Nature’s World by Mother Nature
Nature’s World is a space that gives precedence to the natural. A mindset that remembers our true abundance lies within Mother Earth, so we must care for her as she provides for us. Together MN + Renzell take their listeners on a sonic journey of Nature’s World. Providing context on the power we carry, the infinite resources we possess, and the energy needed to work alongside the divine. To stream the album visit, Spotify, Tidal, Apple Music, or purchase on Bandcamp.
Source: Closed Session
Place to Land by Bloomsday
Recorded over the course of 2020, Place to Land showcases Bloomsday's talents as writers, producers, and players as Iris captures the feelings and stories in their head. Having not had a moment to breathe, Iris and Alex used their downtime to hone their sound and create a collection that gorgeously walks a tightrope of, in their words, “tenderness, darkness, and fun stuff.” Place To Land is a statement of purpose, a document of deep friendship, and a collection of mementos both beautiful and heartrending. “My top surgery happened the day I finished the record.” It’s the story of Iris’s journey within themself, told through universal experiences–and a bold announcement of a powerful new voice ready to share what they’ve discovered. To stream the album visit, Spotify, Tidal, Apple Music, or purchase on Bandcamp.
Source: Bayonet Records
LP.8 by Kelly Lee Owens
Born out of a series of studio sessions, LP.8 was created with no preconceptions or expectations: an unbridled exploration into the creative subconscious. After releasing her sophomore album in the midst of the pandemic, Kelly Lee Owens was faced with the sudden realization that her world tour could no longer go ahead. Keen to make use of this untapped creative energy, she made the spontaneous decision to go to Oslo instead. There was no overarching plan, it was simply a change of scenery and a chance for some undisturbed studio time. It just so happened that her flight from London was the last before borders were closed once again. The blank page project was underway. Arriving at snowglobe conditions and sub-zero temperatures, she began spending time in the studio with esteemed avant-noise artist Lasse Marhaug. Together, they envisioned making music somewhere in between Throbbing Gristle and Enya, artists who have had an enduring impact on Kelly’s creative being. In doing so, they paired tough, industrial sounds with ethereal Celtic mysticism, creating music that ebbs and flows between tension and release. To stream the album visit, Spotify, Tidal, Apple Music, or purchase on Bandcamp.
Source: Smalltown Supersound
Remember What I Look Like by The Inflorescence
The Inflorescence's stunning debut LP Remember What I Look Like was conceived during quarantine and draws on the band's inspirations, including indie, punk, emo, grunge, and alternative. Tuesday Denekas's songs of shattered, disappointed romance sound triumphant in these infectious songs that are propelled by Milla Merlini's thunderous drums, Sasha A'Hearn's steady, anchoring bass, and Charlee Berlin's stinging guitar leads. The confident nine-song album has zero dull spots or wasted songs. Starting with the sinuous, fast-paced “Phantom Feelings” and the resilient, stomping “So Much of Nothing” to the start/stop drama of “Are You Sorry” and the deceptively sweet, bouncy “Last Week” and the hair-pin turns and resilient defiance of “The Truth” to the brief respite from the title track which launches into the epic, gripping “Tomorrow Night” and the desperate grunge power of “The Button,” finishing off with the roaring climax of “Board Game,” it’s a rollercoaster ride of thrills and anguish to strap in for. To stream the album visit, Spotify, Tidal, Apple Music, or purchase on Bandcamp.
Source: Kill Rock Stars
Mercury by The Range
On Mercury, The Range builds on the techniques he established on his critically acclaimed 2016 LP Potential, seeking to create human connection in the Internet age through sampling vocalists from the corners of YouTube, Instagram, and Periscope. “I feel like I can find ways to express myself in ways that I’m too shy or unable to do in the real world,” Hinton says of the process. Mercury is moody, transportive, and undeniably rave-infused, and although it is indebted to IDM mainstays and grime pioneers, the album finds Hinton pushing himself outside the constraints of any one specific genre. To stream the album visit, Spotify, Tidal, Apple Music, or purchase on Bandcamp.
Source: Domino Records
Do Your Worst by Erin Anne
When the whole world collapses around you, sometimes the only thing you can do is stomp it all loose. Erin Anne's second album, the gleaming, electrified Do Your Worst, charts that uninhibited romp through a disaster. Written amid the rubble of personal grief and professional disappointment, later exacerbated by the devastation of a global pandemic, the record deepens Erin's venture into the blur between human and machine, adding a new roster of digital instruments to the mix. Drawing on dark, glossy '80s synthpop as well as the unabashed bombast of bands like The Killers, the L.A.-based songwriter deploys a cyborg persona to articulate a feeling of displacement from the world as a queer artist struggling to survive the machinations of late capitalism. With bright, interweaving synthesizers and ripples of Auto-Tuned vocals, Do Your Worst poses a dare to the world: Whatever you have in store, I'll take it standing. To stream the album visit, Spotify, Tidal, Apple Music, or purchase on Bandcamp.
Source: Carpark Records
V I N C E N T by FKJ
V I N C E N T signals a new dawn for the consummate artist, French Kiwi Juice (FKJ). The concept for V I N C E N T came about during a solo trip to Los Angeles before 2020. “I just stayed in this house totally on my own, turned my phone off, and had some time away from everything to figure out what I wanted to do.” He realized he wanted to tap into the freedom of being a teenager: “back then, I was making music strictly for playfulness, without overthinking it,” he says. V I N C E N T’s opening and closing songs underline the sentiment of the new album: the future-jazz of “Way Out” (a playful mini soundtrack in one; a dainty piano motif underscored by a skittering trap beat and serene strings) and the lullaby-styled “Stay A Child”. “I wanted to get back some of that lost innocence of making music purely for pleasure,” he says. To stream the album visit, Spotify, Tidal, Apple Music, or purchase on Bandcamp.
Source: Mom + Pop Records
