Charlotte Sands is one of our favorite up-and-comers right now. Her music has this hint of angst mixed with a little danger and it's the perfect combo.
She says, “’All My Friends Are Falling in Love' is a song about everyone around you getting into relationships while you’re still trying to get over one. I wrote this song about my personal experience of going out with the sole purpose of trying to distract myself from my feelings for someone, but somehow always making it so much worse. It’s hard to stop thinking about someone you miss when you’re constantly surrounded by happy couples, and it can feel really isolating, which only makes you want that person even more."
Illicit Ghost always hits her mark when she's at her most vulnerable. "Help" is the kind of song we all need, it's how we've all felt but we've struggled to be honest about it. We're all living in a highlight real that doesn't dig into the truth and "Help" is the kind of track that brings us back down to reality. It's so honest and beautiful.
"It’s about my own struggle with mental health: debilitating anxiety, hating myself; feeling fed up with feeling bad; feeling worthless; feeling like this world wasn’t built for someone as sensitive as me. I wanted to put all of this frustration into a song, and so “Help” was born. If you can relate, please know you’re not alone and there’s no shame in asking for help."
Kiana V created an ethereal world in her new "Dazed" EP, it feels so effortless. It's so soothing and somehow nostalgic, like lost memories from the past year. Her song "Better" is about personal salvation, and that's really what we all need. A little more self-love and self-realization.
She says, "It gives me a feeling of sweet, reckless abandon. It’s an awakening to newfound courage."
Yola may have just dropped my favorite album his year. Her voice, the production, the way she infuses all these genres together in a way that never feels forced. It's like putting all the pieces to a puzzle together and stepping back to admire how well it all comes together. It's mesmerizing.
Standout track, "Dancing Away In Tears," is a particularly special track. She says, “There are times you just need to cut and run, but sometimes you need only slowly waltz away waving a sorry goodbye wishing it could’ve gone another way. Either way, you’re out.”
This project will be on loop for me for a long time, and if you know what's best it will be for you too.