Tag: women who kick ass

Video by William Ruben Helms

New Video: San Diego’s moondaddy Shares Gauzy “Bystander”

Fronted by producer, singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Cara Poticker, the San Diego-based dream pop outfit moondaddy traces its origins to the eerily uneasy quiet of the COVID-19 pandemic. And as a result, the band embraces the age-old maxim that the only certainty in life is uncertainty.

With the release of their full-length debut, 2023’s Poet Lies, the project attempts to meet the haze of existence with a kaleidoscopic sound that provides peace — especially — when all else feels like chaos. Poet Lies saw the band quickly establishing a sound featuring glistening guitar, gauzy synths and dulcet vocals singing dreamily poetic observations while drawing from sheogaze, dream pop and trip hop.

Since then, the San Diego-based dream pop outfit has gone on a sold-out tout with DeVotchKa and opened for the likes of Beabadoobee, Peel Dream Magazine and King Hannah. Building upon a growing local and regional profile, the band has headlined some of their hometown’s tastemaking venues, including The Casbah and others.

Last year’s Lightwave Lightwave EP laid the foundation for what may arguably be the band’s most immersive and expressive effort to date, their sophomore album Dove Tapes, which is slated for release later this year. Both Lightwave Lightwave EP and Dove Tapes was produced by producer/engineer Manuel Calderon at Tornillo, TX-based Sonic Ranch and recorded live to tape. The material was mastered directly to lacquer by Paul Gold at Salt Mastering.

Dove Tapes‘ first single “Bystander” is a lush, breathtakingly gorgeous tune that seemingly recalls a synthesis of early 90s shoegaze and Beach House with swirling and glistening, reverb soaked guitar textures, gauzy and atmospheric synths and skittering and shuffling beats serving as a dreamy bed for Poticker’s remarkably Victoria Legrand-like vocal. Throughout “Bystander” expresses a woozy, desperately yearning lovesickness that’s both frustratingly unfulfilled and unrequited.

Directed by Sylvie Lake, the accompanying video for “Bystander” is fittingly a hazy and kaleidoscopic, half-remembered dream that’s just out of reach.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: Flooding Shares Woozy and Bruising “depictions of the female body”

Fronted by Rose Brown, the Lawrence, KS-based indie trio Flooding formed back in 2021. That same year, the trio released self-titled full-length debut, which featured fan favorites “Insure Me, Procure Me” and “Delayed Gratification” and an attention grabbing sound that ranged from whispers and airy guitar riffs to intense lyricism and distorted blasts of noise.

The Kansas trio’s sophomore album, 2023’s Silhouette Machine received praise from Rolling Stone, Treble Zine, New Noise Magazine and others for a heavy soothing and otherworldly sound that brought in pummeling drums and guitars, just when the listener was getting comfortable.

Flooding kicked off the year, opening for Los Angeles-based outfit Cryogeyser‘s national tour. And building upon that momentum, the trio will be releasing the object 1 EP on July 11, 2025. The EP, which will feature the previously released “your silence is my favorite song” reportedly sees the Lawrence-based trio infusing pop-leaning songwriting into their sound, trading spoken word for melodies and thinking like pop stars when cultivating the energy of their live show.

The EP’s latest single “depictions of the female body”  is a bruising and grungy bit of 120 Minutes-era MTV alt rock that delves into the hope and desperation of unreciprocated desire, capturing the woozy and bitter ache of heartsickness in a deeply lived-in fashion.

“Sexual fantasies are a form of hope,” Flooding’s Rose Brown explains. “If you’re ever horribly depressed, you should try having a crush on someone.”

Video by William Ruben Helms

New Video: Tan Cologne Shares Celestial “Cool Star”

Enigmatic Taos, NM-based duo Tan Cologne — Lauren Green and Marissa Macias — have released work rooted in terrestrial and earthen landscapes: Their debut, 2020’s Cave Vaults on the Moon in New Mexico explored the topography of cultures and subcultures on the surface of New Mexico. Their sophomore album, 2022’s Earth Visions of Water Spaces was inspired by past, present and future water and waterways, embodying the power of water and how it has shaped our planet. 2023’s Pescetrullo (soundscapes) captured a series of on-site instrumental and field recordings made in the remote architectural Pescetrullo in Puglia, Italy, immortalizing the contrasts of ancient buildings, new bold structures, insects, and lapping water of the surrounding environment.

The New Mexico-based duo’s third album Unknown Beyond is slated for a Friday release through Labrador Records. Unlike their previously released material, Unknown Beyond sees Green and Macias reaching for the heavens and an intangible greater existence; the infinite and unexplainable while embracing the beauty of timeless uncertainty. 

Written, performed and recorded entirely by the duo at their Taos, New Mexico-based home, the album found the pair seeking solitude and retreat as they attempted to come to terms with the personal loss of family, friends and childhood homes — within a relatively short period of time. The album’s creative process quickly became a therapeutic outlet for grieving, dealing, changing and understanding new life transitions and ways of being, with each track being a part of the story of the entire album. 

The album reportedly sees Green and Macias seeking a more spiritual process. “We looked for signs and signals during the recording process” they say. “If we saw a shooting star, imagined a fire burning on a hill, or remembered an old satellite dish in someone’s yard, we explored that lyrically. Those visual guides became our pathways to the album. They were the signs to move forward.”

Interweaving and layering hypnotic beats, hazy shoegazer textures, abstract live drum patterns and sounds of searching for signals — of comfort and communication — from the invisible web, Unknown Beyond may arguably be their most immersive and emotive work to date. 

In the lead up to the album’s release later this week, I’ve written about two of the album’s previously release singles, “Cloud of Mirrors,” and “Infinity.“

The album’s third and final pre-release single, the slow-burning and celestial album opening track “Cool Star” features swelling, billowing and swirling guitar textures serving as a lush bed for the duo’s dreamily delivered lyrics describing seeing a shooting star — and the belief act that you can communicate with the beyond; that there are signs and signals all over, if you’re paying attention. “It’s also our sensory transmission of the shade, tide, and temperature shift from the moon and planets as they orbit, and the coolness and pull made by them,” they add. 

The accompanying video features lost, found and archived imagery that’s be been carefully edited and stitched together by filmmaker and frequent collaborator Carly Short. Fittingly, it features cosmic imagery, cars drag racing and more.
 
The duo have a handful of Stateside dates, which you can check out below.

Video by William Ruben Helms

New Video: Singapore’s Blush Shares Deceptively Upbeat “X My Heart”

Slated for an August 1, 2025 release through Kanine Records, rising Singapore-based indie outfit Blush‘s sophomore album Beauty Fades, Pain Lasts Forever sees the band with a revamped lineup featuring Soffi Peters (vocals), Daniel Pei (bass), Sobs‘ Darrell Laser (guitar) and Forests‘ Jared Lim (guitar, production).

Continuing the “tangled family tree” collaboration of the contemporary Singaporean indie scene, the album features songwriting contributions from Peters, Laser and Lim with the material showcasing subtle influences from the latter two bands. The album reportedly finds the members of Blush attempting to create pristine pop that simultaneously explores life’s bittersweet moments while featuring intricately crafted arrangements that swirl between dreamscapes and noise.

Yesterday, the band announced their signing to Kanine Records while sharing Beauty Fades, Pain Lasts Forever‘s latest single “X My Heart.” “X My Heart” is an undeniably sunny yet ironically deceptive bit of pop that sees the band pairing jangling guitar and a catchy hook and chorus with a deeply melancholy and heartbroken lyrics.

Shot, directed and produced by Goh Koon How, the accompanying video for “X My Heart” is viral visual that sees its protagonist take spiral from wistful lovesickness into murderous and obsessive delusion.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: N3WYRKLA Returns with Swaggering and Defiant “Bad Luck”

Philadelphia-born N3WYRKLA (pronounced New York L.A.) is a rising pop artist: “Outside All Night,” her collaboration with Brent Faiyaz and A$AP Rocky earned RIAA Gold Certification and has led to over one million monthly listeners on DSPs.

Earlier this year, the Philadelphia-based phenom opened for FERG on the North American leg of his The Darold Tour. And back in May, she released the lead single from her highly-anticipated full-length debut, “Plastic Cup.” “Plastic Cup” is burning up the charts right now: the track jumped to #15 on the Urban Radio Charts.

Building upon a rapidly growing profile, the Philadelphia-born artist shared her latest single, the Hitmaka-produced “BAD LUCK,” which features her honey-soaked vocal paired with a contemporary retro/old-school soul-inspired production that brings the likes of Monophonics, Bobby Oroza, Daptone Records, Colemine Records and others to mind.

Ironically, the song isn’t a lament on the narrator’s bad luck, whether personally or romantically or on superstitions; but rather, a self-assured side-eye to fuckbois, players, flops, deadbeats that open says that trusting these dudes out there is just going to get you a case of bad luck — and perhaps worse. At its core, it’s a feminist anthem that says “you don’t have to deal with bullshit, ever.”

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: Faetooth Returns with Bruising “White Noise”

Led by Jenna Garcia (vocals, bass), Los Angeles-based outfit Faetooth specializes in a sound that they’ve dubbed “fairy-doom:” a unique and eclectic amalgamation of doom metal paired with vocals that alternate between spellbinding melodies to guttural shrieks and howls. 

Right as last week closed out, the Los Angeles-based outfit announced that their highly-anticipated sophomore album Labyrinthine will be slated for a September 5 release digitally through AWAL and on vinyl and CD by Flenser. The sophomore album will reportedly see the band further establishing their “fairy-doom” sound while embracing a newly softened, more intimate tone, anchored around emotional rawness. Throughout the album, the material touches upon themes of loss, self-pity, personal relationships and more. The inmate balance doesn’t dilute their intensity; rather it reframes it, offering listeners a haunting yet delicate atmosphere, layered with entrancing textures that build up to explosive catharsis. The result is an album that’s a hauntingly visceral and disturbing vision, anchored by deep introspection.

Labyrinthine will feature the previously released, “Death of Day,” a slow-burning and forceful dirge anchored a classic grunge song structure that features swirling shoegazer-like guitar textures, thunderous drumming, enormous power chords and eerie, banshee-like wailing paired with Garcia’s sonorous croon.

While channeling the likes of Tool, JOVM mainstays Slumbering Sun and others, “Death of Day” the song as the band’s Jenna Garcia explains “came to be after reading into the deity, Lilith. I was initially transfixed to the myth of her spawning from the ‘dregs,’ or lowest realm of evil. I perceived that as her coming from the dirt, the earth, and having to confront a life where her very existence is viewed as malevolence, as ugliness. She is cast out into isolation from the moment she came into being. I began to view that as a strong parallel to the existence of queer and trans people in a world that is constantly trying to exterminate and diminish them.”

Faetooth’s frontperson adds that the song’s lyrics “are written as a bit of ode to the Lilith archetype, and simultaneously celebrating and lamenting her forced seclusion from society. The first verse is about her coming into being, how she can only come out at night, and then the second verse is like, yeah, you all hate me, I’m gonna bring all my friends that you also deem as a scourge on society, f*** you.”

The album’s latest single “White Noise” is a bruising ripper, rooted in a palpable and unsettling mix of anguish, despair, loathing and fury that feels both lived in and deeply familiar. The band explains that the song emerged from a diary entry and is a relentless and intense reflection on inner turmoil. We’re often drawn to the familiar, when we don’t quite know why and even when we don’t immediately realize that we’re reaching out for it. And as a result, the song is an emotional upheaval, carrying the sort of harsh and uneasy truths that weigh heavily on one’s heart and soul.

The band’s guitarist Ari May says, “Performing the song always takes me back to a specific place, even if just for a moment.”
 

Video by William Ruben Helms

New Video: LohArano Shares Forceful and Abrasive “Mpaka Taova (Organ Dealers)”

Over the past couple of years of this site’s 15 year history, I’ve managed to spill copious amounts of virtual ink covering Antananarivo, Madagascar-based JOVM mainstays LohArano. Since their formation, the Malagasy metal outfit  — Mahalia Ravoajanahary (vocals, guitar), Michael Raveloson (bass, vocals) and Natiana Randrianasoloson (drums, vocals) — have received attention both nationally and internationally for a unique, boundary pushing sound that features elements of popular and beloved Malagasy musical styles like Tsapiky  and Salegy with heavy metal. 

The Madagascar-based outfit’s sound and approach represents a bold generation of Malagasy youth that still honors, reveres and respects the traditions and practices of their culture and elders, while also being deeply inspired by contemporary, Western genres and styles. 

The JOVM mainstays newest EP YMAIMA is slated for a June 20, 2025 release. And as the band explains, the EP’s material is “a mirror. It’s a finger pointed at a truth we’d rather keep quiet. The EP takes an unvarnished and unflinchingly honest look at the brutal reality of their home land, “which bleeds between muffled cries and complicit silence,” they say.

YMAIMA‘s latest single “Mpaka Taova (Organ Dealers)” may arguably be the most abrasive, Suicidal Tendencies-meets-Body Count-like tracks that the JOVM mainstays have released to date while retaining the accessible, mosh pit friendliness that they’ve long been known for. The song as the band explains talks about organ dealers who kidnap children. Frequently, these child victims are later found mutated — or never found at all. The song serves as a forceful refusal to forget these victims and cries out for justice for them.

Fittingly, the accompanying video directed by Tsiory Andrianamanana is one of the bloodiest, goriest videos they’ve released to date, further evoking the sense of horror at the core of the song.

Video by William Ruben Helms

New Video: Kim Gordon Shares “BYE BYE 25” with Proceeds Going to NOISE FOR NOW

Last year, the legendary Kim Gordon released her critically applauded, Grammy-nominated, sophomore solo album The Collective, which featured “BYE BYE.” As a form of righteous protest agains the hateful, authoritarian Trump Administration, Gordon and her collaborator and producer Justin Raisen got back together to re-do the song.

“(Producer and collaborator) Justin Raisen had this idea to redo ‘Bye Bye’ starting at the end of the song. When I was thinking of lyric ideas, it occurred to me to use words taken from a site that had all the words that Trump has essentially banned, meaning any grant or piece of a project or proposal for research that includes any of those words would be immediately disregarded or ;cancelled.’ I guess Trump does believe in cancel culture, because he is literally trying to cancel culture.

Gordon continues, “Trump has used the term “cancel culture” not only as a political talking point but also as a dog whistle while weaponizing the term to signal support for white grievance politics, traditional gender roles, anti-LGBTQ+ sentiment and hostility toward racial justice movements – without always saying those things outright.”

Here is a short list of some of the words Gordon mentions in “BYE BYE 25” that have already begun to disappear under the Trump Administration agenda:

ADVOCATE

CLIMATE CHANGE

FEMALE

HISPANIC

IMMIGRANTS

INTERSEX

MALE-DOMINATED

MENTAL HEALTH 

NON-CONFORMING

TRAUMA

UTERUS

VICTIM

WOMEN

Among the organizations that have been targeted by the Administration’s policies include Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Office of Personnel Management (OPM), National Science Foundation (NSF), Department of Defense (DoD), Small Business Administration, National Cryptologic Museum and NASA.

Proceeds from “BYE BYE 25!” — both song and t-shirt will be donated to the reproductive rights nonprofit NOISE FOR NOW. If you have a few bucks, please buy the song and/or a t-shirt; it’ll go to a worthy, much-needed cause. If you’re unable to protest because of health concerns or some other very valid reason, donating to worthy causes if and when you’re able to, is a form of protest, y’all. In the event that donating is a hardship for you, don’t worry. Pass the word along to those who could. Links are here: https://kimgordon.lnk.to/byebye25

Of course if you’re curious: NOISE FOR NOW enables artists and entertainers to connect with and financially support organization that work in the field of Reproductive Health, Rights and Justice. They’re needed now, more than ever with reproductive health care services, including access to legal abortion being under attack. Learn more at https://www.noisefornow.org

The song is accompanied by a video directed by Vice Cooler and Kim Gordon.

Video by William Ruben Helms

Lyric Video: Velatine Teams Up with Nocturna on Brooding and Cinematic “Till Death We Do Art”

Melbourne-based songwriter and producer Loki Lockwood is the creative mastermind behind the darkwave/goth recording project Velatine, which sees him crafting a unique and fresh take on a familiar and beloved sound. In fact, with Velatine, Lockwood is unafraid to experiment and works with different vocalists while weaving aspects from goth, Darkwave, post-punk and industrial music.

His latest single “Till Death We Do Art” feat. Nocturna is a slow-burning, and brooding bit of goth-tinged post punk which features Nocturna’s Anika-meet-Nico-like delivery paired with layers of eerie synths, bursts of strummed guitar and cinematic strings. “Till Death Do We Art” may arguably be the most cinematic-leaning post punk song I’ve heard in sometime, while showcasing Lockwood’s penchant for catchy and anthemic hooks.

Lockwood explains that “Till Death We Do Art” is for the creatives of the world, focusing on the highs and lows creative endure while following their muses. He adds that the song is dedicated to a Ukrainian painter named Ksenia, who regularly shared Velatine’s music with posts featuring her art on Instagram before the project was on the platform. He got to know her a little through the site, but because he’s an Australian, who is often far from any sort of violent conflict, it was the first time he knew someone living in the middle of war.

“Having that ever present threat as part of your life, disruption to normality, what we take for granted here and the devastation of losing her lover I found her often in my thoughts. If I didn’t see her post, I’d check to see if she was alive.” He adds that song was largely written before all of this but the chorus wasn’t there. One time, he checked in on Ksenia on Instagram and her instagram tag “Till Death We Do Art” jumped out of him. He was convinced that was the missing piece that summed up the emotion of the song. ” I’d read these words before on her page but this time I saw them in a new light, I knew immediately where they also belonged. Everything fell into place and the last lines, “we’re upset by war, and worry for them all” are for her,” he explains.

Video by William Ruben Helms

Lyric Video: Tomás Jensen and Bïa Team up on Flirty and Breezy “Boum Boum Boum”

Tomás Jensen is a true global citizen: The Argentine-born artist has lived in Brazil and France, before settling permanently in Québec. Over the course of a 25-year career, Jensen has released 12 albums either in a band or as solo artist, which have seen him explore his eclectic influences.

Back in the early 2000s, Jensen first became known for being the frontman of Les Faux-Monnayeurs, releasing four albums that he and his band supported with touring extensively across Canada and the European Union. He solo debut, Quelqu’un d’autre won the Songwriter of the Year Award at the 2008 Canadian Folk Music Awards.

Jensen went on to collaborate in a number of projects including the band Hombre, which received nominations for an Association québécoise de l’industrie du disque, du spectacle et de la vidéo (ADISQ) Award and won a Gala Alternatif da la Musique Indépendante du Quèbec (GAMIQ) Best World Music Award album.

In 2015, Jensen returned home to Argentina for the first time in over 20 years and recorded his 2016 effort Retour, which received an ADISQ Award nomination. Documentary filmmaker Martin Bourgault accompanied Jensen on that trip and made a film that was screened at FIFA and other documentary festivals around the globe.

2020’s Les rêves sont faits was the first album in which he was the sole arranger and producer, received a GAMIQ Folk Album of the Year Award, while reflecting both his cultural diversity and artistic freedom.

Since then, he founded Studio La Maison Ronde, where he records, mixes and produces work for several artists. Late last year, he reunited with Les Faux-Monnayeurs on a reunion tour and live album to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the release of Tomás Jensen & Les Faux-Monnayeurs.

Slated for a fall 2025 release, Jensen’s 13th album À l’humain! À la vertu! (To humanity! To virtue!) is an album of original material that sees the Argentine-born, Canadian-based artist collaborating with a collection of supremely talented collaborators on what will be the first album he’ll be releasing on his own label. Jensen explains that the album’s title is derived from the lyrics of the album’s second single “Big Bro,” ” . . .which carries some optimism with it . . . something we all need right now!”

À l’humain! À la vertu!‘s first single “Boum Boum Boum” is a breezy and flirty Bossa nova duet that features Brazilian Canadian artist Bïa. Anchored around Bossa nova’s famous, gently swaying rhythms and a gorgeous, jazzy arrangement featuring strummed acoustic guitar and twinkling piano, “Boum Boum Boum” imagines a scenario in which for the song’s romantic couple, samba is more important than anything else. Certainly in parts of South America, that’s a fact.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: Beth Gladden Shares Rousingly Anthemic “Subdued Madness”

Beth Gladen is a Cleveland-born, Miami-based singer/songwriter, musician, producer and audio engineer, who works and records out of her Miami-based studio, Sweet Spot Recording.

Following on the heels of “Re-birth,” Gladen’s latest single “Subdued Madness” is a decided change in sonic direction. “Subdued Madness” is a hard-charging and anthemic, 1990s grunge/120 Minutes MTV-era rocker, featuring fuzzy power chords, woozy and eerie bursts of keys thunderous drumming, a supple bass line and some enormous, arena rock friendly hooks and choruses paired with Gladen’s impassioned shouts and crooning. Play loud, reminisce about the 90s if you were around then and rock out.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: Dublin’s Galia Arad Shares Brooding and Intimate “This Close”

Galia Arad is an emerging Dublin-based singer/songwriter, who recently signed Dublin-based artist development label Rubarb Music. Arad’s Rubarb Music debut, the self-penned and self-produced “This Close” is anchored around strummed and plucked acoustic guitar, bursts of twinkling synths and skittering beats.

The broodingly intimate track is a a bit of a change in sonic direction for Arad, as the track sees her blending her long-held Americana-inspired songwriting with an alt-pop sensibility: Strummed and plucked, Country Western-styled guitar, bursts of twinkling synths and skittering beats create a broodingly intimate and lush bed for the Irish artist’s breathy cooing.

“This Close” showcases an artist, who can pair heartfelt, seemingly lived-in lyrics with a remarkably catchy hooks. Arad explains that “This Close explores the tension between craving and control- using vulnerability as a tool to capture after an endless game of chase. The production is inspired by that push/pull, and of course my own desires to kick off my pop girlie era.”

Video by William Ruben Helms

New Video: Big Wild Teams Up With iDA HAWK ON Expansive and Cinematic “Universe”

Jackson Stell is a rising producer and artist, who initially started his career in his native Massachusetts as hip-hop producer, known as J Beatz. Following a life-altering trip to Big Sur, Stell switched creative lanes, adopting influences from the area’s natural beauty and open spaces. As Big Wild, the Massachusetts-based artist refines alt/indie electronic music by blending organic elements, lush soundscapes with genre-defying creativity and panache.

Stell’s breakthrough was back in 2015 when he toured with acclaimed electronic outfit Odesza and remixed “Say My Name.” That year also saw the release of “Aftergold,” feat. Tove Stryke, which stopped the Spotify Global Viral charts.

Building upon a rapidly growing profile, Stell followed up with 2017’s Invincible EP and his full-length debut, 2019’s Superdream, which saw the Massachusetts-born artist taking on the roles of singer/songwriter for the first time, while blending indie, electronic and disco influences. Stell supported Superdream with extensive touring across the US, European Union and UK while helping to establish his reputation as an innovative and boundary-pushing artist.

His sophomore Big Wild album, 2022’s The Efferusphere saw Stell continuing to explore and push the boundaries of genre and emotion.

The past few months have been busy for Stell: Earlier this year, he released -the first bit of new material since The Efferusphere — “Love Any Longer” and “You Belong Here.” Stell’s third single of this year, “The Universe” feat. iDA HAWK is a sprawling dance music track that mischievously nods at James Bond-thriller-like soundtracks, cinematic psych soul and British Big Beat with an infectious optimism. The song continues Stell’s exploration of themes around connections and belonging at the center of his most recent work, the new single — and arguably, all of his latest material — sees the rising artist actively seeking to shed much of the accumulated seriousness of his career while embarking on a mission to reclaim his artistic wonder.

“The release of ‘Universe’ synchronistically aligns with 10 years of collaboration and friendship with Jackson— and I think the depth of our shared creative expression shines on this song,” iDA HAWK says. “During the writing process, it was meaningful to explore universal themes, including the idea that we are all interconnected: when you find your own soul, you find us all.“

The accompanying video is a mix of animation and live-action that sees the duo of Stell and Hawk facing off against a collection of animated baddies in a colorful cartoon universe.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: JOVM Mainstays The Lovelines Shares Woozy, Reggae-Tinged “Girl”

Over the past couple of years, I’ve spilled quite a bit of virtual ink on The Lovelines. The duo, which is currently split between Berlin and  Orlando, have been very busy during that same period steady releasing singles that have caught the attention of the blogosphere and elsewhere.

The duo’s latest single “Girl” is anchored around a woozy yet languorous production featuring a reggae-influenced groove, bursts of glistening guitar paired with Tessa D’s soulful, subtly swaggering delivery. “Girl” manages to recall some of the JOVM mainstays earliest material, the new single continues to showcase an act that writes songs with an effortless attention to craft, while being remarkably hooky.