This edition of LITM Singer-Songwriter Picks explores folk and alternative landscapes from raw and earthy to smooth and silky. Featuring artists- Soli Mood Sound, Emma Forgette, and The Taproots.
1. Soli Mood Sound – Underrating Myself
‘Underrating Myself’ is the opposite of ‘quiet quitting’; it’s the ‘quiet reclamation’ of oneself- something many artists have experienced, and this theme has been beautifully encapsulated in song form by Soli Mood Sound. The track is decadent and raw, featuring only an acoustic guitar, vocals, and an atmospheric string of synth notes. There’s a nice contrast between the earthy foreground and the soft, misty layer of synth. The lyrics, “underrating myself just to please someone else, now I’m done,” signal the artist's turn towards a more self-assured path, and the music softly echoes this sentiment, with the instrumentation swaying along with the vocally-led composition.
2. Emma Forgette - Barfly Barbie
Emma Forgette’s latest single ‘Barfly Barbie’ is a soaring country-rock anthem where she brilliantly subverts the trope of the “barbie in a dive bar” and consequently reclaims her personal agency. Her vocal delivery is crisp and powerful, like smoke filling up a room, having a certain swagger to it that will immediately capture its listeners. Even the musicality of the song mirrors its message by unleashing gritty, eclectic riffs wherever we expect melodic country. The commanding vocals and the instruments take up unabashed space, which ultimately is the core message of the song.
3. The Taproots – Bourbon Street
With ‘Bourbon Street’, The Taproots capture the nuance and dichotomy of moving on from a relationship that has run its course. The rhythmic strumming, well-paired with the vocal harmonies, evokes both the nostalgic comfort of the past and the current ‘muddy’ reality. The song feels lighthearted, as if it's capturing memories in snapshots to avoid the heaviness of the present. Midway through the song, we feel musically suspended in time by the shimmering guitars and an almost ‘floaty’ production, evoking a sense of fear and hesitation to move forward. This fog finally makes way for its original buoyant sound, and we move away from ‘Bourbon Street’ to the clear ‘Tibetan Sky’.
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