The Weekend Replay
Welcome to July 2023’s first Weekend Replay! This week was full of some amazing new releases.
Starting off this week in the indie rock world is “Easy Death Living” from Marlboro’s new record Sleep Better Push Death. The track is an album highlight as the Hudson Valley-based band paints vivid lyrical imagery in front of a guitar riff that becomes the backbone of the latter half of the song as the production swells and ends with a crash of drums and a very nice guitar solo. Los Angeles natives Cheekface released “What’s So Funny ‘Bout Peace, Love and Understanding,” their first single since their third full-length release Too Much to Ask from 2022. The sweet melody and recurring guitar riff combine to make a perfect song for summer.
FRND CRCL’s emo rock track “Don’t Wait Up” leads their new Suburban Dictionary record. The infectious chorus ends with “I’m already running late,” ending a chorus promising to see someone expecting them. The fun track is a stellar taste of the band’s new record, also released within the past week. World’s First Cinema released their first single in almost a year with “S.O.S.,” an alt-pop cut where the production choices shine. Little synths bounce across the post-chorus as the verses focus on more rock that seems to transform into a dance-inspired beat. “Black Cage,” a new single from Charming Liars, sees another alternative song that seems to draw some inspiration from dance music. Synths dart across the song as well as electronic percussion and guitar making for a darker but all-the-wise catchy track. Another emo slice from the past week is Silhouette’s “Guardrail.” The song starts off with an immensely catchy chant and only stays as steady as it unfolds.
In terms of less rock and more alternative, Pool Kids dropped “No Stranger,” a track from their newly-released and emo-tinged EP Pool Kids // POOL. The vocals are heavenly and perfectly set amidst an airy guitar track and drumset. It starts the half of the EP that is lighter compared to the heavy rock of the latter half. The Japanese House, led by singer-songwriter Amber Bain, released their first album after a long four-year wait since their stunning 2019 debut. Produced by The 1975’s George Daniel, “Morning Pages” is a highlight from the new record and features vocals from Katie Gavin of MUNA. The song centers around the idea of writing early in the morning and not going back to look at what you wrote. Bain and Gavin’s voices blend amazingly together as well as their songwriting styles. Thank You, I’m Sorry’s “This House” is another stunning release, featuring lead singer and guitarist Colleen Dow’s excellent storytelling with an immensely catchy chorus and guitar track.
Pop music had its fair share of great music, including Holly Humberstone with the stunning acoustic-esque “Room Service.” The song is a first taste of Humberstone’s debut full-length album Paint My Bedroom Black, coming Oct. 13. It is a love song describing plans for seeing someone close to you after being away from them for so long. Humberstone’s lyricism is beautiful as she has proven on her past singles and EPs. What would be a recap of the past week in music without the inclusion of “vampire” from Olivia Rodrigo? The first song from pop’s new superstar since her breakout smash album SOUR is a pulsing track that only gets better as it goes on. While the first verse is reminiscent of her hit “Driver’s License,” the production builds up and takes unexpected turns as the song unfolds behind a chill-invoking vocal performance. Rodrigo has proven, yet again, that she knows how to make an insanely catchy and also insanely good pop song.
Rounding out this past week, Xavier Ayy’s “Full Of Fear” marks the artist’s third single of 2023 so far and has stunning instrumentation throughout. Specifically, the trumpet section in the chorus provides further depth to the song while Ayy’s vocal delivery is already enough to pull someone in. Big Girl’s “Forever” is a stunner from their new EP Big Girl. vs. God, also now streaming. The song starts off with minimal production behind show-stopping harmonies in the chorus that builds into a snare drum beat after the first chorus finishes.
Thanks for tuning into The Weekend Replay. See you next time for another week of great releases!