A fully impressive lineup of young artists came to Stubbs in Austin this past week, with up-and-coming pop artist Evan Giia opening the show, badass rocker K. Flay getting the crowd hyped, and Louis the Child delivering with their classic beats, vibes and remixes. Check out the photos below, taken by Gaby Deimeke.
Category: Uncategorized
Beautifully crafted. Perfectly worded. Iconic. Show-Stopping…
This song made my jaw drop, put a knot in my stomach, all while simultaneously making me fall in love with music all over again.
The instrumentation is simple and raw which is exactly how the song is supposed to be portrayed. When you think about what it represents, there’s nothing more you should add to the instrumentation because it’s the honest to God truth and we don’t need to cover it up as the wolves in disguise are. The guitar riff is consistent and stagnant yet haunting. This complements Jensen’s incredibly low vocal tone and gives excellent delivery to the message she has about the wolves.
We’re talking about the people who prey on people as wolves do.
Let’s take a look at the first verse.
I was 15, still in the valley
Walking in a parking garage
First time I met a wolf in person
At first I thought it was a dog
I tried to dodge him, he was faster
Than I’d ever had to be
He smiled and howled in the same moment
It knocked the wind right out of me
Let’s point out that when she means – ‘‘At first I thought it was a dog’’ – it simply means what it is if you’re looking at it as a wolf from an animal perspective. But in the perspective of a wolf being (in this case) a man, this hints at the ‘‘nice guy’’ persona that these predators put out and victims mistakenly fall for.
Verse 2:
I was 19, still fun at parties
He plied me with shot after shot
He assured me he was harmless
Why did I ever trust a fox?
I ignored all of my teachings
How I survived, I can’t believe
I almost let him get his claws in
Still knocks the wind right out of me
This part stopped me in my tracks. Now if it wasn’t obvious, she clearly nods to the wolf as a human cisgender male.
‘‘I was 19, still fun at parties’’ – at which now, she longer can be ‘‘fun’’
‘‘I ignored all of my teachings’’ – women are raised differently from men to be wary of them
The way she sings ‘‘I almost let him get his claws in’’ – truly breaks my heart because the vocal performance sounds as if she’s choked up from this traumatizing incident, even as it was noted an ‘‘almost’’ incident
Chorus:
Now I bury my smile and show no interest
Now I carry myself a little different
Now I avoid the woods
Now I know the wolves
This! Chorus!
There’s a reason why we don’t smile or ‘show any interest’ because we’re afraid of what might happen to us. Jensen has done an incredible job writing from the perspective as a predator in the wild and working that into the realities of victims of sexual assault. She’s truly created one of my favorite songs and one of the best lyrically written songs (IMO), but take a listen to Wolves, as well as her newly released EP, ”Who Hurt You?” and tell me what you think!
Categories
Sunsquabi at Empire Garage in ATX
Sunsquabi performed last night at Empire Garage in Austin, and we took some photos of the show. Check them out below! Images by Gaby Deimeke.
It seems like live music might be a real possibility as music festivals around the country started dropping lineups and offering presale tickets this past week.
A folksy music festival based out of St. Charles, Iowa, named Hinterland, has just dropped an impressive Fall 2021 lineup with the likes of Leon Brides, The Avett Brothers, Caamp, Old Crow Medicine Show, Elle King and more.
Check out the lineup below for the full list of acts.
Woo! Let me just tell you. This is a collaboration I didn’t know I needed.
If anyone could’ve made this song even better than it already was, it was Dominic Fike. We all know and love him from his 2020 Album, What Could Possibly Go Wrong? Which is an absolute treasure. Vampire, was stuck in my head for days.
I’ve been a huge fan of Remi Wolf and Dominic Fike, so hearing that they released a new version of one of my favorite songs, I’ve never clicked on a video faster.
Remi’s vocals have been lifted to new heights with the help of Fike’s backing vocals at her already crazy, catchy chorus. They shared the release alongside a new music video showing each artists’ character and personality. Wolf being bold and goofy as expected. Fike, known for his melancholic and focused expression, showed more of himself in the new and playful verse. Put them together, it’s just a fun song that you can’t help but dance along to and that’s exactly what they’re doing.
Do yourself a favor and check it out:
This week, we sat down with Cassie Dasilva to chat about her new single, her writing process, and her plans for the future. Check it out below.
Crowdsurfer: Give us a background on how you got started with music.
Cassie Dasilva: I started out as a really shy kid taking piano lessons and performing in recitals from a young age. I got a guitar for Christmas in grade eight, and taught myself a song that same day– literally playing until my fingers bled. I always loved writing poems and lyrics in my fuzzy pink notebook, but once I had a guitar, I really started to fall in love with songwriting. I played my songs in highschool talent shows, local open mics, and opened for some smaller shows that came to town.
CD: I moved across the country to study audio engineering and music production in Vancouver. Afterwards, I split my time between multiple part-time jobs, and gigging with my acoustic in any pub, restaurant or wedding that would have me. I ended up busking downtown Vancouver for a while, eventually making enough in tips to quit all my other jobs, before moving back home to Ontario.
Back home again, I went to Canadian Music Week in 2018 with some friends, and found myself singing at an impromptu Universal Canada jam night. I was signed shortly after (initially as a folk-pop act). I’d started writing EDM toplines and pop songs for other artists by then, and that led to my eventual love for/ transition into pop music and my first label releases.
CS: What is your songwriting process like and where do you come up with inspiration for your lyrics?
CD: I’m mostly inspired when I’m trying to process or deal with something, but I’m also always listening to everyone around me and writing notes in my phone with certain phrases and circumstances that I find interesting or can relate to. I usually start with lyrics– I like to write a few lines and then twist them into melodies. I approach writing kind of like making a puzzle– fitting pieces together until suddenly the picture starts making sense and everything just fits and has a place.
CS: How has TikTok changed the trajectory of your career?
CD: TikTok has been AMAZING. I went from having under 100 followers to 20K and over 1M views almost overnight– just crazy. I can’t believe the response to “Unsolicited Contact” on there and what it’s done for me. I’m excited to be reaching more people, and thankful for every single interaction, comment, and message I’ve received. It blows my mind that people are not only leaving the app to go listen, but liking the song enough to add it to their playlists/ follow me/ send me kind messages. I’m doing things completely independently right now (which can be trying, to say the least). I’ve questioned if I’m on the right path so many times over the past few years, so this sort of positive reinforcement from complete strangers all over the world has been life-changing for me as an artist.
CS: What has the response been to your new single?
CD: I’m blown away by the support this song is getting. I get so many messages from people thanking me for writing the song, saying how much they can relate, or even that it gave them the courage to block their ex. When we were recording the song, I kept saying that I wanted it to be a song that people screamed in the car with their friends, and now I’m getting messages from people saying that’s exactly what they’re doing. It’s wild!
CS: Tell us about working with an all-female team and why it was important for you to do that.
CD: When I was signed, I found myself working with a team of mostly men. It was difficult at times to explain my point of view, or see my perspective mirrored in those around me. I’d been one of only five females enrolled when I went to recording school, and afterwards found myself in a network and industry completely dominated by men– which was at times intimidating and confusing as a young woman. I worked entirely with male producers, and attended writing camps where I was the only female. After I was dropped from the label, I just felt like I needed to consciously explore other avenues, including working with other women in the industry, especially on production.
CS: Tell us about creative directing your music video (we love the pink vintage aesthetic!)
CD: I started envisioning this video from the moment I wrote the song, and knew exactly what I wanted it to look like. I was writing and revising outlines for months leading up to shooting, handmade a ton of the props, art-designed, and even styled the entire cast. Though I almost lost my mind taking it all on, I’m so glad I did because it feels so authentic this way. I was completely comfortable on set because I knew exactly how I wanted everything to look and feel ! I’m so thankful that the director, Kate Harrison, was willing to take on the project and bring all of my ideas to fruition! It’s my “New Rules” meets “Scream Queens” meets “Euphoria” dreamscape.
CS: Who are your musical inspirations?
CD: I’m a lyrics person through and through, and I’ve always been drawn to storytellers. Taylor Swift, Brandi Carlile, Kacey Musgraves, John Mayer, and Winnetka Bowling League are a few of my favourites.
CS: What’s your 2021 look like–what are your plans for this year and beyond?
CD: I’m releasing more singles throughout the year, and an eventual EP that I’m REALLY excited about! In the meantime, I’m writing more music, and I hope that post-global pandemic I can get a tour spot and play my songs for people in REAL LIFE. I am really missing performing and connecting with people that way, so I’m looking forward to getting back out on stage.
CS: Anything else you’d like to mention?
CD: Just want to say thanks for having me!! Oh, and please go stream/ watch the video for “Unsolicited Contact”, and follow me on socials @cassiedasilva! I’ve put my whole heart into this project and I’m doing it on my own terms, so any support truly means the world!
Categories
LA Rain // ASH LEONE
First of all, I just want to say thank you to Ash Leone. For gracing us with the gift of your vocals. I cannot wait for everyone to hear her newest release, LA Rain, because not only does the production go crazy, but Ash’s performance on the track shows that she’s really got something to say. Honestly, the melancholic piano in the beginning grabs your attention because it’s such an odd chord progression to the ear, but when that beat comes in, you can’t help but nod along to it. The production is so rhythmic and busy yet doesn’t overpower her. It perfectly compliments the R&B/Pop vibe that she creates.
Tequila on the counter
To counteract what’s going on
You give me good days bout the same as it rains in LA
You know that that’s like never
This is a beautiful contrast that shows the highs and lows of relationships while still cleverly rooting to the concept of a relationship that does not work, comparing the good days to LA Rain which ultimately doesn’t happen. Definitely a song that’ll hit different on those rainy, sad days. Stream LA Rain now!
In a Covid world, music has taken on a different meaning. It’s helped us express all the things we’re feeling as we’re navigating this crazy time: anger, frustration, sadness, loss. And that’s exactly what this album did for me.
I didn’t realize how much I needed a beautifully written album on the softer side to listen to this week, and Creatures In Your Head is the perfectly produced quarantine album just for that reason.
The opening track, Creatures In Your Head, was a refreshing opener that began with soft singing and a relaxed melody, and that thread continued throughout the album. As lead singer Alex Hwang crooned on the second track Spiders, “It’s just the way it is… for now.” Talk about hitting home.
Pretty Lies jumps up in tempo and is the best ride-around-in-your car anthem for air drumming the bridge, and the catchy whistling and sassy lyrics of Lonely Weather are the perfect yin and yang to the slower songs on the album.
Then there’s Hummingbird, which has a darker, spacy, bouncy vibe. “Light speed with the crack of dawn, Hummingbird with the high beams on,” will be stuck in your head all day (in a good way). It almost reminded me of some classic Neighbourhood tracks.
Things speed up and get a little chaotic in Funhouse, just to dip down with a ballad, One For Me, as the following track. The album ebbs and flows in all the right ways.
Cemetary gives you goosebumps upon a first listen. The lyrics of the chorus got to me: “Everybody needs a way to hold on, just a little bit, just a little bit longer.”
The album wraps with a gentle acoustic track Goodnight Moon and Weight, which has major throwback vibes in the best way. If you need some new quarantine music to listen to, look no further. This band is highly underrated and I hope their new release has all the success it deserves.
You can check out Run River North’s new music here and their latest YouTube videos here.
I’m a few days late to this review, but Miley Cyrus’s new album requires some time to sit with to take in the full effect. Plastic Hearts is one surprise after another: with a ballad taking the #3 slot, absolute icons joining for features, live covers, and a whopping 15 tracks. Buckle up, let’s go!
The first song, “WTF Do I Know,” kicks off the album with an anthemic start. Only a few seconds in I was begging that the rest of the album be exactly the same. Miley has already proven she can remake herself and jump between genres time and time again, but I was hoping one day she would bring more rock influence into her music. And she delivered.
Timeless is a word that comes to mind when listening to this LP, and I can surely see us jamming to some of these tracks for years to come. It’s a rare day when I suggest songs for my dad to listen to, but I know we will both be playing the air drums in the car to “Night Crawling” featuring Billy Idol.
The latter half of the album really slows down though, and that was initially a little disappointing to me. I still like the songs, but I wanted more rock ’n roll, more angst, more songs that feature Miley’s incredible vocals that you can hear in her live cover of The Cranberries’s “Zombie.” Am I the only one who was expecting something a little more exciting out of “Prisoner,” her song with Dua Lipa?
But guess what? Miley does what she wants, and her music is primarily for her. And I applaud that. And I will scream from the mountaintops in support of topics she covers: about sexist double standards, about how being LGBTQ+ is normal, and about being unapologetically herself and loving it.
You’ll find me later learning to play “High” on the guitar and being thankful that Miley was able to salvage the music that was lost in the fire that burned down her home in LA.
Categories
F*** Yourself // Leyla Blue
There are many paths the title of this song could’ve led to, and I am so happy to see the direction Leyla Blue took in her latest song,
F*** Yourself.
Talk about timing! We’re in a space where we see politicians who are predominantly cis white males define rules and build laws about women’s bodies, and Blue speaks out about this in her lyrics, pointing out the irony in it all:
Ain’t it funny how a man who’s never met me
Tries to tell me what I can and cannot do with my body?
Ain’t it funny how we tell our little girls
Don’t be a slut like it’s my fault
He held me down at that party
When you think about the whole concept of double standards, it doesn’t make sense and Blue makes it clear that she’s had enough. The song is kept very simple with only an acoustic guitar, with slight drum programming, and bass during the chorus, and I think the intention of this song reflects that. It is simply a call-out song to talk about the differences in expectations between men and women, and she finally says, ‘‘F*** Yourself, You don’t know what I’m going through.’’ – Because they really don’t.
Don’t mind me, I’ll just be adding this song into my ‘‘Songs everyone needs to hear’’ playlist, and you should too.
Watch the music video for here!
