Bruh Collective, Tan Kaelin, and D. Roscoe Lee - "Shoebill" - Aug. 23, 2024
Auburn’s resident jazz fusion band, Bruh Collective, has finally awakened from their nine month slumber, and their newest single, Shoebill, has proven to be undoubtedly worth the wait. Shoebill features outstanding musicianship from all three members Sam Harrison, John Evans, and Duncan Selle. Additionally, this track features amazing contributions from two other musicians. The song opens with an ear worm of a chorus, funky groove, and fluttery vocals from Tan Kaelin.
Toward the middle of the track, bassist John Evans sets a unique breakdown before the groove kicks back in, and the listener is blessed with a simply marvelous soprano sax solo from the one and only, Khari Allen Lee. The chorus returns for a final time until ending with an entrancing, introspective closer.
"Shoebill" has already proven to be one of Bruh Collective’s catchiest songs. Furthermore, the track serves as uniquely its own for two reasons, the first being their rollout. For the release of this single, Bruh Collective has made a large number of origami shoebill storks and have hidden them around campus.
If you happen to find one, you can take a photo of it, post it on your Instagram story, and tag @bruhcollective for the chance to win a free Bruh Collective sticker. The second reason as to why this song stands apart from their other music is because of the very real issue of shoebill stork endangerment. Currently, the population of wild shoebill storks sits between 3,300 and 5,300. Their population continues to decline from problems such as poaching, climate change, and habitat loss.
"Bruh Collective’s" newest song not only serves as an addition to their discography, but also as a beacon of hope as the profits from "Shoebill" are all directly sent to help fund shoebill stork conservation.
ZeeThaNomad - "MANIFEST" - Aug. 24, 2024
Emcee Zion McThomas and producer Luke Walker are an absolute force to be reckoned with. On July 26, 2023, they released their debut EP as a duo, titled "Zapoleon Dynamite (TourLife)." Now, after over a year since their last release, the beloved WEGL alumni return with their newest collab: "MANIFEST."
Many fans of ZeeThaNomad, especially those who have seen her live, claim this song to be one of her most iconic and uplifting tracks to date. The message conveyed through "MANIFEST" motivates the listener to put their troubles aside.
As long as you know you’re worth everything, you can take on anything.
Zee’s flow effortlessly slides over Luke’s production, and the beat itself ignites hope into those who listen to it. Surely going down as a staple track in her discography, "MANIFEST" displays some of the best rapping and lyricism within Auburn’s hip hop scene.
Thomas Averill - "Wind Surfing 64 /Sega Sounds" - Aug. 10, 2024
Local musician and WEGL titan, Thomas Averill, releases his newest project two and a half years after his last album "Hypnagogic." "Wind Surfing 64 /Sega Sounds" is a bright, jovial EP that fuses breakcore and future funk in the grooviest way possible. Despite these two genres being totally separate in this release, the flow and consistency from track to track most certainly isn’t lost.
“My biggest influence was the work of Hideki Naganuma for the 'Jet Radio Soundtrack,'" Averill said. "His sample work is Einstein level, me and my brother used to spend hours just listening to his music while playing JSR. That combined with Trey Hibbard showing me the future funk genre.”
Trey Hibbard, also affiliated with WEGL, provided a very large contribution to this EP which Averill doesn’t fail to acknowledge.
“Trey directly supplied many of the samples on the first half, and although he will deny it, he absolutely was a major help in getting the album done," Averill said.
Apart from the samples supplied from Trey on the first half, the second half features various samples from SEGA’s older video games. The dichotomy of these two sides pays off in an incredible way, and the samples/sound bites used help give the project a very nostalgic feel.
A lush, groovy and well produced project; "Wind Surfing 64 /Sega Sounds" is entirely worth the fifteen minutes you’ll spend listening to it.
Brunch With Rosie - "Redder" - June 28, 2024
Brunch With Rosie drops their first single after over a year since the release of their EP "Chasing Shadows." The band’s current discography features a slew of upbeat, energetic bangers that has separated them apart from most acts within the scene. However, their discography features a great number of laid back tracks, and with this, "Redder" is no exception.
The newest single is the perfect depiction of starting to fall in love and the lyrics, albeit pretty campy, describe the immeasurable feeling of going head over heels for your partner. "Redder" opens up with a twinkly, supernal intro before breaking into the groove. Vocalist and frontman, Hunter Price, displays his abilities the best on this track out of everything they’ve released so far.
Not only showing off his insane vocal range, but also his technique and capacity to match an instrumental with his voice alone. The musicianship from each member of the band is not to be dismissed either, as each element of the song stands out on its own, yet blends immaculately as the song moves on.
The indie funk band has progressed to insane heights since their first single in terms of writing, in terms of production, in terms of creativity, in terms of pretty much everything.
Tan Kaelin and Satellites Saturn - "Stars" - July 8, 2024
For the past year, Tan Kaelin has provided some of the most entrancing choruses on set from her features off of Disco Clavier’s "Black Hole Delusion" and "Do You Believe (Salt Water Creature)" from TRiCK DiCE’s "Shattered Stilettos." Finally, after copious long months of waiting, she has released her debut single "Stars." This cosmic track exhibits ethereal, psychedelic production from Catie herself, as well as a smooth feature from Satellites Saturn whose vocals float effortlessly on the beat.
This song is perfect for late night drives which feel like a fever dream, or floating peacefully down a river while the sun kisses your forehead.
Pondylus - "Papygon" - August 24, 2024
Bruh Collective, Brunch With Rosie, and Lunar Parque. What do all of these bands have in common? They all display the incredible talents of bassist John Evans. Albeit John cranks out bassline after bassline, his output for music isn’t entirely exerted on the bands he’s in. From time to time, he will create mind bending electronic ballads under the moniker Pondylus.
Since his last album "Cinnamon and Tea," Pondylus hasn’t released music besides his contributions to "Seat at the Table, Vol. 1" and TRiCK DiCE’s "₩hale Action" and "Shattered Stilettos." "Papygon" serves as an addition to Stereoscape Records’ newest compilation "In The Beginning There Was Driftscape," and although the song was used as a contribution to this project, "Papygon" was additionally released as a single separate to the album.
I had the chance to catch up with Evans about the direction he took for his newest song. “Set in the 2080’s, it’s written through the perspective of a dinosaur butterfly hybrid speaking to the concept of retro-futurism.”
"Papygon" is an adventure to listen to as the spread of the synths swell and contract in contrast to the intriguing bass melody written by Pondylus.
Greenish Pools - "With Respect To The Sun" - June 17, 2024
Ambient folk artist Greenish Pools is one of the newest musicians to enter the scene as of recent. He hit the map back in February, releasing his debut EP "131.4 Million Paces West," a thought provoking listen that uses the tool of absence as a means to make a larger artistic statement.
The project is riddled with various instrumental ballads that sound ever so serene, yet uncanny. Since this drop, he’s added yet another piece to his discography, "With Respect To The Sun." Greenish Pools likes to tell a story with each song he creates, which he achieves the best in this newest track as it’s the first song to feature sung vocals from the WEGL musician.
"With Respect To The Sun" tells the story of a crazed man within a village, who denies everyone’s faith as he preaches the one true god to be the sun. His community ostracizes him, and he sets out on a journey to find answers. After traveling the globe, he rejoices as his faith is confirmed, before offering himself as a sacrifice to the sun.
This song reflects the tale of legend both sonically and thematically, and with this in mind, it’s fair to say that Greenish Pools could end up becoming one of the best storytellers in the music scene.
