This month’s playlist includes the nostalgic pop of Armoire, the experimental electronic music of klurax and the melodically dissonant R&B of Sudan Archives.
Spring has arrived. The days are longer, the nights are warmer and, at least for City College students, the upcoming holiday week is a well-deserved respite from the routine of classes.
The inevitable next wave in our endless cycle of COVID-19 outbreaks is sure to arrive soon, so take advantage of these precious moments to pick up a pace. Relax. And try to forget the first sentence of this paragraph.
From the hook-centric pop rock of Jewelry Girl to the sun-bleached vibe of Fax + Braulio to the soulful twee of Sugar World, City Times Media has put together a few tracks to kick your butt.
And as always, if you’re a local musician interested in being on the playlist, send your stuff to [email protected] Don’t forget to let us know if you’re a San Diego City College alumnus!
Aloe Vera – “Stay the Night”
Apple Music – instagram – Spotify – Youtube
Aloe Vera is back with their new single from the upcoming album “Things Happen The Way They’re Supposed To”, and it showcases songwriter Orion Brody’s talent for weaving vibrant textures into a unified sonic fabric.
The track is anchored by a funky, resonant bassline, but layers of ethereal keyboards and distorted guitars invite you to “please stay the night…”
-Jakob McWhinney
Wardrobe – “Rochelle”
instagram – Spotify – Youtube
“Rochelle,” from Wardrobe’s self-titled new EP, draws on playful and nostalgic pop influences, but filters them through a synthetic lo-fi aesthetic.
It’s a catchy, unapologetic track about love and infatuation, and it just might make that cold, dead piece of flesh you call a heart feel something.
-Jakob McWhinney
Fax + Braulio Lam – “Mixed signals”
Apple Music – band camp – Spotify
This collaboration between electronic musician FAX (Rubén Alonso Tamayo) and guitarist Braulio Lam, recorded in Tijuana and Mexicali under Los Angeles-based label Dragon’s Eye Recordings, is a bright, ambient and sunny ten-minute exposure to the elements.
This music seems geographical, as if the earth was looking at us and singing to us.
– Philippe Salata
Girl Jewelry – “blurry”
instagram – Spotify – Youtube
“blurr”, the latest from indie rockers Jewelry Girl is a wall of bouncy bass and crisp guitars.
Punchy, yet simple, it harks back to the hook-centric pop rock of the early years.
-Jakob McWhinney
klurax – “ode to youth”
band camp – Spotify – sound cloud
Over an ethereal wash of electronic keys with a solid bass line and a cocky drum track, klurax’s voice plays the role of another instrument.
The track “ode to girlhood” could be rock, could be electronic, and is definitely a genre-blending experiment. Cheerful music.
– Philippe Salata
The inflorescence – “Tomorrow evening”
band camp – instagram – Spotify
Pop-punk band The Inflorescence recently dropped a music video for their track “Tomorrow Night,” and it’s a whimsical, nostalgic number with just enough of an emo tinge to scratch the itch.
The oldest member of the group is only 18, so there are bound to be many more to come.
-Jakob McWhinney
RyRy So Fly – “Bassline”
Apple Music – sound cloud – Spotify – Youtube
Clean, bold, regular. Music with an impulse. RyRy So Fly’s voice is rooted; this R&B has a soul.
Produced by goodboytroy, this collaboration yours onda. He has presence and restraint. And you can let yourself go.
– Philippe Salata
Sudan Archives – “Home Maker”
Apple Music – band camp – Spotify – Youtube
First, watch the video clip. “Home Maker” is shot in a furniture store and is full of humor and glamour.
Sudan Archives, violinist and singer now based in Los Angeles, creates a unique soundscape drawing on her training in ethnomusicology. In the case of “Home Maker,” we get R&B with a sweet melodic dissonance.
Representing the “Finest City”, San Diego producer and music engineer André Elias collaborated on the track.
– Philippe Salata
Sugar World – “We Fell in Love”
Apple Music – band camp – instagram – Spotify – Youtube
“We Fell in Love,” from the new feature “Lost & Found” by dream-pop band Sugar World, is a melancholic ode to lost love and the life we all could have lived if things were simply… different. If we were different. It’s a heartfelt, transporting tune that’s not afraid to reminisce.
There are plenty of great tracks on “Lost & Found,” so check out “Time To Kill,” for a jaded political exclamation, and “Cruise,” for a country-tinged synth jam.