One of our post-pandemic lifestyle changes includes that we’re no longer going out for drinks or dinner without a purpose. We only do so to meet friends, attend a show, or celebrate something special. Last Saturday, such an occasion arose: the album release party of Moments of Sonder by Anne Wichman, aka She’s Excited!

We have known Anne since she played our All-Female Producer Showcase in the spring of 2019. Like us, she and her husband are NYC transplants from Munich, so we stayed in contact and followed Anne’s various fascinating artistic undertakings that go far beyond music.

The original plan was to play the album in its entirety at Mary’s, a brand-new bar on Manhattan’s Lower East Side. Unfortunately, that was not possible as the bar was packed with a Saturday evening crowd. The owner did his best to celebrate the event, but it was far too loud for active music listening.

Instead, we got served American 80s hits. This is disheartening: people flock to a bar in NYC’s maybe hippest nightlife area to listen to 40-year-old tunes. How do new artists stand a chance if bars crank through back catalog playlists and push most of the royalties to musicians who have already made their living many times over? Or who have sold their rights so the money goes into the pockets of rich investors?

On that note, it is also disheartening that the OG music blog Pitchfork is folded into Condé Nast’s sister publication, GQ. While Pitchfork’s heydays are over, it is still one of the few blogs that are serious about original content and not completely drowned in obnoxious advertising. It is also the home of full-length album reviews with a 100-point grade, which has been a reliable source of joy or outrage for music fans.

This move may be just about restructuring and cost savings, but merging a music blog into a men’s magazine is a prime example of corporate tone-deafness. The music industry has been struggling to get out of the grip of a male-dominated system for decades, but now – at least according to Condé Nast’s chief content officer Anna Wintour – it is back to being a men’s affair.

Whatever will happen to Pitchfork in the future, NPR correspondent Ann Powers is not optimistic. She worries that the platform for non-mainstream artists is again shrinking and long-form writing about music becomes a lost art. “In the end, what matters about music writing is exactly the same as what matters about music: It isn’t leading anywhere productive. Instead, it’s offering a break from the grind, a free zone for thought, and a few glorious, rejuvenating moments of fun,” she says.

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Song Pick of the Day

Listen to/watch all seven songs on YouTube. Follow our daily updated playlists on YouTube and Spotify for the 50 latest Song Picks of the Day. Thank you for following us and sharing the excitement.

This week, we have two debut singles on our list. Debut means that you start at zero in terms of Spotify stats, which can be daunting if you look up to the 116 million monthly listeners of the current top artist (The Weeknd). But you have to start somewhere, so please help give these young artists a boost.

But first up is Winter, the Californian dream-pop shoegazer, who already has three albums under her belt. “The Lonely Girl,” a ballad about the effects of a divorce on a teenager, is actually a songwriting exercise: “I took a songwriting class with Phil Elverum, and the task was to write a song with two sharply juxtaposed sections.” She succeeded not only in that but also in the emotional effect of the track. “This song is a release of that pain I felt,” she says.

The singer, songwriter, and producer phin has been working on other projects, but “you would never fall in love with me” is his debut under his own name. The track’s title beautifully leads you into a song about unrequited love. But wait, there is more to it: “We cannot expect to find the love we desire if we do not first take care of ourselves,” phin explains.

Nashville-via-Lima artist Lizzy Cruz, who calls her project [Hothead Wave] (https://glamglare.com/artist/hothead-wave), also released her very first song, “Here” is an indie rock banger about wanting more attention from your partner. And Lizzy does not want to whine about it: “At this point in my life, this song is more than a rhetorical question, it’s a demand, a declaration."

With “Subconscious Love Connections,” Australian singer/songwriter Merryn Jeann reflects on the invisible connections between people that can span continents. There is a true story to this, which she shows in the video:

London producer and singer Emily Underhill has announced her third album Tusks, Gold. The second single, “Adore,” is about the moment when you push through the last resistance and let yourself fall in love.

LA singer/songwriter little luna is also a yoga instructor, and on her new EP the wildflower woman she included a relaxing guided breathing exercise. The other tracks are upbeat pop songs, like the delightful “fool.” Also, don’t miss the video made by an all-female crew:

We saw London singer/songwriter Millie Turner live in 2019 at Iceland Airwaves. It was a standout show of an artist who found her unique niche in the crowded field of contemporary pop music. She took a break, but now she’s back with a new track that is quintessential Millie. In a bright, soaring way, she muses about finding “Venus” as the embodiment of feminine beauty. “The song is an ode to true beauty which is more mysterious and can never be held down, sold, or even touched. And that drives the world crazy,” she says.

Nine Photos of Barbados

January last year, we vacationed in Barbados and had seven unforgettable days on this beautiful Caribbean island. Back then, we shared nine photos of gorgeous sunsets. But what happened between those sunsets? Find out! One time, we exchanged our secluded beach for a trip to St. Nicholas Abbey and cannot recommend it highly enough: the architecture, the museum, the gardens, the wildlife... Enjoy this visual trip to where it’s warm and sunny, and if you’re zoning in on Barbados for a little vacay, let us know.