Kass Richards - The Language Shadow
Richards' debut full-length features co-production and keys by Basia Bulat, the Arcade Fire’s Tim Kingsbury on guitar, and U.S. Girls’ Geordie Gordon adding to the atmospheric instrumentation.
Toronto
Jennifer Castle - Monarch Season
Over the past 15 years, Jennifer Castle has quietly built up a devoted following with her beautiful, humane folk music.
Anda Zeng - Night Dress
Anda Zeng’s Night Dress mirrors my anxious evening routine but she brilliantly disguises her songs with tranquil tones.
Untradition - Dark Summer
This is a sharp, maximal record that cuts through the darkness in thoughtful and rewarding ways.
Shabason, Krgovich & Harris - Philadelphia
Philadelphia is both timely and timeless.
Pansy Boys - Seasons of Doubt
In a healthier, pre-COVID world, my hands would (consensually) grab a stranger’s shoulders as I, out of breath, whisper out the album’s Bandcamp tags - “alternative pop…. folk… lush… queer…”, and faint into a bed of roses.
Clara Engel - Hatching Under the Stars
Though this album came out in April, with the days getting shorter and as we head toward longer bouts of darkness and cold, it feels perfectly suited for fall.