In this edition, we bring you self-love anthems, lilting lyrics mourning heartbreaks, and cutting observations about the human condition.
Listen to the full playlist right here:
Eleri Ward – “BELIEVE IT AND IT’S TRUE”
BELIEVE IT AND IT’S TRUE is an addictive electronic pop track about faith, self love, and believing that you are enough. The song opens with a command – speak. This is followed up immediately with a rhythmic, upbeat melody. The lyrics arrive with an unshakable sort of confidence – “I’m the woman of my dreams/… I’m living in the end/so repeat and repeat it…” This certainty is backed by the rooted, firm tenor of Eleri Ward’s vocals, and by the gorgeous synth. The synth, dancing from ear to ear, transforms the atmosphere of the song – it elevates it from motivational pop track to an anthem of faith. The repetition – “Believe it and it’s true, believe it and it’s true/ And it’s you, and it’s you.” adds to this. As Ward repeats, you begin to believe.
Oreaganomics – “I used to call Mary”
“I used to call Mary” opens with a weighed, slightly robotic sort of complaint from a person trying to reach customer support about their oven, and getting an automated response instead of their usual customer support person, Mary. The song focuses on one inconvenience — worse customer service — to talk about the inconveniences of the present time, the lack of human connection, the fast roll into acceptance of this life as the new norm:
“Press one for sympathy/Press two to be denied/Press three and take a number/Spin you for a ride”
This track is a zippy earworm that is painfully honest and relevant to the current times. This is definitely my favorite song on the playlist! My only complaint with it is that it isn’t longer.
Jacob Barrett – “Maybe”
Jacob Barret’s latest single, “Maybe”, places its absolutely gorgeous strumming and lilting vocals at it’s forefront, with the heartfelt lyrics supporting this endeavor: “And these winding roads/End up at your place/And my eyes are closed/Just in case.”
The repetition of maybe across the song — maybe this is it for now, maybe you’ll come back around, maybe you crossed me out, maybe it’ll all calm down — keep the song a sort of open loop, a road you keep driving up and down, an impossible closure that the narrator of the song almost does not want. Barret’s lyrics and vocals are reminiscent of pop stars like Olivia Rodrigo.
The echo on the vocals elevates the song further, adding to the floaty, ethereal vibe created by the beautiful singing. This is a song to blast in the car with the windows down.
Tia Brittany – “Don’t talk feelings”
In her titular single “Don’t talk feelings”, Sydney based pop artist Tia Brittany combines classic pop arrangements with a flair for storytelling, creating a gorgeously dramatic track.
Tia Brittany sings about the dangers of talking — or more accurately, not talking — about feelings, saying: “You never saw me on my bad days/ I wanted you in the worst ways/ All the wishes we made with each other/ But we couldn’t be real with each other/ So I found myself another lover.”
The track is steady, speeding and slowing down in a pattern – the verses speed or slow as the story demands, while the chorus is steady and familiar.
This track is a warning against staying with someone who cannot be vulnerable with you – if this person she’s singing about sounds like your boyfriend, you should probably leave him!
Carl Kammeyer – “Since You Been Gone”
“Since You Been Gone” by California based artist Carl Kammeyer is a confessional track revealing the aftermath of a breakup: “It hasn’t been easy/Since you’ve been gone.” The track is backed by melodic guitar and harmonious synth, which add to the atmosphere and the smooth vocal delivery perfectly, as well as cushioning the pain embedded within the singing.
Recorded entirely in his home studio, the painful twinge of personal pain reverberates through the song. You can tell that it was written by someone who truly felt the aches they were describing. The lyrics thoroughly explore the third stage of grief, bargaining, as the narrated repeatedly asks what it is that he’s done to make his lover leave and wonders how he can fix it. This track is sure to resonate with anyone who has tried to prevent a breakup, and anyone who is currently going through one.
