Local Music Singles Roundup: August 2024
Local Music Reviews
There’s a lot to say about this Local Music Singles Roundup, but I’ve got an 80-word cap so I’ll say this: If you need a break from BRAT and need something fresher than the 20th version of The Tortured Poets Department, then look no further. From the post-hardcore stylings of Cher Khan to a record exclusively about cats, we’ve got the variety you need—and maybe something to make being a girl less confusing.
Cher Khan
“Pablum”
Archive Recordings
Street: 05.28
Cher Khan = Black Flag + Dance Gavin Dance
The word “pablum” denotes art that is stale, hollow or uninspired. And while the inaugural single from local post-hardcore band Cher Khan takes this pejorative for its title, the song itself is anything but. Instead, “Pablum” is a pithy and fun object lesson on how music is much better when it marries a resonant message with bold composition rather than relying on safe, formulaic ornamentation and shallow wordplay. The track opens with an invigorating guitar lick, and then chugs into an anti-art manifesto that’s both moshable and insightful. Over pulsing basslines, punch-you-in-the-mouth drum beats and aerial guitar riffs, singer and lyricist Syd Hale takes aim at music that is “Bland and tasteless / Prepackaged and preapproved.” The lyrics are as subtle as a blunderbuss—though the line “Dead horse makes for a good beat” is pretty witty—but their simplicity brings a distinctively punk authenticity into the song. “Pablum” is the first of several singles Cher Khan will release this year, so keep your ears open for more punk rock bops from the band. –Joe Roberts
floatingaround
“Cat Song”
Self-Released
Street: 05.31
floatingaround = Modern Baseball + girl in red
I am merely a simple woman of simple pleasures. You write a song about cats, I’m gonna stream it happily until my friends and family groan whenever it makes an appearance on the car ride music queue. On floatingaround’s May EP Chasing Bunnies, the song so eloquently titled “Cat Song” is a standout with sardonically witty lyrics like “I got two fans / They got four seats to my living room jam” and “About 48 whiskers combined and they won’t meow until I get the timing just right / Is the timing right?” The single is reminiscent of early 2010s pop-punk with a laxed, voicemail-esque intro that suplexes you into a faster-paced, guitar-heavy track, yet it still feels modern enough to be a trending TikTok audio. All the while, “Cat Song” manages to be very existential and almost lamenting. Dog lovers be damned, this track has something for everyone. –Yonni Uribe
Hoppy
“The Casio”
Self-Released
Street: 06.28
Hoppy = The California Honeydrops + Mayer Hawthorne
Somewhere along the breakup recovery process, between the lonesome valley of gloom and the oasis of forgiveness, the sun begins to shine again. The heart thaws, buds emerge in the garden and we bob our heads to pop music, cured of cynicism and irony. Hoppy’s soulful new single “The Casio” is made for such moments. Its lilting melody and velvety rhythmic pocket beckon listeners out of bed and onto the sidewalk to smile at strangers and bounce along toward no destination in particular. In contrast to its golden buoyancy, “The Casio” is rooted in romantic nostalgia. The title refers to a relic imbued with the meaning of happy memories gone by. “A push and pull of emotion almost every single night / Through the Casio you left just to watch the time fly,” sings Colt Hopkins in a mighty vocal performance. In the same way that the body is often ready to dance before the mind, the assured joy of “The Casio” is one step ahead of its ruminating lyrics. This relatable contradiction makes the two-minute track ripe for dozens of listens. It’s a glass of cool water, the ideal tonic to usher in summertime. –Austin Beck-Doss
Jennifer Ball
“Willing and Able”
Self-Released
Street: 03.03.23
Jennifer Ball = Leith Ross + Lucy Dacus + The Last Dinner Party
Jennifer Ball’s “Willing and Able” is a soul-stirring breath of fresh air. Ball has written a track with dopamine-inducing raw acoustics, while telling a heart wrenching story of a love lost. Lyrics like “Out in the dim light, I talk with your angel” nod to a higher mysticism behind the relationship in this song, something otherworldly lying behind this connection Ball chants on about. Sunny strums of acoustic guitar combined with hopeful yet haunting lyrics hand this single’s voice over to a poetic, heartbroken ghost who waits centuries for a long-lost love to come back. Don’t be fooled by jolly piano melodies—Ball intends to tell an eerie tale, reminiscent of classic literature (Jane Austen?). “My tentative heart beats weary in the pulse of a dead man walking,” Ball sings with ease, as though it’s her second nature to write such chilling lines. This single might have you feeling intense angst and longing… but it’s well worth it, so check it out! –India Mendoza
The Madeline
“Michael’s Song”
Self-Released
Street: 06.03
The Madeline = Duster x Orchid Mantis
I think B Zitting is one of the most underrated musicians in Salt Lake City—if you didn’t know, now you know! Zitting has played a role in several local projects over the years that you may know and love, including Long Dead Bones, Test Tones, Lane and the Chain, Sunhills and Pillars. Their meticulous talent has shone through in each of these, and it’s no different with The Madeline, Zitting’s new “evil analog” project. Even before comprehending the buried lyrics, I knew “Michael’s Song” was about loneliness: “Quiet doesn’t begin / To describe … Oh Michael, where have you gone?” Melancholy guitar and lo-fi vocals pave the way for a yelled, echoing bridge that sounds as if it’s being delivered from underwater. The song is so heartrending and affective, it’ll take you to that comfortably gloomy place you call your own in broad daylight. Though it’s currently Zitting’s solo project, rumor has it that The Madeline will be expanding into a full live band in the coming months. –Mekenna Malan
Tomper
“Call In”
Self-Released
Street: 04.03
Tomper = Peach Pit + Thundercat + Steve Lacy
Local Utah indie pop duo Tomper has released their newest single “Call In.” A pun of the two members’ names—Tom and Piper—the duo’s new single easily holds its own in its genre. Reminiscent of musicians such as Peach Pit, Thundercat and Steve Lacy, this single has the merits to stand with even its highest competitors. With a wave of bright synths, funky basslines, a mandatory voicemail and the perfect pillow of vocals, the track takes the audience into what can only be described as a stroll through a Dr. Seuss book. Those may find a familiarity in tonal resonance from Tyler, The Creator’s 2017 album Flower Boy, specifically the track “See You Again” with a feature from Kali Uchis. The impressive single from the duo is the third track released from the group and follows their current pattern of a single a year (so far). Fingers crossed (for the duo’s sake) that they keep their ringer on; one can imagine they will have some important calls from the music industry coming in soon enough. –Jake Fabbri
Read more Local Music Singles Roundups:
Local Music Singles Roundup: July 2024
Local Music Singles Roundup: June 2024