Three new songs that fit right in the indie, pop, alt, and folk spaces… maybe we need to invent a new genre?

Simone Ledet – “ghost”
-From the opening guitar strum of this song, I was awestruck. There’s a captivating energy here that pulls me in right from the start. The energy of the song is simultaneously rising, while feeling a bit held back. The chorus, “I’m just a ghost of me” is… pardon the pun… a bit haunting. But if you’ve ever been in a place in your life where you’re not fully yourself, only a ghost of yourself, then this will certainly resonate. I love how the track blends aspects of folk and indie pop so seamlessly. If you wanted to write a song that would bring together disparate parts of my music taste, you’d have a hard time hitting the mark better than this unique track. Give it a spin.

Ben Higginbotham – “Rollercoaster”
-There’s a wonderful rhythmic style to this track that keeps it moving forward, but it really is a storytelling folk song. Higginbotham has a clear vocal style that feels perfect for the corner of a bookstore or coffeeshop venue. The sincerity of the track feels like it’s channeling personal emotions. The genre blend has some rising indie pop (even adult contemporary) stylings, but the core of the song is a storytelling folk track. For fans of a particular age, this really reminds me of something that would have been on pop radio in the late 90s. The production is top tier and the vocal is great; give it a shot.

W.Y. Huang – “Born to Lose”
-The genre tags for this song are twee, freak folk, and indie folk, but honestly I feel like this is its own style of indie pop in the vein of someone like Jack Johnson. I appreciate the spirited acoustic guitar and sincere lyrical style. There’s something about the chord change before “no choice to choose” that feels like it is more sophisticated than might meet the ear initially. I’m far more reminded of abiding timeless folk artists like Woody Guthrie than what I’d call “twee” personally. It’s a sad song with a lot of soul to it when you listen close. I’m incredibly happy to support an artist of this quality and hope we will hear more from Huang in the future.

Image courtesy: WY Huang IG