Melissa Kacar

The Japanese House 's "Sunshine Baby" has a certain warmth and glow, while also carrying the weight of inevitable change and the conflicting feelings that come with it. Amber Bain, the British singer-songwriter behind The Japanese House, captures that feeling in such a stunning way. Her vivid and introspective songwriting captures the mundane, small details and translates them into an intimate and profound snapshot of a moment in time. "I wanna be a part of it, I wanna sing along, the feeling when the windscreen wipers line up with the song, perform my stupid rituals, everything is cyclical, hold on to this feeling 'cause you won't feel it for long," she sings in the opening verse.  This song has such a wistful, golden feeling that is also full of longing. It's deeply rooted in nostalgia, while still looking onward with optimism. "Sunshine Baby" captures the complex feelings that come with knowing that one chapter is closing and the future ...

brat and it's completely differe nt but also still brat totally redefined the concept of a remix album. To top off the massive year Charli xcx had following the release BRAT , she took the concept of that album and every single song and completely transformed it into something brand new. It takes the idea that every song's concept, or even just song title, can have so many different lives that can be (and should be) explored further than just the original version of it. Many of the songs don't even feature a single lyric or melody from the original versions, but still find a way to expand and evolve the meaning behind each. Charli's approach to this project is as artful as it is groundbreaking and its long overdue for her to finally get her flowers. By embracing the reworking of concepts, Charli showcases the dynamic potential that exists within her music. "I think what's interesting about the remix album... is I was writing the original record when I was in ...

I'll take you out of the city, right into the shadow 🍅 I recently had the best time seeing one of my favorite bands, Bleachers , live in Jack Antonoff 's home state of New Jersey ! This year marked the sixth Shadow of the City event, which is always held at The Stone Pony's Summer Stage in Asbury Park, NJ. I grew up going to Asbury Park with my family and have seen a couple of shows inside the legendary venue, but I have never seen a show outside at their bigger Summer Stage. I have also never been to a festival like this before, so it was very exciting that this was my first!  Shadow of the City is a festival founded by Jack Antonoff and is usually held just about every other year or so. His band, Bleachers , is always the headliner but there were also several other amazing artists that played throughout the day too. When the event was announced, it was just Bleachers on the lineup, with the rest of the artists being announced much later. Some of the artists that were ev...