Payne as, finally and rightfully, a solo artist. Listen here

• To follow up my previous bullet point, my well thought out takes on “Strip That Down:” lyrics are very Ed Sheeran (who wrote it, and when you hear it, you can’t help but agree), also they’re so simple and not too raunchy so Midwestern moms are gonna love this. Beat is good, bangs in the car better than on my computer, wish they could have pushed the chorus to go a little harder. iHeartRadio producers/DJs are loving it and tbh those are the only people who matter when it comes to churning out a hit. Fun bop, and I’m glad it happened.

• Excuse the fuck out of Katy Perry! I have whiplash! I nearly turned my back on her after “Bon Apetit,” because I have no time for cunnalingus elevator music featuring verses from rappers who’ve never been eyelevel with a vag since birth, but she Did the Thing. “Swish Swish” is a god damn bop. Listen here

• Selena Gomez samples Talking Heads’ “Psycho Killer” for her new song “Bad Liar,” and I felt a whole lot of emotions about it. Listen to “Bad Liar” and then “Psycho Killer”

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If you’re interested in hearing what else I’ve been rinsing this month (aside from the tracks listed above), peep my personal May 2017 playlist. 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!

March 10, 2017

This is an archived post originally sent out via the cmd+f weekly newsletter

I’ve truly outdone myself: six tracks AND three album recommendations are packed into today’s letter. Unlike last week, I’ve been much better about keeping this week more under wraps. I actually had 12 tracks lined up initially, and weeded out half because, really? Would you even bother with that much text? This is already getting out of control.

I also have a very special project in the works to accompany cmd+f sometime next week….keep your eyes peeled on my socials (re: Twitter) to see when I’m harking the good news.

Hit me up on Twitter at @hellogoodbritt with your thoughts about any of the tracks we’ve got for this week, and please do send me any finds of your own – let me know what you’re listening to these days.

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, and it’ll really make their day.

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“What You Want” - Zuzu | Firstly, I’d like to give a huuuuge thank you to my friend Chris for tipping me off to Zuzu. From the first note, I was craving more. “What You Want” is only her second official single she’s released, and both tracks warrant much hype. Dancing between shredding guitars and a chorus that’ll eat away at your eardrums, Zuzu’s absolutely carving her mark out on 2017.  Listen here

“Isabel” -  Gold Connections | “Isabel” sounds like the feeling I get remembering the times I’d sit in my apartment while living in Seattle, refreshing my Tumblr dashboard for 3 hours straight while avoiding a mid-term research paper. Now that I’ve read that description back, it makes the song sound potentially awful, but here’s what I mean: I found a lot of solace in my solitude through those hours of procrastination. I spent a lot of it wired into my headphones, plopping random lo-fi dreampop tracks into playlists fit for very niche emotive states (exhibit A, exhibit B). Back to “Isabel” - the entire mood of the track, plotted with peaks and valleys, veiled in softness yet freckled with bits of ferocity that punch through the atmosphere. The most magical part of the song is it’s relentless commitment to staying in 4/4 time, no matter how distorted and bitter the instrumentals swirl into themselves throughout the last third of the track. Listen here

“Breathe” -  Astrid S | So, Astrid S is a big deal in Norway. As we know, the Scandinavians fucking adore their pop music, and they’re so damn good at making it. Astrid’s dropped an endless string of singles the past few years, all solid efforts, and with the right PR team/strategy, “Breathe” could help Astrid tap into a broader, global audience a la neighboring rising Swedish superstar Zara Larsson. “Breathe” has all of the right elements of that darkpop vibe that’s creeping onto the radio here, at least Stateside. It’s a future hit, y’all. Listen here

“Sports” - Fufanu | This song is on here for two very particular reasons: audible Joy Division cosplay, and ‘Fufanu’ is reeeeeally fun to say. Go ahead; say Fufanu out loud, I’ll give you a moment. Let it roll off your tongue. Yeah? Great. Now that that’s aside, let me tell you why “Sports” is in here this week: Fufanu are an Icelandic band who started out producing techno music, but have since evolved into a really sick rock band. As noted above, their newer music truly sounds like audible Joy Division cosplay - down to the frantic drums and two tons of reverb caked over the vocal stems. The title track and opener to their latest album Sports is a fucking ride, so strap in. Listen here

“Don’t Ya Feel Better?” - The Velveteins | Now to bob you back up to the surface with a lighter track, “Don’t Ya Feel Better?” is pure summer, like that sheen of sweat cooling on your skin in the breeze whilst on your back in the grass with your shoes kicked off and you’re wiggling your toes and trying to find your slowly warming can of blood orange San Pellegrino to quench yourself in the midst of some primo cloud watching. Yeah. That’s exact kind of summertimeness this sounds like. Listen here

“Fuck Right Off Back to LA” - GIRLI | If you can’t tell by the title, this track is NSFW solely based on the fact it’s littered with a robust helping of “fuck you’s” in the chorus, and that’s not even accounting for the amount of fucks given in the verses. “Fuck Right Off Back to LA” is the sonic equivalent of trying to be cordial and smile through a really shitty break up. After blowing through the first two seasons of Crazy Ex-Girlfriend in the last two weeks, I’m pretty sure I’m finding traces of Rebecca’s crazy ass in this song. If you haven’t seen Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, do yourself a solid and watch the pilot episode at the least, and then you’ll fully understand what I’m talking about when you head this track. The contrast of cotton candy production paired with the most abrasive middle finger is easily the most relatable song I’ve posted on cmd+f to date. Fans of Charli XCX will especially enjoy GIRLI. Listen here

Oh, and one last thing:

ALBUMS/MIXTAPES YOU SHOULD RINSE THIS WEEK WITH NO EXPLANATION BEYOND ME CONFIRMING THEY WILL NOT BE A WASTE OF YOUR TIME:

Volcano - Temples | Listen here

Number 1 Angel - Charli XCX | Listen here

Feel Infinite - Jacques Greene | Listen here

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If you’re interested in hearing what else I’ve been rinsing this month (aside from the tracks listed above), peep my March 2017 playlist.

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!