Welcome to East of 8th’s roundup of music added to our Spotify playlist! For this roundup we’ve added everything from indie rock to baroque pop. We hope you enjoy!
SETTING SUN: “FEELINGS CURE”
Celebrating the announcement for their release of their sixth studio LP, The Feelings Cure, coming May 19, Hudson Valley, NY indie rockers Setting Sun recently gave us an initial taste of what we can expect through its first single, the similarly named, “Feelings Cure.” The song features a quick, grooving drumbeat, guitar riff, and overall quality that feels like classic…maybe even oldies…rock, reimagined for today’s indie scene. Don’t let the song’s sunny instrumentation fool you; there’s some heavy feelings swirling in those lyrics. About the track, frontman Gary Levitt tells us that it’s about, “denial and playing music and finding a cure for sadness or pain.”
Connect with Setting Sun:
WEBSITE | FACEBOOK |INSTAGRAM| YOUTUBE | SPOTIFY
D’ARC’S FAMILY JAMS: “DREAMS”
East of 8th is always a sucker for songs that don’t sound like anything else that we’ve heard recently. Enter New Jersey’s D’Arc’s Family Jams and their recently released track, “Dreams.” The band labels its sound as, “[a] mishmash of psychedelic americana sprinkled with motown flavors and ice cream parlor pop proclivities.” While there is a lot happening in that description, we think they nailed it. Led by brothers Jake and Mike D’Arc, the band embraces throwback sounds without falling into the trap of simply rehashing old memories. Aptly dreamy in sound overall, the added kick of sax, trumpet, and trombone along with a hearty guitar solo bring alive the song’s inner turmoil: “‘Dreams’ is a song that leans on the feeling of overstimulation and being led by your inner voice revealing itself to you. The dream in the song is finding a sort of homeostasis within yourself. But there’s also a hidden fear that homeostasis (although comforting) won’t be as interesting as continuing to be led by the inner, chaotic voice,” Jake D’Arc explains.
Connect with D’Arc’s Family Jams:
WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | TWITTER | INSTAGRAM | YOUTUBE | SPOTIFY |BANDCAMP | SOUNDCLOUD
SARAH TAYLOR: “SLEEPWALKING”
We recently did a deep-dive album review of Sarah Taylor‘s recently released EP, So L.A., and “Sleepwalking” absolutely caught out attention: “Featuring crisp vocals and a driving beat that’s made to nod along to, Taylor closes out So L.A. with Robyn-esque energy, while serving up an indictment to people who are too indecisive to appreciate the love they have in front of them.” You can check out the full album review of Sarah Taylor’s So L.A. here.
Connect with Sarah Taylor:
WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | YOUTUBE | SPOTIFY
GAL MUSETTE: “PLATEAU”
Songwriting has long been a passion of California’s Gal Musette, an artist who started her career at age 10 with piano and guitar based works that focused on lyrical composition. Her 2021 debut album, Backwards Lullaby, continued with that tradition but added in touches of the hard-to-find commodity of baroque pop. This exploration of sound has netted her tours with the likes of The Magnetic Fields and Donavon Frankenreiter, as well as a collaboration with Rufus Wainwright. Her latest release, “Plateau,” continues that evolution as electronic elements and dreamy vocals push her sound square into the baroque pop and dream pop realms. The song is light, almost tender, but never feels small as it’s buoyed by Musette’s hypnotic voice. About the song’s lyrical message, Musette shares, “While driving the lyrics started coming out as a form of venting, basically I was babying out/complaining about how much time I spend in my car. But as the lyrics progressed, they kind of revealed a season of numbness and monotony I was stuck in, and the driving became a metaphor for how I felt in general, going through the motions, mindlessly traveling through life without much direction or emotion.”
Connect with: Gal Musette:
WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | TWITTER | INSTAGRAM | YOUTUBE | SPOTIFY | BANDCAMP | SOUNDCLOUD
ILAN BELL: “THROUGH IT ALL”
Sometimes, we just need a good vocal-forward piano ballad to bring out the feelings. With his debut single, “Through It All,” New York City’s Ilan Bell, with the help of Grammy-winning producer Paul Falcone (Jay-Z, Beyonce, Tom Odell), puts his tender, touching vocals front and center. While the track’s spotlight is clearly on the touching lyrics and Bell’s moving delivery, there’s just enough of a musical swell to make your head nod slowly along with the contemplative beat.
Connect with Ilan Bell:
WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | TWITTER | INSTAGRAM | SPOTIFY | TIKTOK
Without further ado, we present the updated East of 8th Playlist:
Looking for an alternative to Spotify? All artists featured in this roundup are also available with subscription on Amazon Music Unlimited! Join Amazon Prime Music – The Only Music Streaming Service with Free 2-day Shipping – 30-day Free Trial
* Note that this is an affiliate link
