february fever

it's my 250th post! featuring: music, music, and more music!

howdy!

as of late, i’ve been enjoying ample time offline: touching grass, taking walks, brewing tea, decluttering, organizing, mending, healing, etc. of course, music has been a constant companion through it all. so today, i am offering my usual media roundup with a little twist. it’s my 250th post…might as well switch it up!

in lieu of sharing songs i like from every release, i’m introducing five-word summaries. in five words (or less), i’ll share my thoughts on the music featured in the following sections of this newsletter:¹

• music i missed last year

• new releases

some descriptions will be more ambiguous, elusive, and esoteric than others. many of these summaries will reflect my initial thoughts on the music. others will briefly explain how i plan to engage with the music moving forward. i like this challenge because it will inspire me to actively recap my listening sessions in real time without the pressure to say too much all at once.

for the most part, i was able to include music from the featured releases on my monthly playlist, so that’s where you will find the bulk of my preferred tracks. all other releases that don’t have an embed will have a song/album link attached to their title. as much as i enjoy what the embedded links add visually, i’ve noticed that my media-heavy posts tend to crash on the website more than they did in previous years. so it’s definitely time for a change anyway.

i would also like to implement a “#1 play of the month” feature (working title). this is one album (or EP) that i will write about with more depth. doing this will essentially allow my mid-year and year-end music lists to build themselves. you’ll find my selection for “#1 play of the month” at the end of the new releases section.

there are quite a few albums that came out today, so some of them won’t be featured until next month. i mean, i only have the one set of ears, yet so much to listen to.

no more precursors though, let’s get into it!

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music i missed last year

Mamii — Phantasmagoria (EP)

definitely deserves more attention

thandiwe — Beloved (EP)

formerly of Oshun (part one)

Mother Nature & Rockmore — Caps ‘N Stemz (EP)

Mother Nature got bars!

duendita — the mind is a miracle

a mellow 20-minute listen

Haich Ber Na — The Everyday

how did i miss this?

Poppy Ajudha — Poppy

Poppy reinvigorates pop music

Terry Presume — Rage And Purity (EP)

gotta hear this in summertime

Ovrkast — KAST GOT WINGS (EP)

sum’n light, sum’n casual

Rimon — Children of the Night

it’s a cool debut album!

Dajah Dorn — Having My Way

bringing back that 90s R&B

Rosie Lowe — Lover, Other

a hauntingly beautiful, soulful sound

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new releases

MIKE — Showbiz!

nobody doing it like him

ZORA — BELLAdonna

OH she’s taking it!

Benjamin Booker — LOWER

a charming third album

Biig Piig — 11:11

good length, great listen

Shygirl — Club Shy Room 2 (EP)

music for baddies (complimentary)

chlothegod — I Feel Different Every Day

oft-hyper melodies, self-deprecating lyrics

Chester Watson & Elaquent — mirage (EP)

ethereal rap inspires transcendent experiences

Kaelin Ellis — OFF BEAT

funky, jazz-forward beats

Niambi — Taboo (EP)

formerly of Oshun (part two)

Christian Kuria — Paradigm

please get into this groove

Mereba — The Breeze Grew a Fire

i’ll spend more time here

John Glacier — Like A Ribbon

coupling this with self-care moments

Bartees Strange — Horror

a large sound to embody

Oklou — Choke Enough

caught me off guard (complimentary)

The Altons — Heartache in Room 14

long-awaited debut keeps me warm

THEY. — LOVE. JONES

it’s giving grown and sexy

Michi — Dirty Talk

sultry dancing is a requirement

Bren Joy — SUNSET BLACK

refined rhythmic eclecticism delighted me

Matthewdavid — Zithertronics

put this on to meditate

Ray Lozano — I DON’T CARE (EP)

precedes an anticipated second album

Wafia — Promised Land

lovely soul from down under

Justin Nozuka — — (EP)²

no, it’s not a typo

Larry June, 2 Chainz, The Alchemist — Life is Beautiful

an affluent, aspirational flow

Durand Bernarr — BLOOM

he whipped up something GOOD

Nao — Jupiter

stunning voice of an angel

Paris Texas — They Left Me With The Sword (EP)

emo rap purveyors reemerge!

Paris Texas — They Left Me With A Gun (EP)

two EPs in one month??

Yves Jarvis — All Cylinders

wow, quite a beautiful journey

Saya Gray — SAYA

my #1 play of the month is none other than SAYA, the debut album by Toronto-born musician Saya Gray. as much as i raved about QWERTY II (my favorite musical release of 2024), this should surprise no one. with SAYA, Gray continues to showcase her kaleidoscopic avant-garde approach to music, yet she anchors these tales of heartbreak in a space-age folk sound. this album has soundtracked my most recent daily walks. as i study it more, one of my favorite things about SAYA is how self-referential it is. when i attended the virtual listening session, Gray typed in the chat that QWERTY was all over this album. and it’s true — mentions of blue lotus resurface in the track “LINE BACK 22” and some of my favorite lyrics from “! MAVIS BEACON” get remixed on “SHELL ( OF A MAN ).”

If you don't like me now, you're gonna hate me later
Speak now, or forever hold your peace

my five-word summary of SAYA is: this will age really well.

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music to look forward to

PARTYOF2 — we owe you an explanation (EP) (3/14)

Alabaster DePlume — A Blade Because A Blade is Whole (3/25)

Ray Lozano — SILK & SORROW (3/28)

Oscar Jerome — The Fork (4/4)

Cold Specks — Light for the Midnight (4/9)

Sirens of Lesbos — i got a song, it’s gonna make us millions (4/11)

Sophie Coran — i don’t go to new york anymore (4/23)

Tennis — Face Down in the Garden (4/25)

Samia — Bloodless (4/25)

Fly Anakin — (The) Forever Dream (4/25)

Lucius — Lucius (5/2)

Little Simz — Lotus (5/9)

Kilo Kish — Negotiations EP-6 (5/16)

spill tab — ANGIE (5/16)

Rico Nasty — LETHAL (5/16)

Your Grandparents — The Dial (5/16)

Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith — GUSH (8/22)

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sights to see

Paloma Elsesser’s Home Tour (Architectural Digest)

By Storm — “Zig Zag”

Kilo Kish — “REPROGRAM”

Travie McCoy — Noochie’s Live From The Front Porch³

An interview with Saya Gray (Q with Tom Power)

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february fever: the playlist

the notes: walking as a meditative practice, dreams coming true, remembering who tf you are while being unafraid to be someone new, accessibility, paying off debts, creative revival, adding a touch of whimsy to everything you do.

(february fever: the playlist on Apple Music)

1. i’m counting hyphenated phrases as one word in case you’re keeping track!

2. the title of the EP is literally an em dash.

3. you can catch me randomly singing the lyric “take a look at my girlfriend” at least once every 2 weeks, so this was awesomely nostalgic for me.