"Cramps" - Slow Pulp
Genre: Rock
RIYL: Momma, Wednesday, Skullcrusher

“Cramps,” the single off of Slow Pulp’s newest record Yard, has a sound just as overwhelming as its lyrics feel. The heavy distortion, fuzzy guitar, and potent drums rush the listener from all angles, becoming a manifestation of lead vocalist Emily Massey’s heightened expectations and period-induced angst. “The song came out of a jam at practice right after I had proclaimed that my period cramps were particularly bad that day,” said Massey. “It is about searching for things you wish you had in other people and creating this character in your head that has all the physical and emotional attributes you feel that you are lacking.” Throughout the track, Massey gripes about the unendurable conflict between who she is and who she wants to be. Her vocals are rhythmic and incessant as she picks apart her every move, constantly comparing herself to the idealized character living rent-free in the back of her mind, “There’s nothing better,/ wanna be like Heather.” Slow Pulp draws upon this familiar discordance to produce a relatably all-over-the-place track that we can all lash out to.

-Gia Canto

"Lifetime" - Faye Webster
Genre: Folk, Country
RIYL: Helena Deland, Men I Trust

Faye Webster’s languid and laconic songwriting style never fails to be equal parts cheeky and heartbreaking, and her new single “Lifetime” solidifies that. Released a couple of months after “But Not Kiss,” Webster seems to be gearing up for her fifth album, and she’s content to continue letting her gorgeously arranged songs drift by at a snail’s pace. Atop twinkling piano keys, elegant acoustic guitar plucks, and her signature pedal steel, Webster finds herself preoccupied with what it really means to know someone “in a lifetime.” The dense instrumentation surrounding her never detracts from her quietly dazzling voice, which she uses to deliver one of her loveliest couplets to date: “With no conversation / I understand you verbatim.” Although it might be unrewarding to some ears, Webster banks on knowing her most devoted listeners feel exactly the same way about her.

- Chris Turino

Following this summer’s “But Not Kiss,” Faye Webster recently released the latest in her series of romantic devotionals, “Lifetime.” Taking after its predecessors “I Know You” and “Kingston,” “Lifetime” is a heart-achingly sensitive portrayal of all-encompassing love, laid to rest over a bed of flourishing strings and airy percussion. Webster’s emotionally adept songwriting boasts her trademark to-the-point conciseness that, albeit simple, gets it right every time. With no more than six words per line, Webster paints the portrait of a once-in-a-lifetime love, one that feels like home. Her vocals mirror the grace of such compelling devotion, as each word effortlessly waltzes through the swaying instrumentals. The love she illustrates is the kind that comes easily, a phenomenon emphasized by the effortlessness of her melodies and the clarity of her lyrics. Not everyone has experienced a love as engrossing as she describes, but through “Lifetime,” Webster gives listeners the chance to catch a glimpse of how it might feel.
-Gia Canto

"Mosquito" - PinkPantheress
Genre: Pop, Electronic
RIYL: Erika de Casier, Coco & Clair Clair

TikTok’s pop princess and drum and bass extraordinaire PinkPantheress has been having quite a remarkable 2023. Her collaboration with prolific Bronx rapper Ice Spice “Boy’s a Liar Pt. 2” peaked at three on the Billboard Hot 100 and two on the UK Singles Chart earlier this year; she also landed on the star-studded Barbie soundtrack. Her new single “Mosquito” is the first taste of her forthcoming debut album, and it finds her contemplating her meteoric rise to stardom over her trademark breakbeats. Rarely has an internet star seemed to continually transcend the hype surrounding them as often as PinkPantheress has, and “Mosquito” is further proof that her “new nostalgic” pop sound is best executed by her and her alone. TikTok imitators beware, because PinkPantheress isn’t letting her crown slip.
-Chris Turino

"Goodbye Evergreen" - Sufjan Stevens
Genre: Folk, Alternative
RIYL: Fleet Foxes, Big Thief, Elliott Smith

Singer-songwriter Sufjan Stevens made his highly-anticipated return last Friday with Javelin, his first solo album since 2020. Stevens kicks things off with album highlight “Goodbye Evergreen,” where what begins as a hushed piano ballad suddenly becomes engulfed by a swarm of noisy instrumentation and ends with a whimsical woodwind section. The track has all the pieces of Stevens’ most iconic projects: the folk balladry of 2013’s Carrie & Lowell and the off-the-wall grandeur of 2010’s Age of Adz meet seamlessly.

“Deliver me from the poison pain,” Stevens sings, his voice crescendoing out of desperation. Stevens recently revealed that he was diagnosed with an auto-immune disorder called Guillain-Barre Syndrome that has left him hospitalized during the album’s rollout. He also dedicated Javelin to his deceased partner, who passed away in April. “Goodbye evergreen / You know I love you,” he repeats. This track is a cathartic send-off from a suffering man who still finds a way to move forward, and to love life.

-DJ Danny Darko AKA Fitz Cain

NEW ADDS: Slow Pulp, Faye Webster, PinkPantheress, Sufjan Stevens