October ‘24 Monthly Music Recap
As temperatures drop, Target aisles become decked with holiday decor and a US election looms, 2024 is nearing its end.
But as we head into the final months of the year, rollouts of fresh music releases show no signs of stopping. As musical hues shift from Brat to CHROMAKOPIA green, October offered a luscious soundscape to match the changing of the seasons.
Orla Gartland is everybody’s hero in sophomore album
Like so many others, I seek refuge in music. If I’m having a hard day, I know the familiar melodies of my favorite (albeit usually depressing) songs will comfort me like no other. As October brought the drearier sides of fall, British singer and songwriter Orla Gartland came to the rescue this month with her second studio album, Everybody Needs a Hero.
The album comes a year after her debut with supergroup FIZZ, an eclectic four-piece made of Gartland, Dodie, Greta Isaac and Martin Luke Brown. Even after riding the release wave of FIZZ’s album, The Secret To Life, and touring the UK with the group, Gartland proved that her energy is still on the rise with Everybody Needs a Hero. The title and closing track is the culmination of the 12-song record and provides a sense of self-forgiveness after an album full of overthinking and angst. After lamenting in the first verse that “No woman can be an island, but I can sure as hell try,” Gartland grants herself some grace in the chorus when she sings “I don’t wanna hide behind my ego / Everybody needs a hero.” The vulnerability continues in the second verse with “I’d like to make an announcement, I’m not as tough as I look.”
Besides the lyrics that painstakingly capture the feeling of realizing you’re not in it alone, the slow-burn build of “Everybody Needs a Hero” is so sonically satisfying. From the simple arpeggios of a guitar accompanying Gartland’s soft delivery of the lyrics in the beginning, to the full band entrance after the first chorus and scratchy guitar while she belts during the bridge, “Everybody Needs A Hero” is the perfect climax to the record.
Other tracks on the album like the raucous “Late To The Party (feat. Declan McKenna)” and heartbreakingly subdued “Mine” showcase Gartland’s artistry and range as a seasoned member of the music industry since 2015.
Nieve Ella spits it out in “Sweet Nothings”
Watch the visualizer for “Sweet Nothings” on YouTube.
In the sapphic world, October is the month for intense yearning. After all, girl in red didn’t fall in love in October for no reason. Whether you’re leaning into the lovely season, regardless of sexuality, or just looking for a lively new song to add to your fall rotation, Nieve Ella’s “Sweet Nothings” should be on your radar.
Laden with dreamy chord progressions and dense choruses, “Sweet Nothings” sounds like what watching a montage in a suburban-set coming of age film feels like. The English singer, born Nieve Ella Pickering, exudes longing as her legato lines soar above the tastefully loud accompaniment. Complete with a final chorus of “da da das,” the song displays a sort of head-in-the-clouds je ne sais quoi that never fails to make my head start bobbing along. Lyrically, Pickering wears her heart on her sleeves as she sings melodies like “I could be just what you need / Maybe you could hold me” and “I’ll wait around / ‘Till you lay me down / You can cover me in your sweet nothing.”
“Sweet Nothings” is just one of the brilliant tracks on Pickering’s EP, Watch It Ache And Bleed. As Off The Record contributor Tabita Bernardus wrote in her review of the EP, “Where female rage meets rich and raw electric chords, you’ll find the 21-year-old singer leading the charge toward redefining what girls behind guitars should represent– powerhouse rock stars that ought to be respected.”
Playing the waiting game? Cornelia Murr offers a song to listen to in the “Meantime”
Watch the “Meantime” music video on YouTube.
When describing the sound of London-born Cornelia Murr’s music, a surplus of adjectives come to mind: contemplative, detailed, liberating, warm. But at its surface, Murr’s art simply carries an intrinsic beauty that gets interwoven into each song she releases, and her newest work, “Meantime,” is no exception.
The mix of rich piano, soft arpeggiating acoustics and a hi-hat-heavy drum beat give “Meantime” a homey feel that makes me want to sink into my seat and soak in the understated tune. Murr’s lullaby-esque voice lilts over the production as swells of strings are added to the mix in the second verse. Lyrically, the song is chock-full of natural imagery as she sings lines like “The rain is leaking through” and “Little honey bee / You’re going slowly.” Murr tells the story of a relationship on its way to an inevitable end through tenderly crafted lyrics before gently pleading, “Hold me in the meantime.”
The music video for “Meantime” evokes a sense of etherealness, as shots of Murr dressed in all white and wandering an abandoned barn in a field are interspersed with increasingly hazy shots of her wearing a black ensemble with pearl jewelry. As if ready to move beyond the “meantime” phase, she sets the barn ablaze and runs away, coming out on the other side in a colorful outfit and with tears in her eyes.
“Meantime” is the second single from Murr’s upcoming album, Run to the Center, dropping Feb. 28. If the full record is anything like “Meantime” and lead single “How Do You Get By,” prepare to be moved.
Medium Build and Julien Baker exude passion in collaboration
There’s no feeling quite like learning two artists who you adore are collaborating. Last week, folk rockers Medium Build and Julien Baker took to Instagram to announce their single, “Yoke,” and I suddenly had the realization that this collaboration was something I didn’t know I needed.
In a joint Instagram post on release day, Medium Build, born Nick Carpenter, said he first met Baker when she was 17 and waiting with her then-band outside a bar in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. Feeling an immediate “kinship” with her over their shared challenges with queerness, addiction and faith all those years ago, Carpenter said “Julien’s presence on this track feels like a friend holding your hand as you share your testimony.” Baker returned the love, writing, “Carpenter’s is a mind hungry for beauty, for music, for understanding.”
On “Yoke,” the two Middle Tennessee State University grads’ voices blend beautifully, with Baker’s harmonies floating atop Carpenter’s alto melody as they sing about disconnecting from religion. In the post, Carpenter — having been raised in evangelical spaces — includes the bible verse, “For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” As the lyricist, he took the verse and flipped it on its head, singing, “‘Cause the yoke was so heavy” in the song’s choruses. While a string accompaniment swells and the ever-present strum of a guitar intensifies, Carpenter and Baker’s delivery of the lyrics only gets more passionate and by the end of the track, I can feel emotion practically seeping through my phone speakers.
Check out some of OTR’s October coverage:
New Music Reviews:
“Writing an album is one thing. Writing an album that doesn’t overstay its welcome, but effortlessly shows the artist’s evolution and songwriting abilities is another, and FINNEAS achieves both in his collection of ten expertly paired back but fresh, groovy, and sultry tracks from his new album For Cryin’ Out Loud!” - Sullivan Jordan on FINNEAS’s For Crying Out Loud!
“It’s folk at its essence but filtered through the lens of a more experienced, introspective artist, continuing to evolve musically while maintaining the emotional core that made his early albums so touching” - Arna Churiwala on Bon Iver’s Sable.
“The songs sound so timeless that you could probably gaslight your parents into believing they remember attending Certain Death concerts in the good old days.” - Seay Howell on Certain Death’s Strange Garden.
Live Coverage:
“A Mk.gee show is echoed with controlled chaos. He commands the stage with a captivating nonchalance and an understated magnetism.” - Reegan-Tate Johnson on Mk.gee in Chicago.
“Once the first note hits the speakers at the audience, the venue fades dully into the distance and fully transforms into Zolita’s sapphic world.” - Peyton Mott on Zolita in Toronto.
“Both sounding and looking like they jumped straight out of a 70s classic rock radio station, The Lemon Twigs lit the small but packed venue up with their unique sound to the crowd of eager fans.” - Alex Stefan on The Lemon Twigs in Toronto.
“A night of charm, pure artistry, and captivating energy, Maroney provided a show and atmosphere that takes you through his journey and allows you to relate your own.” - Sophia Bianco on Briston Maroney in St. Louis.
“Being welcomed into the regal world of The Last Dinner Party feels magical.” - Sinead Cochrane on The Last Dinner Party in London.
“Rise Against’s performance reminded Chicago why they're still one of punk rock’s most vital acts.” - Abra Richardson on Rise Against in Chicago.
Interviews:
“I think now I've finally been able to settle in my voice and the most confident version of myself. I think it's about confidence. All my other songs, even on my last EP, “Baby Teeth,” was a lot of me processing my life. So now I'm in my confident baddie era and I'm like, ‘let me explore this.’” - Zoe Ko in an interview with Emma Hug Rosenstein.
“We’re trying, we’re doing it all ourselves and every song is a big learning experience. What works changes from song to song, it’s kind of like a whack-a-mole.” - Caleb Martin-Rosenthal of Boys Go to Jupiter in an interview with Cece Faulkner.
Staff Picks:
Madison Avery - “Stardust” by Beach Weather
Peyton Mott - “How To Hide A Body” by Daisy Grenade
Abra Richardson - “Pushing Daisies” by Ashe and Suki Waterhouse
Cece Faulkner - “buzzin” by Max Fry
Suma Sesay - “After the First Kiss” by Faye Webster
Alyssa Scinta - “Abigail” by Soccer Mommy
Jaymee Gallagher - “Crown” by Billie Marten
Lucy Curtis - “She Wants To Go Dancing” by Mt. Joy
Caroline McKenzie - “Packing It Up” by Gracie Abrams
Dany Mireles - “Am I Your Girl” by Peach Pit
Logan Goettemoeller - “Aquamarine” by Addison Rae
Sophie Weil - “Rural Virginia” by Lily Pesikoff
Maddie Yen - “Your House” by Inhaler
Grace Moioli - “obvious” by Oklou
Tabita Bernardus - “Life of a Woman” by Genevieve Stokes
Valerie Rivera - “Supernova” by Blake Ruby
Kofi Owusu - “Darlin’” by Jean Dawson
John Kolpitcke - “New York” by Junior Varsity
Athena Galatis - “ROCKMAN” by Mk.gee
Seay Howell - “John” by B O I
Sullivan Jordan - “That’s So True” by Gracie Abrams
Sinead Cochrane - “Matthew” by Sofia and the Antoinettes
Mae Saunders - “Outta Here” by Peach Pit
Jackie Fortis - “the hill i die on” by Mori
Nico Beauchamp - “Judge Judy” by Tyler, The Creator
Ana Marks - “Bon Voyage” by Allie X
Nymisha Mattapalli - “Lucid Girl” by Thee Sacred Souls
Makenna Cordiano - “APT.” by ROSÉ and Bruno Mars
Avery Heeringa - “Perfect Stranger” by FKA twigs