New Music Monday: 7/31/23

Madhouse by House of Harm

“Madhouse” takes you through a series of thoughts and emotions, all provoking an all-consuming feeling of delight. The poetic writing tells a story of the longing for compassion and understanding all the while trying not to get lost in your own mind, confusing your thoughts for another, “The voice is clear / It’s in my head and it’s coming from your eyes /

But you would never let me see”. It’s an eerie phenomenon, the feeling that your own thoughts are not your own. House of Harm beautifully captures this peculiar sentiment, with steady drums, mesmerizing synths, and just an overall feeling of being taken to another dimension.

Cold Fingers by Two-Man Giant Squid

If you’re ever looking for a new, cool, underground, indie/alt-rock band, look no further because Two-Man Giant Squid is criminally underrated. Their recently released single “Cold Fingers” is superb to say the least. Beginning the track off with hypnotic riffs, strong drums, and cool vocals, the song progresses into an insane job on instrumentals with an unforgettable guitar solo and a gutting outro. The drums pick up and so does the singing alongside the guitar. This is one of those songs that is already so good that you know hearing it live would be an incredible experience.

RIOT (Rowdy Pipe’n) by A$AP Rocky

The first drop since January’s “Same Problems”, A$AP Rocky is giving his fans a taste of what’s to come with his new album ‘Don’t Be Dumb’. Co-written and co-produced by Pharell Williams, the track delivers clever bars with a punchy beat, “Pass on a sweetie, I got me a RiRi/ Blue magic, she sniffin' that, I dream of genie”. Acknowledging the shoutout he gives to Rihanna, lyrically A$AP’s flow is undeniably clean, and using his past work as a reference, it only further proves this statement true.

Heavier by Odesza and Yellow House

Dreamy vocals paired with psychedelic electronic beats, “Heavier” is the perfect addition to your mid-summer playlist. The collaboration of Yellow House working with Odesza adds an indie element incorporated to the already expected EDM aspect of the EP ‘Flaws In Our Design’. Introspection is evoked while listening and analyzing the lyrics which are fascinating, “I'll find peace in your nightshade / And the warmth inside your cool blade / And lead you down a labyrinth of desire”.

Be My Summer by Snoh Aalegra

For angelic vocals luring you into the start of the track and majestic keys, “Be My Summer” feels like a heavenly experience from start to finish. The song moves you through her emotions of trying to move on from a significant other but somehow falling back in love, “You’ve taken tenure in my heart / I can’t change how I feel”. Harmonizing vocals in the back support Aalegra’s voice creating an all-around perfect R&B tune, again perfect for the summer.

Enough Is Enough by Post Malone

Another highly anticipated album, ‘Austin’ by Post Malone dropped July 28th, making this his fifth studio album. With every new release, Post shows evolution within his music but still creates art that resonates with countless amounts of people. Starting the song with a classic guitar riff and his notorious autotuned vocals, the reflective lyrics are catchy and the melodies are refreshing; however, the track touches on the issue of over-indulgence. Post has been known for his genuine and honest song-writing abilities while also making an enjoyable track that may not feel as depressing as it is, “Take me home, don't shut me out / It's easier to leave me down here on the ground”.

DELRESTO (ECHOES) by Travis Scott

With the release of Travis Scott’s new album ‘UTOPIA’, fans are overjoyed and raving about the long list of featured artists throughout the record. “DELRESTO (ECHOES)” in particular features Beyoncé, which many of her fans speculate is an easter egg continuing Renaissance content for the one-year anniversary. The track has the same Renaissance disco vibe with smooth vocals persistent from Beyoncé and Scotts’ echoey delivery, “The starry nights are startin' to fade / At times for miles I see your face”. All around, the song elicits dancing and contains a beautiful outro with Bon Iver reverberating, “Hey, now, you will report to me”.

Killer Mike at The Apollo: 7/20/23

Michael Santiago Render, better known as Killer Mike, performed at The Apollo on July 20th for the New York City leg of his "The High and Holy Tour." Before the show's start, Crackstart the DJ, set the show's tone beautifully with live mixing, and he shouted out, "OG mama's basement party" as Mike came on. The choir begins to sing, and the "Man of the People" is introduced. The DJ shouted out Harlem, which is Mike's hometown and the location of The Apollo. Dressed in an all-white outfit, he shines from any angle, with the bright lights bouncing off him elegantly. He says he has one mission: to rock the motherf****** stage.

Even though he is an artist with a very large discography, he said he is not doing his old stuff and plans to play his new music, referring to his new album, "Michael." In between songs, he motivationally speaks, saying how you need to fall to appreciate getting up. He talks about his grandma and his struggle growing up, especially mentioning the appreciation of the reward of getting back up. Interacting with the audience, he points up to the sky and asks the crowd to groove. He follows with Scientists and Engineers the most popular song on his most recent album, featuring Future, Andre 300, and Eryn Allen Kane. Like the song, he asks the crowd how long they are going to live - forever. The crowd was electrifying, and the energy was intense. He then brings out Cam'ron, and the crowd explodes, excited to see him.

He put on an outstanding performance and hugged Mike before leaving. The crowd begins to sing, repeating, "I ain't ever scared WHAT, I ain't ever scared WHAT." In his past, Mike used to work at auto zone, relating his past work to a song about filling up a gas tank. On a more political note, he talks about the Ronald Regan administration and what they did with the crack cocaine epidemic. He says that MLK Street was a beautiful street before crack hit it. Throughout the performance, he smiles, generally as a segway between songs, but before he talks about his anecdotes. He ends the show by talking about the state of Hip Hop and being thankful for it. As a religious man, he credits God and the Hip Hop and Rap community. He performs High & Holy for his final song, just like the tour name, with a great smile. Killer Mike put on a phenomenal show at The Apollo; check out his music and socials!

Written by Shrithik Karthik

Photography by Shrithik Karthik

Drake at the Barclays Center: 7/17/23

After five years, Drake came back on tour for an astoundingly good show, one that was unlike anything else we’ve seen before. Drake made his fifth stop on his “It’s All a Blur” tour last week at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York City. The show begins with the younger version of himself rising from underneath the stage, showing how much he has grown over the years, both in his career and as a person. As “Look What You’ve Done” instrumental begins, he walks onto the stage, interacting with the audience as he passes. Once he sits down on the couch with the younger version of himself, the song restarts, and Drake begins to sing.

The crowd became very hyped up when “Know Yourself” came on. The audience says the famous line, “I was running through the six with my woes,” and Drake hyped them up as he gave them a second chance to deliver the line back to him. The music builds up, the audience screams the lyrics, and fireworks explode from above. When he performed “Nice For What,” the energy in the room exploded, and everyone was singing their hearts out. For the song “Search and Rescue,” which was released more recently, Kim K says the line “I didn’t come this far, just to come this far and not be happy,” which Drake follows with, “I didn’t.” He then exits the stage, and 21 Savage comes out.

21 Savage came out of section 118 and opened with the song “Red Opps” and during the part where there are gunshots, fireworks banged in an explosive manner. The crowd loved the hype energy that 21 gave opposed to Drake’s more mellow vibes. With such gritty lyrics the audience gets to bring out their savage side. He then plays “Who Want Smoke??” and the D.A.R.E logo is shown across the stage. The entire stadium is covered in red and the lights strobe and flash between white and red. The energy is strong and thousands are jumping and the floor is moshing. To close it out he plays one of his most hype songs “Mr. Right Now,” which set the mood perfectly for Drake to re-enter the show.

Drake emerges from beneath the stage to play “Knife Talk” with 21. The next song they performed was “Spin Bout U,” gaining heavy audience interaction. Near the second bass drop, as the energy in the room builds up, he screams YEAHHH, and fire shoots out from the middle of the stage, and the audience goes insane for this. At the end of the show, he gives tribute back to Virgil Alboh for being one of the most influential people of our time and being the greatest minds of our generation. He closes out with “Legend” where he sings the ending which was different from the original song. It was entirely vocals and he sang it much slower which felt very intimate and made it seem unique to something that he would only do on tour. He then ends the show with a motivational speech telling the audience to take care of themselves, live their best lives, and most importantly, live a good life.

Written by Shrithik Karthik

Photography by Shrithik Karthik