13 Beats of the Week: 3/5/21

Miller Downer, Managing Editor|March 5, 2021

  1. “Intro,” by Snail Mail — Once a celebrated lo-fi indie rock zeitgeist, Snail Mail and their 2018 debut studio album Lush continue to impress as some of the most prominent indie newcomers to hit the scene, collaborating with acts like Clairo and Car Seat Headrest. The group has received select accolades from Pitchfork, as well as Rolling Stone, who celebrated the group as being prodigal and groundbreaking for the genre
  2. “Boy, I’m Just A Loser For Your Love,” by Good Morning — Melbourne-based slacker rock duo Good Morning bridge the gap between jangle pop and new-age lo-fi methodology, creating a new and unique sound that many have taken notice to — including Tyler, the Creator, who has promoted the band on his Instagram.
  3. “C U Girl,” by Steve Lacy — Steve Lacy is a juggernaut in current soul and R&B, though his solo career stems from The Internet, a collective offshooting from the even more mythical Odd Future. “C U Girl” is a 2015 single that may as well be Lacy’s best work yet, encapsulating his entire sound in this single sample.
  4. “Oh! Frenchy,” by Mosie — Jesse LeVines and Aidan Brody deserve to be recognized for all of the boundary pushing work released under the name Mosie as as the past few years of synth funk and experimental hip hop have been unarguably impressive yet notably ignored.
  5. “Trillanation (feat. Amber London),” by Ethelwulf & Amber London — Coming from Memphis’s East Side, Ethelwulf is an old name in underground experimental hip-hop, releasing projects and singles since 2010 and continuing to 2021. Whereas some of his discography has been hit-or-miss, his mixtape The Wolf Gang’s Rudolphe stands as a continuation of old chopped and screwed practices.
  6. “Die Like a Rockstar,” by Danny Brown — Danny Brown’s strengths consist of his unique voice, themetics and delivery; Brown can not be emulated and has stayed a major figure in the rap game since his legendary 2011 project XXX.
  7. “Dead Man’s Tetris,” by Flying Lotus, Captain Murphy & Snoop Dogg — A pioneer of jazz fusion and contemporary psychedelia, Flying Lotus experiments with progression and sampling to create magnificent concept pieces like “Dead Man’s Tetris,” one of many incredible tracks off of the 2014 nu jazz work You’re Dead!.
  8. “EdEddnEddy,” by JID — Now a household name and celebrated member of Dreamville and Spillage Village, JID’s beginnings on his first studio album The Never Story make for an incredible come-up.
  9. “Stuck in the Mud (feat. SZA),” by Isaiah Rashad & SZA — Isaiah Rashad has long had an esoteric and impressionistic idea of rap, making The Sun’s Tirade an interesting hour-long listening experience. “Stuck in the Mud” appears in the later half of this runtime, disrupting the traditionally heavy-hitting beats with much more vulnerable and emotional production.
  10. “it would suck if you died,” by Cottonwood Firing Squad — Solo artist Billi Rodriguez takes bedroom pop in a unique lo-fi direction under the moniker Cottonwood Firing Squad, capitalizing on the current DIY production craze and tapping into a select underground market
  11. “Taking Up Space,” by Mustard Service — Hailing from Miami, indie pop group Mustard Service’s members come from all different walks of musical life: jazz, rock, and bedroom pop to name a few. “Taking Up Space” sums up their sound sufficiently, but listening to other tracks may be necessary to get the full picture.
  12. “Weekend Friend,” by Goth Babe — Goth Babe focuses solely on his sound insofar as he never has decidedly stated that his music is for a profit; living out of a camper somewhere in the Pacific Northwest, indie electronica tracks like “Weekend Friend” are simply hobby projects.
  13. “Carry Me,” by The Original Crooks and Nannies — Philadelphia’s own Madeline Rafter and Sam Huntington make energized, electronica-based pop rock for the hopeless romantic. Quirky, bouncy and honestly fairly weird, The Original Crooks and Nannies make for some interesting dance anthems.