Weekend Round Up: New Releases From Shura, Childish Gambino, and Sevdaliza
Miss us? We’re taking a break and cooking up a brand new season of Rhapsody in Reverie for you! But until that magical day when we return to the podcasting airwaves, we couldn’t resist talking music shop with the world. We’re sharing a few of the new songs that came out this past weekend that we couldn’t get enough of! Read on below to hear some of co-host Adrienne’s favorites of the moment!
“Elevator Girl (ft. Ivy Sole)” By Shura
Shura’s music has evolved so much from the first song I heard from her, her 2014 single “Indecision”. Initially, I fell in love with her retro feeling synth-pop, enamored by the contemporary reboot of an 80s coming of age movie soundtrack sound to her debut record. Now, her music has grown up and moved into a much more intimate space, creating beautiful love songs that have just the right amount of adoration and desire. “Elevator Girl” is a perfectly chill mood setter, making you swoon with subtlety and sensuality. The bassline is funky and stirring while the chorus soars and lifts you up into a relaxed state of mind. Faint “wahs,” sighs, piano accents - there are so many little details that make this track a happy surprise at every turn. Then, rapper Ivy Sole swoops in with a laid back and warm verse that complements shura’s feather-like vocals. Frankly, “Elevator Girl” is the high spirited sex jam your quarantine date nights need.
“Lamp Lady” By Sevdaliza
Sevdaliza has always had intricate and unique soundscapes and “Lamp Lady” is no exception. Refreshing and unsettling, violin strings solo stir inside your ears and pair well with the warbling beat. Interestingly, “Lamp Lady” almost feels like a soundtrack to a western. More accurately, a space western as there is always something so otherworldly about the arrangements of Sevdaliza songs. Her shaking voice pulls you in and puts you on alert, while lyrics like “who decides what we are when all we have is ourselves” poignantly provoke introspective and existential thoughts. Loosely, “Lamp Lady” reminds me of the first half of “Parting of the Sensory” by Modest Mouse. Both have sunbaked and resigned wisdom embedded into the words and haunting instrumentation. The result is that “Lamp Lady” carries a meaningful weight that sinks deep into you on every listen.
“Time” By Childish Gambino
Someone explain to me how Donald Glover is this dynamic of an artist. Hearing some of the songs from his latest record, 3.15.20, “Time” in particular, I think back to his first Childish Gambino record. I can't imagine that I would have ever predicted this is where he’d go musically, trading tongue in cheek raps for genre-bending, post-apocalyptic R&B. “Time” feels light and optimistic despite being lyrically worried and defeated. The balance between Glover and Ariana Grande's voices adds a feeling of hope and unity to the uncertainty of lines like “Maybe the sky will fall down on tomorrow.” Clocking in at 6 minutes, this song surprisingly doesn't feel long which isn't always easy to do. There's enough movement throughout each section of the song that it doesn't get boring. Over the last couple of Childish Gambino records, I've been feeling more and more of a connection between him and what draws me to old Marvin Gaye records. “Time” only serves to deepen that association in my brain, both making open-hearted and earnest music that stirs your heart, your soul, and your conscience all at once. Guitars, drum machines, futuristic drowning in the background all work to make you feel enveloped by the song and transported to another place. Are we running out of time? I don't know, but oh, to be so talented as Donald Glover. What a gift that would be.
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