Atwood Journal is worked up to share our Editor’s Picks column, written and curated by Editor-in-Chief Mitch Mosk. Each week, Mitch will share a set of songs, albums, and artists who’ve caught his ears, eyes, and coronary heart. There may be a lot unbelievable music on the market simply ready to be heard, and all it takes from us is an open thoughts and a willingness to hear. Via our Editor’s Picks, we hope to shine a light-weight on our personal music discoveries and showcase a various array of recent and up to date releases.
This week’s Editor’s Picks options Nami, Borderline, Litany, Lucy Dacus, Social Order, and zzzahara!
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Bproper, bubbly, and intoxicatingly catchy, Nami’s third-ever single, “Suzette,” is an on the spot earworm dripping in playful allure and vibrant vitality. Fueled by the pleasant delirium of need, the tune radiates a carefree spontaneity that captures each the fun and insanity of chasing after somebody who feels simply out of attain. Mixing addictive melodies with subtly mischievous lyrics, “Suzette” transforms longing into one thing infectiously danceable.
“‘Suzette’ is an lively report,” Nami tells Atwood Journal. “I let my inspirations soften into this tune and tried to make it as catchy as potential. I’m pleased with it; it’s your chase after the woman tune – in the event you learn into the lyrics, it may come off creepy, and that was on goal – a few of my favourite songs learn a bit creepy,” he laughs.
I noticed your fairly eyes
Passing me by yeah
Simply give me an indication
And I’ll make you mine (oooh)
You realize you need me too
On a regular basis, (yeah all the time)
However you’re so undecided
Obtained me ready on the road
Pushed by a uncooked, unfiltered, and simple ardour, “Suzette” is each feisty and feverish: “Suzette, I ain’t bought you but, however nobody’s taking you from me,” Nami sings within the monitor’s infectious, emotionally charged chorus, calling to thoughts the King of Pop himself. “Suzette, I’ll unfastened all my breath in the event you carry on working from me.”
‘Trigger you might be, sure you might be
The one one for me
Child can’t you see?
Suzette (Suzette)
I ain’t bought you but
However nobody’s taking you from me
Suzette (Suzette)
I’ll unfastened all my breath
In the event you carry on working from me
Nami crafts an totally alluring soundscape, masterfully balancing lush instrumentation with moments of unflinching, unpolished honesty. The monitor’s buoyant rhythm and dynamic chord development propel listeners ahead, mirroring the emotional push-and-pull embedded in its narrative. Whereas “Suzette” is only fictional – extra an intoxicating thought than a tangible, real-life individual – Nami expertly channels emotions of hopeful anticipation and playful obsession right into a tune that’s as sweetly seductive as it’s delightfully quirky.
Presently primarily based in LA, Nami humbly identifies as a pupil first and an artist second, emphasizing his curiosity and fervour for artistic exploration. “I design stuff, I like speaking about any and every part,” the report producer, designer, and songwriter shares. “I don’t assume there’s a separation between me and my artist mission, which is perhaps unhealthy in another person’s e book, however in mine it reads simply wonderful.”
She bought me proper right down to my knees
I’m begging and pleading her please
Oooh wee , oooh weeee
She run by way of my thoughts on repeat
Ah, nobody else can compete
Oooh wee , oooh weeee
Whereas he has labored as a sound designer and co-producer for globally famend acts like Ariana Grande, Bryson Tiller, Jack Harlow, and Cordae, his personal artist story is simply simply starting – he launched his debut single “Northstar” in January, adopted by “Connoisseur” this previous Valentine’s Day, and “Suzette” in mid-March.
“Suzette” is very close to and expensive to Nami as one in all his most upbeat and uptempo tracks but, reflecting his artistic ambition to supply one thing immediately memorable and joyously addictive.
“I need individuals to spend years having fun with it,” he smiles. “There may be a variety of element in my music, some extra noticeable than others, however all present up in their very own time. I spent good vitality and time producing it. My precedence was conserving the principle melody working all through the monitor, after which Buddy Ross got here up with that unbelievable chord development within the pre-chorus that actually took the thought to the following degree.”
“Loads of its components remained uncooked and bare! I feel that’s one of many favourite issues about my album. There have been many alternatives to ship a brilliant clear, compressed and overly corrected model of all songs, however I purposely selected the choice route as some kind of soft-anti sentiment.”
“Suzette” is pure enjoyable, and an outstanding introduction to an artist – ahem, pupil – with a shiny and thrilling future forward. From its daring, feel-good beats to its tantalizing melodies, Nami’s third launch proves an on the spot singalong, inviting listeners to lose themselves in its carefree spirit. With its irresistible hooks and effervescent vibes, “Suzette” firmly establishes Nami as an thrilling new voice poised to captivate listeners, setting excessive expectations for what’s nonetheless to return. Nami’s debut album WARM is due out Could 9th through ONDAS!
‘Trigger you might be, sure you might be
The one one for me
Child can’t you see?
Suzette, I ain’t bought you but
However nobody’s taking you from me
Suzette, I’ll lose all my breath
In the event you carry on working from me
“When It is Raining”
by Borderline
How becoming that I’m writing a few tune referred to as “When It’s Raining” whereas it’s so moist and dreary exterior. Artwork imitates life, I suppose – or perhaps the climate simply went full technique actor on me. Little does it know, Borderline’s newest single is as darkish and stormy as it’s full of heat and hazy mild – a soulful, cinematic energy ballad that aches in and out, channeling uncooked emotion right into a fantastically daring, spiritually cleaning launch.
She is aware of, she is aware of, she is aware of
She had a great factor
Exhibits up in my goals
If she was trustworthy
she’d know, she’d know, she’d know
It’s only a fever, need to consider her
Somebody inform me save us
She is aware of, she is aware of, she is aware of,
I do know
In keeping with the New Zealand band – who fashioned round 2021 and launched their infectious seven-track debut, Good Film Scene, in 2023 – “When It’s Raining’ is all about “attempting to seize the sensation of being utterly misplaced in your anger and unhappiness – when you’ll be able to’t see a future the place issues get higher. It’s a common feeling, and we hope this tune will make individuals really feel seen and perceive that they’re not alone of their struggles.”
“The inspiration behind ‘When It’s Raining’ comes from a number of locations,” frontman Ben Glanfield provides. “Musically, we have been listening to a variety of Fleetwood Mac and ‘80s rock energy ballads. Lyrically, we wished to painting extra of a sense than a selected story so you’ll be able to actually really feel it nevertheless you want, which is one thing we’re being acutely aware about when writing.”
It’s not unfair, she talks and I’m invisible
There’s one thing tearing us into oblivion
It’s not unfair, she talks and I’m invisible
There’s one thing tearing us into oblivion
Massive, echoing piano chords mark the tune’s dramatic entrance, instantly setting a heavy tone as Borderline construct their world out of intimate, visceral feelings. It’s a sluggish burn at first—delicate, deliberate – however the depth rises steadily as layers of guitar, synth, and drums swell round Glanfield’s impassioned vocals. There’s pressure within the air, just like the thick quiet and eerie calm earlier than a thunderstorm breaks.
That storm hits hardest within the second verse, the place Borderline wring their hearts out in what looks like a breaking level: A second of complete collapse. It’s gut-wrenching, intimate, and painfully human:
Crying on the steps down the hallway
Screaming please consider me
I can see the color
drain out of your face
whenever you inform me you like me
Falling out of time pack it up
you gained’t see me within the morning
That is actual, because of this,
wanna die, when it’s raining, it’s pouring
By the point the band hit their climax, it’s all cinematic launch: A cathartic eruption of sweltering, smoldering sound and fervent feeling that leaves you breathless and emotionally rinsed. It’s not simply rain; it’s a downpour of every part you’ve been holding in. By some means, they’ve wrapped despair in heat – delivering a monitor that’s each devastating and deeply comforting, like being held by way of the tempest.
It’s not unfair, she talks and I’m invisible
There’s one thing tearing us into oblivion
It’s not unfair, she talks and I’m invisible
There’s one thing tearing us into oblivion
Wouldn’t you recognize it, the solar’s now peeking by way of the clouds! Poetic timing, actually. “When It’s Raining” isn’t all darkish skies and inside churn; for as brutal and gutting because the lyrics are, the music itself is a deep, cathartic exhale à la Journey’s best possible energy ballads (assume “I’ll Be Alright With out You,” “Separate Methods (Worlds Aside),” “Who’s Crying Now” – the true, larger-than-life anthems that hit dwelling with ardour and ache).
Borderline don’t simply dwell within the turmoil – they discover one thing luminous inside it. “When It’s Raining” is the type of tune that hurts in all the precise methods, and like the very best energy ballads, it doesn’t simply echo your heartbreak – it helps you rise from it, leaving you just a bit lighter by the tip. Borderline have crafted the proper storm.
She is aware of she is aware of she is aware of
She is aware of she is aware of I do know
It’s not unfair, she talks and I’m invisible
There’s one thing tearing us into oblivion
“I’m only a unhappy woman, and that makes me blissful,” Litany sings in a dramatic fervor, her glowing voice hovering in a pool of pulsing bass and swirling synths. “I’m only a unhappy woman, don’t want you to heal me.” As invigorating and empowering as it’s unapologetically sassy, the title monitor off Litany’s upcoming debut album captures a second of catharsis and confession, reckoning and radiance.
Similtaneously she involves phrases with exhausting truths about herself, the Yorkshire born, London-based indie pop artist (née Beth Cornell) embraces these so-called detrimental qualities and harnesses them to shine brighter than she’s ever shone earlier than. The result’s a spirited, seductive anthem for sadgirls in all places to acknowledge and reclaim their energy – at the start, by rejecting the haters and accepting themselves for who they’re, ‘completely imperfect’ – the best way it needs to be.
Right here comes a TED Speak
The topic after all, me!
And every part I may do
If I’m to enhance
However actually have you ever thought of this
I don’t want to fulfill and greet the brand new me
‘Trigger I don’t want fixing
Launched January 31st through Nettwerk, “Sadgirl” is as exhilarating as it’s immersive – the type of high-energy banger that brings Litany again into the highlight at simply the precise time. A favourite of our pages since 2018 (she’s now a two-time Atwood Editor’s Choose and a longtime artist-to-watch), Litany brings a wealth of colour, drive, and taste to every part she touches. “Sadgirl” joins the ranks of beloved fan favourite tracks like “My Dude,” “Love Letter,” “Uh-huh,” and “Jelly Tot” – every of which hits exhausting large, daring pop beats and melodies, all whereas providing intimate glimpses of the Beth Cornell’s uncooked humanity.
Name it indie pop for the emotionally weak and sonically savvy: Litany’s irresistible singalongs have that particular sauce that nobody can deny. She rises to an simple fever pitch as she reaches the tune’s emotionally charged refrain.
If I-I-I hear yet another ti-i-ime
“It’s essential loosen up,
get outta the home”
If I-I-I hear yet another ti-i-ime
It won’t occur,
flip that frown the other way up
I’m only a unhappy woman
And that makes me happy-y-y
I’m only a unhappy woman
Don’t want you to heal me-e-e
“This tune is a denial dancehall banger and the ‘I instructed you so’ anthem for folks in all places,” Cornell tells Atwood Journal. “For a few years I used to be in denial about how unhealthy my psychological well being had gotten, however writing ‘Sadgirl’ turned my manner of confronting it – turning one thing painful into one thing that feels highly effective and liberating.”
That liberation radiates by way of each second of “Sadgirl,” a tune that channels private reckoning into euphoric launch. Litany doesn’t simply personal her feelings – she celebrates them, remodeling vulnerability right into a badge of honor. Her potential to craft catchy, emotionally charged pop with a fearless edge has lengthy set her aside, however with “Sadgirl,” she raises the bar: It’s as a lot a private anthem as it’s a common invitation to bop by way of the darkness and discover pleasure in self-acceptance.
One other lecture
And guess who’s mеntioned, me!
And all of the methods I’vе gone improper
You sing the identical tune
And actually please
Let me wallow in my distress
Perhaps take a time off or three
As Litany gears as much as launch her debut album, “Sadgirl” units a daring tone for what’s to return: A report filled with perspective, honesty, coronary heart, and hard-earned confidence. With each beat and breath, Litany reaffirms why she stays one in all indie pop’s most magnetic voices – unfiltered, unapologetic, and utterly unforgettable. Sadgirl is ready to launch April 25 through Nettwerk!
If I hear yet another time
“It’s essential loosen up,
get outta the home”
If I hear yet another time
It won’t occur,
flip that frown the other way up
I’m only a unhappy woman
And that makes me happy-y-y
I’m only a unhappy woman
Don’t want you to heal me-e-e
“Finest Guess”
by Lucy Dacus
Singer/songwriter Lucy Dacus actually is aware of find out how to sneak up on you emotionally – a superpower she harnesses again and again all through her breathtakingly lovely fourth studio album. Launched March 28 through Geffen Data, Perpetually Is a Feeling is Dacus’ sonically expansive, achingly intimate ode to like (the highs, mids, and lows), and in flip, to our very humanity – all these issues that join us to one another on that deepest, most weak and visceral degree. Highlights abound on the thirteen-track masterpiece; on the darker facet are songs like “Bullseye” (that includes Hozier) and “Speak,” a dramatic upheaval observing two hearts rising aside in actual time. On the ‘lighter’ facet lie the dreamy, hopelessly hopeful “Ankles,” the meditative, delicately soul-stirring title monitor “Perpetually Is a Feeling,” the lilting, longing-fueled “Come Out,” and the sweetly sun-kissed “Finest Guess” – a mild, full-throated embrace of affection’s good imperfection.
Clasping your necklace
Zipping your gown
Palms in your waist
Kissing your neck
I like your physique
I like your thoughts
They may change
So will mine
However you might be
My greatest guess on the future
You’re my greatest guess
If I have been a playing man, and I’m
You’d be my greatest wager
Since its launch in February, this tune has been on repeat – in my ears, in my head, and in my coronary heart. It’s the closest Perpetually Is a Feeling will get to an unbridled, unfiltered, unflinching love tune, with Dacus confessing her emotions on to her paramour, in no unsure phrases, “You’re my greatest guess on the future… If I have been a playing man, and I’m, you’d be my greatest wager.” There’s no hesitation and little inside battle; only a declaration of ‘true blue’ devotion and unwavering need.
Tracing your tan strains
Making you mine
If this doesn’t work out
I might lose my thoughts
And after some time
I can be wonderful
However I don’t wanna be wonderful
I need you, you, you might be
My greatest guess on the future
You’re my greatest guess
If I have been a playing man, and I’m
You’d bе my greatest wager
Dacus, for her half, as described it as an anthem of queer tenderness – one which “captures that blend of pleasure and uncertainty as two individuals take a romantic likelihood with each other.” Nothing is definite, apart from their belief in each other, and that’s greater than sufficient. Dacus says it greatest within the tune’s breakdown, recognizing that individuals are simply that – individuals: Every of us is a endless work in progress, and that’s not going away any time quickly, but when we are able to settle for ourselves for who we’re and provides one another grace, then we are able to additionally love intimately and unapologetically, with our full hearts and with no situations, hesitancies, or regrets.
Herе is the church
Right here is the steeple
You have been in search of saints
However you solely discovered individuals
Ain’t that simply the best way it goes
I watched you fall from grace
You have been sleek
In any case, it’s a small world
You will not be an angel
However you might be my woman
You’re my pack a day
You’re my favourite place
You have been my greatest good friend earlier than you have been
As a hopeless romantic myself – and one who’s been fortunately in love for almost ten years now – I feel I instinctively love “Finest Guess” for the way Lucy Dacus chooses to like ‘love’ – vulnerably, and with open arms.
My greatest guess on the future
You’re my greatest guess
If I have been a playing man, and I’m
You’d be my greatest wager
You’re my greatest guess on the future
You’re my greatest guess
If I have been a playing man, and I’m
You’d be my greatest wager
“Lights Off”
by Social Order
It’s the darkish drama of Social Order’s “Lights Off” that hits hardest: A passionate, percussive pulse born out of misery, denial, and need. The Las Vegas post-punk trio roar to life on their second single of 2025, begging us to give up to the darkness yet another time; to lose our inhibitions, take pleasure in our innermost fantasies, dance like no one’s watching, and let our impulses – our shadow selves – information the best way.
Are you able to keep the evening
I’ve been hangin on
Forged your spell with each transfer you make
Play your depraved recreation and I’ll give up all
I need you now
inform me it’s not too late
We will do it with the lights off
Inform me every part you need now
I don’t need to lose you this time
Keep the evening once more
“‘Lights Off’ captures the sensation of wanting to remain near somebody whereas avoiding the fact that your particular bond has ended and it’s time to maneuver on,” Social Order’s Mason Musso (who performs with Anthony Improgo (Metro Station, Parade of Lights) and Andrew Ward (Nuwave Fighters) tells Atwood Journal.
“The tune encapsulates a second of disaster and alternative. It’s a story of somebody grappling with deep attraction and concern of loss, aiming for redemption or at the very least a big second of connection, underscored by the urgency of ‘now or by no means.’ The imagery of chains and spells suggests a battle between freedom and captivity, each in love and inside oneself.”
Social Order maintain nothing again as they enshroud the ears in a sonically charged soundscape, the place bodily attraction and emotional depth intertwine:
We will do it with the lights off
Inform me every part you need now
I don’t need to lose you this time
Keep the evening once more
“Anthony, Andrew, and I got down to create one thing that was each upbeat and danceable but carried a darker undertone,” Musso continues. “I had the guitar chords lingering in my thoughts for some time, and as we wrote the lyrics, they felt like an ideal match for the music. Sometimes, we begin with the music first and construct from there, however this tune was a little bit of an anomaly in our course of.”
I can’t resist you now
I’m begging you to remain
We’re snarled in all of the mess we made
Each breath you’re taking will get me nearer now
You’re mine tonight I see it in your face
Your face
We will do it with the lights off
Inform me every part you need now
I don’t need to lose you this time
Keep the evening once more
With its pulsing rhythm, emotionally charged lyricism, and magnetic sonic contrasts, “Lights Off” is a placing show of Social Order’s evolving artistry and uncooked, unapologetic spirit. It’s a tune for the moments we really feel most unmoored, and a soundtrack for the nights we let go of purpose and run headfirst into feeling. “We will do it with the lights off / Inform me every part you need now,” Musso pleads in a breathless, pressing refrain — a second of longing suspended in time, the place bodily need meets emotional desperation. Because the band proceed carving their place within the trendy post-punk panorama, “Lights Off” stands tall as each a private reckoning and a communal launch — moody, messy, and totally mesmerizing.
Because of Social Order, we’ll be doing it with the lights off all 12 months lengthy.
Tears go by
I gained’t allow you to fall this time
I do know that it’s now or by no means
I’ll take off all of the chains
Tears go by
I gained’t allow you to fall this time
I do know that it’s now or by no means
Now or by no means
Take off all of your chains
We will do it with the lights off
Inform me every part you need now
I don’t need to lose you this time
Keep the evening once more
“Want You Would Discover (Know This)”
by zzzahara
I maintain coming again to zzzahara’s sophomore LP, Spiral Your Means Out, and every time I do, I discover extra causes to like Zahara Jaime’s unflinchingly uncooked songwriting and equally visceral efficiency. For me, the report’s centerpiece is monitor 5, “Want You Would Discover (Know This)” – a tune that channels the emotional wreckage and unapologetic nature of the album’s title right into a cathartic, catchy, and soul-stirring eruption.
Maybe it’s no shock that this tune is extra stream-of-conscious than it’s rigorously crafted concoction – although each are inevitably true of the tip outcome. Written in simply 5 minutes, the music flooded out of zzzahara as they put pen to paper and wrote all of the ideas and emotions that had been left unsaid.
“The attitude that I wrote it from was similar to letting anyone drive the automotive,” Jaime tells Atwood Journal. “I wrote it about my ex, and it felt like she was at all times driving the automotive and as a substitute of being vocal or communicative. I felt like had tried a lot by that time that I simply let the automotive drive. That tune was me simply spitting bars about how I felt.”
“Want That You Would Discover” is true catharsis manifest in two and a half minutes of angsty, dreamy various. It’s zzzahara’s innermost confession – an intimate plea given a voice after being ignored or averted for a lot too lengthy. Launched on January 10th, Spiral Your Means Out was one of many 12 months’s first releases, however it’s essential to not let it get buried below all of the music that has since adopted; a cohesive and achingly weak murals dwelling within the artist’s darkest depths, zzzahara’s newest providing deserves to be skilled from bitter finish to bitter finish, as we take in the depth and fullness of their emotions delivered to life in tune.
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