In the past two years, Charlottesville, VA-based artist, Kate Bollinger has released a string of singles and a debut EP I Don’t Wanna Lose. Her newest release, the five-track EP, A Word Becomes a Sound, features the same melodic indie music she’s known for, completed with a refined studio sound.

She pairs lo-fi sound, akin, to bedroom pop, with instrumental more the likes of jazz-pop AND shines with her melodies that are consistently fitted with a light and delicate swing.

Bollinger often speaks in generalities in her music, leaving us to easily fit our own experiences into her songs. She does this on the EP’s first song, a re-release of her 2018 single, “A Couple Things.” This stand-out track features a soft and jazzy guitar solo—a subtle but complementary break from the repetitive chorus. It is a song about the fear of failure— whether that’s a reference to a relationship, a goal, or something tangible, we are left to our own imagination.

“Grey Skies,” her lead single on the album, speaks of overwhelming indecisiveness and the transition into not caring or at least the facade of doing so. And as usual, her anxiety-filled lyrics are disguised by her entirely easy-breezy melodies. This song carries an additional sultriness, that adds a playful and teasing tone, unique to the rest of the EP.

Next comes “I Feel Like Doing Nothing.” While this track takes a similar format and tone as her others, Bollinger cleverly takes advantage of the tempo. As she repeats the last chorus, the track suddenly falls into syrupy sound as she drags out the melody, mimicking the sluggishness of the lyrics. You get the sense of falling asleep as the song very slowly fades out with dreamy and soft distortion over muffled sounds of voices.

Her last two tracks are the most romantic on the album. “A Word Becomes a Sound,” features a charming introduction with just her quiet voice and guitar plucking. Lastly, she wraps up the EP with, “Queen to Nobody,” a song about the desire to be the apple of someone’s eye.

While Bollinger’s music is often mellow, it is still full of life and smart lyricism. She no doubt settles comfortably in the genre of bedroom pop with her relatable songs, whether or not that was the initial intention. She excels in creating relaxing music that can easily fit the mold of your mood in any season. However, there’s something sunny and smooth about Word Becomes a Sound, that makes late summertime seem like the perfect occasion for its release.

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You may know Sheetal Singh from her time as a bassist in the San Francisco-based band The Stratford 4. The shoegaze band hit their stride in the early 2000s, but after their demise, Singh left the music scene.

After a brief band reunion in 2015, she decided she wanted to expand creatively and try making music as a solo artist, so she mastered the tools to do so. The result is a 10-track album under the name Forest Bees. She still holds the influence from her former band’s genre of shoegaze and airy dream pop. But rather than relying on fuzzy guitars, she’s using her own voice and electronic beats.

The self-titled album stands as a collection of broody and dark tracks that hold powerful energy. They are layered with both dreamy and harsh sounds. Many of the tracks blend together sonically, but each message is separate and poignant. She hits on common themes of loneliness and anxiety but these also stand unique as they are explained through motherhood, race, and advancing technology.

She opens the album with a track titled “Alexa.” The song is atmospheric and ethereal and it opens the gates to her world— the first sound we hear is ringing of bells reminiscent of the warning of a train coming. We’ve met her before but now we are introduced to something that is entirely herself.

“Alone Together” follows, with an eerily relevant title to the current state of the world, even if the song was written before the start of the global pandemic. Halfway through the track, Singh layers clips of sounds from ordinary life — chatter, laughing, greetings. She sings about loneliness over the clear presence of others.

The most striking track on the album is “Off Color.” “Hey girl,” she begins, starting the song as a conversation to her daughter. She then discusses the realities of being a brown woman in a white world. She balances speaking the truth — explicitly detailing the anxieties people of color are forced to bestow — with instilling words of confidence to her daughter. “We might be off-color, but I’m feeling alright,” sings the chorus.

Her album isn’t only interesting to listen to, it’s important to hear. Whether this is because you’re tuning into lyrics that represent a life like your own or to learn about a life that is entirely different. You won’t find your angst-filled teen years in this album, as you might in those of The Stratford 4. But you will find something new, smart, and just as melancholy. Unlike her previous musical work, with Forest Bees, she speaks for herself.

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Annie Hamilton is an artist who wears many hats. Based out of Sydney, Australia, she is a musician, a fashion designer, and a visual artist. She plays guitar in the band Little May and for the artist Jack River. But now, she is releasing her solo project, a self-titled EP.

While nothing on this EP is very surprising, as four of the six songs have already been released, it has a sense of completion that wasn’t apparent with just the string of independent singles.

Her EP primarily examines the aftermath of break-ups and the strain of waiting for feelings to diminish. But she digs deeper than just the sadness of missed feelings, she openly expresses her struggles with anxiety and control. We see this theme woven through the entirety of the EP, whether in a song about a break-up or a song about understanding herself. In this vulnerability, we not only see Hamilton discover herself as an artist but grapple with her own identity as a human.

Soft vocals over fuzzy noise forge a spinning feeling in her music that complements those anxious feelings and also taps into a sound reminiscent of 90s shoegaze. Her music falls into the genre of indie rock, but you can’t hide that grunge influence creeping through with staticky guitars, distorted crescendos, and broody lyrics. This style is immediately solidified in her first two tracks “Fade” and “Kitchen.”

“My New Tattooed Chameleon,” shifts into a more swinging beat with a lighter composition opposed to the preceding. While it still holds a messy aesthetic, it is slightly less constricted—a sort of breath of fresh air from the previous claustrophobia and anger. And within this flexibility, she explores change.

The EP begins with three familiar songs, her fourth track, “California Carpark Concrete” leads the transition into her newer tracks. In this song, she follows more of a folky sense of storytelling especially in the recurring line, “they say if the crocs don’t get you, then the sharks will,” which feels like a tough-love line of advice your grandpa might deliver.

“Oxygen” starts with an electric organ that recalls some spirituality. She pairs this with lyrics of trying feelings. However, it doesn’t have the same desperation that her other songs hold. In “Oxygen” she is more sure of herself and clear-headed.

The EP finishes with “Panic,” her latest released single. And it’s a tone up from the more mellow last few tracks. “Panic” wraps up the EP with a fitting strength. Its all-encompassing noise has you fully stimulated—just like panic, really.

Annie Hamilton shows she is more than just an impressive guitarist, by finding her own voice in this EP. These tracks are like the diary entries you expected no one to see, as she speaks with both vulnerability and fortitude.

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Peach Pit, the Vancouver, B.C.-based quartet is back with their sophomore album, You and Your Friends. The band, falling somewhere between surf rock and indie pop, is known for their detailed storytelling, with Neil Smith as their mellow-voiced narrator and brought to life by Chris Vanderkooy’s funky guitar riffs. They’re still singing their sad boy hearts out about hazy bedrooms, drunken stupors, and girls scrolling past their Instagram pics. But smoke clouds break for sunny days in this new record, as they have gravitated from their moody sound that was prominently held in their first album Being So Normal (2018).

They start out with a bang. “Feeling Low (F*ckboy Blues),” a title that could easily double as their style of music, is entirely ear-catching. This track was also released with a Lucha Libre inspired music video that compliments the quirky electricity that carries throughout the rest of the record. And in a well-organized album, “Feeling Low (F*ckboy Blues), is the perfect reintroduction and showcase of their talents as both individuals and a collective band.

They back this hit with another previously released single, “Black Licorice.” It’s a tone down from their first track but will likely become one of their classics. You’ll find this style similar to the later “Shampoo Bottles,” a clever story of the remnants of ex-partners, from missed feelings to their old toiletries. They have become pros at masking melancholy behind funny lyrics and swinging tunes. And matched with an upbeat chorus and intricate guitar work, these songs are quintessential Peach Pit.

“Figure 8” comes with a shift from their typical sound—featuring more the likes of a mainstream pop ballad. In this song, Peach Pit becomes our stoner boy band, and even with the cliches, there’s something deep inside that still tugs at your heart.

“Puppy Grin” also takes a different turn, with an energy reminiscent of Panic! at the Disco. They toss between a controlled steady beat and twisting and turning reverb that mimics their lyrics of questioning feelings. Ultimately, it results in a controlled chaos that makes you want to dance out all that built-up tension.

Then we fade into the easy-breezy middle section of the album. “Brian’s Movie” kicks it off with a conversational and groovy surf-pop tune. The easy listening continues with “Camilla I’m at Home” and “Second Life With Emily.” They might be singing of broken hearts and lost love but they still come off as feel-good songs. Initially, this section is so relaxed it might come off as forgettable, but it proves itself to be the center of this jelly donut—pleasantly sweet and sticky.

When “Thursday” begins to play you might think you were listening to a completely different band. The addition of a synthesizer coupled with Neil Smith’s soft vocals makes it especially ethereal. It has you feeling like you’re floating through outer space and then quickly spinning back to reality with some fast drumming and guitar distortion. 

“Your Teeth” is sure to be a catchy standout. The oddity of the lyrics will catch you by surprise, but you’ll likely get swept up in the flirty beat and will quickly find yourself crooning along.

The album finishes with its title track. All you can hope for is a safe landing, and “You and Your Friends” is that, but only that.

Peach Pit proves they are willing to experiment with some new tricks and sounds, but they still keep to the creative storytelling and impressive guitar work that makes them recognizable. With conversational and relatable lyrics, it’s hard to remember they’re not your actual friends filling you in about their latest crush or drunken night. And with You and Your Friends, it seems they’ve moved their kickbacks out of the hazy basement and onto the sunny front porch.

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Whitney’s sophomore album, Forever Turned Around, released at the end of summer, is the perfect prelude to fall. Always singing nostalgically of golden days, their soft rock melts your heart in the coziest of ways.

The album starts with “Giving Up” which features the classic song-making style of Julien Elrich and Max Kakacek—swinging and upbeat but with lyrics that don’t always follow that same positive tempo. Forever Turned Around is about relationships, whether romantic or platonic, you’re often left free to decide that for yourself. They tackle loneliness, doubt, fleeting feelings, and change. It’s unclear how they are able to evoke simultaneous melancholy and sunshine, but they do so masterfully.

Sonically, it sounds strikingly similar to their debut album, Light Upon the Lake (2016)—and you likely wouldn’t notice much of a difference if you interchanged a few of the tracks. But their style is so unique, it’s hard to hate them for it – simply because you won’t find anyone else like them.

In the first half of the album, we feel the sun setting on summertime. They address change in a new way in each song. Beginning with “Before I Know It,” they start with change sneaking up on you. “Song for Ty” is about instability and fleeting feelings—the worry of change coming at any time. And “Valleys (My Love),” ends this section most directly, “I never want to fade away/ Want to turn as the seasons’ change/ Every time you come around/ The days just slow down,” sings Elrich.

As usual, Ehrlich and Kakacek are backed by a large band including multiple guitars, a trumpet, bassists, and a keyboard. We get a full taste of their instrumental work in “Rhododendron,” which hits at the center and serves as the album’s interlude. It’s a smooth and bouncy tune stuffed with a trumpet and guitar.

They quickly jump back into those wistful lyrics, but this time there’s a slight shift to lightness—now their words seem to be fueled with less anxiety. Where “Used to Be Lonely,” at the beginning of the album, addresses the fear and struggles in loneliness, “My Life Alone” features a dancing-with-myself kind of acceptance. The next two tracks bring a sense of nostalgia and daydreaming as they lead up to Forever Turned Around’s namesake song that curbs the album with a sleepy finish.

While Forever Turned Around is a solid album as a whole, you might find it hard to pick a favorite. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing—the album drags out like one long happy day or a sticky night lit with fireflies. Its easy listening radiates warmth and euphoria. The music may fall in and out of your focus, but you’ll likely be nodding your head with a dreamy smile through all ten tracks.

Forever Turned Around navigates both the expected and unexpected feelings. Its music will help ease you into coming change, all while wrapped up in an iconic Whitney bow.

Upcoming tour dates:

Fri. Jan. 24 – Madison, WI @ The Sylvee
Tue. Jan. 28 – Evanston, IL @ SPACE
Wed. Jan. 29 – Indianapolis, IN @ The Vogue
Thur. Jan. 30 – Louisville, KY @ Headliners Music Hall
Fri. Jan. 31 – Nashville, TN @ Cannery Ballroom
Mon. Feb. 3 – Pensacola, FL @ Vinyl Music Hall
Tue. Feb. 4 – Tallahassee, FL @ The Moon
Wed. Feb. 5 – Miami, FL @ The Ground
Thur. Feb. 6 – Tampa, FL @ Orpheum
Fri. Feb. 7 – Charleston, SC @ The Music Farm
Mon. Feb. 10 – Columbus, OH @ Newport Music Hall
Tue. Feb. 11 – Cleveland, OH @ Beachland Ballroom
Wed. Feb. 12 – Syracuse, NY @ Westcott Theatre
Thur. Feb. 13 – Montreal, QC @ Corona Theatre
Fri. Feb. 14 – Toronto, ON @ Phoenix Concert Theatre
Sat. Feb. 15 – Detroit, MI @ Majestic Theatre
Sun. Feb. 16 – Grand Rapids, MI @ Fountain Street Church

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The 23-year-old singer-songwriter and producer Holly Fletcher, who goes by the stage name of Låpsley, has emerged from a three-year hiatus with music in tow. She gained quick fame for her innovative electronica and soulful voice but has yet to release music since her first album, Long Way Home, which came out in 2016.

The announcement came as a letter on Instagram, where she thanked her audience for their patience while Holly embarked on a journey of self-discovery. “I needed that time and isolation to care for my mental well being; in order to create something that I felt was the truest version of myself,” she wrote. In the four-track EP, These Elements, we see this transformation, to be released on December 6th.

The EP starts with “My Love Was Like The Rain.” In this song, she melts natural themes with an electronic beat. It’s a song that explores contradiction both technically and thematically. She paints images of water—leading us through rain, seas, pools, blue skies, and arctic fronts. This is where the title’s namesake comes in, “I embody these elements,” she sings over echoing electronica. Holly has the listener drowning and then floating as she ultimately embraces elements— the good and the bad.

Låpsley continues with the natural theme in her second track “Eve,” where she plays with the biblical Adam and Eve story and the themes of greed and taking. The faint high-pitched sounds of birds chirping, twisted in a way that they nearly mimic the sound of a siren or static electricity, forges a spookiness over the dark and stormy beat. If you’re looking to dance out of a breakup, this anti-love song is it.

In her last two tracks, she takes a turn from the dance bops that embody the two preceding tracks. Holly also repeats her iconic vocal drop, a technique she debuted in the song that put her on the radar in 2014, “Station.” Holly electronically shifts her pitch generating different voices. If you didn’t know, you might’ve thought she added another vocalist, but instead, it results in mystifying androgyny (similar to what she did on “Station“).

For “Ligne” she settles in at a slower pace with a string arrangement. The experience is ethereal and full-bodied even while remaining simple and direct in lyricism, “it’s not easy letting go, it’s not that simple, somebody you love,” sings the chorus.

Holly ends on a solemn note, with “Drowning” that takes a letter-like quality. She calls out to her mother and then to her father. Her words are questioning, pleading, and seeking advice, “You said I can only swim so far, I was like a fish in water. So why am I drowning?” she sings.

Låpsley may have disappeared for a few years but Holly Fletcher was still out there working hard, and now she’s come back swinging.

With a long-awaited album like this one, you would expect some transformation and self-discovery, but Låpsley shows us that even more importantly, she’s found self-acceptance and she strides with a renewed confidence. These Elements validates that times can be tough, but it also emanates empowerment; it’s the perfect comeback.

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