Song Post – Queen City Sounds and Art

Stūrī Zēvele’s First Single Since 2020 is a Atmospheric and Foreboding Post-punk Song About Social Isolation

Stūrī Zēvele, photo courtesy the artists

Latvian pop band Stūrī Zēvele returns with its first music since its fantastic 2020 indiepop record Labvakar. The single “Neviens” (in English “Nobody”) is stylistically radically different but with the same level of detailed songcraft including the music video created by Artava studio artists Raitis Bērziņš and Zigmunds Ziemelis. It looks like and was filmed in a secondary school gymnasium (in Latvia’s capital city Riga) but at night with minimal lighting. The brooding crawl of the electronic rhythm and minimal instrumentation suits is reflected well in the images of people citing in a circle seemingly meditating on something heavy while another figure movies as though engaged in a mix of dance and Tai Chi. There is an undercurrent of something foreboding until the song picks up and the scene in the video looks like things are unraveling—behavior, emotional outbursts and the poise of the dancer until she opens her eyes as if waking from a dream and at this point the song ends suddenly as well like we’ve been privy to the soundtrack to private thoughts as outlined in the lyrics (in English below). There is a sinister undertone about the lyrics and and expressed desire for privacy and not granting others automatic access to minuscule details of our lives and how that fact of so much of modern existence can engender an impulse to isolate even as the illusion of connection puts up barriers between us. The song leans into those tensions and is more like something you’d expect from a post-punk band in substance and sound but the group’s music, though consistently inviting and accessible, has always resisted easy categorization and commands attention on its own terms. Watch the video for “Neviens” on YouTube and follow Stūrī Zēvele at the links below.

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“Neviens” English lyrics

We don’t go in at all
if there are others sitting in the cafe.
It’s unpleasant when strangers listen to what you order,
when strangers watch you eat.

We don’t show the way to strangers on the street,
if a stranger calls – we don’t pick up.

We can’t be photographed, filmed – it’s forbidden.
Let no one speak on our behalf.

snō Embraces Uncertainty as a Feature of Human Existence on Ambient Pop Single “unsure”

“unsure” by snō is a song seemingly about a tentative relationship with the world around oneself with all its demands and contradictory expectations making it sometimes challenging to have a solid and assured sense of self. The simple guitar figure that runs through the song beginning with the echo of an input jack being plugged in. Though abstract and repetitive the guitar line gives the song a tactile quality while Jacquelin Turner’s vocals flow and drift with an introspective and expressive vulnerability. The song does feel like a journey from uncertainty to acceptance but not one driven by a need to find absolute solutions, rather leaning into the process and into feeling and being because in life your experiences are part of a continuity of existence that don’t always lend themselves well to an outlook oriented toward linear problem solving. The song is part of the EP processing (released April 24, 2024) which has similar themes throughout of coming to terms with not always having the answers or not having any that are enduring all assembled with beautiful ambient soundscapes and gentle textures. Listen to “unsure” and the rest of processing on Spotify and follow snō at the links below.

snō on Apple Music

Boy With Apple’s Gauzy Dream Pop Single “Good For You” is a Transporting Meditation on Unselfish Yearning

Boy With Apple, photo by Christian Valenzuela Barrondo

Boy With Apple’s final single from its debut album Attachment is “Good For You.” The song’s ethereal melodies are enveloping and transporting and though there is the gorgeously gossamer guitar work and winsome vocals for which the band has become known there is an element to its composition that seems rooted in the aesthetics of electronic music and beatmaking. The result is a composition that drifts into your brain and takes you on an emotional journey exploring uncertainty in love while holding a certainty about how you feel. The line “How can I be good for you when I’m not even good for me” is delivered with such delicacy it speaks to a perspective of unselfish yearning, of wanting to love and be loved but not to harm in the course of a relationship. Fans of Black Tambourine and Lush will appreciate the genre-bending style of the song and the way it articulates complex feelings with an expansive musical reach and a willingness to let the sounds linger and interact organically with an analog sparkle. Listen to “Good For You” on Spotify and follow Gothenburg, Sweden’s Boy With Apple at the links provided. The Boy With Apple debut album Attachment was released March 15, 2024.

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Susan James Coaxes Us Into Embracing Our Own Transformative Powers on the Psychedelic Space Folk Single “Time Is Now”

Susan James infuses the title track of her forthcoming album Time Is Now with some paradoxically practical idealism with a vision for a better human society. She envisions a time when hate and fear are conquered and our ability to work to undo some of the civilizational developments that threaten all life on the planet much less our ability to actualize as individuals. But for James this future vision can begin now and thus the title of the song because the future is always arriving and waiting for it to happen seems like some kind of collective negative hypnosis of stasis we’re suffering under. The song has a brisk pace but a gentle touch with its blend of psychedelic folk, Bossa Nova tonal flavors and space rock. No scolding or dire predictions, James coaxes us to realize our own power in this moment. Watch the video for “Time Is Now” on YouTube and follow Susan James at the links below.

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Blondfire Dives Headlong Into Love Once Again on Immersive Synth Pop Single “Foolish”

Blondfire takes a dive off the deep end into love once again on “Foolish.” The title of the song might sum up the spirit of the songwriting and the impetus behind it but it also speaks to a a self-awareness and a trust in one’s own instincts rather than the second guessing that can keep you from doing something or being involved with something or someone that might be good for you even if just for a little while. When you know you might be acting foolishly it gives you a certain thrill unless it goes tragically sideways. And sometimes even then. But Blondfire goes all in with the commitment in the lyrics and in her willingness to cast aside the fears and insecurities that can cause you to stumble. Musically the rich and glimmering synth melodies and Blondfire’s own commanding vocals have echoes of Nik Kershaw’s “Wouldn’t It Be Good.” But rather than it seeming derivative it resonates with the romanticism of that song and taps into feelings of nostalgia without needing to look back on some fondly remembered time, rather, the rush of inexplicably warm feelings that can propel you forward into a good mood perhaps reconnecting with your ability to completely giving yourself up to moments of sustained passion and affection. Listen to “Foolish” on Soundcloud and follow Blondfire at the links below.

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TRAUMA KIT’s Noise Rock Epic “PLATEAU” Captures the Essence of Today’s Dystopian Times

Imagine one of the only weird hardcore bands from your hometown (you know, the one that listened to Crucifucks and Flipper coming up more than the usual suspects) gets bored with hard fast rules and were always into stranger music and the possibilities of sonic extremes in experimental industrial music and noise and makes a band you think would be good on a bill with Chat Pile, Mclusky/The Future of the Left or The Jesus Lizard. Or all three (four if you want to count The Future of the Left separately). TRAUMA KIT is that band from Boise, Idaho, a town that has a lot of secret talent. “PLATEAU” is the first song on the group’s new album TRAIN WRECKS TAKE TIME (which dropped February 23, 2024) is a caustic and seething bit of work that sounds like the story of dead end lives in dead end towns in dead end countries in a dead end civilization. It also sounds like what you do to express the pain of living through those situations and coming into the harrowing disillusion of having the realization of what you’ve inherited as a human in this time crash into you. It also comes across like the next searingly dystopian science fiction film made by Brandon Cronenberg if he teamed up with Harmony Korine for a story idea and really nailed what future looks like for most of us but the story of someone struggling to find some meaning and dignity in the detritus of world history yet not being completely hopeless and finding some glory in the struggle against the level best attempts of late capitalism to crush us into nothing. Musically you’re going to hear the aforementioned but also a bit of late 80s Voivod and maybe more than a little Shellac and a shred of Naked City. No complaints. Listen to “PLATEAU” on Spotify (Apple Music or Bandcamp) and you may recognize some of your own intrusive thoughts in the words and thrilling collisions of sound.

TRAUMA KIT on Apple Music

Amelie Lucille’s Orchestral and Downtempo “See Me” is an Emotionally Nuanced Letting Go of Toxic Relationships

Amelie Lucille, photo courtesy the artist

Amelie Lucille brings a great depth of feeling to her vocal performance in “See Me,” going from a rich alto in the verses to soaring notes in the choruses. It’s a song about toxic relationships of all stripes (romantic, familial, friendships) and how it can feel difficult to get them out of your psyche when your emotions and bonds of love and affection that tie those connections together in lingering waves. The low end pulse running throughout the song feels like the part of your mind that’s gentle and reminds you that you can indeed move beyond the terrible dynamic that keeps you attached to people and situations bad for you. The melancholic violin is like a coaxing to better places and mourning what was good about the times you shared with the associations that no longer serve your life. Musically the song is like a fusion of downtempo sensibilities and the kind of orchestral, emotional sweep one heard in The Verve’s 1997 hit “Bittersweet Symphony.” The rich production and Lucille’s commanding and vulnerable performance draws you in for a transformative and liminal moment in the heart when you’re ready to let go of the situations and people that hold you back from leading your best life while also accepting the feelings and experiences that have brought you to that moment. It’s a song of rare emotional nuance and sonic depth that will bring you back for repeat listens. Witness “See Me” for yourself on Spotify and follow Amelie Lucille at the links below.

amelielucille.com

Amelie Lucille on TikTok

Amelie Lucille on Instagram

Alex McArtor’s Dream Pop Single “Endless Summer” is a Celebration of Those Perfect Memories We Can Hold Onto For a Lifetime

Winter is upon us at the time of the writing of this review but Alex McArtor’s single “Endless Summer” and its warmly nostalgic melodies is an escape to a another headspace. The guitar line traces the melody downward and highlights the edges of the mood of the song that is a collection of the best memories of times of travel, indulging pleasures, loving and being loved, savoring the companionship of a partner in these adventures. McArtor’s slightly husky voice embodying the synthesis of the cumulative feelings contained within all of those snapshots of carefree times. The guitar work between passages traces a downward arc in luminous single notes and evocative slides accented by subtle bass and drums. Altogether the song draws you in and whether or not you’ve shared some of the specific nuggets of cherished memories it is a song about holding onto those perfect memories in your mind to sustain you through more challenging times. Listen to “Endless Summer,” produced by Benny Cassette, on Spotify and follow Alex McArtor at the links below.

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Alex McArtor on Instagram

This is a Revolver Tears Into Demented Christian Sectarianism With Joyous Grunge Punk Single “Arrivederci!”

This is a Revolver, photo courtesy the artists

This is a Revolver rejects the corrupt, hateful, judgment and money-grubbing aspects of the Christian church in the joyful and pointed single “Arrivederci!” In the music video we see the band dressed to the nines as though going to some major service while spelling out a litany of the offenses committed by leaders, institutions and many of the followers of the religion including a level of unattainable purity expected, and in centuries past purchased by the wealthy, to which adherents and really everyone is expected to adhere or suffer eternal damnation, which is not the basis of a worthwhile faith. Considering recent right wing figures have called for the extermination of everyone in America and the world that doesn’t follow their narrow interpretation of faith as a nefarious echo of, say, the Catholic Church in the middle ages and during the Inquisition, this very unapologetic, grunge-fueled punk song tearing in efficient manner tearing into the hypocrisies and dubious foundations of the most violently oppressive end of Christianity is not just welcome but necessary. Going along to get along works when you’re dealing with trifling matters but not when a sizable group of people sees anyone that doesn’t align with their demented, sectarian beliefs as an existential threat to be eliminated. This Is a Revolver just made that kind of spirited condemnation seem fun with this song. Watch the video for “Arrivederci!” on YouTube and follow This is a Revolver at the links provided.

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CATBEAR’s Lush and Romantic “Higher” is a Synthpop Song About the Virtues of Undistracted Conversation

CATBEAR’s “Higher” is inspired by a time before video calls when people only heard a voice on the other end of a phone and you only had words and your imagination in connecting with people. A time when maybe you would actually talk with friends and lovers for long periods of time late into the night discussing whatever came to mind without the distraction of visuals or the pressure to share anything. Your focus could and would be just on that moment and the undeniable emotional bond of it almost as pure as that could be. The music has a retro synthpop feel with the hazy synths and infinite horizons that matches well with the romance inherent to the song’s lyrics and concept with soulful and soothing vocals that are lush and introspective that lead you through a journey into a moment of emotional intimacy and deep affection, something that seemed more attainable decades ago and could be again if everyone involved were committed to not being on call or on demand to the social and economic forces of our current era even if only for a night or a day. CATBEAR makes that seem not only possible but inherently desirable with this song. Listen to “Higher” on Spotify and follow London synthpop duo CATBEAR at the links provided.