Nov 9, 2020
Seven Fresh Songs #45
Enjoy all our song picks on our playlists on Spotify and Apple Music.
Captain Kidd ft. La Poré — Over It
Recently, we featured “Blame” by La Poré and are still buzzing with excitement whenever the gorgeous track comes up in our playlist. Although La Poré exchanged Ohio with California, leaving his bandmates of Captian Kidd back in Columbus, OH, it is touching and promising to see them teaming up again. Old friendship and creative ties are precious! The result of their distanced collaboration is a wistful pop song enveloped in big synths and an irresistibly catchy chorus, that makes us hopeful that an “Over It” might be in reach and possible.
We asked Captian Kidd about the inspiration for the song and this is what producer Kyle Kanzigg told us:
“We all have probably experienced negative phases in our lives where we let unhealthy thought patterns and lifestyle choices take over our lives in a damaging way. ‘Over It’ is the celebration of letting go of unhealthy lifestyle patterns and choosing to hold yourself accountable to create a better quality of life for yourself.”
“Over It” is beautifully wistful bliss! Listen to “Over It”, our Song Pick of the Day:
Connect with Captain Kidd on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Connect with La Poré on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Kate Davis — I Do Anything But Break Dance For Ya, Darling
Oregon-based singer/songwriter Kate Davis was a child when break dance was a thing, so the title alone draws curiosity. Turns out it is a cover song from the 1984 original by the late David Johnston for the benefit of his mental health charity Hi, How Are You. The track preserves the sparseness and measured weirdness of the original, but when you listen to Johnston’s version (Apple Music | Spotify), it becomes clear how far the idea of bedroom recordings has advanced in the last 36 years.
Kate also has co-written one of the best songs of the last year, Sharon Von Etten’s “Seventeen” and released an excellent album “Trophy.” (Apple Music | Spotify). Listen to our Song Pick of the Day “I Do Anything But Break Dance For Ya, Darling” below:
Connect with Kate Davis on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.
Boncyan — It’s On Me
As fans of the Icelandic music scene, our interest was already piqued when we heard about a new-ish Icelandic alt-pop trio called Boncyan. Naturally, we listened to “It’s On Me” and loved it from the spot! The song is electro-pop bliss topped with ultra-gorgeous vocals and stellar guitar work.
Award-winning producer Janus Rasmussen has teamed up with Faroese and British songwriters Sakaris and Tom Hannay to form Iceland-based Boncyan. To keep it European, they gave their band a French name with ‘bon’ meaning ‘good’ and ‘cyan’ referring to a greenish-blue color.
We reached out to Boncyan and wanted to know more about the background of the song, more than “This is simply the best song there is out there so just sit down and listen, you’re gonna love it,” which they initially told us. While we happen to agree that this is truly a fantastic song, we thought there could be more and there is, as Boncyan reveals:
“While the world was closing down we became strangely nostalgic about our own musical upbringing and decided to write something that would pay homage to how great the world was. Growing up, we had the best of both worlds, with our formative years being spent before the internet and the parallel universe of social media. We wanted to write something that reflected the casual naïveté of our youthful days.”
I am glad we asked, as we can likewise relate to the pre-Internet days and our young adult lives and the music that was important to us then. Definitely, good times which “It’s On Me” is able to evoke with its beautifully nostalgic feel. Listen to “It’s On Me”, our Song Pick of the Day.
Connect with Boncyan on Facebook.
Isabel — Sparks
It is a wonderful moment when ideas spark, but at some point there is work involved to turn them into something real. In “Sparks” Melbourne-based singer/songwriter Isabel observes the annoying behavior of somebody who is quick with the first part, but lets you down on with latter. The track — produced by Isabel herself — shines with an elegant, restrained production and a chorus that pleasantly sticks in your head.
Listen to “Sparks,” our Song Pick of the Day below:
Connect with Isabel on Facebook or Instagram.
Signe — Cry Wolf
Solo pop artist Signe grew up dancing her heart out to ABBA, singing along to Sara Bareilles, and falling in love with the lyrics of Billy Joel. To my knowledge, the latter never wrote such explicit lyrics as in the pre-chorus to “Cry Wolf” but it feels good to sing along, not just today. The song showcases Signe’s bright and powerful vocals beautifully but also gives way to the serious heartbreak “Cry Wolf” is about. Signe told us:
“‘Cry Wolf’ is about a particularly painful breakup I went through. It was long and drawn out and challenged my limits of being understanding. This song was the first place I was really honest with my anger and let it break through the surface. My anger not just at my ex but the person he left me for. It felt so good to say “F*ck you” and have a way to express those sentiments without having to hold space for anyone’s feelings but my own.”
That’s the first step to feeling better and getting over something traumatic, taking care of one’s own feelings, and artists can be their own best therapist at times.
Originally from Chicago, Signe spent her teenage years in Austria and Germany in diverse exchange student programs, and shortly before the pandemic hit, she moved to Paris where she currently resides.
Listen to “Cry Wolf”, our Song Pick of the Day:
Connect with Signe on Facebook and Instagram.
Chloe Rodgers — Faces
In “Faces” U.K. musician Chloe Rodgers reflects on two diametrically different moments in her life. The beauty of this ethereal, quiet track is the distance to the actual events, which conveys melancholy about the passing of good times, but also hope that the bad ones can and will be overcome too.
Chloe tells us about the song:
The first half of Faces is about one of the loveliest days I’ve had where I felt so connected to my friends and the universe. The second half is about one of the worst days of my life where I felt like I was being eaten alive by paranoia and fear, I really thought I wasn’t going to make it out alive that day. I thought the contrast of these 2 intense feelings would make an interesting song. The bits where I’m just singing a tune with no words & the instrumental is meant to represent taking time to reflect on these things.
Today Chloe shares a wonderfully calming video for “Faces,” directed by Anna Tiani. Watch here:
Connect with Chloe Rodgers on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.
Virginia to Vegas — flyby. ft. Mokita
Toronto-based singer, songwriter, and producer Virginia to Vegas just released his gorgeous six-track EP “don’t wake me, i’m dreaming”, of which we chose “flyby.” ft. Mokita, as our glamglarepick. We love the track for its super sweet and catchy feel, yet serious and relatable lyrics. Derik John Baker, the artist behind Virginia to Vegas, says about the single:
“‘flyby’ featuring Mokita is a song that means something different to both of us, so I’m sure it will have its own meaning to you. But for me, it’s the feeling of not appreciating someone special in your life until it’s too late.”
In a way, this sums up a year that flew by in a flurry of blurry days but I can take “flyby.” also more at its core value, being left with the feeling of not having told a very special person how much they meant and the feeling of loss lingers forever.
Virginia to Vegas’ EP holds more of this irresistible, intelligent, and utterly beautiful electro-pop. Baker reveals about the album:
“I had a lot of time to spend at home and on Zoom with my friends, and there was a nostalgic feeling to being in quarantine. Time kind of stretched and sped by with almost a dream-like quality to it, and I wanted to create a body of work to capture that.”
Listen to “flyby.,” our Song Pick of the Day:
Connect with Virginia to Vegas on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
