"Describing her music like her own diary, she has covered everything from failed relationships to a brief fascination with serial killers."
This week on the WERS 7 o'clock news we waved 'goodbye' to summer with the chillwave track from Rhye, felt nostalgia with Phoebe Bridgers, welcomed the indie newcomer Van Williams to the scene, and rocked out with Noah Gundersen to his latest gritty single. Check out what the WERS Music staff has to say about the songs you've just heard and make sure to tune in next week for more music discovery on the 7 o'clock news!
SUMMER DAYS
Rhye
With their first new music in four years, Rhye has returned triumphantly, if not quietly. Best known in the past for their atmospheric, simple tracks (almost the definition of 'chill' music). "Summer Days" is a refreshingly psychedelic and funky direction for the band. Frontman Mike Milosh has said that the live shows the duo have played had a distinct impression on them and informed the new direction of their music, by incorporating "more soulful and earthy colors" and putting the focus on live percussion/instrumentation to get at "human intimacy.
Though Rhye might never have been described as 'cold' music, with their two new tracks they certainly reach a full place, both with the instrumentation and production. They push the music closer to the listener. You can catch them on tour this November 12 at Great Scott.
MOTION SICKNESS
Phoebe Bridgers
Phoebe Bridgers is taking over the singer songwriter universe with fans such as Ryan Adams, Conor Oberst, and Julien Baker. Since her first EP in 2015, Killer, produced by Ryan Adams under his label PAX AM, she has been touring the world with her heartfelt narrations of life. Describing her music like her own diary, she has covered everything from failed relationships to a brief fascination with serial killers.
In her latest single "Motion Sickness" from her upcoming album Stranger In The Alps, she takes us into a mind filled with pain and turmoil while struggling to release the baggage of another person. Her stories are filled with authenticity, with strength and vulnerability seamlessly working side by side. She knows how to drop glimpses of specific memories into her songs allowing us to feel as if we are experiencing them with her. Both a clever and honest storyteller, Phoebe Bridges knows how to capture and relate to her audience. Stranger in the Alps is out September 22.
REVOLUTION
Van William feat.
First Aid Kit
Former Port O'Brien frontman and current WATERS frontman Van Pierszalowski, otherwise known as Van William, debuting his new solo project with a little help from the magical Swedish sisters of First Aid Kit. "Revolution" is all you could ever want in a folk-pop song - it's catchy, jaunty, and ridiculously beautiful. The lyrics of "Revolution" are specific yet vague enough to feel ridiculously personal, but still relatable: "I want a revolution/ You want a short solution/ We never could see eye to eye/ You wanted retribution/ I came to the same conclusion/ It's a story as old as time."
Van Willian wrote "Revolution" after experiencing true heartbreak for the first time, and the song goes on to convey the end of that relationship. The beautiful harmonies of Soderberg sisters (aka First Aid Kit), elevate the song's subject matter and lovely arrangement of trumpet and keys. You can hear more of Van William when his Revolution EP drops in September, with the promise of a full album impacting in 2018
THE SOUND
Noah Gunderson
Two years after the release of the critically acclaimed album Carry The Ghost, Seattle native Noah Gundersen is out with a new single "The Sound." The traditionally folk-rooted singer has traded his acoustic crooning for something a little louder and edgier. "The Sound" is the perfect introduction to Gundersen's soon-to-be released LP White Noise.
Gundersen's new album dives deep into the human experience and all of the emotions that accompany it in a modern context. In an interview with Cooking Vinyl, Gundersen explains that "White Noise is a sensory overload... fear, anxiety, desire, sex, lust, love. White Noise is the place between waking and dreaming, where the edges blur and the light is strange. It's a car crash, it's a drowning, it's everything all the time."
Be ready for anthemic rock choruses, piano ballads, and hyper aware grizzly rock in White Noise which is set to be released September 22nd. You can catch him at The Sinclair in Cambridge this October 18.
For last week's memo, click HERE.
