Dan Deacon – “Fell Into the Ocean” (Singles Going Steady)
On "Fell Into the Ocean", Baltimore electropop producer Dan Deacon teaches us that you can make anything a fortune cookie if you try hard enough.
singles going steady
SZA and Justin Timberlake – “The Other Side” (Singles Going Steady)
Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell re-imagined for 2020. SZA does most of the heavy lifting here, while Justin Timberlake busts a selection of moves in a charmingly self-deprecating way.
Half Waif – “Halogen 2” (Singles Going Steady)
Slight but urgent, Half Waif's "Halogen 2" offers a beautiful build and perfectly-pitched multi-tracked fifth-harmonies.
Phoebe Bridgers – “Garden Song” (Singles Going Steady)
Phoebe Bridgers’ “Garden Song” is a travelogue of memories and dreams, woven together gracefully and delivered with perfect effortlessness.
Mabel – “Boyfriend” (Singles Going Steady)
Mabel's "Boyfriend" feels like little more than a stepping stone, something to keep her name on people's tongues following her big win at the Brit awards.
How to Dress Well – “Vacant Boat” (Singles Going Steady)
Every listen to How to Dress Well's "Vacant Boat" reveals not just something new, but a new way of hearing it as a complete package.
Stephen Malkmus – “Come Get Me” (Singles Going Steady)
"Come Get Me" sounds a little like early-period Shins with its herky-jerky vocal melody that Stephen Malkmus isn't afraid to run into the ground, not to mention an arrangement that just barely exists on the good side of modern indie cliché.
Vök – “Erase You” (Singles Going Steady)
Icelandic electropop trio, Vök's "Erase You" is a testament to strength although it's not outwardly apparent. It expresses emotional mutability and the ultimate belief that strength can be derived from subjection.
Matmos – “The Crying Pill” (Singles Going Steady)
Here we are in 2019, and Matmos is still producing sounds that just don't fit comfortably into any electronic subgenre currently available for classification.
Cardi B and Bruno Mars – “Please Me” (Singles Going Steady)
Here we have two artists sticking closely to their strengths, Cardi B being supremely confident and hilariously vulgar while Bruno Mars sings a hook designed to get stuck in your head for days.
Jordan Rakei – “Mind’s Eye” (Singles Going Steady)
Everything about "Mind's Eye" seems designed to draw you in gently, and then there is Jordan Rakei's remarkable voice.
Chromatics – “Time Rider” (Singles Going Steady)
On synthpop band Chromatics' latest track "Time Rider", the melancholy remains present, but they find the beauty in it as a means of survival and sanity.