Jessie Early, a Nashville native and singer-songwriter took a different production route than most of her counterparts on her debut EP, Wild Honey. Two years into the project and unsatisfied with the way the songs were turning out, she began collaborating with producer Jeremy Larson to take the tracks in a different direction. What emerged then, was a unique blend of acoustic and ballad heavy singer-songwriter characteristics and 80s style electronic percussion and synth production. Her tender vocals compliment the expansive sonic environment of the instrumentation. “Living On Your Love” is a perfect example of this unique trait. The structure of the song along with the electronic drum fills and bass-heavy frequency proves reminiscent of Phil Collins or Peter Gabriel. With a debut EP as bold and experimental as this, it’s easy to be excited for what’s to come next from Early.

-Andrew Strader

Composer, multi-instrumentalist, and winner of our most recent Artist of the Month poll David Swick, doesn’t just create music alone in its sonic medium. He paints images with soundscapes. Take a recent track like “Music for Silhouettes” as an example of this. The piece begins with dappling, meandering piano, invoking the beginning of something like a crack in a dam, and slowly but surely builds into an expansive gushing river using the negative, empty spaces to create a sense of openness. His SoundCloud account offers an extensive collection of piano and sting-based compositions that could easily accompany visual stimulation of any kind.

Instrumental composers are few and far between in Nashville’s independent scene, but this doesn’t seem to dissuade Swick from displaying his art in any way he can, whether it be working with The Radial Conservatory, a neoclassical collective that creates immersive environments of light and sound, or playing small house shows. Swick’s outlets for expression prove that he takes his work seriously as art over entertainment, a rare trait for musicians in an environment that often promotes easy crowd pleasing over work that requires authentic participation to receive.

-Andrew Strader

Paul Criscuolo’s heartbreaky indie rock is the kind of music that lends itself well to a sense of millennial angst unique to its generation. There’s a confusion all too familiar in “Pass Your House” that speaks to the sense of emotional amputation often felt after the loss of someone close. The track’s content doesn’t feel played out or tired though. It’s cheesy in just the right amount and in just the right places, making it feel effortless, reminiscent of the songwriting of Weezer’s Rivers Cuomo. The track is simple but compelling in its structure, offering synchronized vocal and guitar melodies that glide over a Pavement-style fuzz tone. He takes the same sense of angst in a different direction on “Psychosis”: a short acoustic track with a bouncy melodic bass line. What’s refreshing about his style is that he knows how to deliver a consistent emotional message while using a variety of sonic techniques. He won’t pigeonhole himself into any certain genre or aesthetic niche and there’s something refreshing about that. If these first tracks are any indication of what’s to come from Criscuolo, we’ve got a lot to look forward to.

-Andrew Strader

Mom and Dad’s brand of art punk has typically resided within the harder, heavier, fuzzier realms of Nashville’s garage rock and punk scene. As a group, they’ve been largely content to hone their skills as a noisy rendition of the quintessential DIY basement rock band. With all this in mind, I am, Therefore I is, is the group’s most accessible work yet. The album consists mostly of simple, pop oriented tunes that glide through the ears with an ease usually reserved for indie pop. The band describes their latest release as a “a very tender record” and indeed it blows over the listener like a sudden refreshing breeze on a humid summer day. There’s a certain sentimentality that makes itself evident on tracks like “Winchester, TN” an acoustic narrative about a rural Tennessee location close to the group’s heart. If the new album represents anything in Mom and Dad’s career arch, it proves just how capable the band is of making intimate music that emotionally resonates with listeners.

-Andrew Strader

R.LUM.R is offering the kind of electronic chops that don’t come often to Nashville. His Frank Ocean-style vocals perfectly compliment the R&B sound and aesthetic that characterizes his work. His lyrics are soulful, frustrated tails of internal emotional chaos, love lost, and existential confusion. “Frustrated” serves as a perfect example of the kind of poetic lyricism central to his work, “You give me your kaleidoscope in monochrome / so unlike the way you color me at home / some days it’s so vivid / but mostly I would rather be blind”. The irony of this lyric is that, of course, he isn’t blind, but facing heartbreaking loss and confusion head-on. R.LUM.R’s work is categorically bold not only because of its unique sonic makeup but because the lyrical content refuses to leave anything in the dark. Be sure to catch his show tonight at Mercy Lounge with BIYO.

-Andrew Strader

Diet Cig‘s first full length is a collection of bubbly indie pop tunes that tow the line between being cute and substantial in their social relevance. The duo’s newest music video for "Maid of the Mist" is no exception. "I am bigger than the outside shell of my body / and if you touch it without asking then you’ll be sorry," Alex Luciano belts in a verse, sharply adopting an outspoken feminist message that offers an assertive contrast to the tune’s cutesie synth hook. The track, though pop-oriented enough for the tamest listener, captures a kind of punk energy that compliments its lyrics. Luciano’s fuzzy guitars soar over Noah Bowman’s bouncy, driving rhythms. Diet Cig seems to be able to take the most stereotypical young adult issues and imbue them with a deeper sense of social and political purpose. When you look at the outfit’s young audience, you begin to understand the duo’s true genius. In a way, they’ve domesticated feminist punk for a much younger, milder audience that might never otherwise be exposed. This, however, doesn’t obliterate the genre’s core message, but rather, deepens and widens it. – Andrew Strader

NOIA is a sonic force to be reckoned with (and her taste for fashion is also remarkable). Having a professional background in sound design, mastermind Gisela Fulla-Silvestre creates entire noise foundations for her songs. Recycling and layering sonic artifacts like distortion trash and excess sound bites from films, the NYC via Spain producer creates sonic collages that serve as a bed on which her sensual vocals can lay. Her work, over anything else, feels artful, less focused on pleasantries and entertainment value and more on pushing the boundaries of electro-pop. Catch her next show at Baby’s All Right on April 22nd with (ex New Yorker) Lydia Ainsworth. – Andrew Strader

Sharkmuffin is a band with a variety of sonic influences. They make high energy grunge tunes that pack a punch, but decorate them with psychedelic, 60s style guitar riffs reminiscent of beach pop classics like The Byrds or Jefferson Airplane. Despite their retro sensibilities, they manage to stay culturally relevant. Their latest music video for “Little Bird,” a cut off their upcoming sophomore effort, is an ironic narrative about the modern urbanite trying to make a way in the world. With huge crowds incessantly following their beloved Big Bird, there’s an underlying commentary on a generational tendency to hurry up and matter. Sharkmuffin’s newest album, Tsuki, will be out via Little Dickman Records May 5th, 2017. Be sure to catch the release show at Sunnyvale on May 3rd. – Andrew Strader

Grim Streaker is a band that delights in blowing ears off not only with volume but with melody. They hone a noisy sensibility that references at once post-punk and garage aesthetics that might lend itself well to skate videos and street art documentaries. Their work derives its vividness and energy from its contrasts. The guitars are full of fuzz and feedback but don’t dismiss catchiness of the underlying melodies. Much in the same way, Amelia Bushell’s vocals push through the noise with a defiant Joan Jett-esque sentimentality. If you’re a fan of skate rat rock, be sure to check out “Guts,” their debut single or see them in action at the Knitting Factory on May 5th or Cape House on June 9th. – Andrew Strader

COTE’s new single ‘Cruel’ is a soft, dreamy respite from a stormy, chaotic world. Gentle pedal steel fills space in the verses, creating soft sonic clouds while bold, distorted electric guitar riffs blast through them on the choruses. The instrumentation almost sounds like a more meandering, country-oriented War on Drugs. Her vocal timbre is somehow simultaneously haunting and soothing, offering gentle, measured observation, and raw unbridled emotion when it soars at the song’s climax. COTE played her first live performance (with band) at the Mercury Lounge on March 29th, but you’ll be able to see her again live at Alphaville on May 11th. – Andrew Strader, Photo Credit: Jen Trahan

There aren’t a lot of bands like Tiny Hazard floating around these days. Their brand of avant-pop is quite unique and that’s certainly also due to the fact that the music they’ve strived to master is difficult to conceive, let alone perform. Maybe that’s why their new record "Greyland" took about five years to be finalized. Alena Spanger’s vocals are the core of the record, leading the tracks’ twists and turn with her beautiful soprano, never afraid to get downright complex/intense. There’s a paradoxical stance taken with the composition, with the melodies pivoting back and forth from sweet to dissonant, and the arrangements from orchestral to utterly noisy. The songs are sparse in their instrumentation but tease the ear with their stops and starts, time changes, odd tempos, and dynamic and melodic shifts. There’s so much to be worked out for the listener of this album that a repeated close listening is required to appreciate it fully: it’s truly a gift that keeps on giving. Be sure to pick up a copy of "Greyland," it’s a worthy investment, and don’t miss the band live at The Silent Barn on April 14. – Andrew Strader

The Bad Signs‘ new single, "Blue Love," is a 50s style rock ballad that captures an aching heart. Samantha Harlow’s vocal ability shines in the outfit’s new release, carrying the sentimental number smoothly to the end. There’s something unique about the sonic niche the band occupies that sets them apart from other reverb loving Nashville rockers. They infuse straightforward indie rock with an occult meets biker gang aesthetic and sonic touch, making their work both haunting and badass. Be on the lookout for an exclusive record store day release of a 12", Black Magic Moments, featuring the new single as well as four other new numbers. 

-Andrew Strader