Mitski

Courtesy of Mitski

A couple years ago, I tweeted that Mitski’s 2014 album, “Bury Me At Makeout Creek” felt like a 30-minute performance art piece on all the known human emotions sponsored by the color blue. A thorough front-to-back listen to the album should render that tweet comprehensible.

Disclaimer: New York-based singer-songwriter Mitski Miyawaki is only barely eligible for an Under the Radar piece. The is on the precipice of mainstream success following (extremely warranted) critical reviews on her previous efforts, 2016’s “Puberty 2” and the aforementioned 2014 masterpiece, “Bury Me At Makeout Creek” and announcement that she will be headlining for alt-rock figureheads: The Pixies. Hell, even Cartoon Network’s “Adventure Time” recognized the greatness in her work and hopped on the chance to feature a character covering one of her songs. Best to talk about her here before she’s selling out sho- oh wait she’s been doing that.

In any case, Mitski’s projects tenderly touch on feelings of anger, longing, love and depression, all while feeling succinct and genuine with each approach. While studying at SUNY Purchase, Mitski recorded her first two albums, 2012’s “Lush” and 2013’s “Retired from Sad, New Career In Business” which, despite not receiving the acclaim her latter two records earned, showcased her songwriting capabilities and commanding emotional resonance that would only be capitalized in the future. With the success of “Bury Me At Makeout Creek” and “Puberty 2,” Mitski’s talent is garnering significant buzz, playing at FYF and Coachella among an abundance of soon-to-be sold shows; if there’s anything I learned from seeing her perform three times in the past it’s that Mitski, pink bass and all, will put out some of the best damn performances you can catch right now. Just prepare yourself for the emotional gut punch.

By Julian Medranda, Senior Staff Writer

 

Steve Lacy

Courtesy of Steve Lacy

Fresh out of high school, 18-year-old ambitious music producer and The Internet’s co-executive producer, Steve Lacy, recently made his debut with the funk and groove filled EP, “Steve Lacy’s Demo.” The youngest member of The Internet found his way into the group through his jazz band classmate, Jameel Bruner, who also happened to be the keyboardist for The Internet at the time. From there, Lacy began experimenting with his sounds with the rest of the band which became the catalyst for his place as co-executive producer on the band’s grammy-nominated “Ego Death.” Although Lacy is fairly new to the music scene and had only released song snippets like “C U Girl” and “Donchano” on his SoundCloud prior to this EP, he has proven to be a prolific producer, being featured on tracks from big names like Denzel Curry and Big Sean and Jhene Aiko’s “TWENTY88” while also being featured on his bandmates’ Matt Martians and Syd’s solo projects.

With his latest release, “Moron,” an unreleased track from his EP, Lacy has continued to tease fans with another brief yet brazen track that stays within his serene style of nuanced lustful lyricism. Despite Lacy’s EP only containing six songs, running at only 13 minutes, every second is coated with instrumentality. Tracks like “Dark Red,” “Some” and “Ryd” are saturated in his distinct heavy bass lines intertwined with addictive hooks all while slick guitar riffs slide under his recurring warm “ooh’s” and “ah’s.” But Lacy’s sound doesn’t only stick to the slow serenades of the sways and swoons of his guitar. “Haterlovin” is a track that hits hard with its quick and persistent percussion to embody the emotional affliction conveyed in his lyrics which contrasts the steady rhythmic bounce of his track “Look,” illustrating his versatility with creating distinct productions.

Amazingly, Lacy mentions in an interview with Green Label that much of his work is produced with only his iPhone which only adds emphasis to his subtle musical talent. Amazingly at the age of 18, Steve Lacy is making his mark on the R&B scene with his work on “Ego Death;” songs like “Palace/Curse” that has Lacy’s charm written all over it. After only a small taste of Lacy’s ambitious production capability, we can only expect this to be the genesis of a great young artist.  

By Cody Le, Contributing Writer

 

SoloTravelBlog

Courtesy of SoloTravelBlog

In the streets of Japan, there lives a man. From the West, he comes to experience the country’s best. With a camera in hand, he films the culture of the land. Whether it’s food or festivals, there’s no denying that it’s respectable. As he records his adventurous log, this right here, is the tale of the SoloTravelBlog (STB).

That’s a theme song if I’ve ever seen any. But seriously, that’s essentially what the food and travel YouTube channel is about. Piloted by food and travel enthusiast Dustin, STB follows his adventures in the depths of Japan as he experiences the country’s culture and cuisine. Now sure, there’s probably a ton of other YouTubers that do the same thing and and perhaps have more views than STB, but what makes the channel stand out is the way Dustin narrates the events that transpire in all his videos.

The humor comes across as very tongue-in-cheek as he narrates how “buckwild” a certain scrumptious food or experience is. It comes off as very self-aware dumb humor. It’s hilarious and in all honesty, it’s probably not for everyone. But for how dumb STB’s humor is, it’s super informative at the same time. STB’s narration style and overall camera work (from a first-person perspective) makes it as you’re right next to him experiencing the culture of Japan. At times, it honestly comes across as a peaceful viewing experience.

Just recently, STB has gone full-time on their YouTube Channel and as a result, is taking his adventures to India to experience its culture as well. If his outings in Japan are any indication, it’s going to be pretty “buckwild.”

By Adrian Garcia, Senior Staff Writer