Writing about music in lieu of human interaction
Country-folk artist Lindsay Dragan released "Desert Palm" at 12:00 PM yesterday (1/20/21), so you know what the song is about. The single is a muscular rocker pulled along by chunky, distorted bass--courtesy of David Bennett Traugh--and a seething vocal turn from Dragan. With lyrics aimed at our former (yes, former, finally) president, you might expect … Continue reading Daily Yinz – Lindsay Dragan – Desert Palm
Casey Hanner (of Pittsburgh power-pop stalwarts Donora) brings us The Sadness, her first country-folk release under the LaRue June moniker. All country albums contain wisps of heartbreak, but The Sadness is haunted by it, the album's ten tracks strewn with the rubble of a crumbled relationship, bits of emotional debris finding form in homemade curtains … Continue reading Daily Yinz – LaRue June – I’m Finished
Roger Rafael Romero's Feralcat tones down the prog metal pyrotechnics of his 2019 debut with waiting for waifu, a series of self-produced instrumentals. Wfw's 7 tracks, named after the colors of the visible light spectrum, draw from vaporwave's playing-early-2000s-computer-games-in-a-lounge aesthetic, with steady, clicking rhythms and placid synth tones creating a sleepy, nostalgic atmosphere throughout. "Pt. … Continue reading Daily Yinz – Feralcat – waiting for waifu pt. 4 – green
Shin Guard is now Hazing Over, the name change signifying a shift from gritty skramz to futuristic deathcore. "Jock" is the first single from Hazing Over's upcoming Pestilence EP. The plinking rave synths that introduce "Jock," and, by proxy, Hazing Over, are a tip-off that this band is a different animal, one with a fresh … Continue reading Daily Yinz – Hazing Over – Jock
Cameron Warren is a Penn Hills artist who embodies the spirit of DIY, recording, producing, and engineering his music while also designing the artwork and visuals. His most recent album, CROSSROADS, came out last fall. The album's opening track, "OUT OF OUR CONTROL," features some truly smoldering guitar work, demonstrated by trickling, fingerpicked chords that … Continue reading Daily Yinz – Cameron Warren – OUT OF OUR CONTROL
Roussett makes psychedelic music that you might hear in a lounge in outer space. "So Particular," one half of the duo's two-track December release, The Only Thing That Makes Sense Doesn't Exist, sounds like Kurt Vile by way of Glass Animals, the former's noodly, aw-shucks-man guitar excursions filtered through the latter's whispery atmospheres and glossy … Continue reading Daily Yinz – Roussett – So Particular
Rapper BrothaMans further expands his sonic palette with his newest release, an EP called Invalid. The EP's closing track, "IDK," hearkens back to the days of sad 808s and lonely lunar loners, the song's single-note piano figure establishing a level of creeping tension that complements BrothaMans's moody melodies as he expresses a need to distance … Continue reading Daily Yinz – BrothaMans – IDK
Multi-instrumentalist Lenni Green's genre-defying December album, Where Did You Go?, was inspired by a friend's battle with schizophrenia. The album's sounds encompass pensive guitar meditation, windswept synth grandeur, piano-led power balladry, and more, the sonic array revolving around a poignant emotional center. Closer "Awakening," which, in Green's words, represents "the catharsis of heavy emotions and … Continue reading Daily Yinz – Lenni Green – Awakening
Rapper Lexa Terrestrial's October album, Empty Life Syndrome, was inspired by her battle with a rare disorder. ENS (short for "Empty Nose Syndrome") is a neurological condition that can result from improperly performed surgery and causes difficulty breathing, sensations of drowning, dizziness, and anxiety. Many doctors don't recognize the condition and thus downplay its severity … Continue reading Daily Yinz – Lexa Terrestrial – Can’t Get Your Love Back
Frantic Orange are an alt-rock duo whose self-titled album, released in December, conveys the painful realities of college-age existence. Ah, youth (sighed me, a 25 year-old). When midnight was an early bedtime, Kraft Easy Mac was a feast, a passing glance ignited myriad passions, and life's emotions came at full blast. Frantic Orange takes raw, … Continue reading Daily Yinz – Frantic Orange – Cigarette
