Summer of Sad is a quiet ode to the way sorrow is warmed by sunshine. Comprised of all female artists and female-fronted bands, the compilation gently submerges longing and heartache in golden guitar tones, distant echoes, and the most genuine lilts. The beauty of Summer of Sad emerges most profoundly when its embedded dualities work together to create a grouping of songs that feel equally isolating and comforting at the same time.
Bevelers open the collection with a stunningly sparse arrangement matched in reverberating solitude by Deer Scout on her culminating search for the meaning of a house and a home. Queen of Jeans soar in a sugar-coated cover of Roy Orbison while Candace squeezes all the sunshine out of Buffalo Springfield and turns it into dusty echos of searing guitar. By morphing their melodies into immersive atmospheres, Mia Loucks and ÒOR made tracks that are as dreamy as they are heartbroken. A shrouded darkness pervades Summer Flake‘s droning guitar and deep vocals that is opposed by the lofty swirl of Pop & Obachan‘s hooks but matched in their lyrical frenzy of concern. Both Lomelda and Sarah M. know that love has a heartbeat of soft drums and lives and dies in all the little things. They all come together in a tender sway of dejection.
We greatly enjoyed being able to curate this compilation but it was all made possible and brought to life by Filip Zemčík, his Slovakian tape label Z Tapes, and all of the wonderful artists who contributed. Calum Newton from Swell Tone favorite Aussie acts Lunatics on Pogosticks, Candy, and Buddy Holliday mastered the set together. Our very own Victoria Engle drew the cover art and Philly photographer and artist Caitlin McCann colored the art and designed the tape insert. We couldn’t be happier with the ending result and we hope you love it as much as we do.
You can order the tape full of tears (Read: clear blue cassette) with a few extra surprises inside or download the digital version by itself. All digital sales will go towards a Slovakian charity organization called Esther who run a shelter for survivors of domestic abuse and children without proper home in a small town called Hlohovec. While you are on the Z Tapes Bandcamp, have a browse around for more of the world’s best bedroom pop.
Grab a box of tissues and sink into the shining sadness!
[…] our favorite artists, recorded sessions with a few special people, and even made a sad but summery compilation with Z Tapes. We shed tears of both hysterical laughter and somber sadness in between many moments […]