Fresh Music Fridays: 12/10/18

In this week’s Fresh Music Friday, SURG writers put Japanese Wallpaper’s lovelorn bop under the microscope, as well as a sassy offering by soul sister Ella Mai and sleepy chords from new pop progenitors Middle Kids.

“Fooling Around” — Japanese Wallpaper

Lawson: Very on brand for Mr. Wallpaper. And this song is another lovely tune about flirty with romance. One to add to the collection.

Callum: Its sweet, innocent vibe makes me think it should be the soundtrack to a coming of age film.

Rhea: There’s something explosively Owl City about this — maybe it’s the overwhelming optimism that vibes from the auto tune and synth.

“Sauce” — Ella Mai

Lawson: Another R&B track, “Sauce” from Ella Mai fails to capture simplicity and smoothness of her debut ‘Boo’d Up’. However, with grooving production, this may be another sleeper hit. For me personally, I found another boo. Sorry Ella x

Callum: A fun and sassy, self-assured groove destined to leave you with a bit of an attitude.

Rhea: I’m here for the keyboard effect and nothing else. Smooth vocals, nice bass but meh.

“Salt Eyes” — Middle Kids

Lawson: A new cut separate from their excellent debut album, Middle Kids craft a beautiful melody, especially that glorious bridge, over their signature indie–rock sound. However, I can’t help wonder: what are salt eyes?

Callum: Hannah Joy’s voice is captivatingly quirky, but the song never seems to really go anywhere. Kind of like what the song’s about.

Rhea: The song that’d play in the “sad reality” part of an indie rom com. Walks the line of shoegaze.

Tune in next week for our next Fresh Music Friday!