Featured Music of the Week: 04.04.2022

Check out our featured picks for this week!

“Say You Love Me,” by Neoma: This artist has enriched the lives of music lovers all over the world with her dreamy yet energetic hits, self-proclaimed as “lunar pop”. A few years ago, she topped charts in Ecuador with her single, “Real,” and since then, she’s played shows to thousands of adoring fans all over North and South America. And as quarantine struck the world, she collected herself and began collaborating with other artists in the Ecuadorian indie scene, as well as musicians she met while out on tour. From it, a string of singles were born.

Recently released, this track begins with an intimate piano ballad before building into a soothing ambient pop beat that inches along an experimental nature in its cool tones.

‘Say You Love Me’ to me is about getting constant reassurance from your partner while you’re in a relationship while acknowledging the fact that having this behavior is toxic. The song is about the fear of having a partner leave and the fear of attachment insecurity happening if your partner leaves. I need constant reassurance that my partner had to be there for me. But, it also explores the freedom of pursuing a nonmonogamous arrangement and the fears around the idea of living in an arrangement that isn’t accepted by most societies.

~ Neoma

“Trouble,” by Meresha: A creator, performer, singer, multi-instrumentalist, DJ and producer with a deep, wide-ranging soulful voice and a quirky sonic vision, this artist self-classifies in alien pop; a sound of her own; so far the first in the genre. Fully independent, her music has found a global audience as she sets the pace for her own unique sound.

This track depicts a scene where the artist chases trouble in the disco while she’s out on the street. Hungry for new experiences and possibilities.

“Trouble” is about letting loose. I think a lot of people after difficult times in recent years share this sentiment. We want to be set free and make some trouble.

~ Meresha

the video

“the other side,” by RONIA: This twenty-one year-old grew up with music at home and started writing her own songs at an early age. She worked in the studio with different producers, as a teenager, but then decided she wanted to produce her own work to envision her sound and execute it to its fullest. Since her debut, she curated her own unique sound through her since developed songwriting and producing skills. Heavy beats contrast grand atmospheric choir arrangements, as the artist sings poetic lyrics of paving her own path in a complex world. She is from a small city in Sweden, and admits there was not much that could be done but contemplate existential questions, watch scary movies, and write songs.

This single is her second release from her upcoming debut album.

’the other side’ is inspired by my favorite movie and book ’Coraline’. As presented in both the movie and this song, some things can seem promising in the beginning, but eventually turn out to be rotten. In this case, the other side of a seemingly perfect relationship is really the opposite – as horrifying as the other person.

~ RONIA

“out of the blue,” by Courtney Govan: This artist is a twenty-six year-old queer pop singer from San Diego, California. Her song Serotonin went viral on TikTok, and her introspective approach to songwriting brings a refreshing twist to pop music today. Writing bop after bop, Courtney uses her own life experiences to connect with her listeners and hopefully help them through the tough things that life throws their way.

This single in particular depicts the experience of coming out of a long bout of depression. Its relatable message will inevitably stand true for many around. Repelling the “sad summer” feelings, this song has been highly anticipated by her nearly half a million followers on TikTok.

“Dinner for Breakfast,” by Heavy Gus: This project formed in 2020, within the high deserts of Bishop, California. Songwriting couple Dorota Szuta and Stelth Ulvang (of The Lumineers) teamed up with drummer Ryan Dobrowski (of Blind Pilot) as the songs took shape. From it, the trio’s organic chemistry nudged them to drive cross-country to live-record at one of Nashville’s oldest studios, Creative Workshop, and their project was born.

This track is a long distance love song. It’s about how lonely that can be at times, especially living in a small desert town, and the things we do to take care of ourselves or at the least, distract ourselves from the disconnect. Its relevant message hones in a moment in our time of isolation, not too far off from where we are now.

“Fault Lines,” by Colyn Cameron: This Vancouver-based songwriter, of JUNO Award nominated band Wake Owl, explores themes of technology, adventure, self-worth and love with mild nods to worldly trepidation on forthcoming solo album, Freehand. The new material emerged within the paradoxical spaces of experimenting with dispersed and concentrated rhythms, with additional instrumentation from close collaborators Aiden Ayers and Josh Contant.

The single is a charming and playful new song, in which the artist shares that he took the world apart as it was, in order to find fun and beauty within. The track expresses that search for deeper meaning and tells the tale and its process, and was released paired with a video.

“Glacier,” by TAVIA: This artist has just launched her freshly released debut album, Face My Fears, written in five days and recorded in a studio in London throughout March 2020… in the same week as the world was shut down due to the pandemic. The album explores the process of healing, and takes the listener on an emotional journey through both the soundscape and the poignant lyrics. Melodies take unexpected turns, rises, and falls, and vocals are raw and clear. The production has echoes of Bruce Hornsby, Bon Iver, HAIM, Maggie Rogers, and more. It balances eclectic feelings with modern and commercial sensibilities, and stays accessible for both the music nerds and the day-to-day lover of pop.

This single is a stunningly haunting look at what could happen if we don’t turn around the global climate crisis. It was written as part of the “Face My Fears” album during a 5-day lockdown in a studio in London the week that the world shut down in March 2020. It deviates from the rest of the album with intentionally stripped down production, only a nylon string guitar and a piano, with a single, raw vocal. This song will be promoted independently alongside a music video and some video interviews about how we can work together to reverse the damage done to our planet and save it for our future generations.

“Nostalgia,” by Riley Pearce: Perth-based alt-folk artist Riley Pearce shares his new single, “Bottle It Up,” featuring Greta Stanley. Riley’s honest song writing and relatable storytelling has resonated both in Australia and overseas, with over 60 million streams to date. An in-demand live touring artist, Riley has sold out headline shows around the world and supported the likes of Lord Huron, Tash Sultana, Lifehouse, The Paper Kites and Lucy Rose.

Written from a trip Riley took with his family, the lyrics feature introspective storytelling wrapped around a warm acoustic melody. Riley shares, “‘Nostalgia’ was born from a camping trip my brother and I took to Jurien Bay, a few hours north of Perth where we used to holiday as kids. We both hadn’t been for years, and it was a nice little nostalgia trip, reminiscing about the times and how things had changed with the town and with ourselves.”

The accompanying video captures Pearce’s journey of creating his debut record, The Water & The Rough, the spirit, the people, the team, everyone that was involved. “This video will always be a nice little bit of nostalgia to help me remember that time and process,” shares Riley Pearce.

There’s an ease to the music Riley makes. That’s testament to how effortlessly he became a songwriter. Watching his dad in cover bands inspired him to pick up the guitar. By 17, he was busking at local farmer’s markets—playing Dire Straits and Jack Johnson covers but sneaking in a few original folky compositions about what he saw around him or the relationships he had formed.

What was your favorite track of this week? Listen to them all in full on our playlist!