SINGLES: “Less Talking, Let’s Move It, Let’s Rodeo”
I swear to god y’all have got to stop putting out so much good music, I can’t keep up! I only have two hands!
The last time I put out one of these lists was a couple weeks ago, and since then there’s been a ton of great singles that I feel the need to at least write a little bit about. Trying to keep things eclectic here, just putting my hand in the jar and pulling out a handful of songs really. Some of these came out a little longer ago than others, but it’s never too late to enjoy music now is it?
SEND ME YOUR MUSIC!! I might just like it~
Tinsley - “Mechanical Bullshit”
It’s tough to be a pop musician in the PNW. I think part of it is this pervasive culture of humility (to, I would argue, a self-sabotaging degree) that pop just doesn’t agree with. Pop is about confidence, baby! But it’s also true that we overemphasize the value of “authenticity,” which can be a hard quality to transmit when the music is shiny and the singing is really, really good.
This is all to say that while those biases have unfairly kept me from subscribing to a local pop artist like Tinsley, it’s to her credit that she has sufficiently won me over.
She’s just been banging out quality singles, each coasting on a different style like a plane on a cloud. Last month’s “Distract Me” played on indie rock (shoegaze might be a stretch); “Good Ride (Mechanical Bullshit)” is country. They’re both great, but I’d give the edge to “Good Ride” for being a better vehicle for Tinsely’s soft vocals, as well as its sense of humor. Apparently, there’s another one coming out next month! Keep them coming, sister.
Soft Self Portraits - “Departures”
Now, let’s look at the other side of pop — specifically, the murky reflective dream pop of Cody Wade’s Soft Self Portraits.
I want to focus on the word “soft,” a quality that “Departures,” the second single from his upcoming album Yarns Spun, wholly embodies. The track’s kick drum backbone and rolling hi-hat/snare pattern both appear distant in the mix, and the synths that fill in the spaces are lolling and dark, like a bruised banana. All of those elements give the track a thoroughly foggy feel, akin to trying to recall a distant memory.
The song's highlight is unquestionably Wade’s vocals. I have an affinity for this flavor of metallic vocal reverb, which pays off when Wade forms glorious twilit harmonies alongside Lane Lines’ Mandi Kimes on the chorus.
King Sheim - “Amends”
Celeste Felsheim’s been making music under King Sheim (“pronounced “SHIME”) for years now, having grown up with the twin formative experiences of Rain City Rock Camp and the MoPOP’s SoundOff! It’s always cool to trace artists growing in their craft, which is why “Amends” is such a banger.
It’s immediately the strongest, snappiest, most powerful song in King Sheim’s young catalog, with a sticky guitar hook, classic loud-soft dynamics, and wicked tight playing from everyone involved. (Props, in particular, to Baylee Harper, who has quickly become one of my favorite drummers in the city; if she’s laying down drums, it’s gonna slap, guaranteed.)
One big difference: the playing finally matches Felsheim’s vocals in power. Her voice gamely matches the dynamics, and her subtle quaver on the chorus imbues it with necessary drama. It’s a signal that the full record, coming out in early July, is going to arrive with the force of a meteorite.
YUELAN 乐澜 - “Rally” & ”Be a Man”
I shared a bill with this artist recently at Wildrose! Though they typically play with a band, they brought a keytar with the ability to play MIDI backing tracks and sang alone for the show. Even by themself, the performance taught me everything I needed to know about their voice and their skill on the keys.
Here, on this pair of singles released back in May, they’ve got the full band behind them. They make sense as a pair; both are theatrical, prickly, and steeped in the minor key like tea. They’re also quite political, albeit in different ways. With its excoriation on America’s current abortion rights crisis, “Rally” is firm “us-versus-them.” “BE A MAN’s” scope, meanwhile, narrows as YUELAN chafes against forces unwilling to fully accept their unique racial and gender identity. Both are compelling bites of YUELAN’s musicality; the only ding I can think of is that neither features a surprise keytar solo.
Zookraught - “Chew Tobacco, Spit”
The first new bit of music from everyone’s favorite local dance-punk trio since their EP release last summer! Remember that? I do! I went to the release show, and it felt like the floor was gonna give way.
They could have picked any one of their non-recorded material to drop, but “Chew Tobacco, Spit” is a great one. We can agree it’s the hardest song they’ve put out so far, right? It’s not just the band’s initial hyper-tempo and typical limit-breaking vocals (everyone gets a turn at the mic here); it’s that it starts at a 10 and gets more intense as it progresses. It’s a beastly behemoth of a track: Baylee Harper’s drums the skeleton, Stephanie Jones’s bass the muscles, and Sam Frederick’s bristling guitar the skin, a full anatomical model in constant motion.
STARGAZR - “Beautiful Strangers”
This one almost went under my radar! I bet it went under yours, too.
This is the first single by Seattle septet STARGAZR, a new project featuring a veritable Rolodex of recognizable names. For instance, that’s Prom Queen’s Lenni Ramadan with the Mazzy Star-like vocals. Natasha El-Sergeny lays down a cosmic guitar solo akin to her project somesurprises. The main bass is Bree McKenna of Tacocat, with backing fuzzy slide bass courtesy of Red Room producer Ryan Leyva (aka Johnny Nails). You get the picture.
As an introduction to the new project, “Beautiful Strangers” is quite lovely. It’s well-produced, well-performed, and perfect for the upcoming warm months. Apparently, there are eight more tracks coming down the pike, so don’t be a stranger to this act.
Semisoft - “Fever Dream”
Tacoma’s Semisoft is extremely new — “Fever Dream” is only their second single after February’s “Do Something With Yourself, Cowgirl!” So far, both songs establish the band as purveyors of a comfortable, laid-back, mildly psychedelic vibe - it transports me instantly to smoking weed on a warm cloudy day. They also both showcase the fact that they are already very, very good at this.
The band is a trio: singer-songwriter Alina Ashley Nicole on guitar and vocals, Celia Glover on the drums, and Malia Seavey on the bass. Three is all you need, especially when you’re able to carve out such a full sound the way they do here. Those opening guitar notes viscerally bring me back to those downcast summers listening to Tourist Activities and Chastity Belt, trying to stay cool. The key here is simplicity; the song rolls by with carefree yet assured ease, and it makes its climactic final moments all the more effective. Excellent stuff; considering who’s behind, I expected nothing less.