Weekly Roundup
Brooklyn-based singer-songwriter Elle Baez brings all of the funk and soul you could ever need in a summer groove with this new release. Penned as a prideful vow to a romantic interest that she could love him so much better than the ex who wronged him, Baez employs bass-heavy rhythms and old school horns in pulling the rug out from under other modern day dance-pop tracks. The air of confidence established through the lyrics is solidified by the richness of her glorious pop/R&B vocals, claiming their space above the 70’s-esque instrumentals with a sultry playfulness that is reminiscent of all of your favorite Y2K divas. It’s Future Nostalgia with an extra dose of disco — the perfect prescription for being your most confident self this hot girl summer.
Straight out of the prom scene from the teen drama of your choosing, this track meshes soft shoegaze-y vocals and a sweetly dreadful indie instrumental that’s gently infused with ska. Nostalgic by nature and anthemic to overthinkers, it wrestles with the worries common to anyone prone to self-doubt and second-guessing their method of navigating life and love and all of the varying troubles guaranteed with each. By the end, the track takes on a reluctant but avowing perspective, embracing the fact that none of us know what we’re doing and acting as one beautiful reminder — made complex by its simplicity — to all of us that right there in the moment is the best place to live.
‘If I’m not in my corner, then no one’s gonna fight for me,’ is just one of the heavy realizations reached by this British indie-pop darling in her new single. The concept of needing to love yourself before you can love or be loved by anyone else isn’t exactly a new concept in songwriting — but listening to this song makes it feel like you’re receiving the message for the very first time. This impact is all down to bexx’s dynamic approach to a pop song, with her deep, agile, raspy vocals bringing the lyrics to life with glassy sharpness, and her infusion of mounting (live!) drums and edgy electric strings amping up with her own budding self-appreciation. It’s empowering and totally suspending in a way songs rarely achieve, and it’s worth a spot on your most cinematic playlists this summer and beyond.
kill all the heroes — Tyler Page
A self-proclaimed anthem for the 99%, this track is a middle finger to the avaricious few perched at the top of society. It pokes holes in the portrayal of these people as heroic or particularly deserving of wealth they could never burn their way through if they tried, when in comparison to the struggling majority whose fate lies in their hands, they haven’t earned such deep gratification of their greed in the slightest. Page’s dystopian vocals glide over the 80’s-esque synths and percussion with infectious darkness, paying homage to all of the young people challenging the status-quo and asking questions that those selfish, deep-pocketed and ill-moraled few have gotten away with running from for far too long.
This song is about a breakup — but don’t think for a second that Veronica Everheart’s toxic ex gets to walk away the heartbreaker. Tongue far in cheek, the up-and-coming indie-rock artist uses these brilliant four minutes to take back the parts of herself that were stolen and trampled upon within the former relationship, offering lyrics that drip with sarcasm as she recounts all the ways those toxic, impossible standards which ruled her before never will again. Deliciously spooky electric guitar strumming welcomes you into this track before the instrumental picks up and kicks you in the gut right along with Everheart’s drawling talk-vocal, musing that love ultimately cannot save her and that ‘cry is a stupid sounding verb,’ after all. The raw production makes it sound like the gritty guitar and drums are floating in straight from your garage in the most beautiful, nostalgic way, and the energy set forth by Everheart putting herself first at long last and with such vigor is intoxicatingly empowering.
Borrowing its title from the Japanese custom of mending fragmented pottery by injecting gold between the breaks, this track sees Sug Daniels applying the same concept to her experience as a Black woman in America. The soft and light ukulele within the track contrasts the heavier subject matter in a brilliant way, with Daniels’ soulful and sweet vocals furthering this sensation with a classic beauty reminiscent of songs you adore dating back to the sixties. The melody is so movingly hopeful even while delivering more serious sentiments, achieving the breathtakingly talented rising artist’s intent to both lead with strength and inspire with vulnerability.
Get Out (I’m Ready) — Zach Tabori
Zach Tabori gives the pop cliche of going out and getting laid one hell of a post-pandemic refresh, sending this week’s roundup off with irresistibly good vibes. Funky verses chew you up and spit you out into the psychedelic chorus, where the groovy guitars and 70’s-esque percussion grow gloriously trippier, blanketing a vocal that fights with itself between goosebump-inducing falsetto and a baritone drawl that’ll have your heart in your stomach. It’s weird and wonderful, surprising you and all but forcing you to dance the weight off your shoulders at every turn. The kind of song that tears into you and sticks like glue, it geniusly bottles up the eagerness to get out that we all feel after the past year into the funkiest modern pop-rock party song you’ll have heard in quite some time.
Listen to all the Weekly Roundup songs on our playlist here!
Review by Tori Coker
