(Photo credit: Angie Aristodemo)
It’s that time again - playlist time! Okay, yeah, it’s been “that time again” for several months now, but let’s be honest, riding out the rest of 2020 was definitely just a lot of the same depression jams on repeat. That’s not fun for anyone to read about.
I do plan to do these playlists (hopefully) once a month, but I’ve also been looking into the idea of having bands curate a playlist for the site as well. Would you be into that? Alternatively, would your band be interested in making one? If so, please shoot me a DM at @resonatingzine on IG and let me know who you’d like to see.
1. Lush - Sparing
This EP was sent to me by the ever-so-kind Jonathan from Sunday Drive Records, and I instantly fell in love. Sparing, while starting as a side project for the vocalist of NC hardcore band Thirteenth, have come into their identity with their new EP, Old Dreams, where this song comes from. I would like to start off by saying - I’m so happy that bands are not only leaning into inspiration from 90’s emo bands but they’re not afraid to actually sound like them. They cite influences from bands like The Early November and Finch, but I also hear a little Senses Fail and Acceptance. With all of these sounds combined, Sparing gives off a super nostalgic vibe that I really enjoy. Listening to this EP makes me feel like a teenager that still has a bedroom in a house to go yell the lyrics in, with no upstairs neighbors to bother. If you’ve enjoyed the wave of emo-leaning bands that sound like they could be on a Take Action! compilation, like Koyo and Standstill, I highly recommend you check out this EP.
2. Brutal - Olivia Rodrigo
“And I'm so caught up in the news,
Of who likes me and who hates you
And I'm so tired that I might
Quit my job, start a new life
And they'd all be so disappointed
'Cause who am I if not exploited?”
I’m not gonna lie - I was very skeptical of Olivia Rodrigo when she first came out. I wasn’t super sold on “Driver’s License” initially, and, as we’ve all probably seen for years, Disney-to-singer careers don’t always pan out to produce the most pleasant music - or the most pleasant celebrities. However, this is not the case here at all! I don’t know if it has something to do with the new kinds of people becoming famous within the current era of more “relatable” celebrities doing well, but Miss Rodrigo seems like a genuinely likeable human being. Her debut album, Sour, is written from the perspective of a heartbroken teen - but those heartfelt messages of insecurity and love lost resonate with people of all kinds, which I think lends to its success. “Brutal” is the perfect album opener - no doubt, it’s a pop song, but there’s a slight edge of a rock influence that is refreshing to hear from a female pop artist. She spills her guts on self-doubt and anxiety on a track that sounds like it was genuinely cathartic to make. All in all, I’m not going to call her a riot grrl by any means, but it’s super cool to hear a rock influence making its way back into popular music. God, it’s brutal out here.
3. Diamond One - Koyo (ft. Abby Rhine of Life’s Question)
Perfect single. Koyo have spent the year inside like the rest of us, but they’ve been a band I’ve noticed trying to make the best of things all of 2020 - at popups, playing acoustic shows online, and so on. Last year, they debuted another song that started as an exclusive to their Short Beach Sessions tape, which ended up as the second single, “Moriches.” That track was a little more emotionally heavy than this one, with vocalist Joey Chiaramonte lamenting on his struggles with the abrupt, seemingly-endless stop that was put to touring at the time. If the previous EP was about Chiaramonte’s early coming-of-age, that song was about the time in-between, and this track is about taking a rest on the other side of that hill - finding yourself, and surrendering to whatever lies on the other side of your early twenties. This track is the light at the end of the tunnel, and I think it was exactly the track to start the summer off with.
4. Blighted - Not One Truth
It’s no secret to anyone who reads this blog, but I love NJHC. Egg Harbor Township’s Not One Truth dropped their debut 3-song EP in May, and I personally had one thing to say when I listened to it for the first time - riffs. Take a few minutes out of your day and bask in the metallic hardcore excellence that is this EP - and, if you’re planning to go see this band at Unity BBQ in July, go do some jumping jacks if only to prepare for the mosh part at the end of this song. Insane.
5. COVER GIRL - BIA
My worst quality formed over the last year is 100% my ability to get sucked into TikTok for hours at a time. The most positive thing about the platform, however, is that it’s a really easy way to keep up with popular music, as it helps boost new artists in an insane way. Northeast rapper BIA is one of those artists. Her song “WHOLE LOTTA MONEY” went viral on the platform in the last couple months, which prompted me to check her out and find this song. I love a good female rapper bragging about all the essentials - how hot she is, and all the money she has - and this is no exception. Bia Biaaaa.
6. Fluorescence - Eyeball
This band has a sound to it that I thought they simply didn’t make anymore in modern music, let alone DIY bands. This entire EP, Found My Way to Heaven When I Let Go, has major early 2000’s Q101 vibes (Chicago heads only) and would not be out of place on one of my aunts’ homemade nu-metal mix CDs. This is the more energetic of the three tracks, and, in my opinion, a good starter song that gives you a good taste of what the band’s sound is about. Very pleasantly surprised.
7. Ones Who Love You - Alvvays
“When lightning strikes, I'll be on my bike
I won't be stuck inside, I will be taking flight
And when the wheels come off, I'll be an astronaut
I will be lost in space, I will be skipping rocks”
Without a doubt, my favorite song from the Canadian indie pop quintet. Vocalist and guitarist Molly Rankin’s voice is calm and smooth in contrast to the rather-annoyed subject matter of the lyrics. It’s the kind of dreamy, dazey summer hit where you don’t fully grasp what the band is saying until the 5th listen or so. I have no idea why, but this was my “I just remembered this song existed, I have to listen to it 5 times a day”-song for the month. That “ooooh” part is the catchiest shit on the planet.
8. Kiss Me More - Doja Cat (ft. SZA)
Okay, I know this looks biased to anyone who actually knows me, because I am so desperate for a crumb of SZA content that most probably assume I would take anything - but I love this song! This is such a cute song!! On her newest record, Planet Her, Doja Cat leans into her singing abilities more than her rapping. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a fan of both, but if there’s one thing she knows how to absolutely smash, it’s a catchy hook. Add SZA to the mix, and you’ve got an upbeat, 80’s synthpop-reminiscent bop that’ll get you through the whole summer.
9. Constant Headache - Joyce Manor
“Your love was foreign to me
It made me think maybe human's not such a bad thing to be
But I just laid there in protest, entirely fucked
It's such a stubborn reminder, one perfect night's not enough”
An absolute classic that, once again, randomly came to me one day and demanded to be played 10 times in an hour. This is a longtime favorite song of mine that conjures up such a great, watching-the-sunset-in-the-grass-in- the-late-summer kind of mood for me. Joyce Manor’s signature style comes through strongly in this one, with loud, slightly-imperfect instrumentation to back up Barry’s passionate vocals that lie somewhere between shouting and singing. This creates a sound that I can only describe as “honest” - perfect for conveying the song’s emotional weight.
10. Delusion of Knowledge - All Due Respect
Featuring members of Restraining Order, Sanction and Out For Justice, All Due Respect is an awesome new band from the Northeast. For fans of: manual labor jobs, riffs, straight-up, heavy hardcore, and, in the words of Lumpy himself, The Harder They Come comp. Fuck you, with all due respect.
11. Narc - Interpol
“Control me, console me, ‘cause that's just how it should be done
Oh, all your history's like fire from a busted gun
I show some love and respect,
I don't wanna get a life of regret”
Did anyone else go through that weird wannabe British indie phase when they were kids? I blame two things - being into alternative music but wanting to look more mature for some reason, and the internet. Well, unlike a lot of my friends that have gone through the same phase, I never got super into Interpol - however, this track is an undeniable hit.This revisit was inspired by a tweet made by my fellow music writer friend, Danielle Chelosky - something along the lines of “the bassist of Interpol is doing his job - and I agree wholeheartedly. It can be hard for some to see the bass in a song as equally important as something like the guitar, drums, or vocals - but there’s potential to infuse a lot of character and emotion into a good bassline. This song is no exception. Combined with the insanely catchy riff that follows us from the beginning of the song to the end, as well as the emotional content of the lyrics as vocalist Paul Banks barters for the love of his object of affection, there is a strong mood created here as a whole.
12. The War - Payback (ft. Tyler Mullen)
“The battle’s the same, the weapons have changed
Illusion of escape only brings more pain”
After watching their set on Hate5Six several times last month, I’ve been on a Payback kick for a little while now. What can I say? It’s perfect hardcore. Angry, fired-up, passionate, straight edge, hooded-mosher-on-the-cover hardcore. There’s a lot of hardcore bands out, but not enough that are willing to put forth a message that actually means something to them. Payback’s the real deal.
If you miss them opening up Unity BBQ this weekend, you’re an absolute fool.
13. She Only Knows (Starflyer 59 cover) - All Under Heaven
“She only knows the world and that it's better.”
This is a cover - but an insanely good one. Anyone who has read my music opinions anywhere has heard about how much I love All Under Heaven. The hazey shoegaze group are one of the few hardcore-adjacent bands I’ve heard in a while that actually nailed the shoegaze sound, as opposed to landing somewhere in the “alt-rock” blur. As far as the legitimacy of this cover, I played it for a friend who likes Starflyer a lot, and they thought I was playing the original, so I think that says something. It’s a sweet, daydreamy take on the original that’s definitely worth a listen.
I hope you liked reading about some of my favorites this month!
Give the playlist a listen below:
-Angie
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