Welcome to “Cut Through the Noise,” an entertainment column from the St. Louis Park Echo covering new music releases. Every week, a different Echo staffer takes on the role of writer, reviewing recent single releases from a variety of artists.
“So Sick of Dreaming” — Maggie Rogers ★★★★☆
When I was browsing through the new releases from the week I was super excited when I saw Maggie Rogers had released a single named “So Sick of Dreaming” on March 19 for her upcoming album “Don’t Forget Me.” You might know Rogers from a video of Pharrell Williams watching her perform the song “Alaska,” or you might know her for her other music — which you should definitely listen to. Her style is a combination of folk and dance music. Her voice and the pace of the piece give the impression of being outside in the summer with a nice breeze. I felt like I was with my friends on the way from the beach to get ice cream. The song lyrics were telling the listener that they are okay wherever they are and that you miss out on the moment if you are looking too far ahead. The lyrics imply that dreaming can be counterproductive — such as when the lyrics say, “Take a long look in the mirror and be good with that.” I also found the melody juxtaposing the song lyrics themselves. The melody was super dreamy and flowy, something I think of as a signifier of an elevated time of the year, when things are always better; and though her voice is flowing perfectly to the melody, the yearning and nostalgia in her voice at the end of each lyric becomes the balance between dreaming and accepting reality. Overall, I really enjoyed the song and it gives you a lot to think about. I can see this going onto my driving playlist, but not much more than that.
“Pretending” — FLETCHER ★★★☆☆
“Pretending” by FLETCHER really stood out to me because of the intensity and vulnerability that it carries. The song was released on March 22 and is a part of FLETCHER’s second album, “In Search of The Antidote.” The songs in the album are all really reflective of the title of the album, but a song where I found myself relating to a lot of the lyrics was “Pretending.” The song’s lyrics talk about feelings that most people have felt — pretending to feel better when in anguish to others. The raw vocals and guitar really reflect the lyrics, especially the crescendo in the lyrics when she talks about how she was feeling when the situations she is describing. Sometimes I really want to listen to Pop music and this song really hits the spot. I did find that it was kind of hard to understand the lyrics when she got super passionate, but the more I listened to the song and read the lyrics the more it meant to me. It seems like you don’t even have to listen to the lyrics to know how she feels. The song wasn’t the most catchy, but the lyrics and the meaning of the song made up for it. It’s worth a listen but I wouldn’t play this unless I was feeling distressed. Overall I like the piece but I think you definitely need to be in a specific mood for it.
“Shotput” — Still Woozy ★★★★☆
Released March 22, “Shotput” captivated me because of its whimsical sound. Still Woozy has a super cool accompaniment. He produced a fun, upbeat, indie song. The song itself is a love song, it talks about growing love and strong feelings of selflessness. It’s a breath of fresh air and as the song says, “it just feels right.” It’s catchy and upbeat, sure to boost a gloomy mood. The lyrics are fun and relatable, and because of this, it makes the song cozy in a way. “Shotput” is the lead single on Still Woozy’s second studio album, “Loveseat.” You might know Still Woozy from the song “Goodie Bag” and if you liked the indie nature and sound of that song you will really enjoy this song. “Shotput” is a fairly short song and it won’t tempt you to skip halfway through, something that can really make the listening experience less relaxing and enjoyable. I do think there is more maturity invested into “Shotput” compared to his other music. The other music has more sound effects that pop out in the accompaniment, compared to Shotput that doesn’t have this. It seems more cohesive and I personally find it easier to listen to. This song is noteworthy and I will listen to it again, however it’s not perfect and I cannot give it five stars.
