New Music Friday: 4/10/20

The Strokes, Maddie and Tae and more highlight this week's edition of New Music Friday by Steven McCash on SoBros Network.

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Everywhere you turn there’s despair with little hope. Well, it’s the weekend and something we could all use is some new music to help break up the monotony. This week brings some long anticipated returns and a new-comer ready to break through. Press play and enjoy.

The Strokes The New Abnormal

The Strokes have finally returned with a new album after seven long years in between releases. The new album returns them to their early days and feels as if the time away was spent traveling to the 1980s. 

Not sure what the delay was, but maybe the DeLorean needs a tune-up or maybe they left something behind and had to go retrieve it before going back to the future. Either way, The Strokes have returned with The New Abnormal and they’ve brought legendary producer Rick Rubin for the ride. 

The rumors of the band teaming up with the Def Jam founder had been circulating for a few years now and the wait is over for fans of both. The band’s trademark synthesizer sound is featured throughout the album and the feelings of the mid-80s are not there by accident as Rubin has placed his trademark production stylings on the record.

Lead singer Julian Casablancas delivers lively vocals on the disco-synth jam “Brooklyn Bridge to Chorus.” The song will definitely be a favorite with fans, but comes off as a castaway on Cake’s Fashion Nugget. 

The New Abnormal is a welcomed return to the early albums of the Strokes career. Long time fans will love the new album and there is enough here for new listeners to sink their teeth into, leaving them wanting more. @thestrokes

Maddie & Tae The Way It Feels

Every genre of music goes through changes from time to time. For some time now, country has embraced a pop sound and multiple artists have had great success in crossing over. The latest to blend the two genres together is the duo Maddie & Tae. The self-described ‘soul sisters’ return with their sophomore album The Way It Feels, which is a collection of new songs combined with some previous released songs from their EP’s One Heart to Another and Everywhere I’m Goin’.

The duo, Maddie Marlow and Taylor Dye, who are the Best Streaming Female Country Duo of All Time feel that the new album will always represent something so beautiful and spiritual to them and hope that it has the same effect on the people who listen to it. 

The “Girl In a Country Song” singers co-wrote 14 of the 15 songs on the new album including the upbeat “Bathroom Floor.” The song is surely to be anthem for women going through a breakup and having a hard time getting back up. 

“Lay Here With Me” featuring Dierks Bentley and “Water In His Wine Glass” are two other album highlights. @MaddieandTae

Pokey LaFarge Rock Bottom Rhapsody

I discovered Pokey LaFarge when I was researching bands I wasn’t familiar with that were on a music festival I was going to attend. It really was love at first listen when I first pushed play on 2011’s Middle of Everywhere. 

The Americana artist went into the new album feeling free and released of constraints after going to a new label. Along with the new album, he also recorded with new musicians and the result is a tremendous new album.

Rock Bottom Rhapsody is, a lot like previous releases, difficult to describe. He came into the recording sessions wanting to try some new ideas including incorporating new instruments into his sound. 

LaFarge sings every song in the first person and a reoccurring theme throughout is that of healing. The jazz inspired “Lucky Sometimes” tells the tale of being alone in the world and feeling like you’ll never to find love. Pokey sings of his self-destruction on “Fuck Me Up.” In the song, he sings of his desires for something or someone to bring him joy and pain. 

Pokey LaFarge is an artist whose songs can relate to anyone and has a gift that needs to be heard by many.  @PokeylaFarge

Almondmilkhunni Almondmilkhunni

Coming basically out of nowhere to make a splash on the music scene is Brandy Schwechler aka Almondmilkhunni. Almondmilkhunni is bringing her sultry, smooth voice to the masses through her debut EP.

The Philadelphia born singer released her newest single “Bandana” this week. The song, featuring a sample of Usher’s “U Remind Me,” has the singer pointing out the obvious similarities between her and her ex’s newest partner.  Almondmilkhunni shows maturity in her song writing in this song as she decides to take the higher road by taking the situation as a form of flattery and not putting the other girl down. 

The former Starbucks barista is a singer-songwriter that you need to experience for yourself. @almondmilkhunni

Steven McCash is the Music Columnist for SoBros Network. He is the pioneer of New Music Friday, highlighting each week’s new releases in the world of music, in addition to the occasional live show review. Follow on Twitter: @MC_Cash75

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