The Second Half of 2023 Is Going to Be Fire...
...because I'm currently too lazy to write a midyear recap.
Hi Pal,
Welcome to another newsletter. Bonus Stuff is an umbrella column for ideas that do not fit into the other content brackets I write here.
We’re almost midway through July and it’s incredible just how much new music has been released this year. More importantly, it feels like the quality of song-writing, composition and production within different corners of the scene is growing at an exponential rate and that’s amazing to see.
I was initially going to write a recap newsletter on the music releases so far in the year but writing a long-form piece about 70+ releases — albums and EPs combined — isn’t a task that I can take on right now. So, indulge my current aversion for time-consuming pieces as I talk about some upcoming releases that excite me. Hopefully, you can get excited about them too.
Jonathan Allen Wright
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With three new singles out, I’m fairly certain [Editor’s note: this is just a fancy way of saying that I asked him]
that a new album will drop this year. These tracks have been very strong additions to his discography and it’s clear that his production is improving in leaps and bounds. Stylistically, the tunes are still within his signature indie rock/indie pop pocket but there seems to be a focus on surf rock and retro pop sensibilities. All in all, I can’t wait for the new album.
Emissary
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Emissary also has three new singles out this year. As someone who enjoyed their debut album in 2022 and catchy indie pop/rock sound, I’m excited for whatever this duo is going to put out next. I’m fairly certain [Editor’s note: Again, another fancy way of saying that I slid in their DMs on Instagram]
that they have two EPs dropping this year; one in August and the other later in the year.
Josh Gauton
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I’m not sure if I ever thought I’d be anticipating a Josh Gauton album as I do now. I have folks in my life who adored his debut O, Peace (2019) but I didn’t like it as much as they did. It’s a good album, but for my taste, I just felt something was missing. His new album, Slow Renaissance, is dropping on August 4th and if the singles are any indication of what’s to come, then we’re gearing up for one of the best indie albums of the year.
For Tuesday
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If you’ve been here for the past six months, then you’ve already seen me talk about For Tuesday multiple times. I can’t help it. Experimental indie is a rarity within the Christian indie scene right now and he is creating it at such a high level. The Zechariah album has been in the pipeline for a while and it seems like we are close to a full release soon. According to Mark Ferris (aka For Tuesday), we are three singles away from the complete album. I can’t wait to hear it all.
Other Folks
This section belongs to artists who have given some information on their new projects but are yet to give clear release details.
Jervis Campbell: He has been dropping singles all year long and from the start, he had said it’s all leading to a new album. Still, we don’t know when it will be released nor what it will be called. There are seven singles out, so any day now, we would hear something, right?
Praise Lubangu: A little over a month ago, she launched a Kickstarter project for her debut album, that may most likely be out towards the end of the year. So far, she has shared updates, background information and details about inspiration behind the album on her Instagram page. Her first single from the album, Sirens
, will be out soon.
Darla Baltazar: She announced the album a couple of months ago and some weeks ago gave an update that it’s about halfway done. Though I have no concrete evidence to support this, I have a sneaking suspicion that this may be delayed till early next year. Hopefully, my hunch is wrong because I need new Darla music.
Josh Garrels: It’s been a rollercoaster with Josh Garrels! He took a year-long sabbatical and announced a new album for later this year. A couple of weeks ago, he released a new song titled All in All
. It’d be safe to assume that this is the first single from his upcoming project but I have a feeling that it’s just a stand-alone tune.
Stephen Bradley (sxxnt.): This entry is a bit different because we already have some details on the album. It’s called Hymns in High-Fidelity and the first single titled Love & Sorrow
, is set to drop on July 14th. I guess the reason it is here is that we don’t have any information apart from this. I’m sure that will come soon enough.
That’s it for today.
Catch you at the next one!
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