Talking through Music: III
A refreshing mix of alternative, indie and jazz tunes to end your week right.
Hi, hope you had a good week! We’re back to listen to some tunes and records to help you unwind and get mentally refreshed. Isn’t this the greatest part about good music? Even four and a half minutes of a good composition can take you away for a sunny, long drive on a coastal highway, no matter where you might be at that moment.
So dive in, soak yourself, or just dip your feet into these new tunes I’ve collected for you over this week. Let me know if there’s something you like below!
Light Up - Nimino
This tops the list because it’s perfect for your Sunday morning wake-up routine. A light, meditative track with electronic melodies feels like starting your day with yoga as the coffee slowly kicks in. Nimino is famous for his minimalist techno banger, I Only Smoke When I Drink. With Light Up, he reveals his softer, ‘mindfulness’ side, who is as good with melodies as he is with his dance beats.
Brick by Brick - Family Company
This new jazz instrumental by the Family Company is bound to get those endorphins flushing through your system, maybe even making you groove a little. This bright, funky song is a treat to the ears, with its laidback groove, deep bass riffs, synth rolls, bluesy guitar strums and a full realisation of their trumpet sound that explodes through this song in all its glory. There’s something charming about jazz collectives that extend their musical range through collaboration, and bandmates Alex Kyhn (bass), Josh Teitelbaum (drums), and Jason Goldstein (keys) love to do just that.
planned - murdermart
This Vegas-based band delivers a classic road-trip ballad, and their understanding of boyband tunes makes this an earworm of a track. It’s about a love lost trying to make love work, a bandaid of a song that can heal the heartbroken. With their prowess over melodies and emphasis on their rock sound, this song is a must for your playlist, to keep it handy for the next downtime you might find for yourself.
Sozin - Pedro Mizutani, Skinshape.
This sound takes me down the road of Hermanos Gutiérrez and the importance of modern Latin music in today’s chill culture. Listening to this, I can imagine the soundscape a movie like The Good, The Bad and The Ugly would have if released in 2025. The song is little dance of the instruments, a bossa nova groove and harmonies of the acoustic and electric guitars. And the most important thing that makes this piece an essential on your indie playlist, is Pedro Mizutani’s delicately soulful voice.
Sutphin Boulevard - Blood Orange
This one’s a retro groove, a blast from the past, the aesthetic of summers once forgotten. By the popular indie artist Blood Orange, the project of Dev Hynes, it’s a lesser-known track on their five-album discography, that once appeared on the premiere of the MTV teen drama, Skins. It’s a palpable funk groove that exudes the energy of a happening 90s dancefloor. It makes you want to go for a swim and sip orange juice while you’re in the warm water soaking in every moment.
I hope you had a good time hanging out. Let me know what you think of these tunes and if you’d like recommendations for a particular genre or at a particular time.
Have a good one. Keep shining!