Staff Pix 12/7
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.
Sara O’Connell
Traps by Bloc Party
Bloc Party is back! This fast paced, fast talking, single is an ode to thirst traps. It comes in anticipation of their new album set to release Spring of next year. Kele Okereke packs as much as he can in his lyrics expressing more than 1,000 ways to lust after someone.
Maura Cowan
Day After Tomorrow by Phoebe Bridgers
From her 2017 interpretation of “It’ll All Work Out” by Tom Petty to her recently released rendition of Bo Burnham’s “That Funny Feeling,” Phoebe Bridgers has never been hesitant to play with the words of others, and she has a talent for reworking familiar lyrics in a style that feels so uniquely hers. Her latest release returns us to 2004 with a cover of Tom Waits’ “Day After Tomorrow,” a heart-wrenching protest track written from the perspective of a soldier deployed overseas. Almost two decades on, Bridgers’ version is tinged with bitterness, regret, and a longing to return to something safe and stable. It is the perfect track, I have found, to push through a semester far from home.
Will Ingman
GDP by Bob Vylan
Perhaps the freshest faces in alternative rap, UK duo Bob Vylan smash together a wide range of influences with the brutality of a high-speed car crash. Full of energy and righteous, justified anger, their music filters the darker side of not-so-Great Britain through a blend of hardcore punk and grime rap, dragging the reality of English life kicking and screaming into the light with them. “GDP”, a thumping, fuzz-soaked anthem about the realities of British poverty, goes off like a firecracker, with lines like, “I couldn’t give a fuck if this country hates me here, they stole our people, displaced and placed us here” ringing louder than bombs amidst the stagnation of the modern punk scene.
David Shird
I HATE U by SZA
In August of this year, SZA tweeted a collection of demo songs from a SoundCloud link. She presumed that these tracks would just serve to hold fans over and as we’ve all been craving new music from her. An early version of “I HATE U” was relased in this tweet which fans immediately gravitated towards. The song slowly built traction through TikTok and was shared millions of times, which led fans to literally bully SZA in giving the song a release on all streaming platforms. After much begging and pleading she dropped the single last Friday. SZA truly bears her vulnerability as she delves into a relationship which has ran it’s course. This song proves how she is still a powerhouse all these years later and that bullying your favorite artist into dropping music works…. sometimes.
Harry Bates
“Soul Love” by Pomplamoose and Jacaranda
This cover brings new energy and passion to a beloved Bowie masterpiece, almost fifty years after its original release on the Ziggy Stardust record. It has this warm sensation in lyrics and tune that brightens even the most overcast of days. The tambourine and sitar in this tune...absolutely stunning. Oh, and is that a piping clarinet I hear? Pomplamoose and Jacaranda’s take is refreshing, and it brings a new love to Bowie’s starlit brilliance. It feels like a the perfect jam session. Do yourself a favor and drop into this tune -- have fun :)
Karenna Umscheid
Madison (orla & friends version) by Orla Gartland
Following her album Woman on the Internet with this single from it, the track is amplified by the background vocals. Gartland’s tunes filled with longing and pain are so enthralling because of her gorgeous, honey-like voice. She belts in heartbreak over the titular Madison, echoed by the said “friends” to bring a sense of community to Gartland’s angst. It’s a beautiful, painful track, but the comradery seems to give it a glimmer of hope.
Nia Tucker
Meagan Good by Tierra Whack
Known for her sporadic releases and oddball lyrics jam-packed into songs usually 2 minutes or less, Tierra Whack is back with new single “Meagan Good,” a pun on the famed actress’s name. Although Whack’s beats have been characteristically more bouncy and energetic, this new song off the 3 track Rap? EP, is a smooth sliding song as she laments over a love gone wrong and her wishing well for her ex who is doing worse off than her.
Andrew Johnson
Semi Pro by Hippo Campus
Much like the movie of the same name, “Semi Pro'“ is a great song for taking it easy. Indie pop masters Hippo Campus exemplify their chill-drive-home style on this track.
Lily Hartenstein
Dance Shoos by Matt Martians
One of the visionaries of the supergroup The Internet, Matt Martians’ solo work is probably the most underrated of the individual projects to come from the phenomenal musicians which make up the iconic band. Mellow and rhythmic, his work builds on psychedelia and funk with an intoxicating effortlessness. The middle track of the fourteen minute “album”, “Dance Shoos”, encapsulates this style perfectly.