down to earth or atmospheric, here’s music for you [single reviews]

By Ryan G

Balloon Ride Fantasy – “Welcoming Party”: Congrats to this band. They just made me grin like an idiot while sitting on the patio of this coffee place. Wouldn’t it be great if some girl walking by noticed my smile and talked to me? I might just show them this song, and it would be the start of a beautiful relationship… Okay, that was really corny. I’m sorry. Just listen to this synthpop jammer, won’t ya? For fans of M83, MGMT, and Empire of the Sun. [Photo credit goes to Timothy Evans]

Mary Moore – “The Sinner”: I pushed myself to write about this, because it’s a bit outside the scope of what I usually listen to. This song feels very wholesome and Moore exhibits some on-point vocal chops. She takes us to church with her honesty. This inspirational version of folk certainly has the ability to evoke “the feels” in listeners, and ought to fit right in on many playlists. Speaking of playlists, when I was looking at where people were listening to this song on Spotify, I saw this song on a list alongside Sleeping at Last and Keane—I want to be friends with that person. Also—this might be the antithesis of that song I featured above.

Parrot Dream – “Light Goes (In Mines)”: What comes to mind when you think of ALVVAYS and infectious guitar hooks? It might soon be this duo. This track has the ambience of an 80s new-wave hit that sat out in the sun for a bit. This driving track, seriously, has one of my favorite guitar melodies I’ve heard all year. My thought process went from “I like that melody” to “I’m not sure about this” to “Oh, I get it now!” Hopefully, you’ll get it too!

Michael Witt – “Late Rose”: After the drummer of Odd Folks, whom I haven’t been able to shut up about for weeks, gave high accolades to a songwriter friend, I had to listen. “Late Rose” is neither emo nor rock in style, but it carries the same heart that Odd Folks does. There’s something in the water in that Dallas/Denton scene and I aim to find out what it is. You can tell that Witt’s strategy is calculated—this song carries a maturity and depth far beyond many of his peers in the indie scene.

We Were Promised Jetpacks – “Hanging In”: I have a question for you. Have you ever brushed off a band only to come back years later and question what the heck you were doing? We Were Promised Jetpacks (you have to love that name) is that band for me. I knew it within seconds of “Hanging In,” the first single of their first record in four years, kicking in. I saw this band open for Jimmy Eat World in 2010 but hardly gave them a thought since then. Well, shame on me. “Hanging In” is proof that rock music can be fun and intricate at the same time. I mean, if you didn’t know that you’ve been living under a rock, but still…

Sarah Benasouli – “Thoughts”: There’s a phenomenon called ASMR that is suddenly trendy “with the youngins,” as it were. That’s when certain sounds elicit an involuntary, physical reaction in certain folks—similar to getting chills down your spine, but in your ears. “Thoughts” is certainly a strong candidate for a song I would recommend to pursue this feeling. This jazz-inspired composition is relaxing, but is full of enough twists and turns that passive listening isn’t advised. I’ll be keeping this Parisian on my radar.