New songs for March 6th, 2023

 here they are:


"Amnesia" by M83: Techno-influenced indie-pop group, M83, has been responsible for one major hit so far in the ever-expanding alt-rock pantheon, and that song is "Midnight City," which starts off with a rather eerie synth before morphing into a catchy pop song. "Midnight City" was a bit too synth-y for me to get into at the time it came out, which was a little over a decade ago, but with "Amnesia," I feel a bit more ready to dive into M83's music. It is mostly synth-dominated, like "Midnight City" was, but "Amnesia" has a bit more guitar backing it up, earning the song more than a few comparisons so far to groups like New Order. "Amnesia"'s shimmery guitar line does bear more than a passing resemblance to Bernard Sumner's guitar work. The song's ability to switch between a standard-sounding C major song and its more exotic descent into E flat major during the chorus parts is another notable feature of it.

"Death Wish" by Jason Isbell: "Did you ever love a woman with a death wish?" alt-country-rocker Jason Isbell asks in the opening lines of his latest song. Jason has tackled grittier sounds in his mostly acoustic repertoire, such as 2020's electric guitar-driven "Be Afraid," but "Death Wish" remains mostly acoustic despite its spooky subject matter. Yet one can't help but get the feeling that the song is going to explode at any minute. It never does, at least not musically, but lyrically speaking, it addresses both relationships gone wrong and the feeling of hopelessness in general. Jason also asks "What's the difference in a breakdown and a breakthrough?" during the song, another clear cry for urgency in an increasingly more frightening world. 

"Dummy" by Portugal. The Man: Ever since Portugal. The Man broke through in the mid-2010's with the super-catchy "Feel it Still," the once obscure indie-pop band seemed to have incorporated more of a dance influence into what they do. "Dummy" is no exception to the rule, but the band do seem to be showing a sense of humor that wasn't present in their previous material. A goofy sounding "duh duh duh duh duh duh duh..." opens the song. Since the word "dummy" doesn't appear anywhere in this song, perhaps that's part of why they named it that. Aside from the repeated use of "duh" in the opening, "Dummy" does have actual lyrics, and they seem to be a critique on religion and how it attempts to comfort and ultimately distract people from the harsher truths of reality.

"Not Strong Enough" by boygenius: It's a little weird when a band releases a single at the same time another single is still trying to reach the top of the radio charts, and such is the case for indie-pop/rock supergroup, boygenius, whose "$20" is still circulating on adult alt radio stations at the moment. "Not Strong Enough" might just kill off "$20," though, because while "$20" is scathing and unforgiving, "Not Strong Enough" is more vulnerable and folk-rock-y, perfect for adult alt radio stations. boygenius' individual members, Lucy Dacus, Phoebe Bridgers, and Julien Baker, have all gotten their solo songs to become successful on adult alt radio, and although "$20" has been successful, it doesn't quite sound like any of their solo stuff. "Not Strong Enough," on the other hand, sounds like something any of the three women in the group could have done by themselves. There's also a marked difference between the vengeful lyrics of "$20" and the sadder, more confessional lyrics of "Not Strong Enough." This song might just end up being boygenius' signature song, at least temporarily.