There seem to be two types of people in this world: ones who say “I can’t believe how quick this year has gone by” and others who say “it’s only August? When is this year going to end?” I for one am in the category of Get Me To 2021 Now. I don’t have to sit here and lecture you on the dumpster fire that is 2020, because you’ve heard it and bought the t-shirt. Thankfully, one thing that has triumphed this year is music, especially of the female variety. Women artists have produced some of the most prolific music of 2020 from The Chicks to Dua Lipa to Soccer Mommy and most recently Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion. On this week’s New Music Friday, we take a look at some female Nashville-based artists making a name for themselves this year.
Meat Brontë Fall
The fight by women to have their voices heard is a fight that has been going on for centuries. There have been a lot of victories through the years and as we recently celebrated the 100-year anniversary of the passing of women’s right to vote, there are still battles to be won. Equality in the work place, as well as the fight for reproductive rights, are two of the biggest ones being fought today.
In the world of music, you can name platinum-selling female artist after platinum-selling female artist and think that there is one place where women are seen as equals. Sadly, that is not the case and Nashville based Brontë Fall is looking to avoid the roads so commonly traveled in search of equality. Brontë Fall is the songwriting pen name of Teri Bracken, a classically trained multi-instrumentalist who is greatly inspired by literature’s Brontë sisters.
Bracken was drawn to the sisters by how hard they had to work to be heard since women weren’t allowed to be authors in England in the 19th century. She feels that she is still fighting the same fight as Emily, Anne, and Charlotte since the male voice still dominates the world today. As Bracken continues to fight, she and the rest of the band are releasing a new EP entitled Finishing School.
Lyrically, Finishing School illustrates the struggles that women face every day—the constant pressure to get married (“White Dress”), the fight against misogyny in the music industry (“Warrior”), and the importance of celebrating aging in a society that urges women to look younger (“Six Years”). Musically, the six songs on the album find Bracken growing beyond her roots in orchestral music, exploring cross-genre songwriting that spans from Americana to indie-pop.
Personal favorite “Give You A Halo” shows the singer telling about losing a loved one who has passed and is not ready to say goodbye just yet. Bracken leans on her classical background on the song with a string section that is just breathtaking. @brontefallband
Meet Avenue Beat
Unless you’ve been living under a rock during the pandemic (and who can really blame you?), you have probably heard the amazing song “F2020.” The song is the brainchild of the Nashville-based trio Avenue Beat and was introduced to the world when the band posted a clip of the song on Tik Tok. The catchy track sums up what all of us have thinking about the year based on the pandemic, racial injustice, and all of the music we put out that no one liked. Countless users on the social media app quickly made their own videos using the song and others wrote their own lyrics to the song. The video has been viewed over 14 million times on the site and the group emerged from it with a fan base eager for a full version of the song.
“F2020” is easily one of the songs of the year, but that is not all the girls of Avenue Beat have to offer. In April, the trio released an EP of covers or you know ‘the music that nobody liked.’ The Quarantine Covers features covers of songs by India Arie, Tim McGraw and Bill Withers. Their version of Doja Cat’s “Say So” is stripped down and has a Norah Jones acoustic quality to it. Personal favorite is the John Mayer tune “New Light.” The beautiful harmonies on display give the song a trippy, psychedelic feel to it.
The group was pegged to appear on Rascal Flatts farewell tour this year but we all know how that turned out, so yeah “F2020.” @TheAvenueBeat
Steven McCash is the Music Columnist for SoBros Network. He is the pioneer of New Music Friday, highlighting each week’s new releases in the world of music, in addition to the occasional live show review. Follow on Twitter: @MC_Cash75
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