For this week’s post I decided I’d steer away from something analytical, and make things a bit more fun. I love ranting about new songs I find and I often don’t stop talking about them, much to my friends’ dismay. Here’s a rundown of some artists and music I’ve been enjoying in 2021, as well as the reasons I like the songs so much. Also feel free to tell me what you’ve been listening to lately in the comments!
*None of the songs have explicit lyrics if that’s something you dislike!
I’m not actually a big follower of the Vampire Weekend, but it does have quite a dedicated fanbase. They’ve put out a lot of hits in the alternative rock/alternative pop genre, borrowing from a lot of styles of music. I came across a little animation by Kobalt Rad on YouTube about their journey with anxiety and art, with this song playing in the background, and I absolutely loved it. The lyrics are actually pretty hard to follow for the most part, and are a bit funky upon reading them, but I just love the song for its atmosphere and the feeling it evokes. It has almost a psychedelic sound to it, with minimalistic but interesting production. Definitely a great ~chill~ song if you’re looking for one.
2. Electric Indigo – The Paper Kites
The Paper Kites are a band I discovered fairly recently. Admittedly, I’m not a huge fan of all their music, but they have some real gems, Electric Indigo being one of them. Again, I am drawn by the atmospheres of songs, and this song just sounds like purple-skied evenings and a cold breeze. That’s the best way I can describe it! Its got a cool beat, not too fast, with a really cool electric guitar hook that’s looped for most of the song. The band has some really nice records if you’re into indie/alternative stuff.
I actually saw Chelsea Peretti from Brooklyn 99 recommend this song and now I love it too! This song sounds like pineapples and an empty beach, but not in a sad way. The genre is what I would call retro indie but I’m not sure if that’s a thing.
The song is quite sweet with its lyrics, and I found myself enjoying the forthcoming nature of the words. It is a love song and sounds very honest and sincere. There are a lot of modern love ballads out there right now but I feel like they avoid making the lyrics too complex to make the song easier to catch onto, which sometimes makes them a bit boring. So I enjoy it when some lyricists decide to make their writing more complex!
Okay so this is one of those songs I had on repeat for days because of how catchy it was. And it’s DPR IAN’s debut! It’s astounding how his debut turned out this good. DPR or Dream Perfect Regime is a creative media group based in Korea consisting of people from different skillsets like music production, filmmaking, costume design, rapping etc. They all work on amazing projects together and have put out a lot of cool, innovative music. DPR Ian is one of their members, who is usually in charge of directing their music videos, so this is his first ‘serious’ attempt you could say at making his own music.
The song is so unique that I don’t think you can really classify it into anything really. There’s hints of every genre I can think of. The whistle hook draws you in from the start, leading into his smooth, slightly distorted vocals, all laid over a crisp beat that can’t help but hold your attention. On top of that there’s a beautiful saxophone solo during the bridge. I think regardless of what music you’re into, it would be hard to say this song isn’t good!
This is a sad song. Like really sad. But I really love it and its one of my favorites off of the album. I’ve heard people having mixed opinions about the song objectively, as the song doesn’t really build up to anything and stays at pretty much the same energy level throughout except for a part at the end, but I find it oddly soothing. Harry’s vocals are stacked on a soft acoustic guitar riff that plays throughout the song, making the overall sound bright but melancholic. New instruments are added in every few bars or so, and I didn’t find myself losing interest with the instrumental. Great song!
Feeling Good is one of those songs that has stood the test of time really well, with people covering the song to this day. While the original song isn’t by Muse (it’s by Anthony Newley and Leslie Bricusse), their cover is one of the most memorable in history. I think most people know Muse has quite a unique sound, and it worked really well with this kind of song. Its hard to find words for exactly why the cover is so good. Everything from the distorted electric, and the verse sung on a megaphone, to the gradual crescendo throughout the song makes you want to play the air guitar and sing off-key until you get a noise complaint.
7. Your Love (Déjà Vu) – Glass Animals
Glass Animals is a super underrated band. They have some of the most modern, distinctive and innovative sounds I’ve heard in a while. Your Love is one of the their most popular songs, and one of their best too, in my opinion. The beat is really original, something I haven’t heard in a while! The bassline is captivating, the kind of bass that would be amazing to experience at a live performance (when it’s safe again, although they set up an amazing remote live performance for their fans). There’s also an odd whistle riff that plays throughout that adds a bit of spice to the whole song. The song is mixed and produced super clean, with every sound as crisp as it could be. If you’re into more electronic sounds, and upbeat music, they have some great songs. They’ve even put out some great hip-hop records with people like Denzel Curry. Definitely worth a listen!
I love hearing about new music. Recently I’ve been listening to a lot of oldies and I have really been enjoying it. When I’m not listening to that I usually throw on some indie or hip hop. I really enjoy music with a good vibe. I also really love Harry Styles. His music is so powerful and emotional.