In the second half of today’s daily double, The Matinee ’22 v. 022 focuses on North American artists. All seven songs are from long-time favorites, including one we have not heard from in a long time and another announcing their long-awaited debut album. After spinning these tracks, hit up the World Edition of The Matinee to discover more great new music.
Find these tracks on the Songs of February 2022 playlist, which is available on SoundCloud and Spotify.
Widowspeak – “The Jacket” (Brooklyn, USA)
RIYL: Widowspeak
With each single that Molly Hamilton and Robert Earl Thomas release from their new Widowspeak album, it becomes clearer that The Jacket will be either a concept album or possibly be like a film when all ten songs are heard together. Whereas “While You Wait” concerned one man’s redemption, “Everything Is Simple” focused on the mundane life of a 9-to-5 worker. Now the duo share the LP’s centerpiece, where the plot begins to emerge.
Like everything Widowspeak have done, “The Jacket” is a melancholic stunner. Hamilton’s soft and breezy vocal gently glides through Thomas’ steely guitar. The approach is simple yet incredibly beautiful. It is a demonstration that simplicity can still be jarring. While there is a gentleness to the tune, an uneasiness exists in Hamilton’s words. “What hearts broke on that sleeve?”, she sweetly asks, as if The Jacket had witnessed everything its owner has done. While the person wearing The Jacket may physically change, his true self does not and The Jacket knows it.
“Did you get there easy as it seemed?
You did it alone
The jacket was the model’s own
No no no, you could never let it go”
Pre-orders for The Jacket are available here and directly on Bandcamp ahead of its March 11th release date. Captured Tracks has the honors.
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Future Islands – “King of Sweden” (Baltimore, USA)
RIYL: Future Islands
Before synth-pop became every other musician’s and band’s shiny new toy, Future Islands were one of the original resurrectors of the popular ’80s genre. While they were mastering the music of New Order, Prefab Sprout, and The Thompson Twins early in the 2000s, the now quartet’s breakthrough came with 2014’s Singles, which was followed up by two other stellar LPs, 2017’s The Far Field and 2020’s As Long As You Are. As we patiently wait for album #7, Samuel T. Herring (vocals), William Cashion (bass, guitars), Gerrit Wilmers (synths), and Michael Lowry (percussion) did release a one-off single last year in the buzzing “Peach”. Hopefully that was just the first wave in the pond and “King of Sweden” is the second, eventually leading to a big announcement soon.
In the meantime, we delight in the catharsis of the Baltimore-based outfit’s newest single. It is quintessential Future Islands, commencing with a calm, synth-driven melody before escalating into a dizzying, euphoric vortex. Like their past songs, we spin within the sheer force of the synths, the thumping bass, and rattling percussion (the addition of Michael Lowry has given Future Islands a much more rounded and urgent sound). It is also very Future Islands in that Herring uses every available second to craft a wonderful tale. At its core, it’s a story of wanting to reach the final destination as quickly as possible to hold one’s partner one last time. It also feels like James Bond’s final kiss, as he tries to exchange his current life for a new one.
“I was on the F train / Thinking about a holiday / I was on the M1 / Dreaming about my getaway”, he sings at the start. He later shares that his mind is in a fog even while meeting with the King of Sweden. The only cure to his plight is the person waiting far, far away. The person with whom he wishes to get away.
The single is out now via 4AD.
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Oceanator – “Bad Brain Daze” (Brooklyn, USA)
RIYL: Slothrust, False Advertising, My Morning Jacket
Oceanator, the project of Elise Okusami, released a really awesome record in 2020, Things I Never Said. The record was a fantastic mix of smart, relatable songwriting and great rock songs, and it was the source of one of the year’s breakout singles, “I Would Find You”. It showed a lot of potential and creativity from Okusami and made us really excited for whatever might come next. Thankfully, that wait is over.
This week, Oceanator released their latest single, “Bad Brain Daze”. The song takes all of the things that made the songs on Things I Never Said so inviting. Heavy guitar chords and energetic drumming create a vibe that is familiar but uniquely Oceanator. It’s a bit punk rock, a bit ska, a bit old school rock & roll, and even features a kick-ass saxophone solo from Jeff Rosenstock. The relatability in Okusami’s songwriting is stronger than ever with a song that should resonate with all of us after the last two years. While the lyrics are about those bad days, its catchy singalong sections make it feel like we’ve got company that’ll help us dance right through them.
“Another bad brain day
Will I be okay?
Trying not to dwell too much and just get along with the day”
Okusami’s new album, Nothing’s Ever Fine, is coming April 8th via Big Scary Monsters and Polyvinyl Records. Pre-orders available here and on Bandcamp.
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Say She She – “Forget Me Not” (Brooklyn, USA)
RIYL: Rotary Connection, Donna Summer, El Michels Affair
If you have a sequins blouse or shirt, some long bell-bottoms, and platform shoes, put them on now. While you’re at it, tease your hair and/or mustache, dust off the polyester suit, and find a disco ball. Now get ready to cut up the dance floor like it is 1977, imagining the days when Donna Summer was the star of disco-soul scene. This is where Brooklyn under-the-radar favorites, Say She She, take us on their “official” debut single, “Forget Me Not”.
We say “official” because the band led by Piya Malik, Nya Gazelle Brown, and Sabrina Mileo Cunningham have been regulars within the NYC scene for a little while. The trio along with their numerous collaborators are now ready to turn the project from a part-time, weekend gig thing to a more regular occupation. If their future songs are like “Forget Me Not”, the music ambition might end up being a full-time occupation.
Smooth, sultry tones radiate across the track. From the dabbling percussion, the funky guitars, the groovy bass line, and the outstanding flute solo (who doesn’t like a flute solo?), the whole song personifies the term COOL. The trio’s intoxicating vocals, too, add a layer of sensuality with each lyric being the bait to draw us deeper into their nostalgic world. As they sing about the people they’ve met and loved, they hope they have left one lasting impression. For us, they have made one massive and unforgettable first impression. We will forget them not.
Joining Malik, Brown, and Cumming is a rotating backing band. Its members include: Preet Patel (The Frightnrs) and Nikhil Yerawadekar (formerly of Antibalas) on bass; Ben Weinstein (The Shacks) and Andy Bauer (Twin Shadow) on drums; Matty McDermott (NYMPH) on guitar; Mike Sarason (Combolulo) and Steve Okonski (Durand Jones & the Indications/ The National Reserve) on keys; and Troy “Mobius” Simms (Brooklyn Gypsies / Lee Scratch Perry) on sax.
Say She She’s debut album, Prism, is expected this summer. It could be the record for the summer.
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Ellevator – “Slip” (Hamilton, Canada)
RIYL: Wye Oak, San Fermin, Middle Kids
Ten years. This is how long Nabi Sue Bersche, Elliott Gwynne, and Tyler Bersche – the masterminds behind Ellevator – have waited to announce that their long-awaited debut album will see the light of day. Specifically, The Words You Spoke Still Move Me will be released on May 6th. The trio teased this news for several months after sharing “Easy” and “Charlie IO”. When the band get to share their hard work in Spring, the world will learn why they’ve become one of Hamilton, Ontario’s treasures. Or they can discover that now with “Slip”.
This dramatic piece of alt-pop-rock has typified much of Ellevator’s music in their decade-long career. It commences with a tinge of mystery with a stuttering drum roll framed around Bersche’s soft vocal. As the song progresses, the guitar and keys amp up, adding a layer of desperation that is further accentuated by Bersche’s rising vocal. She sings about being suffocated in a relationship, where she cannot breathe. “Come to the water / Like you told me”, she sings out to the person who has entrapped her. “Loosen your grip on me / And let me slip away / I want out of our hands / I want out of your heart”, she pleads. Whether she is allowed to escape will be known in a few months time.
The Words You Spoke Still Move Me will be released on Arts & Crafts. Pre-order links are available on the band’s website as well as directly on Bandcamp.
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Grace Joyner – “Lovers Do” (Charleston, SC, USA)
RIYL: Weyes Blood, Basia Bulat, Japanese Breakfast
Six years ago, we were introduced to the songwriting power of Grace Joyner when she released “Real”. From that day, we shared as much as we could from her, although the South Carolinian took a four-year hiatus to focus on school (she aspires to be an attorney according to her Instagram page). While we support her goal to get an education and positively impact society, we also quietly hope Joyner will continue to grace us with her magical voice and emotive music. Who would not want to hear songs like “Lovers Do” until the end of time?
At the center of this heartbreaking, knee-buckling tune is Joyner’s heavenly yet vulnerable voice. While it is breathtaking to behold, pain drips from every word she sings. As a weeping key arrangement dances with a stuttering, jazzy rhythm section, Joyner beautifully sings about the aches that love leaves on us and how difficult it is to walk away.
“Every time you think of me
I hope it hurts
‘Cause I could fall in love with you
I could make you promises, see them through
I would probably break one or two
The way that people in love do”
And it’s difficult to walk away from an artist who continues to captivate us.
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Tomberlin – “happy accident” (Brooklyn via Jacksonville, FL, USA)
RIYL: Skullcrusher, Big Thief, Waxahatchee
Sarah Beth Tomberlin released one of 2020’s most captivating EPs, the Alex G-produced Projections. It was a great follow-up to her debut At Weddings, that indicated the growth of a promising songwriter. Last month, Tomberlin shared “idkwntht“, an abbreviation of her upcoming record’s full name, i dont know who needs to hear this. The single was an absolute stunner and featured Told Slant’s Felix Walworth on backing vocals.
Tomberlin has followed that single with the spellbinding “happy accident”. The tune has a much different vibe from the majority of songs we’ve heard from Tomberlin. It features a combination of distorted guitar chords and a clean, chiming lead while Tomberlin’s voice is as powerful as ever. On the single, Tomberlin is once again joined by Felix Walworth, but on drums this time, as well as Cass McCombs on guitar. The combination is fantastic, and it adds so many layers to Tomberlin’s music.
Lyrically, the song is relatable. Tomberlin says the song is about “relational obscurity”, a relatable topic, trying to read into things, relationships, for a meaning, and the decisions that come from that state.
“But you get so close
I almost don’t
Bite your lip
Happy accident
And I wanna die
When you say don’t cry
I won’t quit
I’m no accident
What’s the point of this
I don’t know how it ends”
Tomberlin’s new album, i don’t know who needs to hear this…, is out April 29th on Saddle Creek Records. Pre-order it here or on Bandcamp.
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