Welcome to the first edition of Strawberry Skies Weekly (not monthly) Jams! I'll still be doing my monthly recap playlists, these weekly ones will be a way for you to find the music I'll be playing on the brand new Strawberry Skies radio show.
Strawberry Skies hits the airwaves every Thursday from 3:00 to 4:00 PM EST via WQAQ 98.1 FM, the Soundtrack of Quinnipiac University. You can listen along live by clicking this link at showtime, and you can read more about the show here.
What follows is the list of songs that were played on the very first Strawberry Skies radio show...treasure it. If you liked what you heard or missed the show this week, you can listen to the playlist on Spotify here!
"Call From You" - Anxious
This song gets better and better with every listen, I cannot properly express how much I love Anxious. I actually think I love them more now that I'm spending most of my time in Connecticut. They just announced a fall tour with Koyo, another phenomenal band from the northeast, and I'd absolutely recommend grabbing a ticket if they're coming to your city.
"PMA (feat. Pale Waves)" - All Time Low, Pale Waves
I mentioned this song on my monthly playlist for August, but it absolutely needed to be mentioned again here. I've been listening to this track every morning while I get ready for class and despite the slightly depressing (and way too accurate) lyrics, it helps me start the day off feeling pretty good. If you're reading this I'm assuming you already know All Time Low, so I'll just say please listen to Pale Waves if you don't already, they are incredible.
"TEAR ME DOWN" - SPACED
SPACED is a hardcore band fronted by a non-man from my home state of New York (yes they're from Buffalo and I'm from Long Island, yes it still counts), and I've absolutely fallen in love with their newly released demo. I cannot wait to see how the rest of 2021 goes for them and what they do in the future.
"Deliver Us More Evil" - Can't Swim
Another song included on August's playlist, Can't Swim's first single off of their upcoming album "Change of Plans" (October 22nd via Pure Noise Records) has been a staple in my daily rotation since release day. I am so glad that this band is back, and if their whole record sounds like this, I will be a very happy camper!!
"Carbon Mono" - Boston Manor
There's something immersive and almost theatrical about Boston Manor's latest single, the warped vocals and glitchy sound effects similar to that of Code Orange's impeccable 2020 album "Underneath." There's no doubt that the future is bright for this band - it pretty much always has been. I keep forgetting about this tour (I have had my ticket to the New York date literally since March 2020), but they'll be supporting Neck Deep with Zero 9:36, Heart Attack Man, and Oxymorons across the United States and Canada later this year, which is sure to be a lineup you don't want to miss.
"I am not a woman, I'm a god" - Halsey
I listened to Halsey's new album "If I Can't Have Love, I Want Power" for the first time after my first women and gender studies class of the semester and I can't think of a better setting to have initially experienced this record in. Halsey's storytelling abilities have somehow improved drastically again this time around, this LP is fantastic.
"King of Everything" - Grayscale
I still don't know how I feel about Grayscale's new album "Umbra", but I do know that I dance in the elevator to this song every day on my way to my 8:00 AM class, and any band that can get me elevator-moshing that early in the morning deserves some recognition. I really hope they play this one live (they're headlining a tour this fall with support from Young Culture, Cemetery Sun, and Girlfriends) and that it gets some more love from their fans on social media - I really think it's the standout track on this record.
"Never Sitting Pretty" - Highwind
Highwind's double single of "Reds & Blues" and "Never Sitting Pretty" a few weeks ago completely blew me away - I was expecting the songs to be fun, but not this amazing. This has to be their best work yet. Very excited to see what this band can do in a live setting.
"Open Season" - Christian Sparacio
This song by New Jersey's Christian Sparacio makes me feel like the main character when I'm walking across campus, even if I'm just going to the dining hall to get pasta. It's very different from most of the stuff that I listen to, but it is so much fun!!
"Gemini" - Penny Bored
Getting to work with Faith Alesia of Penny Bored on the release of "Gemini" with Vibe Check PR reminded me why I love working in music and working with other humans so much. This is a super heartfelt song about self-discovery that will make you dance and cry at the same time.
"Famous" - Sierra Annie Band
If this was released as a "from the vault" track off of "Speak Now (Taylor's Version)" in 2023, I literally would not bat an eye. Sierra Annie is the second coming of Taylor Swift. Please listen to her. She rocks in every way humanly possible.
"GLITTER" - Save Face
Save Face just announced the release of their new album "Another Kill For The Highlight Reel" out via Epitaph Records on October 29th (pre-orders here), dropping their new track "Bury Me (Tonight!)" alongside it, and while I am beyond excited about all of that, I still can't stop thinking about "GLITTER." It seems to bridge the gap between the high-energy rock and roll of "Merci" and the My Chemical Romance-esque over-the-top dark theatricality of "AK4THR" perfectly, and it's probably the catchiest song I've ever heard. I have no doubt that this will be one of my favorite records of 2021.
"Poison Peddling" - Broken Vow
Seeing kids my age do cool things in the world of music will never not fill my heart with joy, and I will never not feel thankful to know the incredible human beings in Broken Vow. They are so talented, kind, and passionate and it inspires me endlessly. They'll be playing their first show at a matinee supporting Restraining Order, Rule Them All, Koyo, End It, and Soul Blind next Saturday in North Haven Connecticut, and while I won't be there (I will be crying at a FIddlehead show in Philadelphia), I encourage you to go check them out if you're in the area. Follow them on Instagram @BrokenVowCTHC to keep up with the rest of the shows they'll be playing (some of which I will actually be there for!).
"bleeding for help" - Range Life
I ended my first-ever Strawberry Skies radio show with my favorite song by Range Life, the solo project of my very talented very amazing friend Mike Chiarappa. Please go show him some love and check out the singles that he has out. His album release show for "When It All Gets Old" will be taking place at Gold Sounds in Brooklyn, New York on Friday, October 15th, supported by Pollyanna and Fox Teeth (more of my very talented amazing friends) along with Lizzie Donohue, 7Elevan, and Okay Okay - this is another show that you do not want to miss.
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.