March is a month that gifts extra sunlight, the sweet scent of rain and as always, New Music Friday. These are the tracks that will lift spirits for everyone. Whether this weekend is spent walking around the neighborhood soaking in the early season or locked inside spring cleaning, you can find solar comfort in these songs.
GAYLE – “everybody hates me”
Life is a bitch but that didn’t stop Grammy-nominated artist GAYLE from bellowing those words when returning to the spotlight with a track that’s immediately loud and never apologetic. Not one second of this two-minute track is wasted. Despite having one of 2022’s biggest breakthrough songs “abcdefu,” Gayle didn’t get everything she wanted out of life at the time.
“I felt like I wasn’t getting respected and everything I was doing was being torn apart,” GAYLE said. “I honestly felt like everybody hated me. Instead of drowning in it I felt empowered by it because I realized I didn’t have to do anything for anybody else. because when everyone hates you, you may as well like yourself and do what you want.”
GAYLE’s latest track is a perfect pairing to kickstart a huge moment in her career. It arrives just one week ahead of the kickoff of her 15-date run as a special guest on Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour.
corook – “I’m Not Doing Well”
Personified by queerness, singer corook’s latest single signals they’re not doing well mentally but their popularity and cult-following online reveal the opposite. Corook recently posted an Instagram story that says things are going ‘swimmingly’ right now. The time period when this song was written? Not so much…
“To put it simply I wrote it when I was not doing well,” corook said in a release. “Sometimes my sad is short, sometimes my sad is long and this time it felt long.
This song plus the others corook’s recently released can be heard live as the singer embarks on an 11-day U.S. tour this March and April opening for Maddie Zahm.
H. Hawkline – Milk For Flowers
Welsh avant-garde singer and instrumentalist H. Hawkline returns to making full-length releases with this polished record from Heavenly Recordings. The singles leading up to this fourth LP since 2011 were a mix of bright and poppy tunes such as its title track and melancholy slow burners like the closer “Empty Room.”
The track “Athens at Night” embodies H. Hawkline’s career as a whole. It showcases strong vocals backed by synths that feel sharp. If there were ever a song wearing a blazer with pointy shoulder pads, it’s this one.
Devon Cole – “Call U After Rehab”
Toronto’s latest superstar singer Devon Cole is getting authentic about relationships. Her brand-new single comes on the heels of two tracks that have garnered millions of global listeners. Following “W.I.T.C.H.” and “Hey Cowboy,” “Call U After Rehab” exemplifies Devon’s softer side.
“It’s a love song about pausing a relationship in order to take care of myself,” Cole said. “I was putting off my issues for a while and finding any way to justify my bad habits. Deciding to say goodbye to my closest comforts, to give myself the space and time to heal, felt like ripping off a bandaid that had been there for ages.”
Cole is also preparing for two performances at SXSW in Austin, TX on March 17 followed by several tour dates.
Alice Phoebe Lou – “Shelter”
“Shelter” is Alice Phoebe Lou’s first release in nearly two years. The Berlin by-way-of Cape Town guitarist took time off since her March 2021 record Glow. This song proves her charming shine has plenty of life left. “Shelter” is a song about daydreaming. Lou’s trademark bubbling vocals provide plenty of visions for a spring walk.
Looking for more new releases and springtime songs? Check out last week’s New Music Friday and subscribe to Beyond The Stage Magazine to keep up with the latest music news and trends!
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