Virginia based electro-pop duo, Red Flower Lake, recently released their EP Three Truths. The couple, Abel Okugawa Wright and Rahimah von Briesen, write music inspired by their personal moments of hope, lost love, heartache, and personal challenges. Their music is wrought with emotion, and Rahimahs dreamlike voice perfectly rises and falls within the chillwave landscape that Abel mixes to accompany her.
Our favorite song off the EP, “Heart Is Breaking,” is inspired by the difficulties that Abel and Rahimah experience as parents. Rahimah’s lyrics convey “the feeling of feeling wrecked by how hard it is to be in a parent, wrecked by being partners in love, wrecked knowing we are doing our very best and falling short – over and over again.” It’s a beautiful tale of love for both your partner and for your children, and how difficult those two experiences are to balance. Rahimah sings atop gliding drum hits, smooth harmonies, and emotional vocal samples from Abel. Altogether, the track pulls the listener into an introspective, moving dream.
According to Kim Muncie(Neu Futr magazine 6-18-19) Christopher Hill & The Stardust Crush “are a boundless band and could easily fit alongside a punk band, a spoken word festival or even a world music event…and capture the spirit of American artists giving the symbolic middle finger to what’s happening in Washington D.C.” “They are a band that stands for something!” We caught up with Christopher Hill & the Stardust Crush for an insightful Video Voyageur which you can dive into below!
1. Tell us the story of this song, why did you choose to visualize this song specifically in this way?
Say Their Names was my attempt at further educating myself about the stories of African Americans taken by state sponsored violence. I had heard a lot of names called out by Black Lives Matter organizers and had read a lot of names on protest signs but I realized that sadly I only knew a few of the stories behind those names. I found as many names as I could and learned about each person’s story. I was totally humbled and heartbroken and had my eyes further opened. I found that though I thought I had had some understanding of systemic racism and police brutality I had been very ignorant of just how bad things were and are! I hope that the song might open the eyes of other people who think they know more than they do.
2. What was the inspiration behind this video (visuals, storyline, etc.)?
The visuals behind Say Their Names were taken in Sammamish Wa overlooking a valley during the “smoke storm” on the west coast. The idea to take footage of a “Smoke Storm Sunset” came from my filmmaker friend Brian Gilmore, Director of “Dog Days of Winter.” I used these images because I felt that both the fiery skies and the blue skies above spoke about the juxtaposition of how different people groups are treated. The blue sky above also spoke of an ultimate hope for goodness and love in the universe despite the fiery trials faced on earth below. The airplane shown at first just a distant light coming in from far away represents the hope of increasing enlightenment about and change away from systemic racism. The smoke/steam vents on top of the building represent the private/state prison for profit system and its tie in with the unjust treatment of the working class by big corporations.
3. What was the process of making this video?
The process of making the video: I went through the footage and found the most interesting parts that were also long lasting so that I stuck to the natural flow of the sunset as it went. I wanted nature to speak for itself. I did a few rapid cuts at the end, bringing back the roof top vent footage in order to bring visual attention to the final name listed in the song. The final name, Rayshard Brooks was added after I had already recorded the song. I felt that it was important to include his name not only to honor him but also to make it clear that just because the song was over…the problem of systemic racism and police brutality was not!
We are particularly excited about this featured artist because of his cool, charismatic, and confident demeanor. Reigning from Boston, Munk Duane is a man of many talents, perfecting the craft of songwriting, song production, film composition, and MUCH more. Munk’s music comes from his many respected influences, like Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, and Prince just to name a few.
Munk’s track begins with the smoothest intro, some easy claps, and some psychedelic vibes, before his smooth and catchy vocals come into the track. The song is sexy, haunting, and sweet all in one record.
Munk is not a newbie to the music world, in fact he’s grown tremendously through the years, and that is extremely prevalent in his newest release, “Sweet Tooth”, that dropped on October 23rd. Not only is it fitting for the next holiday coming up, where we’ll all be indulging in our spookiest, sweet tooth.
“I get the feeling this will end bad.” This song plays with the flirty, dangerous feeling of chasing after something (or someone) you know you shouldn’t mess around with.
We absolutely love the R&B inspired, smooth jazzy type of vibe that Munk has created with this track, and we cannot wait to hear more from him.
Moonlight Social embarks on a wild whirlwind of a journey with the epic sprawl of “The Carrot”. A nice incorporation of rock meets folk pop results in something that is uniquely theirs. Vocals rise above with a dreamy-eyed mystical quality to them. Delivery is pitch-perfect for it further emphasizes the gargantuan sound. By allowing for a bit of distance between the instrumentals and the vocals the record goes for a dazed, hazy quality that is alluring from beginning to end. Lyricism neatly ties everything together for it has a poetic, playful spirit to it with each verse cascading downwards.
The Texas-born, Nashville raised duo is formed by Jeremy Burchard and Jennica Scott, longtime best friends who met as members of The University of Texas Longhorn Band (Burchard as a member of the drum line, Scott as a trumpet player).
The group cut their teeth on the road, playing hundreds of shows out of their home base of Austin, Texas, and in 2016 they relocated to Nashville, Tennessee. Their 2018 EP Make You Smile debuted on the Billboard charts and The Huffpost called lead single “simply irresistible.”
Bringing a thematic, energetic live show, the band has played hundreds of shows across dozens of states and continues to release catchy, thoughtful, genre-bending music.
Melodically rich, Moonlight Social delivers something truly classic on “The Carrot.” By forgoing easy pigeonholing, the album runs the gamut from soulful balladry to classically-inclined instrumentation, with elements of Folk thrown in for good measure. Layer upon layer is applied with a painterly impressionistic flavor though everything remains quite spacious. The airiness of the album helps to tie it together for space is an important element of the work.
Singer-songwriter Dan Miraldi delivers freewheeling flows on the blissed-out vibes of “More Mood Music,” which is out now. Lyrics have a nimble quality to them while they navigate a whole slew of different spectrums. Songs effortlessly blend into each other in a way that creates a coherent, cohesive whole. Everything has a sun-drenched quality to it which we are head over heels for. Rhythms and harmonies exist and roll on through leisurely with such ease. Nothing ever becomes too dense for he ensures that the spaced-out quality remains intact.
Heavily rooted in a folk ethos, his aesthetic works wonders to fully extenuate the tenderness of his vocals. Word choice is done with an exceptional crystal clarity for he proves to be an exceptional storyteller. Melodies possess a great richness to them for the guitar work has a stellar nimbleness to them. Everything positively shines with so much joy. Acoustic guitars have a grace to them while Miraldi’s playing at times draws from the Mountain Goats’ most intimate recordings.
Dan Miraldi’s blissful “More Mood Music,” is out now.
Cozmic’s indie-pop is the millennial soundtrack to Venice Beach, California. His transcendent tunes are informed by the beach’s curious culture clash; a motley mishmash of techies, artists, spirituality seekers, yogis, punkers, skate rats, and surfers.
This is the music that we need now—something the whole world can sing to. Playful and purposeful, Venice Beach, California-based artist Cozmic has cultivated an irresistible and invigorating lifestyle musical platform that reflects the beach’s curious culture clash; a motley mishmash of techies, artists, spirituality seekers, yogis, punkers, skate rats, and surfers. His music embraces pop, electro-pop, indie-pop, R&B, singer-songwriter narrative writing, and urban-pop. His latest work recalls Two Feet, Khalid, NoMBe, and Dermot Kennedy. This is the millennial soundtrack to a cultural mecca.
A cinematic fall relationship anthem, catchy banger “Surface” delivers emotional dueting vocals and earworm hooks atop a vibey, ambient and textured indie-pop production. The melodic, mid-tempo track gracefully plays in multiple genres from Indie Pop to Pop RnB. The song’s powerful vocal delivery, lyrics and production would appeal to fans of artists like: Halsey, Demi Lovato, and Lauv. The track was produced by an all-star creative team including Chris Garcia (Lana Del Rey, Demi Lovato, Dua Lipa) and Refugee (Illenium, Xuitecasecity).
It’s a song about that scary feeling of wearing your heart on your sleeve because it’s been broken before. And the support of a partner who wants to work through that fear with you no matter what. It’s about the beauty and power of accepting your partner’s imperfections… and your own, together.
Creativity and conscious living imbue all facets of Cozmic’s life. For him, clothing is another outlet for artistic expression, and his couture choices are just as freewheeling as his music. His aesthetic blurs the lines between eras, styles, and gender norms. Cozmic is also alcohol and drug free, vegetarian; he supports and promotes awareness for mental health issues; and he is a disciplined meditator and who shares the fruit of the journey with compassion, through volunteer teaching with non-profits for high school and college students.
Modern Mystery 
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