These LITM Rock Picks come to from artists like Damien Musto, The Tin Can Collective, decede, and more!
1. Damien Musto – Game Over
Game Over begins with almost a whisperlike tone, almost daring you to come closer to listen to what it has to say. With a haunting guitar that eventually builds into a layered instrumental arrangement with steady drums overlaying it, Damien Musto has infused the song with an expansiveness that fills the room, so to speak. The song carries a powerful, resonant message about self-worth and moving on from a relationship – of whatever kind – when you’re no longer valued in it. Musto reflects on all the things he did to keep the dynamic alive while acknowledging that no matter what you do, it may never be enough – and he does it all with a swagger that’s impossible to ignore.
2. The Tin Can Collective – Long Life, Short Stray
If sincerity and hope were woven into music, it’d be on Long Life, Short Stray: an uplifting track that works its magic without being preachy or overly saccharine. With a domestic feel –you can almost imagine cozy blankets and a crackling fireplace – carried through the whole song, it feels like the moment of tiredness and reflection after a long ordeal; The Tin Can Collective’s vocals on the track effortlessly glide from emotion to emotion, giving each moment of the song equal weight. Long Life, Short Stray’s lyrics (And on your birthday, blowing out the candles / Pit in your stomach, would you dare to believe / This year could be better than the last one) are evocative and vivid, adding depth to its already emotionally laden measures – listen here!
3. decede – leave it all behind
At first glance, leave it all behind is light and breezy – the glimmering acoustics paired with decede’s easygoing vocals certainly contribute to that impression. However, a second look will immediately spur you on to peel back its layers – beginning with its lyrics, which open with the pensive, resigned “And as I sit and light another cigarette / I sit and think of all these times I′ve come to regret,” and continuing with the questioning lyrics and dreamy feel. leave it all behind dives deep into the feeling of losing someone and having to move on, and is a moment of poetic catharsis!
4. Julie July Band – Til The Sun Goes Down
From Julie July Band’s album Wonderland, comes another beautiful track blending folk and fantasy with enchanting instrumentals, Til The Sun Goes Down. It’s hopeful in both theme and sound, with lyrics like “There’s more than a lifetime to the end of the road / That’s why we never left this town / But now there’s a path to the stars in the sky,” lying over a bed of lively guitar and drums. Enrichened by its emotional depth and range, Til The Sun Goes Down carries a resilience, a perseverance that makes it easy to fall into step with it, nodding along to its every beat!
5. Isaac Neilson – Spiked (Mind Eraser)
Spiked (Mind Eraser) immediately draws you in with its legato vocal delivery and strong, grounded rhythm. It teeters on the edge of devolving into total chaos, but never quite tips over: it explodes on that very edge, keeping you suspended carefully before bringing you crashing with it. Isaac Neilson’s voice imbues the song with an urgency, an emotional thrum that carries like a current through its runtime of below three minutes. Spiked (Mind Eraser) isn’t trying to be palatable and easy, and that’s what makes it so attractive: it’s completely unfiltered and disorienting, yet confident in its knowledge that you’ll be drawn in anyway!
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