Release Radar: February 2021
At the end of each month, Afterglow presents a staff-picked list of new albums and singles that left an impression on our ears.
Written by Afterglow Staffers
Photos courtesy of Daniel Dorsa, Mun Hwa In, and Partisan Records (left to right)
Here are our favorite albums and singles released during February 2021. For more reviews of recent releases, check out our album review page.
Shiny Singles We Loved This Month:
“NYC to CDG” by Khazali
The cover art screams ‘Flower Boy’ but this tune by London-based Khazali blends Neon Indian vibes with the coolness of Sade in the best possible way. The alt-pop instrumental that backs up the dreamy vocals swells then fades, making the song feel like sunshine between winter clouds.
“Just Sayin’ Shit” by Flower in Bloom
Although this track tops out at a mere minute, Flower In Bloom packs a hearty punch into her first release of 2021. Psychedelic synths crash and roll under blunt, yet vulnerable lyricism, leaving listeners ready for more groovy music they can earnestly relate to.
“Winter in America” by Freddie Gibbs
Freddie Gibbs explores a more soulful but angst-ridden side to his funky rap sound. This atmospheric cover of the Gil Scott-Heron classic, released during the last week of Black History Month, combines melancholic flutes with musings on environmental destruction, colonialism, and racism in America.
“Asleep Among Endives” by Ichiko Aoba
In her latest single, Japanese songstress Ichiko Aoba adopts a more stripped-back approach to her haunting folk sound. The track interweaves Aoba’s angelic soprano vocals with gentle, bossa nova-infused guitar chords to create an ethereal listening experience.
For the first time by Black Country, New Road
Image courtesy of Ninja Tune
Black Country, New Road’s debut is quintessentially British, but in a good way. In leading single “Sunglasses,” frontman Isaac Wood drones in his signature deadpan tone, “I become her father / And complain about mediocre theater in the daytime / (...) And things just aren't built like they used to be / The absolute pinnacle of British engineering.” At only six tracks long, the album stuns with its absurdist lyricism and inventive fusion of post-punk, jazz, and no wave. From channeling upper-class English boomers to professing his love for a girl at a black midi concert, Wood creates an album riddled with cultural references that are at once satirical and self-deprecating. He divulges his insecurities in “Athens, France,” lamenting the TMI lyrics he included in a previous version of the track and making a nod to Phoebe Bridgers’ “Motion Sickness:” “‘Why don’t you sing with an English accent?’ / Well, I guess it’s too late to change it now.” To match the record’s offbeat lyrical style, the seven-piece group crafts chaotic arrangements of saxophones, violins, and guitars. The aforementioned “Sunglasses” starts with soft guitar arpeggios before exploding into a wall of saxophones and drums as Wood recounts an argument in which his rich girlfriend begged him to leave Kanye West and her father’s ‘big pharma’ job out of his lyrics. But not every song on the record features this tumultuous tone: for instance, the soft ballad “Track X” reminisces about a childhood friend that Wood believed was “the one.” To close the album, the klezmer-influenced “Opus” ties together the frontman’s memories and kisses them farewell: “What we built must fall to the rising flames,” he sings in an anguished tone. With its mercurial instrumentals and eccentric lyrics, For the first time is a remarkable debut that has established Black Country, New Road as one of the most inventive bands of the British post-punk scene.
— C.S. Harper
Ignorance by The Weather Station
Image courtesy of Fat Possum Records
The latest project from Tamara Lindeman (better known as The Weather Station) redefines the sound of folk music. Ignorance is grandiose throughout, with powerhouse production and masterfully written social commentary. With its pulsating synths, shimmering bells, and saxophone flourishes, opening track “Robber” adds a jazzy tone to Lindeman’s previously rock-influenced sound. These maximalist instrumentals elevate her soft vocals and minimalist, but introspective lyrics: near the end of the song, a wall of thundering violins envelop the singer’s voice as she laments the whitewashed history of her native Canada’s colonization. Living up to the album’s name, Lindeman reflects on various forms of ignorance throughout the project. In “Atlantic,” she juxtaposes vivid imagery with her anxieties about climate change. “Laid back in the grass of some stranger's field / While shearwaters reeled overhead / Thinking I should get all this dying off my mind,” she gloomily sings. While the environment plays a central role in Ignorance, “Separated” makes a detour with its criticism of social media. Over electronic drums and barely-there guitar chords, the singer contemplates how online discourse divides people: “Separated by all the arguments you lose / Separated by all the things you thought you knew.” With all the social commentary in the album, one would expect Lindeman to close it with an ambitious statement about human nature, but she turns to self-reflection instead. “What if I misjudged / In the wildest of emotion? / Did I take this way too far?” she sings in “Subdivisions,” a rumination on the boldness of the album. No matter what listeners think, the astute lyricism and immaculate production of Ignorance sets The Weather Station as a vessel for social justice and innovation in folk music.
— C.S. Harper
10 for Slim: Charley Crockett Sings James Hand by Charley Crockett
Image courtesy of Sons of Davy
Lil’ G.L. has done it again, folks! Better known as Charley Crockett, the country newcomer from South Texas celebrates the music of his late friend, James Hand on the surprise cover album 10 For Slim: Charley Crockett Sings James Hand. Crockett delivers a heartfelt lament to Hand on the album’s introductory track where he melancholically proclaims, “This one’s for you, Slim” before putting his spin on a soulful collection of honky-tonk songs. Throughout the album, the singer effortlessly swaps Hand’s smooth, West Texas drawl with his own distinct Rio-Grande-Valley-French-Quarter-Deep-Ellum accent, something that has always set Crockett apart from his contemporaries — whether he’s singing southern blues, americana, or country western. Bouncing back and forth between upbeat jives such as “In The Corner” and “Don’t Tell Me That,” the musician also finds the time to take it down a notch, hypnotizing listeners with laid back tracks like “Midnight Run.” When Crockett saw Texas in a state of disaster following the winter storm of 2021, the Austin resident announced that he would be making personal donations to mutual aid groups in various cities, in addition to those of his label partners and management team. He also donated the proceeds of album single “Lesson In Depression” to disaster relief organizations, giving listeners a damn good reason to stream the song on repeat. Wrapping up his latest project is the fittingly titled “Slim’s Lament,” an unreleased song that Hand sent to Crockett but never properly recorded before his death. Between Crockett’s passion for Hand’s music, Hand’s honky-tonk soul, and the pair giving back to their community — this album is Texas, through and through.
— Micaela Garza
Support Charley Crockett on Spotify.
GAUSSIAN by youra
Image courtesy of Mun Hwa In
Two years after her debut, indie K-pop soloist youra (born Yura Kim) is back with her sophomore EP, GAUSSIAN. Since 2018, the singer has been rising in popularity in her native South Korea, captivating listeners with her whispery vocals and retro take on K-pop. With its rockabilly guitar riffs, soulful keys, and jazz trumpet, debut single “My Hair is Green” gave listeners a glimpse into her idiosyncratic pop fusion sound. While GAUSSIAN refines Kim’s production with cleaner, spacier instrumentals, it also expands on her signature rock and soul flair by expanding her sonic horizons. Opener “MIMI” evokes the jazzy R&B of artists like Rex Orange County and Cosmo Pyke, with breezy guitars and wobbly keys. In contrast, the follow-up track “PINK!” takes on a darker, grungier sound. The juxtaposition of Kim’s soft vocals with fuzzy guitars and ominous synths make the song just as enigmatic as its titular color. “We got the pink / Let yourself be out / Just let you be found,” she sings in the chorus. The singer injects similarly cryptic English lyrics in the standout “ZEBRA”: “Go Zebra / Seek and hide among the stripe.” Kim matches her quirky songwriting with off-kilter musical stylings, such as her robotic autotune and slightly offbeat singing. In addition to diversifying her rock sound, the singer-songwriter also treads new musical territory. She explores genres beyond her usual palette, like the nu-disco feel of the dance-worthy “AIRPLANE MODE.” Despite the colorful instrumentals of GAUSSIAN, Kim closes the record with “RAL 9002,” a sleepier, woozy track in collaboration with South Korean singer Heize. GAUSSIAN is youra’s most fully-realized project yet, and its genre fusion establishes the singer as a fresh voice in the modern K-pop scene.
— C.S. Harper
Support youra on Spotify.
Legacy+ by Femi Kuti and Made Kuti
Image courtesy of Partisan Records
As descendants of late Afrobeat pioneer Fela Kuti, father-and-son duo Femi and Made Kuti carry a heavy musical legacy on their shoulders. In response to political corruption in their home country, Made and Femi recorded Legacy+, a double LP that honors Fela’s music by building on the Afrobeat legend’s political ethos and fusion sound. The collaboration combines two records, Femi’s Stop the Hate and Made’s For(e)ward, each of which comments on modern sociopolitical issues and incorporates modern rock and R&B into its Afrobeat production. With its soul jazz instrumental and protest lyrics, Stop the Hate’s opening track, “Pà Pá Pà,” is danceable and socially conscious. In contrast to the song’s lively keys and guitar rhythms, Femi delivers a scathing message to the Nigerian government while encouraging fellow Nigerians to stand up for their rights: “When government wastes our time / Government wastes our life / (...) Make them give us good healthcare / Make them give us clean water to drink.” Throughout the album, both musicians protest a variety of issues, from police brutality in Made’s “Your Enemy” to international corporations’ exploitation of Nigerians in Femi’s “Land Grab.” But despite the angsty tone of Legacy+, Femi ends his half of the album on an empowering note with “Set Your Minds and Souls Free,” as he encourages Nigerians to free themselves from “The colonialists / The corruptionists / The racists.” His son mirrors this sentiment in his R&B-influenced closer, “We are Strong,” in which he calls for the youth to start a revolution. By fusing groovy beats with shrewd commentary, Femi and Made Kuti create memorable Afrobeat songs to carry Fela’s legacy and Nigerians to a better future.
— C.S. Harper