Twin Peaks - "Dance Through It"
Chicago's own Twin Peaks have been on the indie scene for some time now, releasing their fourth studio album last year. "Dance Through It" has a relentlessly funky bass line, killer electric piano fills, and a gang-style chorus that begs to be sung along with. The lyrics are perfect in this garbage year of 2020 as well, describing a gal who has "problems everywhere she goes" and "pretty bad news rainin' down", but instead of being sad, decides to dance. Perhaps it's a simple solution to 2020, but dancing can't hurt, right?
Cory Wong - "Starting Line"
Cory Wong holds the title for "best song of 2019" for me, so it's no surprise that he would appear again on one of my lists. I didn't fully explore Wong's catalogue until 2020, and I was lucky enough to see him in 2019 pre-COVID. He performed "Starting Line" at that show, and its one of the most infectious, happy, funky songs I've heard in some time. Emily C. Browning's bubbly voice is a perfect compliment to the music, which is full of life and spunk. Definitely a cure for the 2020 blues.
Mannequin Pussy - "Drunk II"
"Drunk II" is the antithesis of a song like "Starting Line". Autobiographical in nature, Marisa Dabice waxes poetic about a relationship gone sour with passion, anger and remorse. The chorus sees Missy's friends telling her she's strong, but inside she's broken, she's pissed, and she doesn't want to be or act strong. "Drunk II" captures the internal struggles of breakups and heartbreak perfectly, living between the moments of 'too drunk to remember you're broken up' and 'leave me the fuck alone'. Raw emotion and raw power seethes on this track.
Charly Bliss - "Hard to Believe"
This track by Brooklyn-based Charlie Bliss might fall off the radar relatively quick, but there's something about Eva Hendricks' voice that draws you in and keeps you listening to this track over and over. Perhaps it's meant to be that way, as the band tweets, "this is a song about being addicted to a bad relationship." The song is built around a catchy guitar riff, before Hendricks' syrupy voice bleeds over the track. Once she sings "I'm kissing everything that moves", you're stuck.
PUP - Bloody Mary, Kate and Ashley
PUP is one of those bands I've been told to check out a thousand times by my friends, and for some reason I could only get into one or two of their songs on previous attempts. Maybe it was the spirt of 2020, but I revisited 2019's Morbid Stuff once again this year, and finally, everything clicked. Every single song on this album is golden, but the one I keep coming back to is one that apparently isn't getting a lot of attention (well, if you believe YouTube comments, anyways).
"Bloody Mary, Kate and Ashley" seems like typical pop-punk on a first listen, but I'd actually peg the song as more math rock - the verse of the song randomly throws a 5/8 line into a 6/8 signatures, and that random non-continuity continues throughout the track. The first time I sat down to play this one on drums I had to listen to it at least 10 times before I could even attempt it, and I still don't really have it right. Melodically, the song bounces between major and minor keys, drawing tension as vocalist Stefan Babcock paints a picture of a demonic séance (while completely trippin' balls). The chorus is absolutely belted, and while the track might not get as much attention as "Kids" or the title track, "Morbid Stuff", it's my favorite on the album.
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