Day: December 21, 2021

Disco grooves, steel drums, and shimmering synths wash out the bad vibes in the newest single from the bedroom pop musician’s upcoming EP.

Existential dread fills the corners of “Lately,” an infectious pop outing from Mouthsounds, the solo outfit of Daniel Howie, former frontperson of Sugar Glyder. The loss of innocence, fall of government, and an all-around paranoia fill his lyrics throughout each verse, contrasting the largely smooth and appealing production of the track itself.

“I have a lot of creative guilt about surviving and thriving the last 1.5 years – Lately, I’m grateful, happy, and more focused than ever on the things that matter most. Releasing this single as a precursor to the next EP (already written) – that will continue to explore the creative space modern life has afforded.” – Daniel Howie

Indeed, the 90s club throwback essence of “Lately” calls to mind an altogether different end of an era, now seeded into the inevitable appropriation of style in our modern culture- the aesthetics and sounds of that seemingly more innocent time are utilized in our modern age both in reverence and escapism. With “Lately,” they tap into an uncanny valley of sorts, underlying the regret and longing in the hook’s “It’s not my fault” both tonally and sonically, catapulting the listener into familiar territory that doesn’t quite feel the same. The vocal processing throughout the verses aptly distorts Mouth Sounds’ voice into a Ween-like garble, but his beautiful, Erasure-like vocal range comes to play in force when the chorus kicks in. “Lately” is an absolute pleasure of a track, full of depth and mood, and succeeds heartily in its ambitions. Before the EP comes out in 2022, you can listen to “Lately” wherever you stream music!

SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/mouth-sounds/lately-i-think-i-could-get-used-to-this/s-pAIz2lWDxkq

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/track/1E3dWDIlrlP9vXksnsKQ6H

Review By Bobby Guard

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/realbobbyguard

With a name like that we’d be expecting fireworks and while ‘Blankets’ is more a slow burner it does have a lasting effect. To a degree in fact that I needed to return a couple of times to get the full haul of those lingering harmonies. And on closer inspection there is some longevity to the piece, it is an even spread of delights rather than periodic highlights. This Arkansas trio reminded me of Frightened Rabbit, right down to that slow bit of quaintish unfurl at the end. KH

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mp3hugger’s best new music in 2021 playlist!

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More Info: Official
Hear More Songs: Adventureland
Year: 2021

Such precise finger picking, a grand reflection of the age old tradition that is folk and with a singer (Ethan McBrien) who does his own thing Party of the Sun become that kind of elegant of propositions, and probably elegantly wasted while they are at it. I probably needed a glass or two more to fully grasp their eclectic style, so I did, but there is a melodic side to their off-kilterism that kept us coming back for more. So once I was a little woozy myself ‘Under It’ meant I could never be over it, instead we laid there and took in its sunshine rays and felt really good about ourselves in the process. Sweet as can be from this New Hampshire trio who have been releasing a single a month all year. KH

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mp3hugger’s best new music in 2021 playlist!

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More Info: Official
Hear More Songs: Party of the Sun/a>
Year: 2021

Had me thinking She & Him, the words being unique in the veracity of the personality at the helm and that is just as important as the song itself – which is itself brilliantly and intimately observed. Judy sings, we listen and smile and isn’t that a nice output for a couple of minutes of our time. I think so and as a result this Dutch appears appears to have hit that sweet spot – indie folk with an uncommon wit. KH

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mp3hugger’s best new music in 2021 playlist!

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More Info: Official
Hear More Songs: Judy Blank
Year: 2021

What a wild electronic ride this is, like a random doorbell that has been kidnapped with loads of others and arranged into formation to a degree that we may well be able to dance to it. And how it manages to continually invent itself to a degree that it becomes our world for several minutes. Superior work then from Dublin mover Kevin Blake, him like an AI god with admin access to all the lesser machines but not here for their domination, just here to dance. I wouldn’t have been surprised if fellow Dubliner Kormac had come out with this, one of our fave electronic artists and now after this it seems he has limber competition. KH

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mp3hugger’s best new music in 2021 playlist!

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More Info: Official
Hear More Songs: Heartsines
Year: 2021