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 added this month and why. Shuffle to the bottom for the full playlist and follow the playlist to keep up with new additions.
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Friendship – “Clairvoyant”
Our favorite Philly poets are back with a new, introverted slice of their life for us to hold tight. Listening to the patience but directness of “Clairvoyant” still feels like every beautiful, fall day on the streets of Philadelphia. This song is a plea, a memory, and a curious exploration of sadness delivered in the most comforting tones of lap steel guitar and Dan Wriggins’ deep voice with a hint of gruffness. Much like every Friendship song before it, “Clairvoyant” is beauty in its natural most form.
Friendship’s new record Dreamin’ comes out Nov. 8 via Orindal Records. Listen to more Friendship here.
Michael Jordan Touchdown Pass (Now: The Sad Joys) – “Stop and Go”
This isn’t a new track but it is one we’ve recently come to love dearly. “Stop and Go” is filled with a sense of familiarity and home. Michael Schneeweis has such character in his voice that takes on different meaning as the song flows through its various parts. It’s a clever, ever-changing song with a bass-driven heart beat and even a surprising use of snare drum. Charmed by its slowness and easiness, it makes us feel like we desperately need this Michael Jordan Touchdown Pass t-shirt.
Listen to past Michael Jordan Touchdown Pass here or new music from The Sad Joys here.
Simen Mitlid – “After a While”
Every track on Simen Mitlid’s new album Neutral is worth treasuring. There’s clearly a high level of careful consideration put into his music that makes every gentle nuance more vibrant and “After a While” is the perfect example. Like the sunshine peeking through a window described in the lyrics, this song lets in golden sounds from all angles. While lyrically battling the uncertainty of a loved one’s return, the song ascends to a lush brightness filled with synth, light harmonies, and twinkling plucks of guitar. We don’t know how much sun there is in Norway but we think much of it has been bottled into this sad bit of brilliance.
Listen to Neutral here and more Simen Mitlid here.
Danika Smith – “Suit of Armour”
This is by far the steadiest track of today’s additions. Danika Smith really chips away at emotion with this pattering beat and low swinging vocals. Using the controlled husk of her voice as a chisel in a melody that constantly climbs and cascades with drive, Smith works to see if there is any possibility of overcoming the feeling of distrust at the center of her heaviness. “Suit of Armour” becomes incrementally darker and more enveloping as the interlocking guitars, distant harmonies, and Smith’s voice bring the listener into her world without subjecting them to the constriction at the heart of the song.
Listen to more Danika Smith here.
Lightning Bug – “September Song”
We have been Lightning Bug fans for a long time and love most that Audrey Kang lets her music speak for itself. Her songs always have a lot to say and all of them live in her effervescent landscape of sound on her new album, October Song. “September Song” is filled with color and unfolds with grace and simplicity. A pensive ballad that brings in supportive instrumentation at all the right times, the track is nearly four minutes of the smallest parts of Kang’s luminous world on full display.
Listen to October Song here and more Lightning Bug here.
Juice Webster – “You’ve Not Come to Hurt Me”
“You’ve Not Come to Hurt Me” is special from the very moment the guitar begins to resonate. The opening build is so gentle but purposeful as Juice Webster extends her voice though sustained notes with just the right amount of power. It’s a folk dream that just gets bigger and more beautiful with every push forward and every plucked guitar string. Subtle textures flutter in and out of this delicately confident melody as it twists and turns impressively through the entire track.
Listen to more Juice Webster here.
Alice Boman – “Wish We Had More Time”
Alice Boman has a sound we can’t resist. She creates a forlorn world of isolation with piano at its core that is stronger than ever on her new single, “Wish We Had More Time.” You can see the blue light and feel the embrace in her saddest of goodbyes. Her yearning is a desire felt universally and she really seems to use each attentive, melodic step forward to suspend that moment as long as she can. While the pain is real, it is equalled in a sparkling, sonic pleasure that we can’t wait to hear more of on her upcoming album.
Alice Boman’s debut album Dream On comes out January 17th 2020. Listen to more Alice Boman here.
Bonniesongs – “Energetic Mind”
Bonniesongs molds her songs from the clay of her inquisitively wandering voice and simple strums of an electric guitar. That’s all she needs to create a sonic portrait of restless anxiousness that tip toes into a distant peacefulness on “Energetic Mind.” There’s a real fascination in the opposing contradictions of the entrapment of the song’s lyrics and the freeing nature of its steady but unpredictable progression. An enigma that soothes itself, we can’t help but swim in deep in its hollows. Her whole new album is a sweet treat for the ears.
Listen to Bonniesongs’ new album, Energetic Mind, here or more Bonniesongs here.
Soak in the whole playlist below:
Past additions: 1
