The time of year that so many of us crave has finally arrived. Whether you call it hoodie season, spooky season, pumpkin spice everything season, or even fall, you can’t deny that there’s something in the air right now that puts you ease. Another thing that helps put people at peace is the release of new music, and this week there are some great options out there for you to add to your fall playlist.
Joji Nectar
Here’s a little bit of trivia for ya, who is the first Asian-born artist to reach number one on the Billboard Top R&B and Hip-Hop chart? If you were to guess former YouTube star Filthy Frank or producer Pink Guy, you wouldn’t be wrong. Filthy Frank and Pink Guy are the same person that is now known as R&B singer Joji. Joji hit the top of the aforementioned chart in 2018 with his debut studio album Ballads 1.
Joji returns with his follow up album Nectar that continues to blend the trap, R&B, folk and electronic sound that his debut had. There’s also a perfect blend of grit and the tighter and slicker sound that Joji leans to. The grittier “Run” lets Joji show off the power in his vocals while perfectly accompanying a shredding guitar solo. “Run” is the song that the other 17 tracks on the album have to compete with.
Early single “Sanctuary” displays the singers beautiful falsetto and finds the 28-year-old ready to fall in love while he has been waiting patiently for someone to come to him. Diplo contributes his skills on “Daylight” while Lil Yachty sounds the best he has in some time on “Pretty Boy”.
Nectar is an album that could easily find itself on a lot of Best Of… lists at the end of the year.
Jadu Heart Hyper Romance
London duo Jadu Heart spent three months writing their latest release, Hyper Romance, and blasting the likes of Sonic Youth and Goon every morning to start their day. Upon first listen of the album, it’s clear the sound of the album came from the repeated listening of those bands and others. Alex Headford and Diva Jeffrey make up Jadu Heart and can only best describe their music as a concoction art rock and indie pop.
Lead single “The Burning Hour,” which was also the first song written for the album, musically borrows some cues from early the xx songs while the pairs dreamy vocals compliment each others nicely. There are subtle influences from the Pixies and My Bloody Valentine on the single and other tracks as well.
In its total, Hyper Romance is an album full of love songs that covers all of the exhilarating highs and excruciatingly painful lows of relationships.
Sad13 Haunted Painting
Speedy Ortiz frontwoman Sadie Dupuis takes on the stage name Sad13 for her solo efforts and is releasing her latest album this week. Haunted Painting began to come to be in 2016 while the singer was traveling in support of her debut solo album.
The album’s release comes at the most perfect time of year. Haunted Painting is that type of album that fits the time of the year when the leaves begin to turn colors as spooky season approaches. The record flirts heavily with the macabre throughout its playing as the music is very playful while jumping from indie rock to death metal to pop. Poppy, Little Boots and Liz Phair come to mind while listening to Sad13 on this album.
“Oops…!” has Sadie envisioning a vampire outside her window coming for her while “WTD?” has her proclaiming “Some of us are gonna die” at the opening of the song among other relevant lyrics. “WTD?” feels like a song perfectly written for 2020.
There are many layers on the album that touch various challenges in the world today. Lyrically, Haunted Painting is Sad13’s most provoking work to date and one that fans will greatly enjoy.
Please check out some of the other amazing new releases out this week:
- Sylvan Esso- Free Love
- Deftones- Ohms
- Public Enemy- What You Gonna Do When The Grid Goes Down?
- Fleet Foxes- Shore
- Thurston Moore- By The Fire
- Prince- Sign O’ The Times (Super Deluxe Remaster)
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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