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One Newsletter, Seven Songs

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Song Picks of the Day

Listen to all our daily song picks on our playlists on Spotify and Apple Music.

Laura Veirs - Seaside Haiku

"Seaside Haiku" is exactly that: a song born from haikus written in Seaside, Oregon. The gritty but cheerful song about doing your own thing is the second single off "Found Light," the 12th album by Oregon-based singer/songwriter Laura Veirs. It is the first one she co-produced after focusing on songwriting and leaving production duties to her former husband. Laura explains:

"This song captures the feeling I had of my emerging independence as a solo woman in the world during that wintry time. It's been a learning curve for me to figure out how not to give too much of myself in relationships at the expense of my own needs. This is a song to remind myself of that, and also to remind all women who are socialized to give so much to others. It's a call to hold onto our strength and power and to share it reciprocally instead of blithely giving it away."

Listen to our Song Pick of the Day, "Seaside Haiku," on your favorite streaming service and watch the video, directed by Devin Jane Febbroriello here:

fanclubwallet - You Have Got To Be Kidding Me

"You Have Got To Be Kidding Me" is the title track of fanclubwallet's just-released album. Behind the moniker is Ottawa-based musician Hannah Judge, who says about the beautifully mellow song, that's tinged with just the right amount of upbeat sprinkles:

Sometimes people can be really mean to you and try to pass it off as a joke. That's what 'You Have Got To Be Kidding Me' is about. It's about reflecting on ways you've been mistreated and ways you've maybe acted not so much like yourself because of it. Lyrically it's a little sad and a little tongue in cheek but for me this song instrumentally really feels like moving on after something bad has happened.

The prospect of new beginnings is definitely there and we get quite the Nirvana vibe here, without the raucous guitar sound but a mesmerizing laid-back vocal delivery. Listen to "You Have Got To Be Kidding Me," our Song Pick of the Day, and check out the chill video. Then keep on listening to the entire brilliant album:

Connect with fanclubwallet here.

Elis Noa - Mad About You

We know Elis Noa from Vienna, Austria, for their elegant future pop since 2019, back then still as a three-piece. They are about to release their second full-length, "I Was About To Leave," this Friday. The latest single, "Mad About You," had some self-therapeutic effects on singer Elisa as she reveals here:

"As we wandered through the very different stages of letting go, 'Mad About You' is a moment of anger and disappointment. I felt misunderstood, left out and pushed away. It is also a crucial song and turning point inside the album. While writing, I understood that all anger and disappointment really were an expression of myself, responding to inner insecurities and expectations. I realised that my feelings belonged to me and were my responsibility. How somebody makes you feel has a lot to do with yourself and very little with the other"

Listen to our Song Pick of the Day, "Mad About You," on your favorite streaming service or below on YouTube:

Dekker - I Only Hope To Feel Love

Indie-folk musician Brooklyn Dekker, who makes music as Dekker, released his brilliant sophomore album I Won't Be Your Foe, of which "I Only Hope To Feel Love" marks the last single. The track is immediately irresistible with its mesmerizing production, featuring Dekker's beautiful falsetto. How do you think a track with such a positive meaning would sound? Exactly! "I Only Hope To Feel Love" is gloriously bright and sparkles with the irresistible vibes of hope and possibilities. Asked about the album, Dekker says:

It was written and recorded entirely during the pandemic. I didn't want to make a small sounding introspective album as that was the easy route in such weird times. Rather, I wanted to make a record that sounded more like the world I wished I were in at the time; a little more upbeat and colourful.

Listen to "I Only Hope To Feel Love," our Song Pick of the Day:

Connect with Dekker here.

Helen Ganya - Pleasure Dome

When the dark, high-energy synth-pop track "Pleasure Dome" came up on a playlist, I was delighted to see that U.K. singer/songwriter Helen Ganya is no unknown here: under the name Dog in the Snow, she has recorded music since 2015, for example, our Song Pick "Plastic Body." Also check out her excellent 4-track EP "Heart to Heart Mirage," out now on Bella Union.

Listen to our Song Pick of the Day, "Pleasure Dome" below:

Katy J Pearson - Alligator

As a teenage girl in the 80s, I wish someone as utterly amazing as Katy J Pearson would have been around! I would have played her songs until the tape in my walkman started to give up. I also would have decorated my room with posters and magazine snippets of her. Heck! I'll be proudly displaying Katy's upcoming album Sound Of The Morning next to my turntable where all the new vinyl goes, and can't wait to play the record on repeat. Until the album's release, we can luckily enjoy another magnificent track, the highly personal and oh-so-catchy "Alligator," of which Katy says:

I wrote this track with Dan Carey at his Streatham studio. The day we did so I was having the worst morning ever; I was really stressed as I had a £500 electric bill that I had to pay. I burst into tears at the studio and from that feeling, the song just surfaced from all my anxieties. The lyrics are quite literal and were born from the idea of dissociation when experiencing anxiety. The chorus note 'it felt just like a dream, and it keeps on happening' refers to when you are really stressed, things just don't seem real. There is this juxtaposition between the lyrics and the soaring chorus which is quite euphoric - it's quite tongue in cheek and I like that about it. Dan played the bass on this track and Yuri from the band Honeyglaze played drums which really gives the track some gusto!

Understanding the importance of also delivering a visual message, Katy J Person accompanies many of her singles with videos and each one of these little music films is a gem one way or the other. Talking about the surreal, deeply personal video, director Edie Lawrence adds:

"Alligator" came about once we spoke about the track's theme of paranoia, anxiety and intrusive thoughts. Panic attacks tend to mess with your perspective amongst other things, which is where the idea of placing Katy in a shrinking cafe of hysterical bean shovelling, age switching, glass eating customers came to me. Everything in the cafe was made to look as if Katy was sat in one of my miniature sets- so all food was made from latex, clay and gelatine and the counter, fridge, doors and frames were all made from cardboard. Katy was a dream to work with and completely trusted my vision throughout, I'm really excited about working with her again on future projects.

Amazing to learn how this video came together and we're already looking forward to the next one. The blissfully booming and mesmerizing "Alligator" is following the fantastic "Talk Over Town" (watching the video is a must) and the lovely and playful "Game Of Cards" and we can't wait for Sound Of The Morning to come out! 42 more days to go because the album is about to drop on July 8, 2022, via Heavenly Recording. If you're living in the UK or visiting the island, then you're in luck because Katy is touring up and down throughout summer into fall, with plenty of opportunities to see her live.

Watch and enjoy "Alligator," our Song Pick of the Day:

Connect Katy J Pearson with here.

Polartropica - Terminator

Cherise Wu aka Polartropica does synth-pop in the vein of early Grimes: light-hearted, creative, and with a quirky edge. Her latest song, "Terminator," refers to the deadly cyborgs from the future - not the one played by Arnold Schwarzenegger, but the more sophisticated, shapeshifting model of the first sequel, which serves as a metaphor for the resilience that is often demanded from us.

Listen to "Terminator," our Song Pick of the Day below: