Month: October 2024

Best Practices — Kylee Phillips Shares “The Good Parts” of Her Personal Journey on New EP

kylee-phillips-2024
Kylee Phillips offers heartfelt tales of resilience and acceptance on “The Good Parts.” Photo – Misty Lyn Bergeron

Kylee Phillips doesn’t need to give herself daily pep talks anymore.

After some deep introspection, the Ypsilanti, Michigan singer-songwriter/keyboardist gained a fresh perspective and wanted to share “the good parts” of her journey on a new EP.

“I feel like the pep talks worked,” said Phillips about The Good Parts, her sophomore release. “It’s encouraging because it’s hard to see yourself grow when it’s happening, and it’s not until you look back that you say, ‘Oh, I made it to the other side.’”

Coming out the other side, Phillips offers heartfelt tales of resilience and acceptance across four honest tracks on her indie-folk-pop EP.

“The songs are about saying, ‘Maybe I need to try a different path,’ but they’re also saying, ‘These are the things I’ve noticed about myself that are not going to change—that I’m not letting go of,’” she said.

“It’s this funny combination of ‘I’m going to have to make some different choices, but I also know better who I actually am now.’”

That authenticity quickly resonates with listeners on The Good Parts, which features reflective lyrics and lush instrumentation.

“I had a friend reach out to me and say, ‘I feel like you wrote this song for me.’ And I said, ‘I wrote it for myself, and now I feel like you need it more than I do,’” she said. “I always write the stuff that I need to hear, but when it’s also what other people need to hear, it feels special.”

Continue reading “Best Practices — Kylee Phillips Shares “The Good Parts” of Her Personal Journey on New EP” →

Look and Learn — The Soods Search for Clarity and Purpose on Self-Titled EP

6316628242183124044
Jason Roy of The Soods plays piano at Amber Lit Audio in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Photo – Matt Ten Clay

In a post-pandemic and pre-election era, The Soods search for clarity and purpose.

The Grand Rapids, Michigan collective explores those aspirations while having an existential crisis on its latest self-titled EP.

“I think we’re all at a point in our lives where we came out of this situation and we’re all trying to put the pieces back together,” said Jason Roy, frontman and co-producer for The Soods. “But at the same time, we’re trying to hang on to the big pieces that we had before.”

As part of that exploration, the collective of multi-instrumentalists Matt Ten Clay, Shane Tripp, Chris Coble, Patrick Wieland, Steven Meltzer, and Roy addresses the disappointment, longing, and regret that comes with the passage of time.

“We’re all on the same page, the same wavelength, and the same vibe. I attribute that to the idea that we’re all going through stuff on earth all the time,” said Roy about The Soods’ bedroom-pop EP, which features vivid instrumentation and contemplative lyrics.

“We hit a nice rhythm where everybody had the same premonitions or existential questions. It’s like, ‘How did I end up here?’”

Continue reading “Look and Learn — The Soods Search for Clarity and Purpose on Self-Titled EP” →

Mission Possible — Amanda Chaudhary Explores Experimental Sounds and Styles on Meow Meow Band’s “January Suborbital Denomination” Album

amanda-chaudhary-album-art
Amanda Chaudhary explores a diversity of sounds and styles on her latest Meow Meow Band album.

As a sonic explorer, Amanda Chaudhary ventures into uncharted musical territory.

The San Francisco keyboardist-composer embarks on a genre-bending adventure through experimental sounds and styles on January Suborbital Denomination.

“There are a lot of different styles on this album, and I always want to try new things,” said Chaudhary about her latest Meow Meow Band album.

“I wanted to try the psychedelic ones and the older jazz forms in addition to the funk and experimental electronics that I traditionally do.”

Filled with avant-garde instrumentation and snappy, curious, and playful lyrics, January Suborbital Denomination encompasses big band, jingle, soul, jazz, funk, electronic, experimental, and psychedelic music across nine imaginative tracks.

The album also invites listeners to experience the album’s subject matter—ranging from radio broadcasts to chocolate oak milk to bridges to cats.

“There is a symmetry in the way they are arranged on there. The bygone era ones are at the two ends of [the album] and then it’s big, small, big, small in between there,” said Chaudhary, who also runs CatSynth TV, a YouTube channel that focuses on electronic instruments.

“It became clear once I knew what was going to be on the album and what wasn’t. A sonic adventure is a good way of putting it, and it’s a sonic adventure for me making these songs. I like the fact that it is that way for other people who are listening to it. It’s filled with puzzles.”

I recently spoke with Chaudhary to decode and digest her second Meow Meow Band album.

Continue reading “Mission Possible — Amanda Chaudhary Explores Experimental Sounds and Styles on Meow Meow Band’s “January Suborbital Denomination” Album” →

The Power of Goodbye — Melanie Pierce Finds Closure From a Past Relationship on “Enough” Single

melanie-pierce-2024
Melanie Pierce shares messages of self-empowerment and resilience on “Enough.” Photo courtesy of Melanie Pierce

Melanie Pierce boldly reclaims her power on “Enough.”

The Detroit singer-songwriter asserts her true feelings and finds closure from a past relationship on her new emo-pop single.

“‘Enough’ is a song that I’m very proud of, and I’m really thankful to have had music to lean on when the events behind the song were taking place,” Pierce said.

“The song is a reflection of events that hurt or things that at the time I looked at through rose-colored glasses. Then I pulled them off and said, ‘This sucked … and it’s enough for me to get over this and move on.’’”

Surrounded by fearless acoustic guitar, electric guitar, bass, and drums, she sings: “I poured my heart out and I wrote you songs / You felt awkward, said it’s like someone’s singing happy birthday to you / Someday, I’m gonna find someone who actually deserves all I do / So I reclaim every song I sent you and the magic you had access to / And the girl that would have done anything for you.”

“It’s a song that screams, ‘I don’t deserve this,’” Pierce said. “I hope the takeaway for listeners is exactly that. You don’t deserve the shit you’ve put up with and you’re stronger than this.”

I spoke with Pierce about her latest single ahead of an October 11 show at 20 Front Street in Lake Orion, Michigan.

Continue reading “The Power of Goodbye — Melanie Pierce Finds Closure From a Past Relationship on “Enough” Single” →