Katy Perry — 2017 Letters Archive

Back to reality - summer is over for most of y’all. Classes are starting to shuffle back in session, the sun is starting to set a little earlier (if you squint… you can totally tell), and my 6 day sabbatical away from my work and a computer has come to an end. Escaping to Portland for a few days did the trick (re: helped me freakin' RELAX). While I’m up to my ears trying to catch up on my tasks at work, I can’t help but daydream about the next time we’ll get to experience rain and I can appropriately crawl back into a chunky knit sweater. Who’s with me?

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.

________________________________________

“It Changes” - Amber Arcades | I want to curl up to Amber Arcades’ latest EP Cannonball. Every single track on it sounds like a lazy day at the beach with the sun kissing at the tip of your nose - although “It Changes” in particular toes the line with an off-kilter edge. I dug around the net to find out a bit more about Amber Arcades and discovered she’s a Dutch war crimes expert named Annelotte who scrounged up her savings to fund her first album. Her tunes sound a bit like a hi-fi recording of Broadcast (RIP Trish) meets Warpaint. Listen here

“Only In A Dream” - Doug Tuttle | As I stated in the opening notes: I am so desperate for summer to be over, y’all! I sound like a brat, but the sunshine and need for aircon will not quit! “Only In A Dream” sounds precisely like the last sips of summer - like nursing a scraped knee with your skateboard beside you as you’re say on a hilltop watching the sunset. Listen here

“Submersible” - Sivu | Speaking of wanting summer to be OVER: last week, Brand New’s Science Fiction put me in a MOOD. I’ve been starving for autumn after walking through the suburbs of Portland wearing a denim jacket as soon as the temperatures dipped below 60F after sunset. Sivu’s haunting opening track “Submersible” off his latest LP Sweet Sweet Silent is a theatrical, languid, and deeply personal tune that will lull you into a crisp, cloudy October morning. Listen here

“On My Mind” - Jorja Smith x Preditah | I don’t usually take a liking to UK Garage (with the exception of the king Craig David), but Jorja Smith can sell absolutely anything. While I don’t think “On My Mind” will be the crossover hit to make Jorja’s mark Stateside, it truly is a BOP. Get ready to bounce. Listen here

“Lost in the Mystery” - Shock Machine | One of my favorite bands in high school was Klaxons. I rinsed a dodgy rip of Myths of the Near Future for months before I was able to snag an import copy at a record shop. Ten years later, Klaxons are no more, but James Righton is (thankfully) still putting out new music. His latest project is Shock Machine, a sound forged in colorful psychedelic rock with a twist of bubbly 1960s pop riffs. The debut Shock Machine album came out today, and I present to you the fizzy, sweet “Lost in the Mystery” in hopes it’ll inspire you to give the full album a spin. Listen here

BONUS

If there is one album you consciously listen to this week, please make time for The War On Drugs’ A Deeper Understanding - absolute masterpiece Listen here
LOL
Katy Perry has a video out for “Swish Swish” - a clear call to Pop Art, the visuals are a desperate display of modern meme-itry (whoa @ my literary agency) and a time capsule of contemporary internet culture. Song still BANGS Watch here
Fergie still got it! Girl dropped two singles tonight - “You Already Know” feat. Nicki Minaj and “Hungry” feat. Rick Ross. The beat on “Hungry” is dope - it’s actually got me looking forward to her forthcoming album Double Dutchess. Go AWF, Gothtrap Stacy!!
Fifth Harmony have dropped their first album sans-Camila…. Album is smooth as hell. Highlight for me is “Sauced Up.” These girls did the damn thing. Bravo, ladies! Listen here
Lady Gaga is releasing a documentary on Netflix next month and I am very, very, very excited
Lil Uzi Vert album Luv Is Rage 2 Listen here
Buddy’s new EP Magnolia Listen here
A$AP Mob mixtape Cozy Tapes Vol. 2: Too Cozy Listen here
Last but certainly not least, DNCE have linked up with Rod Stewart to re-record Rod’s 1978 hit “Do Ya Think I’m Sexy” and tbh it could have been way, way funkier Listen here

________________________________________

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!

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.

________________________________________

“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”

________________________________________

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!