“If You Like…Check Out…”: Grab Bag Edition

By Abena Oppon

This month’s edition of If You Like… Check Out.. has been sourced from you, readers. We put up a story on our Instagram page, which you can find here, to find out which artists you wanted me to write about this month. I’ve selected a few, and so this month is basically four mini editions in one. You can find a mix of artist, album, and song recommendations below:

If You Like Lorde, Check Out…

Class Actress — ‘Journal of Ardency’

Fans of Pure Heroine would do well to check out the song ‘Journal of Ardency’ by Class Actress. The song’s sparse synthetic texture echoes songs like Lorde’s ‘400 Lux’ and ‘Ribs’, as well as the laid-back vocal delivery. 

Bleachers

The vintage electro-pop sound of Lorde’s sophomore album Melodrama comes notably from her collaboration with producer Jack Antonoff — and so if you like that, then Antonoff’s band Bleachers are just for you. Formed in 2013 while Antonoff was touring with his old band, fun. (of ‘We Are Young’ fame), Bleachers combine indie pop and alternative rock with retro new-wave sounds. Lorde actually features vocals on the last chorus of their song ‘Don’t Take the Money’, the first single from their 2017 album Gone Now — most prominently heard in the live ‘MTV Unplugged’ version. Full of 80s gated reverb, it’s a synth-pop anthem perfect for fans of ‘Hard Feelings/Loveless’. Antonoff was also a key player in the sound of Lorde’s third album Solar Power — you can hear its origins on songs like ‘Who I Want You to Love’ from their first album, 2015’s Strange Desire. 

Sky Ferreira — Night Time, My Time (2013)

Sky Ferreira is somewhat the forefather of Lorde’s initial brand of indie pop. Absolutely beloved on Tumblr in the early 2010s, Ferreira’s output is infamously low to the point where it’s an in-joke amongst fans. One album (Night Time, My Time) and a few singles and features complete the catalogue she is constantly promising to supplement. That being said, what Ferreira lacks in quantity she by far makes up for in quality. Night Time, My Time, is grittier than Lorde’s Pure Heroine (which came out in the same year), combining both electronic and indie-rock instrumentation for a slightly bedroom-produced feel.

Fans of Melodrama might enjoy ‘24 Hours’ — similar to ‘Green Light’ and its desire for a never-ending night — and ‘Everything is Embarrassing’, the dance-pop closer. 

Robyn 

If Sky Ferreira is the forefather of lovelorn synth pop, then Robyn is in some ways the grandfather. The Swedish popstar has many fantastic songs, but she is perhaps best known for ‘Dancing on My Own’, which is considered one of the best pop songs of all time, and is a song that Lorde herself has directly referenced as a source of inspiration when making Melodrama. From Robyn’s acclaimed 2010 album Body Talk, ‘Dancing on My Own’ has such a potent sense of longing, but also of euphoria. The sheer dissonance is what makes the song, despite being upbeat, so emotionally affecting — perfect for fans of the equally melancholic but nostalgic ‘A World Alone’. 

Meg Myers 

If you like the unhinged obsession on display in ‘Writer in the Dark’, the self-reflective melancholy of ‘Liability’, and the drama of ‘Glory and Gore’, Meg Myers would be perfect for you. ‘Jealous Sea’ and ‘Tear Me to Pieces’ from her 2018 album Take Me to the Disco, provide an even more visceral outlook on similar topics, and Myers’ harsh, unrefined vocal performances pair perfectly with the dramatic orchestration and sweeping synthesis.

If You Like Silvana Estrada, Check Out…

Silvana Estrada is a Mexican singer-songwriter who makes mainly acoustic Latin folk music.

Chavela Vargas 

Estrada has been dubbed ‘la Chavela millennia’  — a Chavela Vargas for the new age, having drawn inspiration from Vargas’ emotional, carefully-crafted vocal delivery. Chavela Vargas was famous for her Ranchera songs (a traditional genre of Mexican music) and gender non-conforming performances; fans of Estrada might want to check out Vargas’ songs ‘Adoro’ and ‘Marcorina’.

C. Tangana — El Madrileño (Live at NPR’s Tiny Desk) (2021)

NPR’s famous Tiny Desk Concerts were relocated for two years away from the iconic location due to the pandemic, and no artist used this to their advantage better than Spanish rapper C. Tangana. Surrounded by Spanish musical greats Antonia Carmona, Kiko Veno, La Húngara and Niño De Elche, the spirit of the Spanish tradition of sombremesa is very much evoked as the usual set is swapped for a dining room, backing tracks swapped for an acoustic guitar and human percussion. If you like the Flamenco sound of songs of Estrada’s like ‘Sabré Olvidar’, then this Tiny Desk performance — ‘Los Tontos’ in particular — is for you. 

Hurray for the Riff Raff 

Hurray for the Riff Raff as a band have been through many genre changes, but fans of Silvana Estrada may find they enjoy things from all of their eras. Led by Alynda Segarra, who is of Puerto-Rican descent, they first began as a folksy bluegrass band — ‘River’ from their 2013 record My Dearest Darkest Neighbour and ‘Blue Ridge Mountain’ from 2014’s Small Town Heroes are most similar to Estrada’s music, and so both albums are also worth checking out. 

That being said, the band's conceptual masterpiece, 2017’s The Navigator, is also worth a listen. The album follows protagonist Navita, a teenager based on Segarra when they were the same age, through a quasi-Dorothy in this Wizard-of-Oz tale as they leave their city that has been ravaged by gentrification. Fans of Estrada’s song ‘Te Guardo’, and her cover of ‘Tom’s Diner’, may want to check out ‘Hungry Ghost’, ‘Rican Beach’, and ‘Settle’.

Outside of this, the single ‘Thirteen’ released in collaboration with Bedouine and Waxahatchee, and their most recent single ‘Alibi’, have a similar sound to ‘Se der Ti’.

If You Like Mac Miller, Check Out…

Kendrick Lamar — ‘Feel’ 

‘Feel’ by Kendrick Lamar is one of his many introspective tracks. On it, he raps about self-hatred and loneliness, about hopelessness and societal decline, over a casual funky beat that cleverly betrays none of the anger he feels. There is only malaise and lethargy, as if all of his feelings have been brushed clean over time, like pebbles moving downstream — perfect for fans of ‘Woods’ and ‘Dang!’.

twenty one pilots — Trench (2018)

This is another one of my more audacious recommendations, but once again, I stand by it. Trench is by far twenty one pilots’ best album, and features the most mature, subtle raps that leading man Tyler Joseph has ever put to page. If you want solid bars, see the unrelenting ‘Levitate’. If you prefer the chill aspects of Miller’s music, both ‘Morph’ and ‘Bandito’ are for you — ‘Morph’ in particular reminds me of ‘So It Goes’, unassuming sonically but almost devastating lyrically.

Francesca Wexler — ‘Pink Noise’ 

I’m always a bit disparaging of tiktok’s impact on music, but I would not have heard this song without it. ‘Pink Noise’ has a cool 90s feel, with vinyl crackles, and a pitched-down sampled beat, which Wexler raps over with vulnerability and ease — perfect for fans of ‘Cinderella’.

Wesley Joseph 

Fans of ‘Brand Name’ and ‘Weekend’ would like Wesley Joseph’s ‘Ultramarine’, from his 2021 album of the same name. The two share trap influences — which, in Ultramarine, are fairly subtle, not having the characteristic constant rattle of hi-hats — but also the relaxed tone. In ‘Ultramarine’, Joseph sings and raps about a “romantic nightmare”, the song slowly building to its anti-drop, slightly psychedelic chorus. The piano riff, sampled percussion, washed-out vocal stabs and 808 bass come together to form a subtly layered, well-developed journey of a song.

Melancholy ‘Martyrs’, featuring rapper Monks’, is for fans of ‘Avian’. The spare soundscape well soundtracks an outlook on systemic violence and mortality. The soulful chorus and boom-bap beat compliments Wesley’s anxious, meandering bars, and later proves an interesting counterpoint to Monks’ sharper delivery of his succinct, clean take on the subject. 

Action Bronson — ‘Sergio’

On ‘Sergio’, Action Bronson’s voice cruises over a jazzy bassline and breakdowns reminiscent of 70s soul — another of many wonderfully-constructed beats by The Alchemist. The song brims full of confidence and honesty, and rides on the careful balance between the two. Clearly influenced somewhat by gangsta rap, Bronson brags excessively about his success, his indulgences, and drug tolerance. But, he also acknowledges his luck in success, his partiality for hedonism — the transience of his lifestyle. This is for fans of ‘Blue World’, and the rest of Miller’s posthumous record, 2020’s Circles.

If You Like Pinegrove, Check Out…

American Football — ‘My Instincts are the Enemy’ 

For me, what epitomises Pinegrove is an acceptance of negative feelings — this is seen in the small-town ennui of ‘Old Friends’, and no genre epitomises that better than Midwestern Emo. American Football’s music is mostly sad, and ‘My Instincts Are the Enemy’ is no exception. On the song, Mike Kinsella’s delicate voice pairs well with the intricate, twinkly guitar melody. This is for fans of songs such as ‘No Drugs’ and ‘Aphasia’ — which are perhaps less self-denigrating than this, but they still acknowledge how you can inadvertently become the biggest hurdle in your own life.

Katie Malco — ‘Cloudbusting’

Katie Malco’s 2021 cover of Kate Bush’s song ‘Cloudbusting’ swaps the original’s string section and large marching snares for more earthy guitars and natural percussion. The mix of male and female vocal harmonies (of ST Manville and Malco respectively) are reminiscent of Pinegrove songs such as ‘Dotted Line’, ‘Portal’, and ‘Aphasia’, where lead singer Evan Sephens Hall and keyboardist Nandi Rose’s voices blend cohesively. Fans of this should also check out Nandi Rose’s solo project, Half Waif. 

Haley Heynderickx 

Fans of Pinegrove’s biggest song, ‘Need 2’, would love fellow tiktok hit ‘The Bug Collector’, as well as ‘Fish Eyes’. The former uses an extended metaphor of insects in the home to illustrate how easily obsession with perfection can be undercut by everyday occurrences. The latter uses the slightly disturbing nautical imagery to sing about something vaguely spiritual. The song builds to a cacophony of crashing cymbals as Heynderickx screams the cryptic hook: ‘am I down in the riverbed this time? Picking fish heads and eating out their eyes?’Both exhibit Heynderickx’s skill with the guitar, whether it be a nylon-stringed acoustic as on ‘The Bug Collector’, or a boxy, reverb-drenched electric on ‘Fish Eyes’.

Fans of ‘Portal’ should check out ‘Worth It’ — especially any live version, that really emphasises Heynderickx’s band and their unique use of brass. Both songs are about living up to expectations, whether in relationships or in life generally, and while both also start slow, ‘Worth It’ builds up to a greater climax, great if you like Pinegrove’s music but want something with a bit more force. 

Alvvays — ‘Archie, Marry Me’ 

‘Archie, Marry Me’ by Canadian dream pop band Alvvays has the same clever lyricism seen in Pinegrove’s early work — the sincerity couched in irony of  songs like ‘Cadmium’ — as well as the anxiety of growing older seen in ‘Old Friends’. Sonically, this is for fans of ‘Rings’ from their 2018 record Skylight: both have a big emphasis on the slightly raw drums, and sudden changes in texture.