Shamir: On My Own

Following March’s nine-track Cataclysm, Shamir (aka Shamir Bailey) returns with “On My Own,” a song that’s set to appear on an upcoming full-length album. The guitar-heavy banger about freedom after a break-up marks the artist’s return to more accessible pop—he has traversed all kinds of genres since his 2015 breakout, Rachet. Still, Shamir clearly pulls influence from all kinds of genres (from club-friendly dance-pop to lo-fi, …

Blitzen Trapper: Masonic Temple Microdose #1

Within “Masonic Temple Microdose #1″—the second psychedelia-tinged, anti-folk single from of Portland, Oregon-based Blitzen Trapper’s forthcoming record Holy Smokes Future Jokes—frontman Eric Earley address “American apathy and the nihilism that emerges from the bogus idea that complete personal freedom should be man’s ultimate goal.” Earley says humans should seek ecological balance above all else, and this is supported by the track’s mind-bending music video which …

Leon Bridges feat. Terrace Martin: Sweeter

Neo-soul singer-songwriter Leon Bridges teamed up with jazz and hip-hop artist Terrace Martin for “Sweeter,” a meditation on racism and hope. Over a drum machine, Bridges sings “Somebody should hand you a felony / ‘Cause you stole from me my chance to be… I wish I had another day / But it’s just another day,” as Martin’s saxophone adorns the gentle tune. The song was …