A Sunlit Walk in The Underground Forest: New Pop, Folk , Rock and Indie Music We Loved
Welcome to A Sunlit Walk in The Underground Forest: a series where I hand-pick music I love.
Featuring Déyyess, Sabrina Song, Leilani Patao, Juice Webster, Alaina May, David Myhr, AE MAK, Evil Adeline, and Dame Fawn Denier.
This edition features: a song that sounds like it is being performed in the lobby of a glamorous, fading seaside hotel that is perched precariously on a cliff; an artist who has a name that made me think of a gothic Ottessa Moshfegh adjacent character; a song that has the glamour, sleaze, and dreaminess of the 1970s; a song that has the grungey nihilism of the alt 1990s music scene; a song that makes me think of the warm, rich colors of home (specifically the autumnal color palette of Bryan Lee O Malley’s 2014 graphic novel ‘Seconds’); a song that sounds like the kind of song you would listen to in your purple, witchy bedroom, which you transformed after seeing ‘Charmed’ and ‘Practical Magic’ for the first time; and more!
A Sunlit Walk In The Underground Forest ☀️ Light Pop • Folk • Electronica • Calm
Dame Fawn Denier - An Optimistic Waltz
This is a new song from the Yorkshire-based comedy drag artist Dame Fawn Denier. I picture ‘An Optimistic Waltz’ being performed in the lobby of a glamorous, fading seaside hotel that is perched precariously on a cliff (not dissimilar to the one in the 1990 movie ‘The Witches’).
Although the song's theme is optimistic, it has a haunting quality I can’t quite put my finger on - it feels like you are hearing it through the hotel halls, ricocheting off the pastel wallpaper.
On the song, the artist says, “It's a song about overcoming feelings of self-doubt and seeing the positives when things don't go so well.”
Connect with Dame Fawn Denier
Facebook / Instagram / X
Leilani Patao - kiddy scissors
Leilani Patao’s music always makes me think of the warm, rich colors of home (specifically the autumnal color palette of Bryan Lee O Malley’s 2014 graphic novel ‘Seconds’).
This new song is a gorgeous blend of alt-pop, indie-pop, and shoegaze, painting a portrait of queer and trans love. Cutting hair with children’s scissors is not a topic I have previously heard explored in a song; however, after listening to this, I thought perhaps there should be more, as it gives the song a glowing, familiar kindness, the sort you experience around those you are closest to, something we could all use more of.
On the song, the artist says, "How beautiful it is to look inside yourself and discover what and who you want to be”.
Taken from the upcoming 'daisy' deluxe EP (out July 24th).
Connect with Leilani Patao
Instagram | Website
Déyyess - Crush
I came across this on YouTube and found myself inadvertently exclaiming out loud upon hearing the chorus.
This has the glamour, sleaze, and dreaminess of the 1970s all wrapped up with a bit of Twin Peaks surrealism. The verses have a jet black, seductive indie-pop quality - the chorus ascending into plush, shoegaze territory. This feels like being hypnotized in a dream.
“summer got me sucking on a cigarette
sadomasochistic i should love myself”
Connect with Déyyess
Instagram | Facebook
Sabrina Song - Big Trick
This has the grungey nihilism of the alt 1990s music scene. It feels detached, like the protagonist is walking around in a daze, almost like a ghost:
“Crawling out of bed and running to the beach/Getting back first and watching you sleep” and “Think of what you want, sink into the floor/ Give a little more.”
It also has a touch of the Foo Fighters’ 1997 song ‘Everlong’ (high praise - this being one of the best songs, ever.) This is taken from the artist’s new EP, Big Trick.
On the music video, the artist says, "We wanted to create a dreamy video for 'Big Trick' that utilized visual tropes of trickery and illusion in a very cheeky way. We wanted to capture the feeling of emotional disorientation and disillusionment in this very surreal and theatrical way."
Connect with Sabrina Song
Instagram | Facebook
AE MAK - Last Night You Cried To Bach
Whenever I hear the term art-pop, I immediately think of AE MAK - an incomparable artist who fully stands in her own lane (which is an astonishing achievement, in a time when new music is uploaded every second of every day by anyone in the world).
This has a baroque quality (fitting, as it is about Bach) and has a magical folk tale thread running throughout. I am always so immersed in the worlds that AE MAK creates in her music; this being helped by the music video, which features the artist in a field of flowers, making the whole thing seem even more otherworldly and enchanting.
Last night you cried to Bach
As we cried on acid to Bach
Leaves pulsing through the window
And Kelly swam in that photo
Connect with AE MAK
Instagram | Facebook | Χ
Juice Webster - Kissing
The aesthetics and sounds of the 1990s are fully back - this sounds like a song you would listen to in your purple, witchy bedroom, which you transformed after seeing ‘Charmed’ and ‘Practical Magic’ for the first time.
The vocals are processed in the faraway, plushly layered way that some of the best songs from the 1990s were; these fused with the dreamy and cloud-like soundscape make it sound as if it is coming to your ears from the past. I feel like Tara from Buffy the Vampire Slayer would love this.
Connect with Juice Webster
Instagram | Facebook
Alaina May - Casual
Photo Credit: Logan Morrow
This new song from the Brooklyn-based indie artist feels like longing, like a memory sequence.
On the song, the artist shares, "'Casual' lives in that space where you mistake limerence for real connection. After something ends, even the smallest moments of closeness feel heightened and intoxicating because they fill a vulnerable void. You can be completely self-aware—naming the pattern, recognizing the push and pull—and still not be able to stop yourself from getting pulled in. It's that tension between wanting something light and realizing that, at my core, I'm just not wired for 'casual.'"
The all-consuming nature of limerence is one that is hard to resist, making you exist almost in a place outside of time. The soundscape of ‘Casual’ manages to capture that feeling with all its melancholy; the vocals sound like they are travelling to your ears on the wind from a lonely place out in the far beyond.
Connect with Alaina May
Instagram
David Myhr - Summer Summer Summer
This is a blast of summery Calypso orange freshness. The vocals in this sound like they are from the 1970s, giving it the effect of a song that is playing in the background of one of your childhood memories. This is a slice of utter joy - if you are struggling, put this on.
"This is the first single, and the chorus was almost embarrassingly catchy," says Myhr. "It popped into my head one day when I opened the door, and I then started thinking about what a verse might sound like and came up with some notes that surprised me a little. I found a laid-back, free and cozy '70s vibe."
Connect with David Myhr
Instagram | Facebook | Χ
Evil Adeline - Trouble
I love the name Evil Adeline; it makes me think of a gothic Ottessa Moshfegh adjacent character.
Evil Adeline is a Brooklyn, New York-based producer and songwriter; ‘Trouble’ being written, recorded, and produced by the artist. The song has a deluxe, slightly lo-fi bedroom pop quality, fused with some addictive 1990s-type songwriting and melodic elements. The style of vocal delivery gives it a secret diary entry quality, something that draws you in straight away. The production is fantastic - there is a haunting darkness to ‘Trouble’ that will bewitch you.
Connect with Evil Adeline
Instagram
Spotify Playlist
About Eimear O Sullivan
Eimear Ann O Sullivan is a multi-genre music producer, audio engineer and vocalist. After receiving a Masters in Music Technology from the CIT Cork School of Music, she went on to operate as a producer under the name Blakkheart. Her releases have received critical acclaim from Ireland's biggest music publications, such as District Magazine and Nialler9, alongside receiving heavy commercial radio airplay. She currently works in Cork recording studio Flashpoint CC. Previous clients of hers include the likes of Comedy Central’s Dragony Aunt star Candy Warhol, rapper Darce and Outsider YP. (Photo credit @Fabian Boros)
Contact Eimear O Sullivan at eimear.o.sullivan@musicngear.com
In this blog section we host new music releases, artist features and handpicked playlists by the Musicngear staff.
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