Welcome to the second week of the Strawberry Skies radio show via WQAQ 98.1 FM, the soundtrack of Quinnipiac University! I'm super stoked to be back after a week off, and there are some great new releases and songs with that fall-feeling to get through today.
If you're reading this between 3:00 and 4:00 PM EST on Thursday, September 23rd, 2021, 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!
"1 Last Cigarette" - The Band CAMINO
The Band CAMINO released their debut full-length a few weeks back and I've listened to it at least twice every day since then. Nearly every song that this band releases is undeniably catchy and I'm so glad that they finally have an LP to prove it with.
"Golden" - Bearings, Ryan Woods
Harry Styles was always my favorite member of One Direction, but I also always felt like there was something missing in his solo song "Golden." Bearings bridge that gap perfectly, turning a more chilled-out track into a pop-rock banger.
"Live Again" - Grayscale
I haven't listened to Grayscale's "Umbra" from start to finish since it dropped in August, but I've found myself going back to a few individual tracks, particularly this one. The gospel choir vocals towards the end make me miss their 2019 record release show in Philadelphia so much.
"T.L.C. (TURNSTILE LOVE CONNECTION)" - Turnstile
I know it's only September, but Turnstile's "GLOW ON" is a serious contender for my favorite album of 2021. This band consistently raises the bar for themselves and for the genre surrounding them with each release and I feel so lucky to be on this planet at the same time as them.
"Cinematic" - SIerra Annie Band, Joey Fleming
Usually, an artist that I saw live over a month ago would have already left my regular rotation, but I'm still really digging Sierra Annie Band. This collaboration with Joey Fleming of In Her Own Words is just so perfect.
"Cutting My Fingers Off" - Turnover
This is a really sad song but it reminds me a lot of summertime, traveling, and having fun with friends. I still can't believe that I haven't seen Turnover live yet.
"Heavy Gloom" - The Story So Far
I always start listening to The Story So Far more when fall rolls around (more on that later), but "Heavy Gloom" just feels like August and September to me. It's still ridiculously warm almost every day here in Hamden, Connecticut, so I'm still listening to this song.
"Hot & Heavy" - Lucy Dacus
I included this song on my monthly playlist for July, and it hasn't left my rotation two months later. I feel like Lucy Dacus's album "Home Video" that came out earlier this year hasn't been talked about enough.
"Just Another Face" - Modern Baseball
As we move from summer into fall every year, I find myself listening to Modern Baseball a lot more. I discovered this band in September of my freshman year of high school, so becoming obsessed with them again during September of my freshman year of college feels like a perfect full-circle moment.
"Love In Real Time" - The Maine
Another song that I included on my July monthly playlist, I think that this song has officially claimed the title of my favorite song on The Maine's new record "XOXO: From Love and Anxiety in Real Time." Their sets from Sad Summer Fest looked like a blast, and I'm hoping to see them live again sometime soon!
"If I Fall" - The Story So Far
I mentioned earlier that The Story So Far reminds me of autumn, and "Proper Dose" specifically encapsulates the season perfectly for me, probably since it was originally released in late September. This song in particular is my go-to for walking around campus lately.
"World" - Citizen
Speaking of fall songs, here's "World" by Citizen. I'm ridiculously passionate about which album by this band corresponds to each season - "Youth" is summer, "Everyone is Going to Heaven" is spring, "As You Please" is fall and "Life in Your Glass World" is winter.
"he's not your boyfriend, he's your boy friend" - remy
I found this song on TikTok earlier this week, and I don't know much about the artist or the track itself, but I'm absolutely obsessed with it. Don't be surprised when you see this as one of my most listened to songs of 2021 at the end of the year.
"Ordinary Love" - Sporting
I was lucky enough to get to work with Sporting on the release of their single "Ordinary Love", their first official full-band project, and I'm beyond proud of them happy about the response it's been getting. Their music is a combination of all of the best elements of indie, pop, and rock with a nostalgic, youthful feel, and I have no doubt that more people will fall in love with their music every day.
"Maps" - The Front Bottoms
In Strawberry Skies live music news this week, I got to see The Front Bottoms at College Street Music Hall in New Haven, CT, with openers Oso Oso and Sydney Sprague on September 14th. Getting to finally experience this band live, after calling them one of my favorite bands for about seven years now, was absolutely magical.
"Spousal Loss" - Fiddlehead
Another one of my favorite bands that I saw live for the first time this week was FIddlehead, on their tour promoting their new album "Between the RIchness." The lineup of them, Worn, Blair, and Ekulu was a ton of fun to watch, and the fact that I got to sing some of the most important songs in my life back at the band who made them (in the very sweaty First Unitarian Church of Philadelphia, no less) is still very surreal.
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.