Some songs just know how to hold down the fort. We love a good steady track that has a way of recalibrating the mind back to center. Those are the tracks we listen to on a commute, a lazy afternoon, a quiet hike, and just when we need to unwind. So, we’ve started a new, ongoing playlist of these swell and swaying tunes called “steady” so you can find some solid tunes and solid ground with us. Below are the tunes we’ve started with and why. Shuffle to the bottom for the full playlist and follow the playlist to keep up with new additions.
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Cigarettes After Sex – “Heavenly”
Our friend Greg was one of the first bands we ever posted about on Swell Tone. He loves love as much as the rest of us and uses his music to really live inside every aspect of it in a way that is somehow transportive, introspective, and just so undeniably dreamy. “Heavenly” is rather upbeat for him. This swirling track stays positive in the constant giving of love as is floats amongst reverberating guitars. As sweet as ever, it’s the perfect longing beginning to this new playlist. Cigarettes After Sex’s second album Cry is out October 25th.
Good Morning – “Take It Easy for Me, Stranger” + “Boy, I’m Just a Loser for Your Love”
We’re always thankful for new music from Good Morning because, despite their constant evolution as a duo, their music never ceases to be just what we needed. Their latest release is essentially a songwriting showcase of each member or as they describe it: “two slow ones, for your heart.” The first one sputters with delicacy and the second will line dance its way through your heart.
Sam Lynch – “Off the Rails”
While you know we already adore Sam’s prior single “Not My Body,” this one felt special to us as well. It’s the chunkiness in the guitar strumming, the way the gentle melody swirls up and back down in each verse, and the big sweeping chorus that really took us for the warmest ride. The vocal tiptoe into the ending sits just right. Come to Portland, PLEASE!
Frog – “You Know I’m Down”
Frog is a special pair of artists that have narrowed down to one on their new release. Remaining uniquely in his own amalgamated genre, Danny Bateman, acting alone as Frog on this release, has found something bright amongst his yearning Americana pop roots. “You Know I’m Down” is clever, cajoling, and perhaps a bit relatably desperate. It’s a soft promise for a better life set to tape. Listen to all of Frog’s new album, Count Bateman, because everyone deserves a trip through the relentlessly creative musical mind of Frog.
Timothy Blackman – “By the river”
This track’s soft, little heartbeat pokes through with light. Soft hums make a gentle bed of sound for the forlorn melody to glide across. Timothy Blackman coats sadness in a the unchanging pulse of the track and elevates the melody with feminine harmonies as the song slowly fades. He’s got a new album forthcoming and its sure to be as good as this track.
Molly Burch – “Only One”
You likely already know her and love her music as much as we do but the magic of Molly Burch’s “Only One” is not to be missed. By gone sensuality in slow motion, the song’s got a bass line and a hook to swoon to despite the sadness of the lyrical message. The b-side for this track on her latest release, Ballads, is just as heartbreaking.
Soak in the whole playlist below:
