These LITM Singer-Songwriter Picks are all about rawness and vulnerability. Keeping it real throughout, they come to you from artists like ALLEY (the band), Good Carver, Tyler McGinnis, and more!
1. ALLEY (the band) – Watching You Leave
Opening ALLEY (the band)’s first and latest EP Telling Stories, is Watching You Leave, a raw track that keeps it real throughout. As ALLEY (the band) says, their music is for “those who want to hear real music written by people who truly feel,” rather than for “consumption with corporate coffee and a cardboard sandwich,” and Watching You Leave epitomises this principle. Blending a rhythm that’s impossible not to sway to with low, confident vocals and stirring instrumentals, the song makes it easy to listen along – once, twice, then again. Walking the line between real and underpolished, this is a track worth looping!
2. Good Carver – Calmer Waters
Good Carver’s debut album, The Steps We Have to Take, opens with Calmer Waters, a song that unfurls itself slowly and carefully – but manages to do so while still retaining a carefree and light sound. It’s a song that’s clearly made with intention: every word the restrained and calm vocals deliver, every note the background instrumentals hit with precision, all of it has been considered carefully and put into the song. Leaning into acoustic textures, the song keeps it human throughout, and this makes it an accessible listen as its three minutes just fly by. Check Calmer Waters out here!
3. Tyler McGinnis – Admiring Ghosts
From its opening moments, Tyler McGinnis’ Admiring Ghosts establishes an Americana-forward sound that transports you to a different headspace altogether. Prioritising keeping it real over any grandiose or dramatic accents, the song finds its foundation in the ever-present guitar and McGinnis’ grounded, sombre, and reflective vocals. With lyrics like “We don’t know what we miss and what we don’t / We try so hard to do the least but make the most / Why do we always fall apart when things get close?”, the song dives right into introspection and contemplation, taking you into that space too. Listen to it here!
4. James Stephen & The Good Ones – Lonely Days
Typically, one would assume a song with the world ‘lonely’ in its title would be reflective, fragile, and an exploration of sadness. James Stephen & The Good Ones’ Lonely Days takes this idea and rolls with it in a slightly different direction: yes, life may be difficult, there will be lonely days, but as they say, “lonely days are never lonely when I spend my lonely days with you”. Soft and acoustic throughout, this is the kind of song you could imagine listening to while sitting on the floor at an open-mic, dim and warm lighting surrounding you. Check Lonely Days out here!
5. Jasmin Ahrent – Inconvenient
Jasmin Ahrent’s Inconvenient explores a narrative that’s familiar, but delivers it with such conviction, emotion, and poise that it feels brand new. Ahrent lays out a story of feeling wanted only when it’s convenient, but more importantly, of how easy it is to find yourself stuck in a place where “empathy feels far”, as she puts it, without being able to put together how you got there in the first place – she asks, “Is this what we stand for? Is this who we are? Let's reflect on who we’ve become and who we’ve said we’d be.” Give Inconvenient a listen here.
Follow the playlist for all new artist updates!
If you would like to submit your music for playlist or review consideration, please submit here.