Three new indie folk pop tracks that are perfect for your late summer joy-filled playlists

Izzy Porter – “breathe you out”
-If you’ve been around my curation much this year, you know I’m absolutely enthralled with the Lizzy McAlpine style (and all those who are writing/producing in that vein). Izzy Porter is making a contribution to the folk indie pop scene that feels like it’s well within the Lizzy direction and I’m thrilled to feature this song here. It’s emotional, driven by an acoustic guitar and some stellar vocals. The phrasing feels like reading someone’s diary about their breakup. The palpable tension feels relatable, even for some of us who haven’t felt these emotions in many years. The atmospheric mix on the bridge creates a really satisfying transition into the final chorus; this is a great tune.

Ava – “Baby Got Spoiled”
-I feel like I could have curated this song into almost every playlist that we have. It’s a little bit pop, a little bit Americana, a little bit singer songwriter, and a little bit country… it has a swagger to it that we rarely hear in the indie pop scene but it absolutely works here. I appreciate the quality of the instrumentation and especially the vocal performance. It feels like a vintage mid-century tune with all the bells and whistles of a pop tune while preserving some of the charm of pop country in that era. I hear a little bit of Rachel Price (Lake Street Dive) in the vocal, too, which is high praise. Ava brings a wonderful mix of light instrumentation with a heavy-hitting vocal performance for a quality new folk indie pop tune.

REA – “paper planes”
-If you’re anything like me, you get chills before the end of the first line of this song. Now, when I break it down with a sense of musicology, I’m really just hearing an acoustic guitar and a vocal with some intriguing harmonics… but don’t let the simplicity fool you. This is a powerful recording with some beautiful guitar work and fantastic lyrics. It’s confessional, deep, personal, and expressive. The line, “when I’m gone, keep it with you like a song” complete with a beautiful chord change and turn in the melody is OUTSTANDING. This performance goes to show how a small detail can really transform and highlight the emotions of a track. This is the kind of stuff you really can’t teach someone how to write music; it’s just there when it’s there and it’s SO satisfying for listeners. I like this song in the purest sense, but I also have an incredible amount of respect for the artistry that it takes to create something so vulnerable.