Friends – Omar Apollo

While Omar Apollo is still a young artist, I can assure you that he is going to be a big star pretty soon. His second EP, Friends, was recently released, and it is absolutely stunning. I have fallen in love with all of the songs on this short record, and have found that his style is unlike anyone else’s in the industry today. If you asked me to define the genre that this EP were to fall into, I don’t think that I would be able to, due to the fact that there is so much diversity between the songs. While each song seems like a separate entity, they all come together and relate to each other in the end, which is one incredible feat to accomplish. It is so hard to create a sense of unity among vastly different songs, but somehow Apollo has done it. The EP opens with the song “Ashamed”; it took me a few listens for my brain to even comprehend what was going on in that song because it was so radically unique. The song itself has distinct sections that contrast each other well. Each of the sections in the song could be divided almost into their own songs, if needed. But the great thing about “Ashamed” is that the artist kept the parts together and created an even better whole song. As the EP goes on, the listener is introduced to the flowing guitar ballad in “Friends” that makes you feel the heart break that has ripped Apollo apart inside. Apollo brings you inside of his dreams in that song and helps you to understand what hopelessness feels like to him. “Hearing Your Voice” is another track on the EP that uses Apollo’s unique voice to make a statement about love. The guitar backing is beautiful and the airy vocals are ethereal. The EP ends with possibly the best track on the list, “Trouble”. My world was completely changed by this song and I feel completely in love with it upon listening first. If there is anything that Apollo knows how to do, it’s create a great song. The guitar riff played throughout the song is gorgeous and the lyrics are touching. It’s such a good song that I find it hard to describe the feeling that it gives me in words. It’s simply one of those songs that you don’t forget, one that still has the ability to give you chills even after the millionth listen. On this note, I would like to urge you to take a few minutes out of your day to listen to this brilliant EP, and take a trip into the mind of Omar Apollo. His Indie/Alt/Pop/Rock vibes are sure to leave a lasting impression on your mind.

This is the cover for Ashamed, one of the lead single’s off of the “Friends” EP.

Nothing Happens – Wallows

For a debut album, this really knocked my socks off. I have been a fan of Wallows- the boy band made up of Dylan Minnette, Cole Preston, and Braedon Lemasters – for about a year. I discovered them first when they released their first EP, titled Spring, and I instantly fell in love with the emotional ballads of the songs and how transparent they had been with their lyrics. However, they completely outdid themselves with their much anticipated premier album. The transitions between each song are euphoric and the ending of the album fades right into the start of the first song, allowing the listener to reflect on what they just listened to. There was no song on this album that I don’t love with my whole heart. I’m going to see Wallows in concert in a few months actually and I couldn’t be more excited. I think that these songs developed a new stylistic era for the band and I would imagine that their breakthrough work will be influencing artists, young and old, for many years to come. Moreover, on one of my favorite songs from the album and their leading single, Are You Bored Yet?, features another artist that I adore: Clairo. Clairo’s airy vocals add another layer of “bedroom pop” vibes to the song and tie everything together. I think that the voices of Dylan and Clairo complement each other perfectly and create a bright and unique sound. The album overall depicts both the troubles of youth as well as the reasons why being a kid is the best time of your life. The complex messages of this work call for the listener to engage themselves in deep self-reflection and analyze whether or not they are taking full advantage of the life they are living. This album encapsulates the deepest of anxieties and the happiest of feelings all at once and is quite literally an emotional toll of organized sound. I love this album so much and I hope that if you get the chance to listen to it, that you love it too.

Supermarket – Logic

I am absolutely in love with the new Logic album, and book companion. I have never seen anyone write a book and album and release them as one project, a merged creative platform. I never really listened to Logic’s music before, save for the big hits that he had had that I’d heard on the radio from time to time, but I really connected with the music that he had just released. His album included songs that weaved in and out of genres and allowed you to relate to them in a special way. The songs in the album reflect the storyline of the book, but you don’t need to read the book to understand it. The music had a whole new meaning for me, however, once I finished reading the psychologically thrilling novel. The whole book was like a crazy mind game and I found it interesting how the young artist/author wrapped it up in the end (I would highly recommend reading the book along with listening to the album, it blew me away). Each of the songs on Logic’s new album are remarkably distinct and unique, a mark of someone who knows how to play around with a style and change it without losing a complete sound. I felt that the lyrics of every song were very well written and the way that the whole thing tied together with the final song, “I Love You” was incredible. I really enjoyed how everything meshed together and the music reflected certain parts of the story and expressed the feelings and emotions that the words just couldn’t. The plot of the story was totally crazy, but in the best way possible. It is my favorite thing in the world when music is connected to things that would otherwise be unrelated to it; I loved the way that this album complemented the story and completed it for me. I look forward to reading any books that Logic comes out with in the future as well as listening to his music. Oh and I almost forgot – throughout the story, the author talked about some of his favorite musical artists and it made me so happy. He mentioned some of my favorite people and songs, such as Rex Orange County, Tame Impala, Toro Y Moi, The Strokes, and more. I loved that I was able to imagine the music that the characters were listening to in the story because I knew all the songs that they were playing. Overall, I really enjoyed the whole experience that Supermarket created for me and I hope that you do too!

Here is the cover of Logic’s new book and album: Supermarket.

When We All Fall Asleep Where Do We Go? – Billie Eilish

While I know that you have probably heard already about how incredible Billie Eilish’s first album is – whether it be from your friends’ Instagram stories or from the massive amounts of publicity the seventeen-year-old has recently been receiving- I just want to reiterate how incredible this piece of art that she put out is. The young superstar collaborated with her older brother, Fineas O’Connell, to create the masterpiece that is When We All Fall Asleep Where Do We Go?. The genre-bending musical “experience” shows the world the complexities of teenage relationships and what it’s like to be a depressed adolescent in the modern world. Eilish skyrocketed to fame after her debut EP, Don’t Smile At Me, gained attention around the globe. Fans are drawn to Billie’s music for her unique voice and honest lyrics, and she stayed true to form with her new album. The album opens with a track titled “!!!!!!!” which is literally just her taking out her Invisiline and laughing at the ridiculousness of her situation. Each song on the record goes through and expresses a different emotion; one moment you will be dancing around your bedroom on the top of the world, and the next you will be left in tears. Eilish is remarkably introspective for her age, and that is reflected through her complex melodies and heart-wrenching lyrics. This album exceeded my expectations in every way, and Eilish proved to the world that she isn’t just another pop singer. This girl has something special to say and is making an impact on the world of music. I would highly recommend that you drop whatever you’re doing right now and go listen to her album, because it is one that you are sure to remember.

HOMESICK – Laundry Day

For my first album review, I chose to write about the new album from the up and coming band, Laundry Day. The group is comprised of extremely talented boys that are only juniors in high school, living in creative capital of the world, New York City. On top of the fact that they are so young, the boys recorded much of their album in their own bedrooms. I found this album through the Instagram of Romil Hemnani, who is a producer for another one of my favorite bands, Brockhampton. Hemnani actually produced a few of the songs on the album which only made me love it more. The ten track album opens with the song “10-Speed”; within seconds of listening to the first song, I knew that what these boys had created was something special. It is extremely rare that I find a song with the amount of raw power that “10-speed” had, and I had a series of chills running down my spine throughout my first listen. The rest of the album was absolutely phenomenal, and kept up the same level of strength as the first song. The album was a journey through the ups and downs of adolescence, and I felt that the lyrics analyzed in great detail what it’s like to feel like a teenager. The songs made me feel safe and understood, yet at the same time pushed my consciousness to unlock a part of itself that I hadn’t even known existed. Moreover, the album cover is absolutely gorgeous and encapsulates the feeling of the album very well (I couldn’t find a picture of it on google so I attached a picture of the band instead). I think that this band is definitely going places fast and I’m really excited to see what they do in the future. I predict that if they keep it up, the world will receive them with open arms and embrace the new era of music that these boys are ushering in. I would highly recommend listening to this album, just know that you should be prepared for quite the emotional rollercoaster and a flooding of memories from your youth. This album is different from anything that I have ever heard before and I hope that you enjoy it as much as I do.

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Welcome to my Blog!!

Hi! My name is Grace, and if you’re reading this, that means that you have found my fabulous blog! On this page, I’m going to be telling you about all the songs that have affected my life in some way and whether or not you should listen to them. I’m going to give an honest opinion about the songs that I choose to talk about, and I’d like to thank you for taking the time to take a look into my thoughts and feelings. I don’t know where I would be in life without music and I don’t think that anything has had such an immense impact on me besides music. My goal with this blog is to help inspire other people by using music as a catalyst and giving people things to listen to that they might not have found on their own. I am a classically trained violinist and guitar player and love pretty much every genre of music. I hope you enjoy reading about my journey through the realm of music and I would love to hear about any of your opinions on the things that I post as well. Thanks again! Happy listening!