On her debut album to hell with it, the songs are more fleshed out than ideas slapped around a perfect TikTok snippet-an unfortunate road many musicians are going down as virality trumps actual songwriting. Unlike some of the other music sensations the app has churned out, the 20-year-old producer has the charm and the ear that translate into the potential for longevity. Have you ever had that one cute TikTok song stuck in your head? The nightcore-esque one that goes, “When you wipe your tears, do you wipe them just for me?” Yeah, that’s PinkPantheress. Maybe that kind of despair is just part of being alive and clear-eyed in 2021. Shapiro’s record is intensely personal, but she viscerally taps into an idea plaguing the public consciousness right now: that we aren’t alright, and maybe never will be again. Like many people in the pandemic who were cut off from the activities and people that helped define their personhood, Shapiro questions who and why she is throughout her new LP. I asked myself, ‘Why am I here?’ Just every day: ‘Why am I here?’” she recalls in a press release for her new solo effort, Zorked (definition of “zorked”: being in an altered state of mind, be that high, exhausted, drunk, etc.). Isolated and far from all that she held near and dear, Shapiro had an identity crisis that spiraled into an existential crisis, as well. That same month … well, we all know what happened. Julia Shapiro, patron saint of the Seattle indie music scene (see: Chastity Belt, CHILDBIRTH, Who Is She?), packed her bags and moved to the sunnier climes of Los Angeles in March 2020. “Keep listening to good music and fighting the good fight,” says Isbell in a statement. Isbell and his band are accompanied by Julien Baker, Brandi Carlile, Béla Fleck, Steve Gorman, Peter Levin, Amanda Shires, Brittney Spencer, Chris Thile, Sadler Vaden, Adia Victoria and John Paul White on the album, all of whom help craft a soulful, affectionate tribute to the American South. (x2), Drivin’ N’ Cryin’, James Brown, Cat Power, Precious Bryant, Otis Redding, The Black Crowes, Indigo Girls, Now It’s Overhead, Gladys Knight & The Pips, The Allman Brothers Band and Vic Chesnutt. Isbell & The 400 Unit’s Georgia Blue-whose proceeds benefit Black Voters Matter, Fair Fight and Georgia STAND-UP-spans 13 tracks originally recorded by essential Georgia acts like R.E.M. Nearly a year after Joe Biden flipped Georgia blue on his way to the presidency, Jason Isbell has made good on his promise to release a charity covers album featuring some of his favorite Peach State songs. Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit: Georgia Blue Choses Sauvages combine the introspective and the euphoric with confidence, delivering a vivid sophomore effort that will get you moving, even as society feels in many ways like it’s standing still. Despite their variety, these songs don’t feel fussed over-the band only ever moves as a unit, protecting their music’s momentum like shielding a flame from the wind, but without sacrificing the celebratory aura that made their SXSW 2021 set a standout. Sleek and bright, Choses Sauvages II is groove-driven above all else, with irresistible rhythm underscoring its versatile displays of guitar-rock edge (“Science du bruit”), psych-funk revery (“La musique”) and synth-pop slow-jamming (“Colosse,” featuring Laurence-Anne). The second self-titled record from Montreal act Choses Sauvages is good for nearly an hour of dance floor bliss, its escapism enhanced further by the band’s French lyrics.
Check out all our must-hears of the week below.
Why not make a playlist to accompany you? Go with some good ol’ funk from Remi Wolf, the gorgeous soundscapes of Xenia Rubinos, or maybe you’d rather pick a fight while listening to some Zack Fox (yes, he has an album out and it is great). You may get distracted with some old mementos and forget about the sweaters. It’s not going to get warmer, and you’re going to have to dig out that box of sweaters you left in the basement/attic/storage unit.