This month’s New Music Alert is a star-studded affair—featuring big name artists, soon-to-be-loved singles, and a few tracks from one of the year’s biggest blockbuster movies. (Hint: it has to do with tornadoes).
We love these songs because they’re all about finding ourselves and practicing self-love in the process. We hope you enjoy them as much as we do.
Remi Wolf | Big Ideas
The Bay Area singer-songwriter’s sophomore record is Big Ideas, a solid follow-up to her breakthrough album Juno. Big Ideas features bop after bop, starting with the album’s first track (and lead single), “Cinderella”: a song that explores Wolf’s everyday mood swings and daydreams, punctuated by her trademark wordplay, plus jazz horns and a disco-funk energy.
Catch Wolf on her North America tour in September and October, with Sofar VIP packages available.
Quinn DeVeaux | Leisure
The crooner’s third studio album, Leisure, is his best yet. Featuring DeVeaux’s unique blend of blues, soul, and country (which he calls “Blue Beat Soul”), Leisure is at once new and old, sharp yet mellow.
“Very Best Thing” is a standout track, and features fellow San Francisco musicians The California Honeydrops. It’s a song about self-confidence after a break-up, when you need to remind yourself of your own worth — an easy mantra to digest, given all the bright flourishes.
Oh He Dead | Oh He Dead on Audiotree Live
We love a good live album. Oh He Dead’s Audiotree Live session is out now, so you can imagine we’re spinning it a LOT. Expect reworkings of tracks from the band’s two recent albums Pretty and their self-titled debut, plus a few tracks from their upcoming album Ugly. You’ll also find “Strange Love”, which we featured in our recent Sofar Artist News.
We’re loving this version of “The Foreigner”, one of the band’s early breakthroughs, which singer CJ wrote about being pregnant. According to the band, the song is about “love’s defiant triumph over doubt, and the blossoming blissful connection between a mother and her unborn child.”
It’s a beautiful message, and it hits us every time.
Rebekah Laur’en | Late Summer Nights
Washington D.C. artist Rebekah Laur’en released her sophomore album, Late Summer Nights, in June. Fully self-produced by Laur’en, this intimate and emotive album traverses R&B, soul, and pop.
We’re loving the track “Used To”, which is about a ‘friends with benefits’ relationship that expires after the narrator realizes they deserve better.
Fran Lusty | 6 Foot and Growing
London’s Fran Lusty writes tender acoustic love songs in the indie-folk vein. Her EP 6 Foot and Growing is a dazzling collection of observations about one’s body in the world. They’re poetic and still, while carrying lofty messages for such a young singer-songwriter.
“I Hate My Job” is a reflection on the imbalance we experience, working our whole lives while the big wide world sits there waiting to be discovered.
JJ Wilde | “Options”
This song’s for anyone who’s been broken up with. Just know, as JJ Wilde reminds you, you’ve got options. “Options” (the song) captures a feeling of newfound freedom in the single life.
You may know the Canadian rock singer from her breakout track “The Rush”, which featured on her Juno Award winning debut album, Ruthless, from 2020. While “Options” is a little less rugged than the material on Ruthless, it captures a bite that we’ve come to expect from Wilde’s songwriting.
Catch JJ Wilde kicks off her Canadian tour in October, with available Sofar VIP packages that include a cocktail (curated by Wilde) and a cover pre-show performance.
Warren Zeiders | “The Cards I’ve Been Dealt”
The soundtrack to the movie Twisters dropped a couple of weeks ago, and there are two familiar names on the list of featured artists. First up is Warren Zeiders, whose country song, “The Cards I’ve Been Dealt”, conjures a gravelly image of the American Midwest.
Charley Crockett | “(Ghost) Riders in the Sky”
Charley Crockett’s version of the classic Western song “(Ghost) Riders in the Sky” is the second track by a Sofar artist featured on the Twisters soundtrack. Written by Stan Jones in 1948, the track, described as a cowboy legend, was made famous by Johnny Cash on his 1979 album Silver.
Crockett’s “(Ghost) Riders” gets a stylized make-over, with haunting harmonies and lonesome horns.
Winnetka Bowling League, Medium Build, and Dawes | “This Is Life”
This track is a real who’s who of Sofar artists. Winnetka Bowling League invited Los Angeles rockers Dawes and Alaska’s Medium Build into the studio for “This Is Life” – a joyous celebration of life, steeped in nostalgia and featuring some of the most distinctly poetic lyrics around. “I think God’s a dog out the window,” sings Medium Build on his verse. Oh, and the video makes the collaboration process look so beautiful and positive.
Catch Medium Build and Dawes on the road this September and October, with Sofar VIP packages available for both artists.
slenderbodies | “sunny eyes (anymore)”
The new track from slenderbodies is like a warm hug. The indie-pop duo’s third single of 2024 is “sunny eyes (anymore)”, a feel-good, driving song that showcases the pair’s hushed falsetto voices and laid back guitar work.
They’re going on tour too, in September and October, across the U.S. Sofar VIP packages are available for most shows, which include a soundcheck performance and a Q&A session with the band.
Catch all of these artists and so many others at a Sofar show near you!
