Wahoo! We’ve made it to another month this year. Today marks my second favorite month of the year, Pre-tober, as it is the month before October, and I spend all of it making numerous trips to World Market collecting Halloween party supplies, checking out creepy audiobooks from the library to listen to at my desk, and willing the weather to cool down enough for me to shake out my heavy knits from storage. Pumpkin spice flavor/scented EVERYTHING rolls up in Pre-tober, too, and that just makes waking up every morning a teeny bit more rewarding, doesn’t it? Whilst i know the only reason leaves are falling from trees is because the trees are so thirsty for water, they can’t sustain them, I still like to pretend they’re trying to tell us autumn is around the corner and not happening as late as November here in Los Angeles.
In the the letter this week, it brings me great pleasure to introduce five truly fantastic songs. Each artist noted below is wildly unique, and I’m so excited for you to hear them (if you haven’t already)!
Please reach out to me via the handy dandy contact page on the cmd+f website, or on Twitter with your thoughts about any of the tracks I’ve selected this week. I love chatting about music. Let me in on your new favorite band; they’re looking for new fans, too.
As always, you know the drill: if you like what you hear, spread the cheer. Tell your friends about the songs you liked in this letter, but most importantly, let the artists know. There’s a good chance they’ll see your comments. Let them know how good their tunes are, and they’ll crank out even more magic.
P.S. If you would like to have this letter sent to your email every Friday, please head over to this link right here to subscribe to never miss a weekly roundup!
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“Chocolate” - Shy FX feat. Breakage, Ghetts, and Roses Gabor | BRUUUUUUUUH. This beat is insane. It’s dirty, thick, and smooth as hell all at once. What a fusion of textures wrapped up in this sweet little diddy - from Roses Gabor’s silky verses and a chock full of witty bars by the one and only Grime god Ghetts, “Chocolate” is quite the treat. Listen here
“You’ve Got The Heat” - Luster | Throwback to the summer of ‘81: I wasn’t born yet, but the spirit of Luster’s sun-drenched tune “You’ve For The Heat” was definitely a-brewing. With an insatiable hook comparable to Tommy Tutone’s evergreen hit “867-5309 (Jenny),” “You’ve Got The Heat” could easily be slipped onto a bootleg copy of the Fast Times at Ridgemont High soundtrack and we’d be none the wiser. It’s a vivacious, upbeat summery tune I’ve been sitting on for the past few weeks. Still fresh as ever with each spin. Listen here
“SGL” - Now, Now | My first memory of Now, Now was in a dingy little venue located under an overpass in Seattle. They were still called Now, Now Every Children, and were opening for Hellogoodbye. Today, they’ve dropped the Every Children, and picked up a few more hooks & pop cues along the way. As their first release in three years, the duo have primed their return to music with a potential sleeper hit. Expect to hear “SGL” (short for “shotgun lover”) on some future shopping trips at the mall and scattered across various playlists over the coming months. Can’t deny we’re all sleeping on a low key bop. Listen here and watch the music video here
“Sophomore” - Honey Lung | My heart is always craving more gut churning reverb, and thank goodness I’ve stumbled across Honey Lung recently. The London group’s only track I can see listed on Spotify here in the States is a dreamy, head banging, soul ripper that’s soaked in 90s rock nostalgia. While some shoegaze can turn a little sleepy, Honey Lung’s guitar work gets tighter and more impressive as the song crests upward, gains speed, and keeps your ears guessing even as the instrumentals peter out toward the end. Listen here
“Love in Bad Company” - Gotts Street Park feat. Dielle | Last but certainly not least, “Love in Bad Company” is going to put you into a puddle of feelings. Produced by the UK collective Gotts Street Park, the group landed vocals by Leeds-based vocalist Dielle after hearing her perform at an open-mic night. Her soulful, velvety tones folded over the smooth jazz instrumentals is divine. You can hear the heartache bursting at the seams, and frankly, this is one of the most beautiful tunes I’ve heard to come out of 2017. If you're looking for a mood-de-booster to enhance your own Pre-tober moods, look no further. Listen here
BONUS
Before everything else, stop what you are doing and watch the music video for Jessie Ware’s new single “Selfish Love.” I want to live in this twisted, seductive, Italian art house MASTERPIECE. Watch here
Young chap Ten Tonnes has shared a new single, “Cracks Between.” Spiked with one last dose of energy as we fizzle away from eternal summertime sunshine. Listen here
Calling all dance music fans: the new Hercules & Love Affair album is here!!! Whilst this time they’ve deviated more away from a classic disco vibe, the spirit of being bathed in glitter lives on. Listen here
Like 7 years ago, LCD Soundsystem made a big to-do about disbanding and never ever making music together or performing live ever again. I remember watching a livestream of their final show in New York, and sobbed into a Big Gulp filled with rum and Coke during the closing notes of “New York, I Love You But You’re Bringing Me Down.” Last summer, LCD Soundsystem rebanded (hell yes, in this economy!), I saw them perform at FYF Fest, and today they have a new album - american dream. As they say, your whole life trajectory can and likely will be completely different in 6 months time… and here we are. Listen here
Skott’s newest single “Remain” has got me deep in my Pre-tober mood. Listen here
Charlie Puth, the mastermind behind “Attention,” one of the most undeniable pop gems to drop this year, had reformulated this into a multi-format hit with a new remix featuring rapper Kyle. TBH, does Kyle add much more life to this song? If it’ll help it rise up the charts…. Listen here
You are what you stream: send me your personalized Spotify.me playlists after heading over to the site and checking out some cool data on your music streaming habits. According to my statistics, “Xtal” by Aphex Twin is my most streamed song in my library, 59% of the songs I listen to are energetic, and I stream like I’m god damn Ina Garten (aka a cooking enthusiast). At the end of the fun little stats round up, they generate a playlist customized with artists you may and may not be familiar with. Here is mine: Listen here
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New month, new playlist! If you’re interested in hearing what else I’ve been rinsing this month (aside from the tracks listed above), peep my personal September 2017 playlist. There I will be dumping in new (and occasionally throw back) tracks as the month carries on. You can dive into the cmd+f archive to hear what I’ve been listening to in previous months this year.
A(lmost a)ll of the tracks I’ve shared this week and past cmd+f newsletters are archived into a single playlist on Spotify for you to follow here. You’re welcome.
See you next week!