New Music Friday - 2/11/2022

It’s going to get over 60 degrees here in DC today - Spring is right around the corner. And that not only means warmer weather, but more new music being released.

The beginning of the year is usually a bit slower for new music - that hasn’t stopped some artists though. Let’s check out some new tunes to get you going into your weekend on a good note. Here are today’s picks.

Single of the Week:

“Imperfect” by Kate Nash

Written as a tween pop anthem for an episode of The Babysitters Club (now streaming on Netflix), the first single from Nash tees up what to expect from her upcoming full-length album. The upbeat, catchy AF track was inspired by the pop women of Nash’s youth (Vanessa Carlton, Michelle Branch just to name a few). Her empowering lyrics are just what so many tweens need in life (“My skin is tough, but I am soft underneath. Imperfect, but perfectly me”). Nash asks the listeners to “Please play it loud whilst applying lip gloss, white eyeliner and ironing the collar on your school shirt.”

Album of the Week:

One Day by The Cactus Blossoms

I’ve admired the music from The Cactus Blossoms (comprised of brothers Jack Torrey and Page Burkum) since I first heard the 2019 song “Desperado” on The Current 89.3 (great radio station out of Minnesota). Their retro roots-rock sound reminds me so much of The Everly Brothers with some Graham Parsons - especially the simplicity of their music mixed with their harmonious vocals. I wasn’t the only one who was impressed.

David Lynch features the Twin Cities band in Twin Peaks: The Return, and Kacey Musgraves took them on tour. So did Jenny Lewis, who guests on the band’s new single “Everybody.”

The songs are a road trip waiting to happen - and have expanded on their earlier sounds incorporating a more soulful ‘70s-inspired sound.

Check out my favorite track, “Is It Over”