Each Friday, Atwood Journal’s workers share what they’ve been listening to that week – a music, an album, an artist – no matter’s been having an influence on them, within the second.

This week’s weekly roundup options music by Pleasure Oladokun, Wednesday, Olive Louise, Tre. Charles, Skerryvore, Honey Gentry, NCT DOJAEJUNG, Deathcruiser, Gareth Donkin, Alice Phoebe Lou, The Dionysus Impact, The Rions, MAVICA, Mike Rogers, & Adam Monaco!

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:: Proof of Life – Pleasure Oladokun ::

Mitch Mosk, New York

Joy Oladokun is simply making an attempt to dwell her greatest life and sing concerning the highs and lows alongside the best way. The Nashville singer/songwriter (and Atwood Journal Editor’s Choose) has proved herself a voice of a technology again and again these previous few years by intimate songs full of heat, uncooked emotion, vulnerability, honesty, and keenness. Her music is equal components catchy, cathartic, comforting, and nowhere does she shine brighter than on her uplifting, inspiring third album, Proof of Life (launched April 28 through Republic Information / EMI Information UK).

I grew up out within the desert
The place I discovered to thrive alone
Lived in L.A. ’til it broke me
Oh, I rolled on like a stone
Discovered a woman and located a job
Similar to they are saying good individuals do
However now and again I flip to salt inside her wounds

Oh and all I do know
Is we will’t, we gained’t let go

Retaining the sunshine on, the sunshine on, ain’t simple
Retaining the combat on, for therefore lengthy, is difficult to do
For all of the occasions you’re feeling the load
There may simply be a greater method
Received’t deny that it feels so onerous
Whеn the evening will get so darkish
Hold holding the sunshine on

– “Retaining the Gentle On,” Pleasure Oladokun

“This album is proof of how I dwell,” Oladokun shares. “I hope these are useful anthems. I began making music as a result of I wasn’t listening to from the ‘on a regular basis human being’ on the radio. I hope this resonates with anyone who feels regular and desires a little bit musical increase to get by the day. I’m common. I do that job as a result of I like what I do. I put a lot care, craft, and intention into it. I’m making music to dwell to.”

Oladokun stuns, stirs, and soars all through Proof of Life: From the candid, hopeful opening observe “Retaining the Gentle On” and the glistening, heart-on-sleeve confessional “Adjustments” (a private spotlight) to the enchantingly intimate “Buddies” (that includes Mt. Pleasure), the emotionally charged “We’re All Gonna Die” (that includes Noah Kahan) and the impassioned, hovering outpouring “The Laborious Method,” each one in all these 13 songs is a nugget of cozy, smile-inducing folk-pop surprise.

Oladokun has created in Proof of Life a spirited, sweetly stirring soundtrack to on a regular basis residing full of affection. It’s no surprise I need her to be the voice of a technology.

When the times are chilly
When the nights are longer
You could be my solar
You could be like summer season
When the waves, they circulate
When the load will get heavy
You don’t must go
If we will’t be household
Higher associates than foes

– “Buddies“

:: “Quarry” – Wednesday ::

Julia Dzurillay, New Jersey

Female-fronted rock teams are particular, particularly these with visceral, virtually anecdotal lyrics like Wednesday. Rat Noticed God is stuffed with angsty originals, with “Bathtub County,” “Bull Believer,” and “Quarry” as significantly noteworthy tracks — any music that mentions “scoliosis from fixed slumps in distress” is, sadly, simply too relatable.

“The rain-rotted home on the lifeless finish of Baytree, outdated bitter woman,” the primary verse states. “Sits caddy nook to the aftershock from the quarry / She says ‘America’s a spoiled baby that’s blind to grief’ / However then she offers out full-sized sweet bars on Halloween.”

When the fourth verse mentions police raiding a mob home, the narrator chooses to face on the garden, unphased by the injustice, or simply the stunning scene, unfolding. The that means of a “quarry” is “one that’s sought or pursued,” a becoming title for one thing about observing tragedy from a distance.

:: “Moroccan Oranges” – Olive Louise ::

Sophie Severs, Boston, MA

Turning her soul-encompassing grief right into a dynamic folk-pop melody, Olive Louise brings listeners “Moroccan Oranges,” launched independently on April 28.

Reaching inward for power, Louise transports herself again to the time interval that intently adopted her mom’s loss of life. Her vacation spent in Morocco was imagined to be crammed with wonderment and adventures across the nation, however all pleasure appeared to be eclipsed by the shadow of grief that adopted Louise, her father, and sister in every single place they went.

Louise shares, “[‘Moroccan Oranges’] is concerning the dissonance I felt taking a look at my dad making an attempt to carry it collectively and make us really feel okay, realizing that regardless that we have been seeing beautiful views, and making an attempt new meals, and have been there collectively, we felt utterly shattered.”

A haunting piano melody backs Louise’s gentle vocals earlier than a refrain of voices be part of the fray because the singer-songwriter belts out, “We’ve been damaged in every single place.” With a powerful percussive beat driving the music ahead, Louise perseveres by her grief, decided to maintain her bearings and maintain her household as shut as she probably can as they navigate by this new regular.

“I’ll all the time bear in mind the perfume of flowers like pure fragrance,” Louise states. On this life, individuals come and go — that’s an undisputed fact. However we will discover solace in the truth that we’ll all the time have the recollections from being by their aspect as devoted firm.

:: At present – Tre. Charles ::

Josh Weiner, Washington DC

Michael Jordan simply turned 60 and there’s a film out about how he first signed with Nike– so the time is ripe to examine in and see how his dwelling state of North Carolina is faring lately, proper?! Even with out His Royal Airness’ incentive, it undoubtedly is value taking note of artists as supremely proficient as one other “born in NYC however raised in NC” fellow named Tre. Charles. Initially from Durham, Charles has shifted round quite a few cities all through his life, permitting him to “domesticate a sound of his personal which pays homage to his nomadic upbringing,” in line with his web site. These sounds have been manifested to their fullest extent but on At present, his completely beautiful debut EP.

Because the identify suggests, the document is designed to take a detailed onerous take a look at numerous parts of the world at the moment. The primary observe, “Currently,” launches that development in full drive by “grappling with the load of modern-day social media tradition and the shackles of obsessive rumination that may entice the thoughts in a unending spiral of hopelessness.” It could see like heavy materials, however the elegant vocals and the plush R&B manufacturing makes it simply consumable. Plus, the accompanying music video, that includes Charles strolling round New York Metropolis, guitar in hand, helps reinforce the music’s message concerning the significance of detaching from the pc and venturing into the skin world infrequently.

The template established by “Currently” of mixing elegant vocals and beats with severe social commentary continues on the EP’s remaining three tracks, “Reminiscence,” “Mantra,” and “Stressin.” The latter, for example, has been described as “a meditation on the perils and pressures of being younger and Black in America.” It’s truly a pair years outdated now, having first been recorded in 2021 because the world was nonetheless departing from lockdown, and the music remarks how present issues in society (alienation and melancholy, for example) have been solely exacerbated by the pandemic. Even now that that scenario has largely been resolved, “Stressin” nonetheless makes for a poignant slice of commentary, certainly.

Total, At present undoubtedly exhibits what a proficient and considerate man can obtain upon immersing himself in his dwelling studio for a number of days. With a bit of luck, the 11 minutes’ value of recent music right here will multiply a number of occasions over right into a full-length debut LP earlier than too lengthy.

:: “Eye Of The Storm” – Skerryvore ::

Mitch Mosk, New York

The opening music off Skerryvore’s recently-released sixth album Tempus is a radiant, indie rock tempest: Burning vivid with unbridled hope and uncooked ardour, “Eye of the Storm” sees the Scottish eight-piece lighting a fireplace inside as they lean into the autumn, taking up life’s hurdles and hiccups with inspiring boldness and confidence:

I bear in mind what you informed me when
I used to be only a boy and all the things was harmless
Dreaming of journey from these bed room partitions
Simply one other small-town boy, scared to make the leap
Chasing after love and on a Friday evening
Studying {that a} damaged coronary heart is all the time gonna harm
If you’re younger it passes shortly and the teachings discovered
Train you what a real coronary heart and real love are actually value

“‘Eye of the Storm’ is about emotional progress and studying that usually crucial issues in our lives will take some combating for,” Skerryvore vocalist Alec Dalglish explains. “It’s a music of hope which inspires going through any obstacles head-on to be the place you wish to be in life whereas studying that it’s concerning the expertise and the journey, not only a end line that you simply cross.”

The band hit their excessive in a hovering, spirited refrain:

Into the unknown
Falling by the sky
Chasing down the dream
Trying within the eye of the storm
Whoa oh oh oh
Into the unknown
Going through all you concern
All the pieces you need is in
The attention of the storm
Whoa oh oh oh

You don’t must be within the thick of it to get impressed by this music; Skerryvore do the heavy lifting for you, leaving us to sit down again, calm down, and keep in mind that we’re stronger than we expect we’re.

:: “Underneath Taurus” – Honey Gentry ::

Joe Beer, Surrey, UK

“Under Taurus,” the brand new single from British baroque pop artist Honey Gentry, is a superbly haunting, introspective observe concerning the bittersweet feelings that include rising up. Impressed by a poem of the identical identify by Louise Glück, “Underneath Taurus” immerses listeners right into a world of shimmering synths, delicate vocal harmonies and beautiful, celestial melodies. Gentry sings concerning the struggles of rising older and the way we lose the flexibility to precise ourselves freely with out worrying concerning the opinions of others.

Talking of the inspiration from Glück’s poem, the songwriter shares, “It jogged my memory of after I was a baby within the countryside with my dad and he would wake me up on a transparent evening and we’d go outdoors and spot capturing stars. We’re all the time speaking about house. However then as you become old, you lose your childlike means to say issues the way you see them; as a result of it makes one other individual happier for those who see what they see. So the music was born out of that feeling of moulding your self into one other individual’s wishes to be able to make them completely satisfied.”

Harking back to Mazzy Star and Lana Del Rey, “Underneath Taurus” is the primary single to be launched from Gentry’s upcoming EP.

:: “Fragrance” – NCT DOJAEJUNG ::

Isabella Le, Backyard Grove, CA

Okay-Pop supergroup NCT has made a reputation for itself as one of the various, expansive, and modern tasks within the trade, conceptually and musically. With simply over 20 members divided into 4 specialised subunits, NCT has debuted its most formidable and surprising unit so far.

NCT DOJAEJUNG, comprised of NCT 127 vocalists Doyoung, Jaehyun, and Jungwoo, are the most recent additions to the NCT Universe, moving into the highlight with their Fragrance EP on April 17. An R&B, electro-funk concoction, lead single “Fragrance” places a futuristic spin on clean ‘90s R&B melodies with intricate manufacturing and upbeat tempo, by-product of the NCT model’s sonic signature. Layered harmonies and falsettos are woven all through the music, placing the vocal excellence and dynamism of the trio on full show. Doyoung, Jaehyun, and Jungwoo’s distinctive vocal colors effortlessly mix within the refrain, leaving the music’s aroma lingering even after it ends.

“We’re proud to say we discovered our signature sound for NCT DOJAEJUNG with this primary mini album,” they shared. “It got here collectively very effortlessly; virtually as if all of us shared the identical imaginative and prescient from the start.”

Funky and recent, sultry and sensual, “Fragrance” is a music as alluring and intoxicating as its identify.

:: “Superman” – Deathcruiser ::

Mitch Mosk, New York

Beautifully intimate and trustworthy, Deathcruiser’s second single of the yr places our humanity – particularly, that completely imperfect high quality that makes us human – entrance and middle. Born out of singer/songwriter Adam Roth’s rawest moments, “Superman” is vulnerability and humility personified in a young, soul-stirring music. It’s heart-wrenching, and but, it’s that precise bittersweet high quality that makes this music so totally and irresistibly lovely.

Typically it helps to listen to another person holding a mirror as much as their lives, and never loving all the things they see. How usually will we do the identical factor?

Headed again to west LA
stayed up all evening and that’s okay
watch the lights slip away
we’ve solely received one life to save lots of

i’m no superman
hope you perceive
I’m no superman
I might use a hand

“The lyrics contact on my expertise of upholding a public facade of being “OK” when, beneath all of it, I used to be slowly dying inside,” Roth tells Atwood Journal. The frontman for Swedish-American different rock band Grizfolk, Roth debuted his first Deathcruiser music, “Life Quantity Two” (that includes Nashville-based Americana singer/songwriter Lydia Luce), only one yr in the past. On the time of its launch, I referred to as the music “an achingly trustworthy confessional with the self” and “a forlorn country-folk ballad replete with tender acoustic guitars, pedal metal, heat violins, and hearty vocal harmonies.” Little did I do know, Deathcruiser’s music would solely dive deeper over the yr forward. He launched a self-titled debut EP final July, adopted earlier this yr by “Black Tattoo” and now, “Superman,”

“The music speaks to the stigma surrounding alcoholism and drug abuse that forestalls you from asking for assist and the significance of flattening the interior partitions of disgrace to be able to save your life,” Roth shares. “I consider that we must always normalize the method of asking for assist, so if this music helps one individual battling dependancy then I think about it successful.”

When you’re holding out or holding on
in search of the fitting when it goes flawed
It’s been too lengthy since i’ve referred to as dwelling
I swear I’m in search of the cellphone

i’m no superman
hope you perceive
I’m no superman
I might use a hand

In a phrase, this music aches. Roth lays his playing cards on the desk and asks for acceptance and understanding. How many people can say we’ve been as trustworthy and true with ourselves?

Acquired nothing left however silent religion
Now that evening has turned to day
Time’s run out and it could actually’t wait
However I ain’t received no god rattling cape

:: “GEEK OUT!” – Gareth Donkin ::

Mitch Mosk, New York

I was immediately drawn to “GEEK OUT!” and I’ve been dancing my worries away ever since. The collaboration between London-based singer/songwriter and producer Gareth Donkin, shortly, shortly, and The Respiratory Impact is a cool and frisky breath of vivid, buoyant gentle. A music about unapologetically leaning into your passions and “geeking out” about them, the sun-soaked observe is a smile-inducing ode to having enjoyable doing what you’re keen on.

“”We recorded this observe over a yr in the past,” 23-year-old Donkin recollects. “shortly, shortly (Graham Jonson) despatched me the instrumental for ‘GEEK OUT!’, which on the time was titled ‘GROOVE HOG’, a collaboration with The Respiratory Impact (Harry Terrell and Eli Goss) – and it took me two months to consider / hear a hook. As quickly because it got here to me, I recorded the vocal thought right away and it caught. I despatched the thought again to Graham and he (luckily) preferred what I had made from the observe, and after a collection of FaceTime calls to debate ending the observe, Graham added extra manufacturing and polished it up. That’s how ‘GEEK OUT!’ was born!”

Launched in March and able to soundtrack our spring and summertime bliss, “GEEK OUT!” is a refreshingly enjoyable reminder to embrace the great in life, and run with it so long as you may.

:: “Open My Door” – Alice Phoebe Lou ::

Kylie Gurewitz, Bay Space, California

“I made my entire world safer for everybody however me,” Lou sings gently over a velvety concord of keyboards and guitars.

Alice Phoebe Lou is a Berlin-based indie artist, with 4 self-released albums so far. Her latest single, “Open My Door,” exhibits a deep curiosity in autonomy, a rightful reclaiming of 1’s one physique and soul. She describes a previous of letting anyone in; “I used to open my door / To just about anybody who was tryna search for / A spot to really feel protected.” Then she throws this picture into stark distinction, “I’m taking again all of the items of me / That have been taken unwillingly.”

This observe follows a thematic thread of of Lou’s work; reminding me particularly of “Soiled Mouth,” off of her 2021 document Glow. However the place “Soiled Mouth” expresses a (justified) anger, “Open My Door” appears like a love letter from Lou to herself. It’s within the lyrics, (“I’m again on land, welcome to your life, Alice”) and within the sonic ease and lightness of the instrumentals. By way of the dearth of chord variation, this observe creates a way of containment, sonically expressing the self-sufficience that it describes.

:: “NEVER NEVER”- Dionysus Impact ::

Chloe Robinson, California

With a palpable potent high quality that’s really electrifying, Dionysus Impact unleash their placing new observe “NEVER NEVER.” By way of thrashing guitars and eruptive drums the message of extremely charged, passionate lovers is felt intensely. With fiery lyrics like “if you inform me that you simply want me, that you really want me in your physique” you’re feeling that sensual sensation radiating by.

The New York primarily based trio has a knack for concocting music that’s energetic and uncooked. The gritty group consists of Christoph Paul (lead vocals/ bass), Sean Quinn Hanley (guitar/backup vocals), and Brett Petersen (drums). Ferociously fusing darkwave, alt-rock and pop their distinctive sound packs a strong punch.

:: “Scary Films” – The Rions ::

Mitch Mosk, New York

With the opening line, “I broke my leg falling for you,” The Rions’ “Scary Films” turned an immediate favourite. The Sydney primarily based indie pop band’s seventh profession single is a elegant, candy celebration of affection; their first launch of the yr (out March 20 through Neighborhood Music) channels internal ardour out in euphoric, sun-soaked waves of feel-good vitality.

I broke my leg falling for you
I query all the things I do
How did you fall proper into my arms?
Cos I believed I used to be dumb thought I had no allure

However they gained’t consider that, you
Love me I like you, it’s loopy
You’ve been caught in my thoughts recently
I’ve by no means had somebody such as you in my life
You want Dayglow and love scary films
I wanna know ‘why did you select me?’
I’ve by no means had somebody such as you in my life

When you love love, you then’re certain to like this music – and for those who don’t love love, you’ll nonetheless fall headfirst for this music. “Too usually tales about love are written from the angle of the hardships that come together with a relationship, or the heartbreaks lots of people can relate to, however a side that isn’t touched on sufficient is how enjoyable falling in love could be and the way completely satisfied discovering your individual could make you!” The Rions’ lead vocalist Noah Blockley tells Atwood Journal. “We needed to discover that with ‘Scary Films.’ The thought behind the identify of the music is riffing off the stereotypical date, going to the flicks.”

“We’ve all been there, awkwardly knocking arms as you share popcorn, going for the yawn-arm over shoulder transfer. There actually isn’t any higher ice breaker than uniting underneath the concern of a scary film and displaying how a lot of a troublesome cookie (or a comfortable one) you might be. ‘Scary Films’ performs on the cliches of falling in love, and hopefully it could actually remind some listeners on the market that love is a lot enjoyable and that life is enjoyable if you dwell like a dumb romcom!”

How did I get so fortunate?
How did I get it proper?
Everybody else informed me that
I’m simply not your sort
And is it true? Am I with you?
However I didn’t know that…

There’s one thing to be stated concerning the exhilarating, releasing emotions we get once we submit to like and let it develop; once we lean into that thrill and open ourselves as much as that particular connection, the world feels brighter, bolder, and filled with potential. Every single day is the following greatest day of your life, and all you are able to do is pinch your self and ask, how did I get to be so fortunate? Simply let it journey… and sing a particular music or two.

You’re keen on me, I like you, it’s loopy
You’ve been caught in my thoughts recently
I’ve by no means had somebody such as you in my life
You want Dayglow and love scary films
I wanna know why did you selected me?
I’ve by no means had somebody such as you in my life

:: “Dwell Out Loud” – Mike Rogers ::

Joe Beer, Surrey, UK

Amsterdam trio Mike Rogers have simply unveiled the title-track from their upcoming debut album, “Dwell Out Loud.” The highly effective and uplifting anthem encourages listeners to face up for his or her beliefs and dwell their lives to the fullest. Described by the band as the head music from the album, the trio shares, “The music was written throughout a interval the place, we felt, far sides of the political spectrum have been very current. We needed to encourage the group often known as the silent center to face up for his or her (barely extra nuanced) ideas/visions/concepts.”

The motivating music emphasizes the significance of combating for what you consider in. By way of passionate lyrics, an upbeat, energetic beat and dance-worthy digital melodies, the band shout their message loud and clear, succeeding in making you stand up and “Dwell Out Loud!”

:: “you possibly can by no means do this” – MAVICA ::

Josh Weiner, Washington DC

¡Viva España! Cartagena native Marta Casanova is at present heading full steam forward within the music biz underneath her stage identify of MAVICA. She got here to review on the London Faculty of Artistic Media and has remained there ever since, largely recording English-language materials starting in 2018 together with her first formally launched single, “Sizzling Sand.”

Regardless of having seemingly taken a hiatus since 2020, MAVICA is again with a brand new single, “you possibly can by no means do this,” a preview of her upcoming album typically an individual by no means comes again (however that’s okay), due this coming August. The observe was designed as her response to the enduring fetishizing of girls singers within the music biz, one thing she has robust emotions and has spoken brazenly about. One such dialog with good friend and fellow recording artist was centered on “how the music trade sexualises the feminine physique and the way we wish to have fun our our bodies on our personal phrases and never simply as a instrument to promote our music.”

Eager to discover that idea additional, MAVICA determined to write down an entire music about it – and right here it’s! Take a look at the dance-heavy music video, as effectively, when you’re at it. Listening to MAVICA allude lyrically to “a suicide try and self-isolate” and “a battle for self love that’s all in your head, nevertheless it crumbles until the top” could seem reasonably darkish, however the levity of her voice and the synth-heavy manufacturing finally make it an fulfilling observe to interact in.

:: “Nevermind” – Adam Monaco ::

Mitch Mosk, New York

Adam Monaco’s “Nevermind” first struck me due to its sheer magnificence, and the deeper I listened, the extra enchanted I turned. A young, gently layered folks music about human connection – and the way simple it may be to disconnect and concentrate on our variations, reasonably than the ties that bind us – “Nevermind” conjures up by easy, vivid poetry. Monaco, himself an rising singer/songwriter from Philadelphia, invitations us to contemplate what it means to be right here (wherever which may be), alive, at the moment in Could 2023; what it means to be human, and a member of our respective communities; what we’re on the within, and who we venture out into the world.

Lined bridges within the evening
Deliver me to the opposite aspect
Different World and different time
Nevermind, Nevermind

Gathered in our holy areas
Totally different minds and discovering graces
Lineage from totally different locations
Nevermind, Nevermind

“After I first began writing the music, I used to be impressed by how we typically ignore the essential issues on this planet,” Monaco says. “Within the first verse, I considered time, historical past, and the way simple it’s to brush off or overlook about our previous. `Within the second verse, I considered our spirituality, our connections with individuals and the way we typically ignore the truth that we’re all the identical and linked. We should always keep in mind that within the coronary heart of all the things, we’re all the identical. Within the final verse, I considered our time with ourselves and our psychological well being— we have to guarantee that we don’t ignore that facet of our life. As I continued to write down this music, the that means turned deeper for me, in addition to for others who shared their emotions about how the music helped unfold a message for resolving conflicts. It gave them a way of hope. What first began as a easy music, with easy phrases, turned out to be a lot deeper for myself and others.”

“I’m actually grateful for my good friend who confirmed me an alternate tuning. I’m grateful for my spouse who —sitting and ingesting tea by the window of our dwelling studio — impressed the final verse of the music. After I gave up, and set the guitar down, she stated: “What the heck are you doing?! You have to write this music!” The recording of this music embodies all the things that I really feel about music and the way we will all work collectively to create one thing. In truth, this music wouldn’t have come to life with out everybody’s affect and involvement— it’s so nice to have this captured in a video.”

Sit alone and bide my time
Turning Pages line by line
Cup of tea as an alternative of wine
Nevermind, Nevermind

Depart it to the the best songs to have probably the most profound influence.

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