Welcome to another week of the Strawberry Skies radio show! It's officially October, AKA *Spooky Season*, so we have some fall/Halloween-themed jams as well as some more new releases and bands playing in the area to highlight this week.
If you're reading this between 3:00 and 4:00 PM EST on Thursday, October 7th, 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!
"It Was Fun While It Lasted" - Rare Candy
Rare Candy's Alex Wieringa is one of my favorite people in the world (hi Alex!) and his music always reminds me of fall. This song was made for people to sing along with it.
"Fall" - Neck Deep
Yes, I picked this song because it's called "Fall" and it's officially fall, but this track from Neck Deep's 2020 album "All Distortions Are Intentional" does remind me of this time of year. I'm really excited to finally see them live again later this year.
"we fell in love in october" - girl in red
Obligatory inclusion of this song because it's the first full week of October! Not much else to say there!
"Halloween" - Phoebe Bridgers
I'm pretty much always listening to Phoebe Bridgers, but her music just screams cold weather to me. I don't care that we're only a week into the month, I celebrate Halloween for all 31 days of October.
"Silk Chiffon (feat. Phoebe Bridgers)" - MUNA, Phoebe Bridgers
Moving into new releases (but not moving away from Phoebe Bridgers), I'm absolutely obsessed with this sticky-sweet new track from MUNA featuring Bridgers. The chorus has been stuck in my head since I heard it for the first time. Life, indeed, is so fun.
"Cure" - Valley
I was lucky enough to get to attend a press conference with Valley last week via °1824 in preparation for the release of their EP "Last Birthday", which is out now! We got to hear this song and watch the music video a few days early, and I fell in love immediately. Look out for a full review of the EP coming to the site soon!
"Shine" - Rich People
This might be news to those of you who only know me through this radio show, but Rich People is my favorite band in the whole world, and the longer you listen and/or read, you'll hear more about them. This is their most recent single that dropped last week.
"west again" - Range Life
Range Life's "When It All Gets Old" is probably my most anticipated album of 2021, and luckily it'll be out in just a few days! Really looking forward to seeing these songs live as well as sets from New Jersey's Pollyanna and Fox Teeth at the record release show at Gold Sounds in Brooklyn, NY next weekend.
"Without Warning" - Halogens, Save Face
New Jersey really dominated the airwaves this week, huh? This collaboration between Halogens and Save Face is one of my favorite songs of the year, and it got me really excited for Halogens' new album via Refresh Records, due out October 15th.
"Algorithm" - Boston Manor
I joke that Boston Manor will never top their 2015 EP "Saudade" or their debut full-length, 2016's "Be Nothing", but the truth is that they don't have a release that I don't love, and that included their two most recent singles, "Algorithm" and "Carbon Mono." I have no doubt that I'll love whatever it is that these singles are leading up to.
"To Heal at All, You Have to Feel It All" - Can't Swim
The second single from their upcoming album "Change of Plans", I was obsessed with Can't Swim's "To Heal at All, You Have to Feel It All" within seconds of listening to it for the first time. This, along with the record's lead single, "Deliver Us More Evil", is one of my favorite tracks of 2021.
"Devolve" - Fuming Mouth
Fuming Mouth put out one of my favorite releases of 2020 with their EP "Beyond the Tomb", so it's not really a surprise that I love the two songs they put out at the end of September. Truly one of the best bands in hardcore right now, I'll say it a million times.
"Ok, Alright" - Elder Brother
Time for the part of the show where I talk about the bands I'll be seeing this weekend! On Friday night, I'll be seeing Elder Brother open for Microwave along with Weakened Friends and Taking Meds at the Knitting Factory in Brooklyn, NY. Their record "I Won't Fade On You" was hands-down my favorite LP of 2020, and I never got to see them live due to the COVID-19 pandemic, so I'm beyond excited to finally sing along with these songs.
"Grass Stains" - Microwave
According to the setlists that have been circulating, Microwave isn't playing this song on their current tour. This is my official request for them to play it in Brooklyn this weekend. This is their best song and screaming the "I'll never be a famous writer, but I can read and write okay" line is cathartic. That is all.
"Heaven So Heavy" - Koyo
I wanted to play the "Short Beach Sessions" acoustic version of my favorite Koyo song rather than the original version from their debut "Painting Words Into Lines" because it reminds me a lot of this time last year when the EP was released. it's crazy to think that in about a month it'll be one year since I saw this band live for the first time, socially distanced on a beach in Stony Brook, NY, hearing "Moriches" acoustic before I even knew that the "Drives Out East" EP it'd be on the tracklist for would exist just a few months later.
I'll be seeing Koyo and No Pressure at Gold Sounds in Brooklyn, NY this Saturday with support from Soul Blind and Victory Garden - this lineup is stacked with some of New York's best bands right now (and No Pressure, of course). LIHC forever, Koyo forever.
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.