Staff Pix 10/12
The Milk Crate staff’s favorite tracks of the week, presented with blurbs worthy of a promotional sticker on a jewel case. Tune in Tuesdays from 1-2 EST to the Staff Pix radio show.
Nia Tucker
Free Kelly Rowland- Bartees Strange ft Armand Hammer
On the new deluxe issue of his debut album, Live Forever, Bartees Strange reimagines the spacey, lo-fi-tinged indie rock track “Kelly Rowland,” which is named after the track’s subtle sample of the iconic 00s hit, “Dilemma.” In this version, we still get Bartees’ signature genre-bending style and gritty singing voice, but acoustic guitars take the forefront, creating a more earthy sound perfect for fall. New verses in the song from both Bartees and New York group Armand Hammer place quirky and quick raps on top of this otherwise indie/R&B beat. If you haven’t gotten a chance to listen to Bartees Strange before this, this track is indicative of the ways that he fluctuates genre from song to song on both the original and deluxe edition of the album but effortlessly ties them together in one sound.
Nat Szczepanski
Feel A Thing by Meet Me @ The Altar
Fueled by Ramen’s rising star Meet Me @ The Altar is crushing it release after new release. Coming off August’s EP Model Citizen, “Feel A Thing” debuted with a kick-ass 80s arcade game inspired music video that saw Edith, Téa, and Ada transported to the 8bit realm. Aided with flashy guitar riffs, energetic vocals and thumping drums are they able to defeat their foes. This song is so upbeat and catchy, how could you not dance along?
Lily Hartenstein
Freaks to the Front by Amyl and the Sniffers
Since its September 10 release, I have listened to Amyl and the Sniffers “Comfort to Me” basically every day as I stomp towards the T. The album is a perfect encapsulation of the pent-up rage and exhaustion of a never ending pandemic, as the Australian band pushed harder than ever in their strict lockdown. Freaks to the Front is a standout to me, for its familiar shreds and frontwoman Amy Taylor screeching: “I’m short, I’m shy, I’m fucked up, I’m bloody ugly!”. The whole project is jam packed with heavy riffs and lyrics that careen between apathetic and desperate, creating an addictive punk sound; and to top it all off, fellow Aussie badass Courtney Barnett is a producer.
Sarah Fournell
Silk Chiffon (feat. Phoebe Bridgers) by MUNA
Silk Chiffon is a blast of bubblegum indie pop that I literally cannot stop listening to. MUNA and Bridgers deviate from their usual sad girl anthems to create a celebration of life and sapphic relationships that is perfect for a non-stop dance party. It’s an insanely visual, carefree track full of joy and pure love.
Karenna Umscheid
Secrets From a Girl (Who’s Seen It All) by Lorde
Returning from Antarctica and a four year hiatus, Lorde graciously gave the world her third studio album, Solar Power. She replies to the angsty young girl who wrote Ribs and Liability with a new wisdom and enlightenment, shown especially Secrets from a Girl (Who’s Seen It All). It’s a gorgeous, soft, and comforting song perfect for anyone who’s ambitious yet lost, moving on and growing up.
Izzy Desmarais
Valentine by Snail Mail
The first single and title track off her upcoming sophomore album, Snail Mail returns with a punch. Valentine follows Lindsey Jordan’s signature themes of angst and heartbreak with a much more mature tone. Alluding to the toxic nature of the music industry with the lyric, “Those parasitic cameras, don’t they stop and stare at you?” It's clear that this record will be just as brutally honest as Jordan’s debut album, Lush. I have been playing it nonstop since its release last month and I can’t wait for the album to drop on November 5th!
Will Ingman
The Beachland Ballroom by IDLES
Like Chopin into a cranked tube amp, IDLES’s first single off their upcoming release Crawler balances waltzing rhythms and their signature chaotic growl in this ode to Cleveland’s most famous concert venue. Remarkable in its sonic restraint when compared to earlier outputs from the band’s first two albums, “The Beachland Ballroom'' adopts a softer, more soulful style that guitarist Mark Bowen claims they’ve chased since the band’s first release. “[Joe] wanted it to feel natural, and this song is,” Bowen said in an interview with Grimy Goods.
rom com 2021 by Soccer Mommy and Kero Kero Bonito
Another entry in singer-songwriter Sophie Allison’s catalogue of unexpected collaborations - a list including splits with noise rock band HEALTH and psychedelic rock act Unknown Mortal Orchestra - “rom com 2021” is a retooling of Soccer Mommy’s song “rom com 2004” through the bubblegum-flavored filter of British indie pop act Kero Kero Bonito, themselves fresh off a 2021 EP featuring much of the same sonic flair that colors “rom com 2021”.
David Shird
Gonna Bleach My Eyebrows by Alemeda
Alemeda is an artist that I’ve recently discovered and is definitely an artist that you should keep your eye on. “Gonna Bleach My Eyebrows” is this super relaxed piece that has remnants of R&B and bedroom pop, paired with the airy voice of Alemeda is truly blissful. The lyrics behind this song deal with discovering yourself again after being put through the wringer with an unrequited love. Something that I definitely related to a lot especially after last summer. However, fall this the season of change and this song is an anthem to finally move on and dye your hair that color you’ve been wanting. This is one that’ll be on my playlist all fall long and I hope it makes it onto yours as well.
Kyle Woolery
Scripture - Eartheater
“Scripture,” the latest offering from the ever-evolving and always impressive Eartheater, is like the sonic lovechild of the artist’s last two full-length projects, Trinity (2019) and Phoenix: Flames Are Dew Upon My Skin (2020). It strikes a harmonious balance between the futuristic trap-pop sound of the former and the expansive chamber folk sound of the latter, creating a new sound that could best be described as baroque electropop. Produced in collaboration with Sega Bodega, “Scripture” builds from delicate electronic ambience into a soaring, bombastic climax of sparkly synths and rumbling 808s. Eartheater’s distinct, almost operatic vocals effortlessly fluctuate between octaves, her dramatic intonation evoking an otherworldly celestiality and subtle sensuality. If Trinity symbolized water and Phoenix symbolized fire, then “Scripture” surely must symbolize air.
Anna Miller
Feels Like by Gracie Abrams
Gracie Abrams is the pop singer to watch right now! She is currently on tour, and actually just got to open for Phoebe Bridgers. Although she is a Nepotism baby (her dad is JJ Abrams), her music still stands on it’s own. Her lyrics are heartbreaking, and this song really shows off how great of a lyricist she is.
Sara O’Connell
If You Say the Word by Radiohead
Another spooky track by Radiohead that dropped this month. It’s reminiscent of KID A sounds as it provides that haunting sort of feel. This sort of ambient sound is what classic Radiohead fans know and love. If you need something to put on while you’re riding the train and contemplating your existence, this is the tune for you.
Andrew Johnson
Here’s to the Future by Sam Weber
Here’s to the Future is a classic indie rock song by up and coming artist Sam Weber. The song is is bitter sweet in the best scenes of the word, speaking of how all we can do is hope for the future. It is beautifully simple and carries the emotional weight of what the future might be. It is definitely worth a listen.
Maura Cowan
January Summers by Molly Payton
Fresh off of Molly Payton’s new LP, Slack, “January Summers” is a nostalgia-tinged memory of an afternoon long past, when the light hit just right and the energy was perfect and the moment seemed endless. The fuzzy surf-rock guitars are reminiscent of the summer she describes, but Payton’s sharp, melancholy voice brings us into a colder, darker present-- just in time for the Boston fall. It’s a track about growing up against your own will, about knowing when it’s time to move on, even when all you want to do is cling to that last little bit of simplicity.
Kate Mettetal
Write A List of Things to Look Forward To by Courtney Barnett
Australian indie rock artist Courtney Barnett is, at this point in her career, a master of taking social perils by the horns and transforming them into timely healing elixirs. Released on Sept. 29, her new single “Write A List of Things to Look Forward To” is, in many ways, an acclamation of self compassion as the global COVID-19 pandemic rages onward and the fridgedness of winter, once again, approaches us. Ditching her usual deadpan singing style and heavily-distorted instrumentals for an airy, semi-acoustic ensemble and songwriting riddled with messages of new beginnings, Barnett tonally and lyrically encourages a period of intrapersonal rebirth.
Harry Bates
Now You’re Here by Yola
I saw Yola perform this down in Newport, RI in August, and — let me just just tell you — Yola is a true gem. Her voice makes me stop in my tracks every time, and that feeling never really dissipates. “Now You’re Here” is an eloquent blend of soul, folk, rock, and country that creates a track that is truly transitory. I reckon I’ve listened to this masterpiece over a hundred times, and I still can’t resist the urge to sway when this banger comes on. Her entire album is unlike anything i’ve ever heard before, and it’s a true testament to Yola’s range and talent as an artist. “Now You’re Here” will lift you up and set you down on a bed of smooth sailing clouds.