here they are:
"Circle the Drain" by Soccer Mommy: We're not sure if Sophie Allison plays soccer or if she's a mommy, but we do know that she has good musical influences. Innovative female alt-rockers from the '90s like Alanis Morissette, The Cranberries, and Liz Phair seem to have all influenced Sophie "Soccer Mommy" Allison to a certain degree, even though all three of the aforementioned acts were making music before Sophie was even born. Like Alanis, Liz, and Dolores, Sophie's go-to topic seems to be depression. Her breakthrough song, "Circle the Drain", makes it clear that she "feels low sometimes/even when everything is fine". "Chick rockers" might not be a new thing anymore, but at least Sophie is there to keep the torch of brutally honest female alt-rockers alive!
"He Loves Me" by Brittany Howard: In case you were wondering, "He" is none other than Jesus Christ himself! Howard announces in the powerful, soulful opening of this song that even though she doesn't go to church anymore, "he" still loves her. Perhaps some might view it as a blasphemous claim to make in a song where Howard mentions that even when she's "smoking blunts" or "drinking too much", that Jesus still loves her, but looking at the context of the song from another angle, she seems to be trying to say that Jesus was a nonjudgmental person, and that a truly Christian act is to love one another, no matter what the other might be doing or saying. At the end of the song, a statement is made that, "'somebodiness' does not come from your opinion of God". Since "somebodiness" is a made-up word, it might be hard to interpret what Brittany Howard is trying to say here, but my best guess would be that who we are as individuals is ultimately more important than who (or what) we worship. Amen, sista!
"High to Low" by Brent Cowles: There's not much depth to Brent Cowles' funky, bass-heavy, "High to Low", at least not on the surface. However, this is one of those songs where its simplicity IS its depth. Its message of "gettin' down" might seem like a simple declaration of getting people to dance, but it's also about being who you are and being OK with who you are. So go ahead get down with yo' bad self...as long as you can BE yourself while doing so!
"Paper Cup" by Real Estate (featuring Amelia Meath from Sylvan Esso): Songs like "Darling" and "Stained Glass" from Real Estate's 2017 album sounded like odes to '60s jangle-pop in the style of The Byrds. "Paper Cup" flashes forward one decade later, echoing the "yacht rock" phenomenon made popular by groups like Steely Dan, America, and Kenny Loggins. Along with its similarity in breeziness to the Dan, "Paper Cup" also shares Walter Becker and Donald Fagen's fondness for cynical, obtuse lyrics. The song appears to harbor a tinge of criticism towards people who feel like certain bands and styles are "over the hill". Lead singer Martin Courtney contemplates the future of his career on "Paper Cup" and the potential dangers that come with it - not the sex, drugs, and rock & roll type of dangers, but the more inevitable dangers of growing old and becoming irrelevant.
"Phase" by Pinegrove: Take the quirky, nasal vocals of Ben Folds, add the contemporary jangle-pop of Guster, and imagine that both somehow formed a not-so-heavy emo group, and you've got "Phase" by Pinegrove. The lead singer sounds frustrated with his angst-ridden lyrics and delivery, but it gets offset by pseudo-grunge guitars that never climax to a full rock sound and instead end up sounding like modern-day musical descendants of R.E.M. This is a song that wants to be taken seriously, but it's hard to take it completely seriously when you listen to it. "Phase" is a puzzle of a song to try to describe! But perhaps my feelings towards this song will change later on...after all, it's just a "phase"!
