Three new indie pop tracks to bring some energy to your midweek

Alex Crossland – “Cheap Seats”
-If you’re looking for a chill, easy going singer songwriter then definitely check out this new track from Alex Crossland. It has some colorful indie pop vibes that really reminds me of Daryl Rahn. The lyrics are clever and the phrasing is just perfect. The percussive energy keeps the song moving along, but it’s the balance between the lyrical style and the phrasing that really makes the song feel comfortable to me. Another artist this reminds me of is Rusty Clanton, who I absolutely love. Crossland is finding his way to my “on the rise” short list, that’s for sure. This is such a gem.

The Sways – “Some Day We Will Dream About Today”
-I’m tempted to call this folk rock… wait, no… pop rock… wait no… ALL THE THINGS. This is a wonderful piece of songwriting with a really nice acoustic groove. The bassline sits neatly in the background and the drums keep us moving, but there’s a delightful energy to the overall production mix here. It feels like it could have come out any time from the mid-70s until the Dawes era of the mid 2000s. Honestly, that’s probably also my comp for this sound, too, is Dawes. Lyrically, it’s got this clever concept of how we don’t realize we’re living our best lives until it’s over. I try really hard not to dwell on the past, but be glad it ever happened. This is a sound that is absolutely dripping with nostalgia, from the instrumentation to the lyrical message… and I’m here for it.

Project Atlantic – “Somewhere Quiet”
-If you’re a fan of folksy rock music with some delightful lightness in the vocal, definitely click play on this one. I’m a big fan of the way the organ fills the space in the middle of the track. There’s a delicate balance on the vocal allowing it to pop a bit within the production mix. The lyrical message is about hoping and dreaming of “somewhere quiet” where life is idyllic. I can honestly say I’ve had very similar thoughts in my own life, especially lately. The real world is nasty, brutish, and short. This type of optimistic dreaming of a “better place” resonates deeply. Conveying that message with some timeless instrumentation and clever melodic structure just makes it all the more enjoyable, despite the persistent dystopia around us.

Image courtesy: Alex Crossland IG