WERS New Discoveries from Arcade Fire, Amber Coffman, and more!

This week on the 7 O’Clock News, we heard from Dirty Projectors alum, Amber Coffman sing about heartbreak and perseverance on her latest single “No Coffee,” got lost in the chill yet neurotic “Braindrain” from the local band Sun Parade, rocked out to the new single from The Districts “Ordinary Day” and finally, reveled in the much-missed grandioseness of Arcade Fire with their new single “Everything Now.” Here you can read what the WERS music staff has to say about the tracks you just heard and make sure to tune in next week for more music discovery on 88.9 WERS!

“No Coffee” – Amber Coffman

This fine cup of caffeine-free pop is from one of the most anticipated records of the summer: Amber Coffman’s City of No Reply, her first solo album post-Dirty Projectors. On the first listen the lyrics might seem shallow and soulless, but give it a third or a fourth play; there’s a powerful melancholy buried beneath a darkly roasted bass and lightly sweetened by harmonies that are so tight, you might not notice them.

“Braindrain” – Sun Parade

Formed in Northampton, Massachusetts, Sun Parade found their dreamy sound in the endless summer that occurs around the clock in this idyllic part of the state. The band feels most comfortable when their music makes the listener feel wholly connected to the band, with the shakes of the rhythm and synths. “Braindrain” is a bonafide bop – it’s swanky but grounded, chill but neurotic. The laid back vocals and the contagious whistling points to a feel-good tune, but the lyrics are true and a bit sardonic. The Sun Parade’s new album of which “Braindrain” is a single from will be released September 2017.

“Ordinary Day” – The Districts

What starts with a quaint acoustic intro, turns into a gut-wrenching, heartbreaking ballad in The Districts new single, “Ordinary Day”. The first release from their upcoming 3rd album, the band plunges into a more mature and dark sound with its shrieking guitar and pressing drums. This new sound showcases the band’s experimentation into extremely difficult and convoluted emotions both lyrically and musically. Keep an eye out for the full album Popular Manipulations, out August 11th.

“Everything Now” – Arcade Fire

On the first new single from their highly anticipated 5th album of the same name, Arcade Fire plays with the formula that makes them great. This track has the same grandiose, stadium-worthy feeling as most Arcade Fire songs, but there’s a distinct 70s disco flair in the piano and flutes that fade in and out that brighten it and prove that the band can still do something new even after 16 years.