Featured Music Of The Week: Heartfelt New Releases

This week, we are featuring the likes of Alison Wonderland, Soccer Mommy, and more!

Down The Line – Alison Wonderland

Alison Wonderland released a heartfelt new single ‘Down The Line’ to her album Loner. The motivational track starts with Alison’s solo vocals and an acoustic guitar that captures the essence of the raw emotions Wonderland is conveying in the song. The track begins to build with electronic layering as the message in the song starts to come through, conveying an inspirational mentality that in turn feels like a comforting message, as if Wonderland is speaking directly to every listener.

“I don’t need somebody to tell me

Everything, everything around me

In this house, now just feels lonely

‘Cause I’m so fucking lonely

We need the dark times to get our life right

I’m gonna be okay down the line

I’m gonna be okay this time

Maybe I’m not fine, so I could realize

I’m gonna be okay down the line

I’m gonna be okay this time”

Down The Line

“We need the dark times in order to get to the light. We need that experience to know that it’s going to be okay one day. The track is me acknowledging that I was alone during a difficult time but knew that I was going to get through it and be okay, down the line. We’re all going through a dark time right now, and sometimes we need to be reminded that it’s going to be okay. No matter what happens, we will be okay.”

~ Alison Wonderland

Numb – Galvanic, Smeyeul, Marc E. Bassy

Smeyeul (Connor Hennessy) and Galvanic (Wyatt Johnson), US-based rising indie/lo-fi pop artists, wrangle in one of San Francisco’s prized vocalists Marc E. Bassy for new track ‘Numb’. A fresh collaboration combining creatives from an array of genres in the music world, the three create a track that is lyrically relatable and very melancholy, but sound wise a very vibey upbeat tune that aligns with the pop hip-hop tracks Bassy is typically featured in. The single would fall under that genre of lo-fi hyper-pop with undertones of lo-fi and hip hop.

“I started the production of ‘Numb’ last summer, and wanted to make something that’s fun and easy to listen to. I sent it over to Luke, and he sent me back the chorus in just a few days. We felt like the melancholic lyrics fit the laid-back instrumental well, as feeling numb to love can eventually create this sense of freedom (however delusional it may be). Ultimately, the song is about unrequited love, and how it can eventually make you feel dumb, confused, and even numb.”

~ Wyatt

“To me, it’s about being in puppy love with someone who doesn’t really love you back. Eventually, the love makes you feel drained.”

~ Luke

Darkness Forever (Sophie’s Version) – Soccer Mommy

Already having been named one of the top records of 2022 so far, alternative artist Soccer Mommy, aka Sophie Allison, has finally shared the earliest draft and previously released version of hit track Darkness Forever. Darkness Forever (Sophie’s Version), arguably the darkest track on the album, was released in honor of Sophie’s tour kick-off and favorite holiday – Halloween!

“This version of ‘Darkness Forever’ is really exciting for me because it’s kind of what got me inspired to start working on the rest of the album. It felt new and fresh, and I had a lot of fun making it. When I was done with it, I felt very ready to work on more stuff for the record.”

~ Soccer Mommy

The track is gritty, quirky and dark while simultaneously very soft, spacey and fluid. The glitching sounds layered over the guitar soften the harshness of each chord and make you feel like an extraterrestrial moving in slow motion through outer space. You just may find yourself enjoying the track, but trying to correctly label or identify the sound/feel of the track throughout the whole song and never quite figure it out. And that is what makes you listen to the track over and over, again and again. And again.

Rubberband Man – Rayland Baxter

Rayland Baxter released “Rubberband Man” to preview his new album `If I Were A Butterfly’, out November 4th. Wondering where the rubber band theme came from? Well,

“There’s rubber bands all over the property at Thunder Sound, in the earth, in the concrete, used as insulation for the studio. I took a mishmash of images in my head, these flash scenarios, and wrote a short, fun song that’s really about staying flexible and rolling with the punches.”

~ Baxter

The track truly does reflect the attributes of a rubber band. Or at least a bouncy ball made from rubber bands, which we should all be familiar with from a middle or elementary school teacher’s desk. Baxter’s soulful voice and easy-going lyricism and attitude paired with bouncy electric guitar riff and a fun distortion of the vocals exemplify that statement. The lighthearted and playful attitude in the song make it an easy listen, one to enhance the mood if you’re already feeling good and amplify the good vibes if you’re feeling down. If this song is a taste of the rest of his album, this is the most fully evolved thing he’s created as an artist yet.

After The Earthquake – Alvvays

Hypnotic indie band Alvvays released another track as a teaser to the upcoming album titled ‘After The Earthquake’, reminiscent of Haruki Murakami’s After The Quake. The track also includes a hidden Murder She Wrote reference, staying true to the bands pop culture influences found in their self titled album debut. Famous for their soaring guitars and dreamy, hypnotic vocals, the band stays true to their sound in this track while clearly expanding into new creative territory. The lyrics are rich in thoughtful harmonies and references while the production of the track pulls in an experimental surf-rock sound reminding one a combination of DayWave, Blondie, and Alvvays themselves. The band describes the song as “a rapid fire recital of drive-thru breakdown, tectonic breakup and boyfriend in a coma brake failure.”

“‘After The Earthquake’ is a next level breakup song. Like the rest of their latest album, Blue Rev, it draws you in with a jangle that drives you right off the edge and leaves you reflecting in midair. Nuanced by the fear and relief of freedom, it’s the high and hangover at the same time.”

~ Conner Yarbrough, Polyvinyl Records

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