ICYMI is a series featuring new and notable releases you (and we) may have missed
Art by Enne Goldstein, you can find more of their work here
Iceage – “Gold City”
Lead singer Elias Bender Rønnenfelt describes “Gold City” as, “A culmination made so that everything felt briefly complete. Traffic lights and the setting sun through a polluted filter, shimmering and golden.” As we emerge slowly and cautiously from our covid caves of isolation and are able to catch glimmers of hope, take in the sunset sparkling across the skyline on a warm night, and feel everything and nothing all at once, Iceage has provided an anthem for this exact moment and feeling. The band continues to expand upon their previously established sound taking on some almost stadium rock qualities for the song making it less aloof, but larger than life.
Pretty Sick – “Devil In Me”
“Devil in Me” has the signature cool girl flare that’s become synonymous with Pretty Sick. Reverbed, soft-spoken vocals and ooh’s are reminiscent of The Cranberries or Liz Phair, but with a harder, Nirvana-esque edge as guitars sputter and squeal wildly as the song spirals to its explosive end. Front woman Sabrina Fuentes isn’t afraid to embrace her demons and makes you think you might just want to as well.
Uwade – The Man Who Sees Tomorrow/Lodarore
In a striking song about love and loss and an accompanying cover that celebrates some of her most cherished memories, Uwade released an ode to her late father with double single “The Man Who Sees Tomorrow”/”Lodarore”. “The Man Who Sees Tomorrow” is one of the most poetically beautiful songs I’ve heard in a long time. While Uwade’s vocals are flawless in their simplicity, the emotion and storytelling behind the track is what is truly breathtaking. “Lodarore” is a track Uwade had archived for safekeeping after hearing her father sing it to her in the car growing up. Coming across it later stirred memories in her that eventually were given new life through her repetition of the song. A deeply personal and beautiful offering from Uwade who is certainly an artist to watch.
FEET – “Peace & Quiet”
On first listen, “Peace & Quiet” is definitely a hit. It’s catchy, has an abrasive, but welcome, twang and dissonance to it. Lyrically, it does fall short a bit, but their intentions are in the right place. The song is said to be about demanding more from a music industry that has failed artists, but also expecting more from the artists themselves. That being said though, the irony of writing a song critiquing the music industry and the tropes some musicians might inhabit (“squeaky clean indie boys”, “punk is just a haircut/doesn’t have a meaning”) while ALSO sounding eerily similar to Andrew Savage is not lost on me. This is an optimistic direction for the band though and with their new EP Walking Machine coming out August 6th an exciting follow up is likely on the horizon.
