New Albums

As if releasing the weight of the world from her shoulders, Alie Byland exhales at the opening of Heavy For a While, which also opens with a track of the same name. The sigh is a culmination of years of frustration, despair, and the crippling burden of isolation. In fact, on the cover, Alie is arched forward—a physical manifestation of the 10 of Wands card—barefoot, and her hair loose. Her fingers are grazing the floor. Her pose is one of exhaustion almost, looking toward the viewer as if to say, "I've had it."

Right off the bat, it's obvious that Heavy For a While will be well, heavy. It's the kind of album that's an ideal soundtrack for a solo trip when you've got a lot on your mind. Deeply resonant, the album will speak to its jaded audience who is searching for a sense of "normalcy" after a series of unprecedented events.

Heavy For a While is the latest effort from Seattle-based duo Alie Renee and her partner Jake (the name Byland is derived from the couple's surname). Described as "cinematic indie rock," Byland's atmospheric music is colored by the vulnerability of its lyrics, laying down burdens through song. Alie is the frontwoman, the vocalist, and the primary instrumentalist, while Jake engineers and co-writes. Heavy For a While is preceded by Gray and Desert Days.

Comprised of 10 tracks, Heavy For a While is a work that embarks on a mission to spill the inner content of Byland's soul. Largely inspired by the couple's experiences during COVID lockdown and a return to New Mexico for about two years, the album ponders home and a sense of belonging—wherever it may be. The album was completed in Seattle, under the production of Nathan Yaccino (Pearl Jam, Brandi Carlisle, Tanya Tucker). Additionally, the couple penned the songs independently before perfecting the final product.

Following the opener, Byland meanders into a string of contemplative songs such as "Lean In" and "Settle My Mind," which delves into the home of someone struggling with anxiety and depression. Later, Byland discusses a friend frozen in time in "Two Circles." The existential "Temporary Everything" is dreamy, yet straightforward with its lyrics, "Everything's existential... monumental... The end of the fucking world...I'm feeling jaded..."

One of the most powerful songs on the album is "Darts," a vibrant ode to how dreams don't always reflect reality. Accented by string instruments and piano, "Darts" is a loaded entry before the lighter "Monstera," which continues with a similar theme, as Byland reflects on a childhood best friend. Next, perhaps the most cinematic fare on Heavy For a While is "Like Flies." The song starts low and breezy before reaching its symphonic chorus. Emotional and complex, "Like Flies" is a climactic song that showcases the best of Byland's composing and songwriting abilities. "Postcards" once again leans into the past, this time remembering those long gone. Heartbreaking, "Postcards" laments, "I have a hard time letting go..."

Heavy For a While concludes with the understated piano track "End Scene." Lighter than the previous songs, "End Scene" is a fitting closer. In the song, Byland ponders a life that's blurred by the demands of performance. Is there a difference between being in the audience and being on stage? What happens when the curtain falls? The questions unanswered linger long after the final note is played and the music fades away.

Overall, Heavy For a While is fueled by wistfulness for simpler times, existential dread, and navigating a society that occasionally shuns authenticity. A reflection of the times, the album is a testament to Byland's maturity. Heavy For a While is incredibly raw, and being raw is one of the first steps toward healing and letting go of the past.

Heavy For a While is now available on all major streaming platforms such as Spotify, Apple Music, Tidal, and more.

The record was released on March 29th and is also now available.

There is power in absence, and undeniably the band Gossip was missed. Known for its work that combines the sounds of pop, punk, and disco, Gossip has made its mark as a queer feminist powerhouse since its founding in 1999. The band is currently comprised of vocalist Beth Ditto, guitarist Nathan Howdeshell, and drummer Hannah Blilie.

Following the release of its 2006 album Standing in the Way of Control, Gossip found mainstream success, especially in Europe. Since then, the Portland-based band has made numerous chart appearances, toured internationally, and released additional albums such as 2009's Music for Men. However, the momentum stalled as the group separated to focus on independent projects for a few years. The band's last album was 2012's A Joyful Noise.

After a 12-year hiatus, Gossip has emerged with a new album, Real Power. Unexpected but welcome, Real Power celebrates the return of the trio and its signature sound of Ditto's soulful vocals and dance-friendly beats, produced by the renowned Rick Rubin (who also produced Music for Men).

Kicking off with the high-energy anthem "Act of God," Real Power is a powerful reintroduction to Gossip. Reminiscent of '60s girl group songs, "Act of God" sets the tone with high-octane lyrics. Real Power revels in the beauty of being alive and encourages existing in a time when there is so much opposition from the government and society as a whole. Real Power packs a punch and manages to be more relevant than during the time of its writing.

The next song in the lineup, the title track, is a disco-themed song that was penned in response to the events in 2020. As the majority of the United States was on lockdown due to the COVID pandemic, and protests broke out due to the death of George Floyd, Ditto's lyrics are defiant and signify a desire to go against the system. During its release in 2024, Real Power is a crucial album as protests continue to erupt, and various authorities attempt to strip away the rights of the marginalized, particularly the LGBTQ+ community.

As Real Power moves forward, the songs become more personal. An overarching theme of Real Power is that of strained and broken relationships. As evidenced by the passage of time, the band uses the album to lament a string of losses as well as celebrate love itself. Songs such as the poppy "Don't Be Afraid," "Crazy Again," stand out track "Turn the Card Slowly," "Tell Me Something," and "Peace and Quiet" all point to the impact of love and its human collateral. However, the album provides more nightclub fare such as "Give It Up for Love," which is an ode to love that blooms once again.

Real Power closes with "Peace and Quiet," which contemplates the freedom of being alone but ponders on the struggle that comes with transitioning out of a relationship. The song is a complete foil to the album's opener and leaves the listener contemplative, possibly desiring more.

Overall, Real Power is a solid return for Gossip. An ideal soundtrack for the warmer months, Real Power doesn't stray too far from the band's roots. For seasoned fans, that may be a good thing.

Real Power is now available on all major streaming platforms such as Spotify, Apple Music, Tidal, and more.

The record was released on March 22nd and is also now available.

I had barely been in Seattle eight hours when I saw Brittany Davis performing at the Rabbit Box for the first time. Earlier that day, I had completely uprooted my life, leaving behind my home at an abusive commune and a toxic partner. My mind was in a haze, as I struggled to process that I wasn’t in Los Angeles anymore and that I had made a massive decision that had changed the trajectory of my life. During that time, I felt as if I had jumped off a plane without a parachute and had hopes I’d land gracefully on my feet.

After seeing a post on Instagram, I decided to head over to the Rabbit Box by Pike Place Market since it was within walking distance of where I was staying. The venue was mellow that night and a bit more intimate than I was comfortable with in my confused state. I was accidentally late to the show, with Davis wrapping up their set. While Davis sang, I hung out by the bar, enjoying my first celebratory drink in my new city. At the end of the set, Davis spoke with a conviction on par with a seasoned evangelical. The last song of the night was oddly fitting to the circumstances, “I Choose to Live,” which can be found on Davis’s EP of the same name. Following the performance, I had more of a sense of calm in where my new life was going.

Right off the bat, I admired Davis’s extraordinary ability to capture a room and the immense display of vulnerability laid out on the stage. Davis has a proclivity to not only sing about trauma and adversity but rise above it. Additionally, I noticed that Davis’s unique musical perspective offers an overall message that uplifts the listeners, no matter how they identify or where they come from.

On March 1^st, Davis released their debut album Image Issues through Seattle-based Loosegroove Records, which was co-founded by Stone Gossard (Pearl Jam, BRAD, Mother Love Bone) and Regan Hagar (BRAD, Satchel, Malfunkshun). Loosegroove currently boasts an eclectic, yet exciting group of talents which also includes up-and-comer Zoser, Jonny Polonsky, Mason Jennings, U.K.-based bands Tigercub, and James and the Cold Gun, as well as Painted Shield of which Davis, Gossard, and Jennings are a part of alongside Matt Chamberlain and Jeff Fielder.

Image Issues was written, composed, engineered, and performed entirely by Davis and co-produced by Josh Evans (Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, Brandi Carlile). Mentored and championed by Gossard, Davis has let loose on a record unlike anything else available right now… and it certainly does call for a celebration of Davis’s accomplishment.

This past weekend, Loosegroove put on a three-part showcase and celebration of Davis’s work, alongside some other artists on the label. Once again, Davis played an intimate set at the Rabbit Box, which was preceded by a record release party at West Seattle’s storied Easy Street Records. The next day, Loosegroove took residence in the historic Paramount theater for a revue—allowing a stage that’s well-deserved for Davis to exhibit to a larger audience.

Recorded over a few years, Image Issues is an auditory odyssey of the mind of Davis, serving as a “sonic film” that includes perceptions and recollections with Davis’s innermost thoughts spread throughout. It’s an extraordinarily raw portrait of the artist and their existence in a series of songs that traverse genre and are intertwined with spoken word segments entitled “Treadmill Memories.” Through 26 tracks, Davis, to put it plainly, lays their shit on the table and shows us life as a Black, blind, and non-binary musician navigating a world rife with racism, ableism, and fatphobia. One of the main driving forces of Image Issues is that Davis encourages the listener to experience movies and sound as they do.

Davis, for about an hour, takes listeners on a journey of humble beginnings in Kansas City to grappling with cycles of abuse, family incarceration, losing their father, struggling with bodily image, confusing relationship dynamics, and dealing with new success as an artist. Shattering the confines of genre and form, Image Issues launches with a spoken word intro and takes off with tunes that are comprised of house, ‘90s R&B, ‘70s disco and soul, hip hop, and gospel, among others.

Though Davis’s Inner Saboteur lingers throughout the tracks, Davis also teeters between meditations on grief and loss, and lots of frustration, yet is also affirming to themselves and listeners. Toward the end of the record with the song “Soft As the Sand,” Davis takes a step off the cyclical treadmill and moves toward inner peace and self-acceptance. Image Issues, at its core, is a huge middle finger to the box that many Black creatives are so often placed. It shrugs off social expectations and the limits of creative expression. It is a love letter not only to the other “big, broke, Black, and blind bitches,” but to Davis themself.

Some of Image Issues’ standout tracks are the atmospheric “Through the Motions,” the melancholy ode to Davis’s father “Daddy’s Gerl,” the intense “Follow My Lead,” the uplifting anthem “So Fly,” and the crowd-pleasing track “Sepricon.”

Davis’s words were poignant and moved me as a fat (half) Black woman who has been moving past trauma, taking on my image issues, and consistently navigating spaces where I am almost always one of the few, and at times, the only of my kind. At times, Davis’s words were even quite sobering and difficult to digest, but crucial while I work to get off the metaphorical treadmill of my own and continue towards a journey of self-acceptance and healing from abuse and how I sometimes fear how society perceives me.

Following the release of Image Issues and the Loosegroove Revue, I am hopeful to see that Davis’s “sonic film” will reach more people who really could benefit from hearing it. Those incendiary words just might be what they need.

Image Issues is now available on all major streaming platforms such as Spotify, Apple Music, Tidal, and more.

The record was released on March 1^st and is also now available.