Writing about things that do and don't exit
Producer and rapper Yorel Tifsim follows last year's excellent Theresonlynow with They Call Them Nownlaters, a collection of woozy instrumentals. The music found on Nownlaters, like the backing tracks that anchored the lush, blunted raps of Theresonlynow, is incredibly tactile, like a giant bean bag chair for your senses. The mellifluous "Sweetngood" allows you to … Continue reading Daily Yinz – Yorel Tifsim – Sweetngood
Incentive is an industrial/electronic artist who trades in gritty, noisy rave-ups that also contain a strong melodic edge. Their new album, Presence, is out now on circle with a dot and Submarine Broadcasting Co. The ten-minute epic "new mountain" closes out Presence on a gloriously apocalyptic note. The song opens with subdued tones, before a … Continue reading Daily Yinz – Incentive – New mountain
Portrait People, an emo act affiliated with the Pittsburgh-area Earthwalk Collective (which also includes String Machine and Lem), follows 2017's Hollow EP with a full-length called Hallow. The album is chock full of the type of ambling guitar arpeggios and winding rhythms that you might hear in a midwest emo ballad, but Portrait People separate … Continue reading Daily Yinz – Portrait People – Hallow
Pittsburgh R&B artist Joziah Council drops a self-directed music video for "One Thing," a lush slow jam released in September. Council's vocal style, smooth as a glass of aged whiskey, recalls that of trap'n'b crooners like Bryson Tiller and Partynextdoor. Where the former specializes in I'm-Salty-At-My-Ex torch serenades and the latter in louche come-ons, though, … Continue reading Daily Yinz – Joziah Council – One Thing
Country/folk artist Lindsay Dragan, whose simmering "Radiant Light" was one of my favorite Pittsburgh tracks of 2019, returns with a new single called "Solitary Thrill." The track is a smooth, midtempo rocker that explores the yearning that comes from sitting at a desk while your "head is driving through sunsets in the Midwest." Dragan sings … Continue reading Daily Yinz – Lindsay Dragan – Solitary Thrill
VRBA, an experimental electronic artist who is also one half of ALONA, recently released an EP called SHATTERED TOGETHER, which contains a mix of sounds created anywhere from a few months to half a decade ago, remastered and rejiggered to create a fresh experience. While VRBA's production with ALONA is womblike and insular, her solo … Continue reading Daily Yinz – VRBA – Aermura
Pittsburgh producer Glo Phase follows up January's slightly psychedelic Mezzotint with a downtempo release called Pearl Diving. Even though life has gotten a biiit more stressful since Mezzotint dropped nine long months ago, Pearl Diving is a serene record, evoking the sensation of floating in a still lagoon, glittering sunlight refracted from above through layers … Continue reading Daily Yinz – Glo Phase – Into the Quartz Era
Pittsburgh rapper Lang has been on a prolific run of late, seemingly releasing a new project every week. His latest tape, Hues, draws inspiration from the color spectrum. Lang splits his time on Hues between introspective bars and auto-tuned crooning, closing track "Black" containing my favorite examples of the latter. The track is introduced by … Continue reading Daily Yinz – Lang – Black
Purchase Helpin' Aht! Records's new compilation album to support Prevention Point Pittsburgh, a nonprofit organization that provides health empowerment and harm reduction services to people who use drugs. The release includes homespun acoustic ballads, scuzzy rockers, doomy instrumentals, and more. Listen to some of the tracks below, and purchase the album here: ### ### ### … Continue reading Helpin’ Aht x Prevention Point Pittsburgh
Bruiser beep is a Pittsburgh experimental artist who creates disconcerting sonic collages, "EVERYONE IS TRYING TO HEAR YOU," being the latest. The track begins with a synth playing what sounds like a detuned, short-circuited take on bumper music from an old children's TV special. A pitched-down voice enters the mix, backed by scattered percussion, and … Continue reading Daily Yinz – bruiser beep – EVERYONE IS TRYING TO HEAR YOU (0ff MiX)
Bored In Pittsburgh 