Every day, I hear something new about Rat Heel and Tailored Grift against my will. I am so tired of it. I tried to abstain from commentary because I didn’t want to give any attention to this “situation” for a lot of reasons, but at this point, it’s become too excessive. Even other media outlets, especially the popular music ones, are jumping in and trying to keep this conversation alive for the benefit of their favorite annoying white musicians. And for what? The “talent” of their “art”? Please.
You can like their music, and I won’t judge you as a human being. But the wider societal delusion of stoking the flame of discourse in the name of defending their “outstanding contributions as artists” is getting to be a little ridiculous. So here, here’s my hot take: there are PLENTY of other artists out there with new music, projects, and so on that we should be clueing into instead. Enough with this chickenshit insistence on giving this particular couple so much press without ANY consequences for their stupid bullshit whatsoever is only providing a disservice to modern music as a whole.
So, if you feel anywhere remotely similar to how I feel, check out these recommendations for artists who can scratch a similar, yet better itch, with new music out imminently that doesn’t have an annoying trail of controversies trailing behind it.
Dominic Fike
Despite landing some pretty significant roles, both as a featured artist with the likes of BROCKHAMPTON and a as main cast member in Euphoria, Dominic Fike still doesn’t get nearly as much clout as he deserves. He’s an incredibly talented guitarist, singer, and producer, and while some felt underwhelmed by his performance in Euphoria, I thought he came across as very down-to-earth and natural.
This will be a busy year for him, so I’m trying to get more people to pay attention to his projects! For one thing, he’s steadily releasing new music in anticipation of his upcoming album, “Sunburn”, and the songs are just as punchy and sunny as his prior discography. For another, he’ll be playing a role in the upcoming A24 film Earth Mama, which looks astoundingly good:
boygenius
The long-awaited debut album from boygenius–an indie power trio consisting of Phoebe Bridgers, Lucy Dacus, and my personal favorite of the bunch, Julien Baker–finally dropped to critical acclaim. Queer women being allowed to express their authentic thoughts and rougher sounds ultimately results in damn good music–who’d have guessed?
I’ll be honest, the whiter side of indie isn’t as much of my thing anymore, but credit where credit is due, this album deserves recognition for providing a welcome new taste of indie rock. I also encourage you to look into these artists individually!
Hozier
We at The Mary Sue are deeply enamored with this forest-dwelling man, and we were very happy to announce his upcoming album on August 18. Though he gained huge mainstream popularity for his 2013 hit “Take Me To Church”, Hozier still maintained his own unique artistic sensibilities and remains beloved by fans across all genres.
Plus, he’s got his own tour coming up, and from what I’ve heard, seeing Hozier perform live is an unforgettable experience. And if it’s anything like his God of War: Ragnarok performance, I believe it:
Blur
Do you want Brits with new music? You can do a lot better than the 1975. Blur just released the first track for their upcoming album, “The Ballad of Darren.” While yes, Blur is old news at this point, they’re still Blur. And the track sounds pretty damn sweet.
Some older bands get a little lost in the jam-vibe sauce, but this really sounds like a culmination of their entire careers, both within and outside of Blur. I didn’t love their last album, “The Magic Whip,” but this single bodes well for the full release! Plus, ooowee, Damon’s voice sounds so foxy here.
July 7 Releases
A certain someone has a studio album re-release this upcoming July 7, but she ain’t the only one. You should also be tuning into these talented artists, who are all releasing projects on the same day.
Julie Byrne took the modern folk scene by storm in 2018 and has continued to quietly make her own way ever since. Her upcoming album, “The Greater Wings”, will be her first release since her debut, and I’m sincerely looking forward to even more Julie Byrne. I missed her.
And of course, I gotta rep my LA local natives, Local Natives. They haven’t released an album since 2019, so I’m intrigued as to how their sound has evolved over all these years. For reference, this Tiny Desk absolutely dominated my junior year of high school:
There are other artists releasing on this date who I’m less familiar with, such as PJ Harvey and ANOHNI. The bottom line is, just because one person dominates the news, it doesn’t mean we have to take that news seriously.
I say this with no hatred or animosity toward people who love her or her boyfriend’s music. I say it with frustration because there’s so much good music out there. There are so many talented artists I couldn’t possibly fit into one article who all have brilliant releases coming out soon. Yet continually the hurtful antics of white performers dominate the conversation. And I don’t think they should.
In that spirit, I encourage you to share other artists with new releases and tours that you’re looking forward to in the comments!
(featured image: screencap/YouTube)
