Sometimes, Forever
Shuffle Sundays 69 • Haru Nemuri, Soccer Mommy, Joyce Manor, Grace and Frankie, Kurt Vonnegut, Soumyaraj Vishwakarma, & more.
💽 » Shunka Ryougen, by Haru Nemuri
J-rock, alternative • 21 songs • 62 minutes
Few things get me more excited than hitting play on an album from an artist that I never heard before and being completely blown away. And that’s exactly what happened when I first listened to Shunka Ryougen, the fourth studio album by Japanese singer Haru Nemuri.
It’s an explosion of a lot of different genres that create a melting pot of styles and references while maintaining an impressive identity throughout the extensive tracklist without sounding bloated or repetitive.
From J-rock to pop, to hardcore, and electronic, at times Shunka Ryougen reminded me of the crazy ride that it was when I first listened to Rina Sawayama’s debut album in 2020, and it’s great to see more and more artists breaking free from any labels to create their own genre-free music.
🎶 » Unholy Affliction, by Soccer Mommy
I’ll confess that I wasn’t the most enthusiastic about singer-songwriter Soccer Mommy’s discography until now, but things may change very soon with the release of her upcoming album Sometimes, Forever on June 24th. She grabbed my attention when she dropped the first single Shotgun, and especially with the second one, Unholy Affliction, pointing her in a very different and much more experimental direction than I previously knew her.
🎶 » Gotta Let it Go, by Joyce Manor
Gotta Let it Go is a short and fun new tune from indie/alternative/emo rockers Joyce Manor, from their upcoming 6th album 40 oz. to Fresno, out June 10th. It sounds like it could be from the soundtrack of a 2000s teen movie, but it just came out in 2022 and I’m all for it!
Are you enjoying Shuffle Sundays but haven’t subscribed yet? Join other 800+ music lovers by subscribing and get the next issues directly in your inbox:
🧩 » Random Bits
🤘🏼 • For the rock fans out there, over the last couple of years I've been slowly putting together this playlist with contemporary rock bands exploring sub-genres like new metal, metalcore, modern rock, and variations. Great to listen to it on shuffle :D
🎧 • Speaking of playlists, loved Josh Spector’s idea of going for a walk, listening to whatever song pops into his mind as he walks, and adding to a playlist, which now contains more than 800 songs from all genres and time periods, each of which randomly crossed his mind on a walk at some point. (via For The Interested)
📺 • The longest-running Netflix show Grace and Frankie came to an end with its 7th season, and I have very mixed feelings about it. I like the way things ended, but (especially) the writing was very inconsistent in my opinion. Still a great show if you (like me) want to run away from all the disturbing and dysfunctional dramas out there.
💬 • “Practice any art, music, singing, dancing, acting, drawing, painting, sculpting, poetry, fiction, essays, reportage, no matter how well or badly, not to get money and fame, but to experience becoming, to find out what’s inside you, to make your soul grow.” — Kurt Vonnegut (via Why Would Anyone)
⚡️ Visual Inspiration
Soumyaraj Vishwakarma is an India-based designer and illustrator who creates otherwordly and intricate digital artworks, celebrating those slower-paced days when we're able to forget our troubles and enjoy the simple things in life that make us happy. Check out her website or Instagram for more. Here are some favorites:
🎶 » New Music
this week’s new albums I'm curious to check out
Also, new singles from My Chemical Romance, Saudade, Spiritbox, Black Midi, Sohn, and many more. If you’re curious to hear some of these songs and more, make sure to follow my 2022 playlist on Spotify, updated weekly with new releases:
New Florence album? Holy moly!!
Also, I checked out Kendrick's new album. "We Cry Together" is the stand-out track.
Wow! This really sounds like a new direction for Soccer Mommy. I...think I like it?