💽 » How It Ends, by Toledo

indie-rock • 12 songs • 41 minutes

Have you ever started listening to an album for the first time and had a feeling that you were already familiar with it? That’s exactly what happened on the first few chords of How It Ends, the debut album from indie-rock duo Toledo, except that, prior to hitting play on the record, I had only listened to their single Flake once.

For whatever reason, it was almost as if I was able to start singing some of the lyrics or humming the melodies as soon as each track started, and that’s definitely not a bad thing by any means.

Toledo is a journey through familiar sounds from indie-rock bands of the early 2000s without sounding dated or too nostalgic. It’s like visiting an old friend and learning about what they’ve been up to in recent years.

Listen to the album on your platform of choice

🎶 » Cracker Island, by Gorillaz ft. Thundercat

And speaking of the early 2000s, I still remember the very first time I listened to Gorillaz' first single Clint Eastwood from their debut self-titled album from 2001. Although everything they were doing was so different and unique, I honestly never imagined that they would continue to be so relevant 20+ years later. From their upcoming album Cracker Island (2023), the title track features multitalented musician Thundercat, one of the many great collaborations to appear on the album’s tracklist.

Watch the video • Listen to the song

🎶 » Seventeen Going Under, by Sam Fender

Last week reader Steve Goldberg enjoyed my recommendation so much and was surprised to find out that that band has been around for 10 years and just now he learned about it, remarking that it “just goes to show how much great music is out there to discover!”. Well, cheers to that, as I came across this great tune from singer-songwriter Sam Fender, who was completely new to me despite the fact that this music video alone has close to 20,000,000 views — and probably even more by the time you read this. (via Max Mixtape)

Watch the video • Listen to the song

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🧩 » Random Bits

🕷 • How "Spider-Verse" forced animation to evolve;

🎬 • The iconic book Meet Me In The Bathroom (from Elizabeth Goodman) is now a documentary and, by this trailer, is going to be a timeless and important record of NYC’s seminal music scene in the early 2000s;

🔀 • ICYMI: one of the most fun albums I’ve listened to in a long time + The evolution of Björk.

⚡️ Visual Inspiration

Toni Demuro is an Italian illustrator based in Sassari, who loves trees, nature, animals, and humans, and his work often depicts a series of poetic and strange visuals aimed to be seen as narrative stories and strong ideas about society, politics, or social class. Check out his website or Instagram for more. Here are some favorites:

🎶 » New Music

this week’s new albums I'm curious to check out

(*Click on the album and listen on your streaming service of choice)*

Brian Eno - Foreverandevermore
Djonga - O Dono do Lugar
Justice - Planisphere
M.I.A. - Mata
Red Hot Chili Peppers - Return of the Dream Canteen
The 1975 - Being Funny In A Foreign Language
We Came As Romans - Darkbloom

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:

Shuffle Sundays 🎶

How It Ends