11 Songs to Get Through the Snow - The Best Stuff I Heard This Week
This past week has been one marked by snow. Even now, I look out my window and see frozen flakes drifting lazily to the ground and know we will have more in just a few days time. It makes the world beautifully still, while also being infuriatingly disruptive to routine. That said, it’s Sunday! Time for me to give you some of my favorite music I heard and enjoyed from last week. Carry these forward into the days ahead and you’ll be sure to come out on top of whatever the week throws at you. This week we have 11 featured songs with a heavy dose of young talent from Connecticut. If you’re in the Northeast and you need some music to dig yourself out of a winter wonderland this week, start here.
You can find the entire 20 song Spotify playlist at the bottom of the page.
Shemmy - “Bleed!”
Shemmy is very much a rapper of the moment, with obvious appeal to Gen Z listeners, but with potential to reel in more seasoned hip hop fans as well. On “Bleed!” the New London product focuses on a relationship void of trust and engulfed in fear. This has become common place in the digital age where infidelity bubbles under the surface, often unnoticed, until a string of digital evidence unravels.
READ MORE - CT Rising: New London MC Shemmy
GoodKidd - “Coming Up”
Occupying that ever growing space known as hip pop, Willimantic’s GoodKidd and his effervescent “Coming Up” mixes melodic beats with a fast paced, rhythmic flow. It’s the kind of song that could serve as the soundtrack of your next blissful summertime trip. With lyrics that incorporate women, pot, and partying, GoodKidd keeps the vibes light and fun.
Banga Bandanaz – “Strappery”
In contrast to GoodKidd, Banga Bandanaz’s is hip hop with a hard edge. The Hartford MC, also featured in last week’s BSIHTW, creates drill music which is raw and dark in it’s nature. “Strappery” is no exception to this. With evil organs you’d associate with Dracula and the sounds of rounds and bullet casings hitting the sidewalk, Banga Bandanaz has “a heart full of pain” that doesn’t shy away from the reality of life in the Capital City.
OLI SWAN – “All My Friends Are Lonely”
London’s Oli Swan exudes carefree. Even in “All My Friends Are Lonely,” where he sings about the (at least somewhat) concerning subject of his friends’ loneliness, he feels untroubled. The newly released track has a retro feel and a cover featuring Swan looking like a cross between Hall and Oates.
Mar Finesse – “Actin Up”
“Actin Up” is a showcase of potential from Bronx native Mar Finesse. Now rapping out of New London, he’s captured the sounds of Connecticut’s drill scene. Featuring dark, intricate bass, “Actin Up” has us looking forward to the next release Finesse has for us.
Mark C. Daniel – “Gasoline Fire”
Mark C. Daniel makes music that captures the spirit of 80s rock. Making music filled with hot guitar licks, Daniel is a skilled musician and singer dedicated to his craft. “Gasoline Fire” has Daniel yelling into the night and putting his guitar through its paces. John Mayer might think he’s the best guitarist to come out of Connecticut, but Mark would put him to shame.
Killer Kin – “Sonic Love”
With a growl of the guitar and a wail, “Sonic Love” fires off at a swift pace. Even after 2020s Bad, Bad Minds! it’s strikingly raw, which is hard to believe. You’d be hard pressed to find anybody who would call Bad, Bad Minds! clean and polished, but “Sonic Love” sounds like it was recorded in the concrete basement of your local hardcore club, picking up all the bad acoustics and reverberations. It’s a great sound for a track that speeds along like a ramshackle Trans Am.
KEEP READING AND LISTENING - CT PUNK ROCK: 2 New Tracks from Killer Kin
Killer Kin – “Narrow Mind”
The thing that makes “Narrow Mind” cool is what happens halfway through the track, when the tempo momentarily kicks into high gear. The guitar roars, Mattie Lea gives us a distorted wail and the feedback sounds hum freely. The Killer Kin Trans Am then downshifts to a more comfortable speed. While the pace might be slower, the music still exudes raw unbridled power, like an elephant moving across the savannah. All of a sudden, the heat is back on with Rose and Lea moving into their frantic, rabid mania. You can imagine Lea foaming at the mouth as he delivers line after line before the song rolls across the finish line with the gas light on. The changing tempo is a great addition that adds another layer to an already heavily textured track.
MORE KILLER KIN - Bad, Bad Minds! by Killer Kin
Autopoet – “Waiting On You”
“Waiting on You” channels “Build Me Up Buttercup” by the Foundations. They’re both songs that bemoan the feeling of being let down by a lover. We think of being ghosted or dealing with a partner that can’t commit as being a problem of the 21st century, but it’s a tale as old as time. Analysis of early cave paintings have revealed that even 10,000 years ago, lonely singles were being left on read. What’s interesting about comparing “Waiting on You” and “Build Me Up Buttercup” is how the messages are conveyed to the listener. “Build Me Up Buttercup” uses the tactic of describing the action (or inaction) of the paramour, which leaves the listener to assign emotional value. John Rule and Rex Thurstan are assigning the emotional value and leaving the listener to imagine what form these series of little betrayals might take. Both can be powerful, but Autopoet’s angle brings more bite, because the listener is left to paint the picture and it becomes more personal.
Brittney Crush – “Window”
Hailing from Hartford, but now based in L.A., Brittney Crush is an RnB songstress making waves around the country. With high profile live performances in L.A. and Atlanta, she is on the come up. “Window” is a sexy, smoky track featuring a groovy guitar riff that is late night rendezvous certified. Let it spin and let the magic begin.
AK/DK – “Kosmische #1”
With a light beginning that gradually builds, “Kosmische #1” is a song that inspires possibility. Out of Brighton, AK/DK has a sonic profile that blends the past and the future in a way that is similar to LCD Soundsystem. Lead singer Graham Sowerby sounds like he’s coming through an intergalactic transmission. The duo’s energized track is off of their album Shared Particles, released in November.