You and Me and You – Dotted Lines
If you believe the gossip going around, or merely trust all of the movies that you’ve ever seen, the people who spend their time with a guitar strapped to their back or behind a drum kit are supposed to be the life of the party wherever they go.
You know the story! These people wear sunglasses inside, bathe while still in their leather jackets, and on the rare occasions that they say anything, they utter something wholly profound and quotable. Ain’t they cool?
However, these stereotypes, flattering as they are, create an incredible amount of pressure for young artists who are just using their musical instruments to discover who they truly are. This is where You and Me and You find themselves.
“Dotted Lines” feels like tenderly written songs by musicians who have snuck outside of the party and who are hoping that they won’t be found until someone starts clearing the empty glasses. You and Me and You have a knack for creating music that feels personal, that reads like a handwritten letter, while also incorporating enough sophisticated musical ideas to make you want to return to the sounds of “Dotted Lines.”
Sun Era – Grounded
You can practically imagine most rock singers sitting in front of the bathroom mirror ahead of the show. They’re in there practising their lines, trying to remember their motivation, saying their story out loud as if they were talking to a cop.
Some of them do well learning what they have to say and even reach the success that they’ve always dreamt about. But who are they really? They’ll tell that story enough times that they won’t be able to remember.
Since that seems to be the standard, you begin to ache for something that’s the truth, even when you can’t exactly understand what it means. You listen to so much made-up stuff in songs that Sun Era’s music feels like a great relief.
But it’s not like the songwriter will just tell you what’s going on. Sun Era’s “Grounded” is a map where each road can be seen after deciphering a series of riddles. It’ll surely get you somewhere if you follow it. “Grounded” is a folk-rock fever dream, a grand old poem about things that don’t allow you to reach the top shelf. It shows immense promise, and it sounds like it could well be a true story.
