diSKOAver weekly: Week of December 15, 2021

Hiii I don’t want y’all to think I popped in for one update only to vanish again for months on end. Truth be told, a bitch got her booster on Monday (🙏🏻) and did not anticipate how much it would affect her stamina for shouting into the void about songs I adore. I’m kind of obsessed with this update because *Stefon voice* it’s got a a little bit of everything: a conspiracy theory about a ✨magic manifestation song✨, a drugged out music video shot by the singer’s mom, vocabulary words, playful threats, and so much more!

don’t tell anyone I said this, but I love you best!

✨💖
kibbe!

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1. Allday - ”After All This Time”

   Came across this lil Aussie sweetie via one of my most favorite finds, Memphis LK. His latest record, Drinking With My Smoking Friends, is indie pop perfection. I always find myself going back to “After All This Time” because it’s just so perfectly fucking catchy and sweet. Also you should follow him on TikTok. Him and Memphis LK do hilarious little weird sketches together like this one. I’m obsessed.

2. The Toxhards - “How Lucky Am I?”

   When this landed on my FYP and I heard the lyric, “How lucky am I that I can afford to be alive? How lucky am I that I’m living through the end of times?” I scream-laughed so hard that I missed the rest of the song. I really love how this song just kinda laughs in the face of misery. Additionally, I discovered that the music video for this song was shot by singer Alan Macchiarolo’s mom while he was post-op high from ear surgery and doesn’t really remember shooting it, which officially makes this band’s sense of humor the best ever.

3. maxime. - “telephone wires”

   Another FYP find. It was when I came across Canadian cutie maxime. that I determined that I have sufficiently trained The Algorithm™ on TikTok to deliver me the best baby bands. This is the title track from his latest EP. There’s not a subpar song in this kids’s entire catalog and if you disagree LMK so I can slap the stupid outta you and tell you how wrong you are.

4. MAX RAD - “Roll Out”

   Thrilled to report that MAX RAD is still at maximum radness since last I checked in on him. Also as someone who loves having a song for every occasion the glitch witch in me is so delighted that I have a lovey song that references new moons.

5. sundiver ca - “Soundtrack for Your Backseat”

   Okay but I have not stopped SWOONING since I stumbled into this song. It’s so simultaneously soothing and seductive. This one feels extra intimate in your headphones for sure. If a lyric like, “you tie my soul to the ground” doesn’t take your breath away then please don’t ever try to flirt with me. Also I can’t stop thinking about what would happen if Jason Martin/Starflyer 59 got to produce whatever this guy does next.

6. Ladyhawke - “Think About You”

   Ladyhawke dropped a new album last month called Time Flies, which is appropriate given that it feels like I heard, “Mixed Emotions” back in May, blinked moments later, and then missed celebrating the album’s release date in November. Unsurprisingly, I’ve gravitated towards “Think About You”, a song about a fantasy infatuation that miraculously gets reciprocated. Thanks to reading up on this song, I now know of a new word, “limerence”: (n.): the state of being obsessively infatuated with someone, usually accompanied by delusions of or a desire for an intense romantic relationship with that person. The More You Know 💫.

7. Unknown Mortal Orchestra - “That Life”

   I assume there are two kinds of UMO fans: the kind that saw the music video for “That Life” and thought, “yeah I don’t get it” and the kind that are still trying to perfectly copy the puppets dance moves every time the song comes on. I’ll let you guess which kind of UMO fan I am. 💃🏼

8. Amber Ryann - “SWITCH”

   I fucking love when I end up swiping my way into someone like LA’s Amber Ryann, whose unwavering confidence and diligence matches up with her talent level. Her latest EP, A SIGN OF THE TIMES (COLLECTION) has all the makings of a sleeper hit. The production is a blend of punchy pop and R&B with her sensuous vocals glistening all the way through. “SWITCH” is a clear standout moment of hers for me, and not just because it references one of my favorite pastimes: subtweeting. My gut says it’s only a matter of time before everyone catches on.

9. Yung Bae - “Straight Up Relaxin’ (feat. Cosmo’s Midnight)”

   Alright so like, this is a very serious question that I would like to pose to the internet: does it throw you off when a song is released ✨out of season✨? As in, should a song about “straight up relaxin’ in the summer” be saved for a late spring release so it can build momentum through the actual summer, or does it not matter if it is dropped in the dead of fall? I assume that the majority of you have NOT worked in the music industry (and certainly not in as many different corners of it like I have), but plenty of you probably have seasonal listening habits like I do where your musical cravings adapt a bit with the seasons changing. I absolutely love this song so much, but I can’t tell if I’m being an old industry fuddy duddy or if this is an actual teachable moment for baby bands. Just this one time would y’all not make me feel like I’m shouting into the void and LMK your thoughts on this?

10. Oh Bummer! - “Mirrors”

    The homey Fitts d.b.a. The Kickdrums tipped me off to this new project that he produced. LA based brainchild Tanner Houghton describes the project as, “songs that are a conglomeration of my manic ADHD thoughts - the diary of an overthinker,” So basically, music made just for yours truly (if I am to accept TikTok’s diagnosis that I have ADHD anyway). “Mirrors” is the first taste of his upcoming EP that is slated to drop in Spring 2022. I will probably harass Fitts to let me have a listen before then. Will report back accordingly. 😘

11. clashingedge- “Don’t miss”

    I’ve never gone out of my way to rank my favorite algorithms yet but the Soundcloud one is def in the top 5 for bringing me clashingedge a few years ago. Her airy vocals are quite stunning. Anyway we’ve kept in touch since the fateful day I tracked her down to tell her that the song that Soundcloud autoplayed me into was very good. A few months back she dropped, “Don’t miss”, which is a lovely evolution from the gateway drug of a song I first heard, which I would link to but unfortunately she’s pulled that one and a slew of other tracks down. Her and I are overdue for a catchup so I’ll be getting to the bottom of this soon enough.

12. Amtrac- “Oddyssey”

    Look, we all need to listen to more Amtrac, okay? If the title track from his album that dropped last year doesn’t convince you, then maybe some of the newer tracks he’s dropped since then featuring collabs with the likes of The Juan Maclean, Durante, and Washed Out (his “Hide” remix) will. And if that doesn’t, well, maybe we need to discuss the status of our friendship moving forward….😬😬😬.

13. tiLLie- “Hell Yeah!”

    While snagging her track, “faith” for a friend who I thought could use the support it offered me I quickly realized that I’d missed a slew of songs since her 2019 LOUD MOUTH EP. Thankfully I’m all caught up now. The thing I continue to love about tiLLie is that she makes vulnerability really fucking cool. Take this newer track, “Hell Yeah!”, which is saturated in sarcasm in the best possible way all the while rocking this tight 90s UK garage-ish sound (which made me think of Lucious Jackson a lot if I’m being honest). The chorus goes, “Like hell yeah. I made it through today. Like hell yeah. The sun is in my face. Like hell yeah I made it through today without crying, without dying, hey.” Def a song that belongs in everyone’s 2021 time capsule/mood board.

14. Moullinex x Xinobi - “Imaginary Numbers”

    I have such a *professional crush* on Portuguese producer Mouillnex. I always squeal like an idiot when I see he’s dropped something new. This collab with newcomer to my earholes Xinobi is good energy. If this is your first foray into Portuguese electronic music, you’re welcome for the 2 for 1 special yer girl is offering with this one.

15. LP Giobbi- “Take My Hand”

    I am having the best fucking time watching LP Giobbi’s ascension to greatness. With every Instagram post of her grinning from ear to ear in complete control of the crowd in addition to seeing all the good that her non-profit FEMME HOUSE continues to do it just increasingly makes my heart oh so happy. She is my little Princess of Piano House and I will protect her at all costs so she’s smiling forever. If you haven’t checked out my interview with her you absolutely should. She makes it so easy to love her.

16. iANO- “Labrynth”

    So there was a thing going around on TikTok where apparently another song of iANO’s called “Time In Oblivion” possessed some potent manifestation power as long as you at the very least had a recording of the song sitting in your drafts. The sound has since been pulled down from TikTok and all DSPs (which led to this interesting conspiracy theory about that surfacing) but me being the curious little shit that I am I wanted to know what else was in the elusive artist’s repertoire and came across an album they recently released, which I thoroughly enjoyed. I’ve been debating whether or not to reach out to iANO to talk about this manifestation phenomenon, especially after glancing at the comments on the SoundCloud for the song to link to this post. Like people are straight up making wishes etc in between troll comments. So yeah if anyone is interested LMK and I’ll electric slide into their DMs for the 411.

[SONG OF THE DAY] Max Rad - "Old Toy"

London crooner Max Rad has been gaining momentum since his track “Flesh & Blood” inspired me to spend an hour of super sleuthing. After dropping a string of tracks to close out 2019, he’s back with a new number, “Old Toy”, along with confirmation that we’ll be getting an EP from him later this year. Speaking on the track, Max shares, “‘Old Toy’ is about missing someone, the passing of time making it worse. It is about nostalgia. Being stuck in a sadness from missing the person and the issues it causes.”

One thing that always stays with me about Max’s music is he makes gloomy so gorgeous, and “Old Toy” is no exception to this. In just a short amount of time he’s managed to strike the perfect balance with his production and vocals where it evokes empathy but doesn’t drag down the whole mood. It’s one thing to lay lyrics over peppy tunes and dance when you’re sad, but the ability to be able to convey melancholy without totally hijacking your feelings.

No concrete details on aforementioned EP as of yet, but you know I’m good for passing along good news as it becomes available.

[SONG OF THE DAY] Max Rad - "Flesh & Blood"

As much as it irritates me to no end when artists go the hella illusive route with their online personas, I do delight in reporting on the occasional super sleuthing mission. This me for today’s SOTD —-> 🧐

Earlier this week The Algorithm™ delivered London producer/singer-songwriter Max Rad’s last track, “Rumors”, which as you’ll hear for yourself, is this laid back blend of trip-hop and R&B. As per usual when I find something that’s a delight to my ears I dive head first into their artist profile to see what else they’ve got going on.

Me: Oh! There’s a brand new track, “Flesh & Blood” and it’s just as good (if not better) than “Rumors”! Hell yes! Okay so what is this dude’s deal then?

Fam, there’s just like links to his Instagram and Facebook. No bio. No nothing. But he’s on like so many fucking playlists. His Instagram is meticulous and nothing too personal. But wait there’s a link to his official website on his Facebook where you can enter your email for free tickets (for what I assume is this Camden Assembly show on April 25th in London).

Which of course had me all, Okay no but REALLY who the fuck is this dude?!

Fortunately for y’all I have zero chill so I sat back for a couple of days and started looking for clues. Earlier today, I noticed on IG stories that he was celebrating the fact that London singer-songwriter Nathan Ball hit 4 million streams on his breakout track, “Drifting”. A track that, per some additional casual digging, a one Max Radford co-wrote and co-produced.

From the looks of the personal Twitter account he occasionally still updates, the story here appears to be that the dude has been working closely with Nathan Ball for a minute, lending his services on guitar for Ball as needed. Then early last year he started putting together the project you’re vibing to now under the name Max Rad and started getting some buzz love from around folks like Line of the Best Fit, Blue Walrus, NME, Clash, etc.

You’ll note that when Clash first wrote up his debut single, “Carousel”, that they even go as far to say, “We still don't know a hell of a lot about the newcomer - but that's fine, given that his colourful, lucid pop constructions speak for themselves.”

Well…. now you at least have a bit more to sink your teeth into so when you tell your friends about Max Rad you can say more than, “Yo this shit so so good tho”.

🧐😂💖