On Aux: Ricky Montgomery

MusicOn Aux

Mar 18

☆ BY HOLLY ALVARADO ☆

If you’re on Tik Tok or any form of social media, then you know Ricky Montgomery. Although, you might know the breakout sensation from the Los Angeles indie-pop group The Honeysticks or his early claim to fame on Vine. Either way, you know him. Back in the age of Vine, Montgomery started to reveal his humorous yet jangly bona fide tracks on short thirty-second clips online, foreshadowing his ability to connect with millions and the undeniable talent that not only the world needed but the music industry itself.

The 27-year-old artist released his first solo debut with Montgomery Ricky in 2016; however, the LP itself took time to gain attraction. After releasing the record, Montgomery took a short break from the industry. But soon later, he found himself in the midst of internet success once more. This time, the success blew into not only instant fame but an overall streaming frenzy and a new record deal with Warner Records in December. With tracks such as “Mr. Loverman” that went viral on TikTok in 2020, suddenly every single major label A&R was banging Montgomery’s line.

This year the rising artist dropped two new renditions of “Line Without A Hook” featuring mxmtoon and “Mr.Loverman”, now catapulting Montgomery’s career to massive growth. Racking up more than 200 million listening streams, landing on the Spotify Viral 50 charts, and a passionate, ever-growing fan base, it’s safe to say that Montgomery is an artist many of us are eagerly watching.

A long time friend of Luna, Montgomery was featured in the fourth issue of our magazine, played our summer show in 2019 and we’ve had the pleasure of working with him throughout the years. Montgomery is kicking off our new playlist, On Aux, and highlights some of his favorite tracks below.

Radiohead - “Weird Fishes/Arpeggi”

Like many people my age, In Rainbows was the first album I bought as a teenager that I still listen to almost every day. It's a timeless classic I'm still learning from. Weird Fishes is a great entry point for more casual music listeners who probably won't care about the nerdier stuff happening on this album (that I love).

Wallice - “Punching Bag “

Wallice is a great new artist I've been loving. She has an awesome, natural sense of lyricism and melody, and Punching Bag is my favorite of hers.

The Four Freshmen - “When Your Lover Has Gone”

This one is an old jazz standard. The Four Freshmen were a big influence on The Beach Boys, who are a big influence on me. So, I wanted to show them off. When I first heard this song on my college radio station in 2013, I remember loving it so much that I had to pull over onto the side of the road to focus on it.

Joy Again - “Abaigh's Song”

I think Joy Again kicks ass. This is my favorite off of Piano.

Tyler, The Creator - “OKRA”

Tyler is one of the greats. Even his throwaway tracks put me on my ass.

Kate & Anne McGarrigle - “Heart Like A Wheel”

My stepdad, Creighton, showed me this song a few years ago and pitched it as "the most beautiful song he had ever heard." It's just sweet, and very special.

Angel Olsen - “Chance”

Angel Olsen is a huge influence for me right now. Chance in particular makes me cry. Hopefully it will make you cry, as well.

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“I want to set the mood for younger emerging artists in Toronto, to be like, ‘Hey, you could, like, fucking work with literally anyone who has a kind soul.’ I do want to uplift the artist community. I do think collaboration is important, because if you wanna be in the community, you're gonna have to collaborate one way or another." - Cruz ⭐️ 🎞Allowing themself to take a more vulnerable & meaningful approach with their work, photographer Cruz is combining her creative talent with her passion for mental health advocacy. Read more about this incredible artist & how quarantine shifted her work + about the work they are doing for the community in our feature on the site now 💞