The conclusion of this current musical year is on the horizon now (but not quite done yet!), so we continue to look ahead to early peeks of what’s due next year, and some year-end-adjacent bonuses, all in perfect harmony on this round of 3 Songs You Have To Hear:
“Holding On” by Jonah Yano
If you haven’t been paying attention, Canada’s Jonah Yano has been building a remarkable body of work since the late 10s, and it looks like he’s all set to continue that trend early next year with Spin due in January. “Holding On” is another prime slice of Yano’s delicate but assured compositional style, with moody guitars, keys, and winds all fluttering and dancing beneath his distinct falsetto vocal. I’d highly recommend a dig back into his previous records during the wait for this new one, you’ll find lots to love there especially as longer nights and colder temperatures continue to set in.
“Death Keeps Me Alive” by Cloud Nothings
Cleveland’s Cloud Nothings have always been a malleable, shape-shifting band of sorts (whether between individual records, or their decidedly more raw presentation in live settings), and the Ohio trio turns once again to more aggressive, even heavier places for their upcoming What Kind of Hell Did You Survive? on the way next year. “Death Keeps Me Alive” answers the question of what would the band sound like embracing their more metallic and hardcore influences and interests, and the answer is: Great! Exhilarating! And critically, like the unveiling of another angle of one of Ohio’s great musical exports, a sound just as exciting as the rest.
“On the Curve” by Starcleaner Reunion
We talk a lot about singles and albums here at Novaphonic (for good and obvious reasons of course), but don’t forget about the trusty and frequently fascinating world of compilations! They come in many shapes and sizes, for example this latest collection from the Mexican Summer label, Everybody’s Got a Song to Sing, bringing together artists across their roster for a unified theme through a wealthy variety of sounds. There’s lots to dig into in this lyrics and voice-forward collection (including new music from Cate Le Bon, L’Rain, and more), but I’ll single out Starcleaner Reunion’s contribution “On the Curve” as not only a standout amongst the 12 tracks here, but also a nice little nugget from a band who just released their debut album last month, proof that they’ve still got plenty more in the tank just waiting for an outlet.
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