New Music From The Inbox – Monday Edition! (Dec 06, 2021): North Mississippi Allstars, Grimes, Gunwood, and more!
Every week, we’re sent dozens if not hundreds of promotional emails from agents, PR firms, and hopeful artists containing the latest releases from around the world. From the biggest superstars to the ambitious self-starters we comb through it all to highlight to you what we’ve been digging, the tunes that caught our eye, and the recommended selections that make the notifications worth it. This is New Music From The Inbox!
Artist: North Mississippi Allstars
Song: “See the Moon”
Album/EP: Set Sail
Stinging staccato rhythm guitar, velvety vocal performances, and flowing organ and bass features lay the groove bed for NMA’s rootsy “See the Moon” soul single. There’s a bit an old-school Motown presence on this casually funky track, but the exceptionally tight instrumentation and focused production show there’s no lazy nonchalance here.
Watch/Listen:
Artist: Grimes
Song: “Player of Games”
Album/EP: Book 1
Yes, yes, I know Grimes’ music carries a bit of baggage nowadays but credit where credit’s due: “Player of Games” is an absolute banger. The production is a lot more straight-forward dancepop than previous releases with its thumping front-loaded beat and uncomplicated synths, but the lyrical subtlety and creativity of Grimes’ Art Angels and Visions days are still strong and make for a refreshing runtime.
Watch/Listen:
Artist: Gunwood
Song: “Dream Boat Jane”
Album/EP: Dream Boat Jane
Shuffling and shimmying folk rock from Parisian outfit Gunwood, title track “Dream Boat Jane” strikes more than a few danceable chords. A busily-chugging snare drum underlies meandering, blossoming guitars and a hearty, gravelly vocal performance of heartfelt lyrics. It all comes together into an electrifying and endearing shindig that spreads out its excitement amongst a steady, continual climax.
Watch/Listen:
Artist: Dickon Hinchliffe
Song: “Leda”
Album/EP: The Lost Daughter (Soundtrack from the Netflix Film)
PR material provided alongside with this song’s submission indicates that the idea for upcoming production’s The Lost Daughter was “for the music to sound like a ‘found’ record – a vintage piece of vinyl that would become the score for the film,” and composer Dickon Hinchliffe absolutely nails it with Leda. This instrumental track is sultry, hazily atmospheric, and ever so slightly mysterious. Sweeping strings, steady keys, and a jazzy 60s vibe help this warm track jump out as if straight from history’s yellowed pages.
Watch/Listen:
Artist: Ami Durien
Song: “Am I Circa Dionysian”
Album/EP: Single
Now this instrumental piece is a treat. Tactile bass and drums, tense strings, and some sort of throbbing synth backing steadily build and flourish in this futuristic, humming electro-trance single from the otherworldly – or at least, so their email claims – Ami Durien. There’s too much rhythm and activity to classify this tune as full-on ambient but the lulling calm it pulls you into is certainly a shared quality with the genre.
Watch/Listen:
