Three emotionally captivating singer songwriters at the intersection of folk and indie pop

Kora Feder – “Paragraphs”
-From the first time I clicked play on this track, I was captivated. Kora Feder has one of those voices where you feel like you grew up with her… or you were good friends at some point… or like… you maybe would get coffee and have a nice chat. The accessible style of her vocal makes each lyrical line go down smooth in this remarkable conversational song, “Paragraphs.” It’s a coming of age song about learning to write music and making your way. It’s funny that I’m a lot further along in life than Feder, but I still feel the age and stage that this song is about. I won’t say which specific one, but about the midpoint of the song there was a lyric that cut me so deep I had to pause it on first listen and just take a moment. It was that emotionally moving. So yeah… this one is special.

Sydney Madison – “deep end”
-The flood of people that I thought of listening to this song is actually kind of distracting. Sydney Madison has this accessible, beautiful vocal style that makes you want to curl up and just listen closely. I know there’s this whole trend of singer songwriters to back their emotional songwriting with fancy production like Billie and Finneas, but like… I’m also not complaining at how well it works with this song. At the core, Madison is a great writer so the song would still be good even without the extras. But let me just say that the delicate balance between the vocal and the atmospheric production is wonderful. The whispery quality of the harmony vocal dancing with the lead makes for a really satisfying sound. This is a 21st century heartache song and it works incredibly well.

Alexa Kate – “again & again”
-There’s a delicate energy to the way the guitar and the vocal connect on this track. The undeniable indie pop stylings are clear even in the resonance of the vocal, but it sounds so good. Once the emotionally charged chorus vocal begins, there’s a richness to the song that goes to another level. To be honest, the second verse starts to take on a Swift-like poppy country energy to it. That said, the rich emotional heartbreak lyrics of the song are going to be relatable to anyone who is still wrestling with a difficult breakup. The key line, though, is about how “it keeps happening again and again.” I truly hope that people who can relate to this can break the cycle and find someone who loves them no matter what. The rich, sincere, expressive songwriting works really well at conveying the heart wrenching emotions of this moment. I’m sad that so many people can relate to these lyrics, but it’s a song worth sharing widely.