Melissa Villaseñor – “Watching You”

Listening to this track on the way to work the other day, I found myself wondering, “would it be offensive if I compared this song to Taylor Swift?” Melissa is known for doing impressions, but her songs are all her own – but I had this thought as the chorus played, I found myself trying to place the familiar feeling I had. Since her departure from SNL, I’ve noticed the comedienne leaning more wholeheartedly into all of her passion projects. Her standup, artwork, and even a recent book (Whoops… I’m Awesome) are getting a lot of deserved attention, while her original music still seems to be flying under the radar. Her single “Safe Place” became an unlikely part of my lockdown soundtrack in 2020, and continuing this peaceful trend is “Watching You,” a homage to her family, friends, and Dia De Los Muertos (Day of the Dead). Like most of what she does, this song has a very wholesome quality about it.

Gabrielle Grace – “I Wish That I Could Tell You”

Over the past couple of years, I’ve been following this project out of Nashville. Gabrielle has arguably all the right ingredients to be another new indie darling in the new year. The latest single “I Wish That I Could Tell You” has just the right about of sadness to appeal to fans of Big Thief, Snail Mail, and the like. Her vocals actually remind me a bit of Adrienne Lenker. Yet, the song is polished enough to cross over into the realm that so-called “normies” tend to inhabit as well. I’m talking about the Swifties who ate up her Folklore album. But in all seriousness, this single is driving, thoughtful, and suitable for this dreary Saturday in which I just downed a Cinnamon Roll Cappucino while listening.

LeTrainiump – “Go!”

The NoLa based pop artist returns, which this dark and mysterious synthpop track. This is the second time around for this song, and this time it feels more polished and darker than before. It’s a bit pensive but not so much so that you lose the happy vibe he’s known for. When traveling to visit my girlfriend recently, I had the song stuck in my head a lot – perhaps it was the tentative melancholy and anticipation that come from a long-distance relationship really coming together to make this song resonate with me. Peep the music video below:

Lone Wild – “Space Between”

The latest by the alt-pop artist strikes me off the bat as a bit unassuming in the verses, but the chorus hits hard. I think of acts like Fitz and the Tantrums and Young the Giant. There’s a bit of angst buried in the groove here and Ashkan Karimi’s vocals are pointed and direct. The reverb in the penultimate chorus is very effective and a nice touch. The siren-like synth on the outro is fun as well. There’s a bit of a timeless quality to the music too; I feel like this would be a solid single on alt-radio today or ten years ago.

Dave Buker and the Historians – “Stubborn Blood”

Right out the gate, I’m struck but the driving nature of the song and the crunch of the guitars. This is somewhat unexpected for Buker, an Americana influenced indie artist that has been prolific in the Columbus scene for years; consistently churning out top notch earthy indie yet under the radar. I wouldn’t classify this track as immediately catchy, but Buker’s project has never been about that. It’s been about approachability and humble, quality musicianship. Here, it’s a bit more pointed than I’m used to, but I’ll take it! Look for a new release on the horizon from this group…

Davis Evanoff – “Of My Soul”

There’s a Psalm-like quality to this song. I’m not saying its divinely inspired (don’t wanna accidentally be sacriligious here) but I immediately thought of the 23rd Psalm. This is an easy listening brand of electronica suitable for studying and meditative playlists. It feels like Evanoff is praying here. “The divine evermore calls me home,” Evanoff muses at one point. This is a new era for the artist – and indie scenes had better take notice. I cannot wait to see this artist’s vision get fully fleshed out – the possibilities feel endless.