MUST LISTEN 073
Every week, we’ll be bringing you Must Listen: a compilation of new music that must be added to your everyday playlist. This week’s playlist consists of emerging acts like Nora Lilith, M.A.G.S., and Cleo Sol. Turn on, tune in, and zone out.
Nora Liltih showcases haunting vocals, a buttery smooth bassline, and experimentation at its finest on her newest single, “Daysof8.” Underneath the transfixing instrumentals lies a deeper meaning; in Lilith’s own words, the lyrics examine “the synthesis of recognizing your own limitations and mistakes in a relationship whilst wishing the other to be free from the clutches of those shortcomings.” “Daysof8” sets the stage for the debut EP of the same name, coming soon.
For those of us who miss 2000s pop-punk, “Wait” by M.A.G.S. is the perfect call back to the era of smashing drums, guitar-driven hooks, and lyrics about being anywhere but here. M.A.G.S. is the solo project of LA-based artist Elliot Douglas, whose breadth of musical talent and genre exploration is displayed not just in his latest work, but across his entire discography. “Wait” is the latest single from his debut album, Say Things That Matter.
Growing out of her bedroom-pop beginnings and into a new, more introspective chapter of her career is Brooklyn’s Anna Shoemaker, with the release of her latest single, “Sick!” The new track is co-produced by Shoemaker and Khaya Cohen, marking the first production credit for the young artist. Shoemaker touches on the contradictory and yet often inherent tendency to “[miss] that adrenaline rush a toxic relationship brings you and how it can be mistaken for missing the person.”
Cleo Sol’s new album Mother is a beautifully personal reflection on motherhood. Inspired by her experiences with motherhood and her relationship with her own mother, Sol soothes and imparts lessons with each song. On “23,” Sol offers to take burdens from her mother, while openly expressing and acknowledging her own resentment.
Kilo Kish is well into her highly anticipated comeback with “BLOODY FUTURE.” The synth is addictive and almost spooky, pairing well with the dystopian setting of the music video. Within the lyrics and accompanying video, Kish has hit her intention with the single right on the nose: to use “hot and sweaty dance club [music] to explore global warming and the changes in culture.”
Su Lee’s latest single “Why Do I Feel Like This” juxtaposes bright melodies against lethargic lyrics, creating a playful backdrop for one to question the origin of their uncertain feelings. Like many artists finding their footing during the pandemic, Lee turned the anxiety and isolation of these turbulent times into art. The single is fresh off the new EP, Box Room Dreams, which she affectionately refers to as her “quarantine journal as a baby musician.”
WOODZ is the solo project of Seungyoun Cho, a member of K-pop group UNIQ and a former member of X1. His solo music has shown a more suave and subdued side of Cho, deviating slightly from the more pop music he was releasing in groups. “Lullaby” lets it’s guard down as the song progresses; the guitar picks up and WOODZ’s vocals become more powerful.
Lauren Luiz aka girlhouse ruminates on a bad day gone worse in “concussion.” The song is inspired by an accident that totaled her first car and a heartbreak that occurred simultaneously—the irony and exhaustion of being in two emotional whirlwinds at once. “concussion” runs ahead of girlhouse’s second EP, aptly named the second EP.