Yoste (rhyming with “lost”) shares his new release, Flaws, produced by Tones and I, (of Dance Monkey fame) member, Konstantin Kersting, along with an authentically driven music video representing raw and real footage of Yoste, as the main focus, being submerged into a pool, that can be interpreted as to how our flaws remain a part of ourselves at our truest forms, like when Yoste submerged.
The video was filmed by Yoste’s father, none other than Anthony Sines, an award winning Australian cinematographer.. The song surrounds the concept of personalities in a relationship in which each person has their own set of flaws that get in the way and hold weight over them.
The lyricism is incredibly real and simple, yet remains complex. Especially at the Chorus section:
I’m not typical lately I’m so difficult when we Go outside, fall apart Kitchen lights, break my heart You were right, it was hard
Going back to the original idea of rawness that our flaws stem from, the part where he confesses his difficult traits as a flaw, speaks a hard truth. The performance is captivating but not so much distracting from the low-key production that supports it. Yoste describes his music and songwriting as the process of navigating life as a young adult, trying to express the highs and lows of relationships and personal struggles.
Yoste earned his credentials gaining attention from success of stand-out singles Arc and Blue from his debut album, try to be okay, released in 2019, amassing over 85 million streams throughout his discography. Touching into the atmosphere of ambience and pop landscape, he is heavily influenced by artists such as Jonsi, Bon Iver, The Cure, and The 1975, in which you can hear the little aspects of each within his music. Check out his music video for Flaws, and let us know what you think in the comments!
Whether you’re social distancing at home or driving to your (essential) job, consider putting on a track or two from Shallou’s newest album, Magical Thinking. It contains thirty-eight minutes of pure emotional joy that deserves to be thoroughly listened to. The first few seconds of the intro track immediately brought me back to a past summer and pushed all worries I had from this difficult time out of the way. Nothing like a nice drive with ‘‘Forget’’ playing in the background to make you feel like the world is back to normal, even if it isn’t.
The album surrounds the concept of memory loss, holding onto those intimate moments before they become out of reach. It shifts from the sadness of memory loss to represent the seasons with all of it’s changes and how that relates to people. The album holds an emotional aspect to it; maybe it’s from the introspective lyrics, or the spacious, light tone of the vocals, but it definitely left me with a heavy heart and a breath of fresh air. The production seems slightly opposite from emotional as it stems from joyous electronic pop but does a magnificent job keeping the allure of ‘‘whimsical sadness’’ that Shallou describes in his music.
The album features collaborators; Ashe, Daya, Zachary Knowles, and many others, that makes it all even more worth listening to as each artist brings their own flair without compromising the overall message in each track.
My favorite track would have to be, Older featuring Daya. It’s everything you need in a song from the combination of Daya’s vocals, Shallou’s production, and the top-notch songwriting putting it at my number one track on-repeat. The lyrics, ‘‘Maybe one day when I am older, I might understand why love doesn’t happen to everyone who wants it’’ is so beautifully written and performed, it is just the heart-breaking, ambient ear candy we were all looking for. Shallou has built a name for himself as one of music’s most organic artists who successfully gained over three million streams thus far. I cannot wait to hear more from Shallou and expect nothing less than something magical from him on the next release.
Crowdsurfer: What has your life been like since the end of Fourth Ave?
Jaden Gray: It has been bittersweet. It’s been bitter only because we departed and went our own ways, and it wasn’t like it was fun to leave. It was just that we all came to a point where we were like it was time to conclude Fourth Ave, but not conclude the friendship of Fourth Ave, and pursue our solo careers. And since then it’s been a great time, I’ve been living my best life. As a solo artist, these past few months have been outstanding.
CS: You just released a new single called “Love Happy.” How does it feel to put out a song as a solo artist?
JG: Whoo! So when the boys and I put our EP out it was mind-blowing. But when it came to my own song, that was only me on the track, a song that I helped produce, helped write, I was blown away. I just never thought that I’d be here and this age. I thought I’d get there eventually, but not at 19. It’s an amazing thing to see all the fans respond and do videos and sing and already know the words and it’s only been out for a week!
CS: Is the vibe of Love Happy what we can expect your sound to be in your future music?
JG: Very much, and then not at all. Let me break that down. The sound that I’m going for is Pop R&B. My voice is the R&B effect, but the music is going to be pop. So for the next few songs I’m gonna experiment, and whichever the fans gravitate to most that’s the sound I’m gonna stick to. My next song is gonna be more along the lines of Pop Latin vibe. But Love Happy really feels good so I really hope the fans stay in that lane because I love making music that makes you wanna dance.
CS: Can you tell us anything about this next song? When are we gonna hear it?
JG: I was shooting to put the song out this month but being that the studios are closed down due to quarantine, I’m going to put it out in May. I’ve been talking to a few people and there will possibly be a feature on there as well, and me singing a little bit of Spanish as well. That’s all I can give. But it’s gonna be a vibe!
CS: Well, now I’m excited about it and sad we have to wait a month! And on the topic of things getting pushed back, I know this year is up in the air, but what are your plans for 2020?
JG: Before all of this happened I was scheduled to do Coachella, I was scheduled to go on the tour with Kanye West, I had four solo shows in a matter of two weeks which I’ve never done on my own… And all of that got pushed back. It didn’t get cancelled, but pushed back. As of right now those are the things that are solidified and I’m planning on this year!
Photos by James Johnson
CS: What’s your writing process like?
JG: My writing process is different. I’m not the best writer, that’s just not my strength yet. So usually when I’m in a room writing a song, I usually bring a couple other people in because I can tell people a story and I just need them to put it in a writing format. Once they start doing that, it’s easy for me to say “How about we change this to this?” But songwriting is something I’ve really been working on perfecting probably since Boy Band since we met Justin Trantor. He gave me so many different tips on how to write songs and poems that can turn into songs. I have a passion for good writing and I want to perfect it and get to the point where I can do it.
CS: What have you been doing in quarantine? Anything exciting?
JG: The past two weeks I think I’ve been working out, going to sleep, working out, probably eating, and then going back to sleep. But today is the first day since the beginning of quarantine that I’ve had things to do! I’ve been productive for the whole day and will be for the rest of the weekend. This quarantine has been pretty rough but I’m listening to what they’re saying and I’m staying in!
Photos by James Johnson
CS: I’m glad to hear it! And to wrap this up I have a few questions from fans on Twitter! The first is: what’s your favorite place you’ve traveled to? – @kayaxstevens
JG: Oh my! My favorite, favorite place I’ve traveled to is for sure Paris. The first time I went was quick because we had a show that night and had to be in Italy the next day. But the last time I went a couple months ago, I was there for five days. Three days were working with Kanye and the other two days were free. Being able to have two full days in Paris was amazing and beautiful and everything I imagined.
CS: If you weren’t singing, what occupation could you see yourself going to school for? -@victorigiddings
JG: Acting, modeling, and styling! I have a passion for all three of those. And then I love to build, I’d build a whole house if I could. So I’d do that just for fun.
CS: Just build a house for fun?
JG: Why not? And then I’m gonna live in it!
CS: Last question: what is your favorite part of the music making process? -@hello_dreamerr
JG: That’s a good one. My favorite part is literally the last thing in my process which is I’ll listen to the song and then ask everything extra, the runs and harmonies, to be stripped out and just listen to the plain vocal. Then I’ll go back into the room and add everything I loved the most and just go!
As a pretty big festival fan, I became aware of Mo Pop music festival last year in 2019 when their lineup totally knocked it out of the park (Lizzo, Tame Impala, AND Vampire Weekend?! Okay, I’m in.) Since then, I’ve been anxiously waiting for their 2020 lineup to drop to see if they could deliver for a second year in a row, and luckily for me, today was the lucky day!
I woke up and checked Instagram this morning to see a killer lineup that has me wishing it was summer already. Khalid and The 1975 are headlining, with supporting up-and-coming acts Doja Cat, Orville Peck, Still Woozy, Hippo Campus, and many more.
I’m super excited because I love checking out new festivals, and this one looks like it can live up to the hype. The website boasts an area called The Shipyard that offers a variety of local Detroit dishes, an arcade, a craft beer area, food trucks, dance parties, a pop-up flea market, and a bicycle valet. There’s lots of personality and fun at Mo Pop, and I can’t wait to see it for myself!
Mo Pop is in Detroit, Michigan on July 25 + 26, 2020. It was first held in 2015 and focuses on indy-rock, pop, and hip hop music. You can check out the full lineup poster below, and head over to https://mopopfestival.com/ for ticket information and to learn more.
The day after the Band of Brothers Road Show wrapped, we got to sit down and talk with PUBLIC about the tour, their music, and what’s coming next.
CROWDSURFER: First of all, I loved the show last night!
PUBLIC: Thanks! Thanks for coming out!
CS: It was the final show of the tour. Was it a different energy, or was it bittersweet? How were you feeling?
John: I would say both of those things, as some of the things you didn’t know you cared about on the tour hits you on the last show.
Matt: I think bittersweet because you spent so much time with the same people. And at the same time it’s like, this is the moment to really crank and move on to bigger and better things. Exciting things like writing new music.
John: Saying I was ready to move on sounds negative towards the tour, but it’s not at all. That was a great thing to go through, but now I’m ready for the stuff we have coming up ahead. I feel energized and tired at the same time.
CS: What’s it been like being on tour with American Authors and Magic Giant?
John: We felt very taken care of by the AA guys, they just were always asking how were doing and encouraging us. They are also on Island Records as well, so they were always just encouraging us a new band like “We’ve been through it before, you guys are crushing it.”
Matt: They’re very aware of what we’re going through right now so they give advice if they feel like they can.
CS: I love it, so much support. So you recently released a sequel music video for your hit single Make You Mine.It’s got a different vibe from the original, and I absolutely loved it. How did the idea to follow up the first video come about?
John: So our team that put together the first one, we had a great time with them, we just had a great time and it did so well. And they pitched us an idea for a sequel and at first I was like that seems gratuitous and people are gonna hate that. But when they were pitching it, and also with the zombie route, that’s when we were kind of like –
Matt: That actually sounds fun.
John: Because it starts off the way you’d maybe expect with a romantic proposal, but then stuff goes really wrong.
Matt: And John bites a dude in the face…
John: Yeah, I just get that bloodlust you know? [laughter] I think for me in this one, I was more like, let’s just have fun. We had a blast, we love this production team, let’s make a movie.
CS: There are a few different versions of Make You Mine out. Do you have a favorite?
John: I think mine is the Rino Sambo remix. It’s got kind of a beachy vibe to it, it’s got some MIDI horn stuff going on.
Ben: I like the acoustic version. The acoustic version is really nice.
John: Honestly, my favorite is the original.
Ben: Yeah, as it should be. It’s the way we wanted it and originally imagined.
CS: So, as we said, tour is over. What’s next for you?
John: We’re going to be doing some really exciting writing sessions with some people that we’ve looked up to for a while. I think we have some TV stuff coming up…
Matt: [whispers] We can’t talk about it though.
John: We’re gonna do MTV Cribs.
Ben: But it’s of our van. Pimp My Ride.
[laughter]
John: So those are fictional things, we’re gonna write.
Ben: Because there are more songs to be made that aren’t Make You Mine.
CS: On that note, it’s been a few years since Sweet Lemonade–
John: Thank you, nobody talks about that EP!
Matt: It’s so underrated! We think all of those songs are fantastic songs.
John: We play two of those songs live almost every show. They’re great songs. I think that EP is a very good representation of how our music has evolved. It’s more poppy, there’s disco stuff going on in there, too. It’s just good.
CS: How would you say your sound has changed since then?
John: We’ve got some unreleased stuff that’s really interesting, I think.
Matt: Yeah, and I don’t think we’re scared to go outside of what we would be labeled as. We’ve always kind of geared our sound to whatever we found interesting at the time. I think we write music because we love writing music, and it kind of comes out in different shades sometimes. I think recently it’s been a lot more disco funk, pop disco funk, than anything else. A year from now it could be alt rock, but it’s still gonna be PUBLIC.
John: I think it’s more common for bands and artists to be multi-genre right now. I’m hoping that it’s a little more accepted that we do stuff that’s not – like oh they’re a pop rock band but this song is pretty funky. So I think that’s what we do because that’s what we love.
CS: You’ve been friends since grade school. How have you grown as friends throughout all these years of being a band?
Matt: I think being friends has really helped with the growth of the band. I think specifically, on tour, when things kind of get really stressful we’ve always had a mindset of bringing it to the table. It’s always kept us closer than ever rather than pull us apart.
John: I feel like the enemy of, not just band but anyone doing something intensive for a long time, is repressing stuff. It’s like a relationship. If you keep something inside it’s eventually just going to poison you with resenting that person. People hear why certain bands break up, and like, it gets really hard. But we laugh really really hard still, and I think that keeps us together and keeps us fresh. We see a goal and we wanna get there and we believe in each other.
CS: Well thank you for taking the time to talk! Can’t wait to see you at your next concert.
Betty Who, Red Velvet, Gabbie Hanna, and Mackenzie Ziegler. Names that are well known in today’s world of modern Pop. But the names you really should know are of the two women behind it all. Alina Smith and Elli Moore, together joined as LYRE, are a powerful duo that make the music we know and love, while breaking down the stigma for women artists in a male-dominated industry.
LYRE first met in Nashville, while in pursuit of their initial dreams in Country music until they found clarity within the genre of Pop. As Elli wanted to navigate herself away from Country, Alina wanted to produce Pop music, and their collaboration has achieved much more than a name for them as a powerhouse production team, but also a valuable friendship. Each of their individual skill sets play a vital role within LYRE. Alina’s expertise in producing and engineering, and Elli’s competence of vocal production and artistry earned them their reputation.
When working with a variety of artists, they provide more than just technical services. ‘‘It’s our job as a development team to have conversations, find out what’s going on in their life, listen to what they listen to, and help create art around all of that.’’ Their creative process can vary from artist to artist. ‘‘Sometimes they already have the song and just need help, that’s when we come in. Gabbie Hanna, for example, will have a melody in her head, or wants her song to be named BLANK, and pretty much knows what she wants. We just make it into music. ’’
Hard-work and diligence continues to be a major factor in their success that their gender hasn’t really been an obstacle. ‘‘It was harder in the beginning for us. Someone actually said, ‘You’re so pretty, why are you producing?’ which was belittling, but only made me work harder. I choose not to focus on the negative past experiences or doubts. I just do my work and gender doesn’t have anything to do with it.’’ Alina explained. ‘‘It’s great that we are dissolving the stigma that women can’t compete in this. It’s exhausting to fight but we know we have to keep doing it for women. Sometimes it doesn’t even process to us that we are women, but are engineers, producers, and songwriters. It isn’t until someone brings it up that we are like ‘‘oh wow, we are women!’’ Elli shared.
LYRE inspires others to continue to support and make room for women. They left us with some wise words for aspiring engineers and artists, confidence as a key factor, as well as dedication to one’s craft. As a self-taught engineer, Alina emphasized the importance of using your resources to hone in your skills. ‘‘Use the internet to learn. The traditional path and programs are great, but if that is something that is not available to you, find it online, and keep developing. You can do anything as long as you’re diligent.’’ As an artist, Elli relayed her message of self-confidence, ‘‘Be excited about your work and other people will be too! If you aren’t putting yourself out there or you’re not confident in it, why would other people be? You should be your biggest fan.’’
Be sure to listen to their music, check out the LYRE Pop sample pack available on Splice, and mark your calendars for Elli’s new EP, Confections, to be released on March 11th, 2020!
Taylor Swift literally became “The Man” in her new video to highlight scenarios of toxic masculinity and we’re so here for it. Per her typical fashion, there are lots of hidden symbols and scenes to decode, so let’s get to it!
The video starts out with a businessman (Taylor’s male alter ego Tyler Swift) yelling at his employees, who of course all cheer for him, and we get a signature wink to the camera from Taylor-as-the-man. Next we see him in the subway, smoking a cigar and manspreading with no regard for the other people on the train (raise your hand if you’ve experienced this too).
The “omg” moment of the video happens when the man steps out at 13th Street Station (a nod to Taylor’s favorite number, 13) and promptly pees on a wall with graffiti writing of all of Taylor’s albums that Big Machine Records currently holds the rights to.
The two signs really bring home the message, with “Missing: If Found, Return to Taylor Swift on the left and “No scooters” on the right, alluding to her feud with Scooter Braun, who purchased BMR last year–without giving Taylor the option to buy her Masters.
Clip from the music video for The Man by Taylor Swift.
The camera pans down from one word also written in graffiti: Karma.
Next the man is making business calls on his yacht, which of course is littered with a handful of lounging models in matching yellow bikinis. He yells at the waiter, and then parties with the models (hello champagne!) before heading back to work. This matches with the lyrics of the song, “I’d be just like Leo, in Saint-Tropez” nodding to how celebrities like Leo DiCaprio are out on dates and vacationing with models in tow. The difference is they are men, and therefore their conquests are celebrated, whereas in contrast, her relationships have been portrayed in the media in a completely negative context for doing the exact same thing.
Clip from the music video for The Man by Taylor Swift.
But what really stuck out to me was the second part of the video. The man gets dressed in the morning after presumably having a fling with the half-naked girl asleep in his bed. Instead of having a “walk of shame” like a woman would, he gets a “walk of fame” instead. 19 hands high five him as he runs down the hallway, proud of his accomplishments.
Clip from the music video for The Man by Taylor Swift.
In the next scene, he’s in the park with his little girl, and all neighborhood is raving over the fact that he’s a great parent, throwing a “World’s Greatest Dad” party for him–another reference to how the double standards exist between women and men when it comes to parenting. So often women are questioned for being career-focused while being a parent, while on the other hand, men get praised for being a parent.
Clip from the music video for The Man by Taylor Swift.
Then the man is playing in a tennis match (for a women’s charity) and when he isn’t winning, he has a mantrum–a man tantrum–and breaks his tennis racket and throws the tennis ball at the umpire when he doesn’t get his way. Many people think that this might be a nod to the incident in the 2018 US Open, when Serena Williams was fined for having a clash with the umpire. She later stated that it felt like a double standard because men have gotten more upset and said worse things during a game with no repercussion.
Clip from the music video for The Man by Taylor Swift.
Next it’s 58 years later and the man is finally getting married–to a woman half his age. She proudly displays the massive ring on her hand, before shaking her head and walking away after the cake cutting.
Clip from the music video for The Man by Taylor Swift.
In my opinion, the best part of the entire video is the end, when the man walks off of the tennis set to the directors chair. Taylor Swift (the real Taylor Swift) is the director, and she gives the man some instruction:
“Could you try to be sexier? Maybe be more likable this time?”
AKA things that the media have all criticized Taylor for in the past. Burn. For her directorial debut, she’s absolutely killing it.
Clip from the music video for The Man by Taylor Swift.
And then it ends with “Directed by Taylor Swift, Wrtitten by Taylor Swift, Owned by Taylor Swift, and Starring Taylor Swift.” She certainly doesn’t need a man, or anyone’s help for that matter. She’s in charge, and that’s an empowering narrative to share with the world.
Taylor Swift literally turns into “The Man” for her new music video.
Swift is singlehandedly fighting the patriarchy and isn’t afraid to speak up about unfair gender biases in the world today. In the video, a man gets away with so many things that if a woman did, would get a very different–and not to mention more negative–reaction. We think she completely nails it.
She might not be a dude, but as far as we’re concerned, Taylor Swift IS the man. You can check out the full video below.
Tove Lo headlined two sold out nights at Brooklyn Steel and unfortunately fractured her ankle during the first one. But the show must go on, so she gave us an equally stunning performance on February 13, 2020 with a bedazzled boot from a velvet throne. Tove Lo had us all dancing to some sexy beats and then brought tears to our eyes when she slowed down the show to sing “Moments,” accompanied only by the piano. She brought out ALMA to sing “Bad As The Boys” and Sean Paul to sing their new single “Calling On Me,” and showed us all that rocking a concert from a chair is no problem!
ALMA opened at Brooklyn Steel on February 13th for the second sold out night in a row and gave us a taste of her upcoming album. And, of course, she came out to sing “Bad As The Boys” with Tove Lo. Take a look at the gallery below for some images from the concert.
We’re big fans of funky throwback pop records and up-and-coming NYC-based musicians, and Keep in Touch is a trio that fits the bill. With their uber-catchy beats and contemporary flare, they’re hoping to be next big thing in music. We caught up with the boys in Ray’s Harlem apartment for some behind-the-scenes shots of their jam session, and asked them a few questions.
How did you guys first meet?
“We met at through the rock climbing community that we’re a part of, we both new of each others musical endeavors and wanted to collab, kinda right away.” -Ray
“After we jammed a couple of times we really realized our overall vibe and tastes in music were very aligned.” -Nate
How’d you come up with your name?
“I had a song called “Keep in Touch,” with the last band I was in All Types of Kinds, and someone from BMG heard the song and thought it was a better band name than the current one the band had, so I’m taking their advice.” -Ray
What would you say is the genre/vibe of the band?
“When we first started making music together, we learned we both share a love for 70’s disco/funk music, as well as what’s happening with modern synth-based pop and R&B. So our goal throughout this whole project has been pretty simple, to make music that people can either dance to or make love to. As long as people are dancing, we know we’re doing something right.” -Nate
Talk about the recording process, what’s it been like?
“We’ve never recorded music at this caliber, we commute up to Connecticut currently from the city to work with this producer Mike Rogers, who’s really developing us into true studio musicians. We now spend hours working on the smallest details on any given track, which has helped us fully realize the concepts of these songs. His studio is in this little restored barn a 30 second walk from the Appalachian trail, which is a stark contrast from NYC and with both of us loving the outdoors its pretty rad. ” -Ray
Challenges getting the band up and running?
“Overall, making this music has been an incredibly seamless process. When it comes to lyrics/arrangement Ray and I have tons of ideas to work with. One major challenge though has been figuring out how to play these songs in a live setting. Because we’ve been working so much in the studio, most of our songs have more parts to play than we can accomplish with a few of us! Luckily we’ve met some fantastic musicians who want to support our sound in a live setting.” -Nate
Favorite song you’ve written/recorded?
“The one we’re currently working on in the studio now, actually! It’s one that has felt special since the first day we started working on it. It’s a bop.” -Nate
When can we expect to hear your first single?
“Sometime in spring 2020.” -Ray
We can confirm their first song is a bop, and we can’t wait to share it with you when it drops. Definitely put these guys on your radar if you haven’t yet! Go check them out on Instagram at @keptintouch. And for more pictures of the boys and tons of other musicians, check out the Crowdsurfer Instagram @crowdsurfermag.
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