WE'RE BACK! After what felt like the longest week off ever, we're finally back in the studio for another week of the Strawberry Skies radio show to listen to our favorite weekly jams. Today we're going to go through some new releases and some of my favorite releases from 2021 as the year draws to a close, as well as highlight some bands that I'll be seeing this weekend.
If you're reading this between 3:00 and 4:00 PM EST on Thursday, November 11th, you can listen live right now here. If you're not reading this during that timeframe, you can listen to what I played using this week's Spotify playlist here!
“Now, Life is Living You” - Modern Color
I've heard people raving about Modern Color's album "From the Leaves of Your Garden" since it was released last summer, and I finally got around to listening to it on my way back to Connecticut this Sunday - I was definitely not disappointed. I was pleasantly surprised to see that they put out an EP at the end of September, titled "Now, Life is Living You"; this is the title track and one of the strongest moments on it.
“I Don’t Like People (& They Don’t Like Me)” - Boston Manor
UK alternative band Boston Manor dropped a new EP titled "Desperate Times, Desperate Pleasures" at the end of October, and it's seriously some of their best material to date. This track in particular is probably my favorite from the release.
“A.M. Gothic” - Save Face
I'm not sure if I'll ever stop talking about Save Face's new record "Another Kill For The Highlight Reel." This song, "A.M. Gothic", along with "Watch You Die Again" are my favorites sonically, while "A Song For Your Futile Heart" and "GLITTER" are my favorites lyrically. This new era suits the band perfectly. I also included "Sharpen Your Teeth" on my monthly playlist for October, which I published last week.
“Overpass Graffiti” - Ed Sheeran
I've been probably Ed Sheeran's biggest fan since I was nine or ten years old, and I don't see that changing anytime soon. He's one of the few artists that I'm happy to see doing the same thing consistently and not switching things up too much. He knows what he's good at, and keeps doing it, which is why his new album "=" works so well (I also included "Be Right Now" on last week's weekly jams playlist).
“IDKY - Bedroom Version” - Pollyanna
I'm pretty sure that I gush about Pollyanna every week at this point (catch them on October's monthly playlist as well), but they deserve it. The New Jersey-based band has just released the deluxe version of their 2020 EP "Sugar Coat", and, somehow, they've made an incredible release even better. "IDKY" is my favorite track on the original tracklist, and this alternate version is super strong as well.
“Pretty In Punk” - Fall Out Boy
I have this in the section with new releases this week, which might not make sense since it came out about a week before I was born back in 2003, but Fall Out Boy's "Evening Out With Your Girlfriend" is finally available to stream on Spotify as of October 2021, and I've become obsessed with it all over again. I don't think there's a single song of theirs that I don't love.
“Wildest Dreams (Taylor’s Version)” - Taylor Swift
I wanted to include something this week to celebrate the release of "Red (Taylor's Version)" this week, but playing a song off of the original version of "Red" didn't feel quite right, so here's to hoping that "1989 (Taylor's Version)" is coming next (this track was included on our monthly playlist for September as well). I can't commend Swift enough for what she's doing for women and the music industry, and I can't wait to hear the rest of her re-recorded albums - I especially can't wait for her to own her catalog of music once again.
“Sleepless in L.A.” - Highwind, Sierra Binondo
Moving on to some of my favorite releases of 2021 (we're nearing "year-end list season", believe it or not), New Jersey's Highwind has been on a roll for this whole year, starting with the double single release "Sleepless in L.A." / "Will You Please (Stay)." I really love the vocal feature by Sierra Binondo of With Sails Ahead on this track as well.
“Endlessly” - Chevelle
This song was included on the first-ever Strawberry Skies monthly playlist back in April 2021, and when Chevelle's album "Niratias" was released around that time, I wrote a review of the record for Legends of Tomorrow where I called it a masterpiece; I still firmly believe that. This LP has aged beautifully and I still love it just as much as I did over six months ago (and yes, this is still one of my favorite tracks from it).
“Black and Red” - Citizen
I reviewed Citizen's album "Life in Your Glass World" for Legends of Tomorrow when it came out earlier this year as well, and I think I knew back then that it'd have a spot on my album of the year list for 2021. Each song is undeniably catchy with incredible content both lyrically and sonically, which shouldn't come as a surprise for fans of Citizen.
“Poison Peddling” - Broken Vow
I included this song on the first-ever weekly jams playlist during the week of September 9th a few months back, but I had to again after Broken Vow's announcement this week. The New England hardcore band will be releasing an EP titled "Sane Minds End" via Sunday Drive Records and New Morality Zine next month, complete with t-shirt and vinyl pre-orders. This band deserves all of the success that they've been getting and more - they're going to take over the world one day.
“TEAR ME DOWN” - SPACED
This song was also played on the first-ever Strawberry Skies radio show back in September, but I figured I'd give it another spin in celebration of seeing SPACED for the first time this weekend. They'll be playing with Montclair, Hard Feelings, Broken Vow, Private Mind, and Stand Still this Saturday, November 13th, at Wamleg in Wallingford, CT.
“False Comfort” - Private Mind
The last time I saw Private Mind, they were still known as Yesduke, performing at Koyo's record release weekend for their "Drives Out East" EP at the end of August. I've really fallen in love with their music in the months since, and I'm super excited to get to see them live again this weekend.
“There’s No Autumn Here” - Stand Still
I'm from Long Island, you already know that I love Stand Still. I was at their first-ever show this August after spending the whole summer obsessed with their debut EP "A Practice in Patience", and they've done such amazing things since then, so seeing them this weekend will be extra special for me.
What songs do you want to hear me play next week? Let me know by tweeting me at @JENSESSlON or the blog at @StrawbSkiesBlog! The blog can also be found on social media @StrawberrySkiesBlog on Instagram and Strawberry Skies Blog on Facebook.