Now Listening: This Week's Tracks

Music
Written By The Luna Collective
 
 
 

The Lagoons - “Daybreak”


If a song had a smile it would be The Lagoons latest treat, “Daybreak.” The hush vocals on the track complement the melodic, upbeat, and hazy sounds the Southern California brothers, Ryan & Joey Selan, have cooked up - creating another song that has depth ready to be plucked from the first listen. The DIY duo handles each second of the song with care while preaching the value there is in being vulnerable with not only yourself, but with the people around you. When we open up to others, the action will follow like seeing the sights of a domino effect in material form. By the sounds of “Daybreak,” the band of brothers are only getting their feet wet with the various offerings they want to give us throughout the rest of 2021 - a year that is shaping up to be prolific for their sound and discography. Hopefully, with each experiment of a song, the notes let us into the world of The Lagoons like we have never been before.

BXB LOVE - “IGNORANCE SONG”

Radiating that energy you know you need this week, BXB LOVE has got you covered with her latest single “IGNORANCE SONG”. The Canadian-born, now LA-based artist brings that special dash of spice to her track while highlighting the ups and downs of being “20-something in the year 20-something”. BXB LOVE takes an open approach to their track and their new project, with her purposefully ambiguous and androgynous pseudonym, reflecting this choice. Instead of boxing herself in and limited her music to the perspective of a woman of color in the industry, LOVE breaks through the boundaries and expectations placed upon her. “IGNORANCE SONG” reflects this bold attitude with charming instrumental and hazy vocals. Together these elements come to make for an energy fueled yet endearing track you’ll be having on repeat. LOVE shares, “It’s about letting go of your perceived and projected identities, and realizing that we just ARE. Life is a performance, and we can choose the labels and identities that we use to express our being, without being attached to them. We get to grow, evolve, change, shed. And there's really nothing to prove to anyone once you free yourself of the belief that you need to prove your worth, or validate/justify how you choose to express your being. It’s my anthem to a generation that is rewriting what identity means and the ways in which we choose to express that."

Ben Dolic - “Stuck In My Mind”

The most common battle we all will face is the one between the logic running our heads and the passion fueling our hearts. Ben Dolic, the Slovenian singer-songwriter, can be seen running through this dilemma as remnants of an earlier era of Justin Bieber or Jesse McCartney ring throughout “Stuck in My Mind.” There are those moments where our heads play on loop as one action continues to play out as the natural response, but, deep down, we understand there is another choice. When it comes to love, it stays with us - especially if it’s the kind that leaves you addicted to even a single frame of their face. Dolic is the type of singer that reminds you of how fun music can be, no matter the complicated feelings expressed throughout the track. He has earned all the love being thrown his way on the German charts, along with the reigning support being shown from around the world. Yet, Ben understands that sometimes what we think is the perfect love is, actually, rotting away faster than it began. “Violent Thing” was the hit that made you play Ben Dolic, but I believe he is going to spend the rest of this year making sure he is added to your playlist - and stays there. “Stuck In My Mind” is barely scratching the surface of his potential so I can't wait for him to happily put me in my feelings again. 

I don’t speak french - “Untie Your Feelings”

“No song should sound the same, I rather have the listener jump out of their seat than having to repeat myself” states Håkan Persson, and this is exactly what his band, I Don’t Speak French, has achieved. A group that shies away from repetition and dives into reinvention and experimentalism, IDSF has been on the pulse of what is exciting and innovative in indie rock and their latest offering is a testament to this. “Untie Your Feelings” combines kaleidoscopic synths reminiscent of The Beatles and infectious guitar licks which build on the breezy and colorful sounds they explored on “Stay Together for the Kids”. Their upcoming sophomore record is set for release this fall so stay tuned for more of this “psychedelic, hook-driven” band, but while you wait, you can also listen to some of the members’ additional work in Stranded Mermaid and Swedish Red Elephant. Teeming with talent and versatility, IDSF is the band you’ll want to add to your library.

The Blue Gap - “It’s Alright”

The Blue Gap is back with their fourth single, “It’s Alright.” As the title suggests, the track is a melancholic yet hopefully track, in which contemplation is centerfold. With a sense of yearning, the song lingers on like the collective thoughts that sometimes fill our minds as we lie awake at night. Each strum of the guitar is a vulnerable hum within the solitude, as hushed vocals carry out the melody for the listener. With a fascination in how the human world interacts within their environment, it is clear to see how The Blue Gap can capture such depth of emotion and solitude within their songs. 

The band consists of duo Ruben Oma and Christian Myhren Fonneland, who met in Oslo, Norway in late 2017. Playing and collaborating in previous bands such as Bedford and Art&Commerce, they began sharing unfinished songs with each other on their downtime. Through a collective bonding over musical ideas and inspirations, the two began to release new singles within early 2020. While they now only have four tracks out, the depth and creativity of their work makes us crave more and surely wait eagerly for what might lie ahead. 

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“There's no part of me where I'm denying it or I'm ashamed or I don't want to represent that, but I think just some things should go unspoken and just let the art speak. You don't have to say someone is this, someone is that.  Just listen to my music & come up with your own conclusion. That is so freeing to know that I'm not having to adhere to any type of category, genre. I'm just me. I'm a person sharing my experiences & living my life. I don't ever want to be boxed in that way. “ - Deb Never in our 15th Issue 🌟 Photos by @myyaaii Styling by @savwhite Interview by @itssophielol
Dylan Fraser’s catalog explores ruminative pop that is unafraid to experiment with distortion in all of its iterations, & unequivocally embraces vulnerability 🎵 Following the success of 2020’s ‘The Storm’, Fraser has quickly caught the attention of the industry & with his upcoming project, he is ready to cement his position in the new pop canon.  💫Fraser’s new track, “Nightmare”, is out now on all streaming platforms + his new EP, ‘The World Isn’t Big When You Know How It Works’, will be released on August 20th through Atlantic Records. Check out our interview with Fraser to learn more about the new music & what’s next for him ⚡️
“Polaroids & Instax film have a beautiful almost impressionistic feeling that I feel can’t be fully replicated digitally. Instant films contain reactive chemicals that just seem to handle light in color in a special way. Even when I crop my instax photos to remove the border, you can still tell it’s instant film.” - Ryan Scullin 🌟 🎞 Upcoming NYC photographer Ryan Scullin captures a modern perspective when observing the subjects & landscapes around him. Check out the full interview & more of his work on our site now 💗

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