Best of May 2023

May 31, 2023
by Eugenie Jaffe
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Just a few of our favorite new releases from May.

Durand Jones / Wait Till I Get Over
Durand Jones is from a small rural town in Louisiana, established by a group of formerly enslaved people, called Hillaryville. His debut solo album, Wait Till I Get Over, was inspired by his upbringing in Hillaryville. Young love, advice from his Grandmother, growing up going to church, affairs and heartbreak, you can hear it all here. The album sounds like nothing his band The Indications has done before, and really allows for Durand to explore different musical and sonic approaches on this solo endeavor. The album opens with 'Gerri Marie', a song that features just piano, strings, and Durand's voice, before moving into the spoken word interlude 'The Place You'd Most Want to Live'. The title track takes us to church with Durand Jones singing all of the parts as his own one-man choir. It's a very soulful and personal album from The Indications front man. - Ebay Hamilton
Check Out: Lord Have Mercy, See It Through, That Feeling, and Wait Till I Get Over

Arlo Parks / My Soft Machine
In 2021, Arlo Parks released her debut album 'Collapsed in Sunbeams' which received two Grammy nominations. Arlo also won the BRIT Award for Best New Artist, and the Mercury Prize for Artist Of The Year. Following the success of the album Arlo Parks set out on a huge tour that had her on the road for nearly 18-months. Exhausted by the never-ending tour, she canceled the remainder of her U.S. shows in order to focus on her mental health. She promised at the time to make it up to her fans, which she has more than done with her sophomore effort, My Soft Machine. Like her first album, her sound blends soul, pop, indie, and even touches of trip-hop, with lyrics that explore the ups and downs of navigating life in your 20's. - Ebay Hamilton
Check Out: Weightless, Blades, and Devotion

Madison McFerrin / I Hope You Can Forgive Me
Singer, songwriter and producer Madison McFerrin delivers effortless cool on her debut full length album, I Hope You Can Forgive Me. The record is filled with McFerrin’s beautiful layered harmonies, synth beats and an airy jazz and soul vibe. The tracks range from meditative to gospel to funk, all telling the story of her own personal growth and change. The song “Utah” with its solid bass line is about breaking up with her partner in Utah during the pandemic, while “Run” which also features her father, famed jazz vocalist Bobby McFerrin, was inspired by learning that her great-great-great grandmother escaped enslavement. She leans into her strength as an a cappella artist on “God Herself,” and lets loose with “(Please Don’t) Leave Me Now.” I Hope You Can Forgive Me is a record worth spending time with from an artist who you’ll defiantly want to hear more of in the future. -Eugenie Hero Jaffe
Check Out: (Please Don't) Leave Me Now, Utah, Run, God Herself

Hannah Jadagu / Aperture
After graduating high school in Texas, Hannah Jadagu released an EP on SubPop records made on her iPhone using Grarage Band. Those were the only tools she had at the time, just proving that there are no limitations to creating art. Jadagu has now moved to New York to study music business at NYU and in-between studies has released her full length debut, Aperture. It's filled with more great hooks, smart lyrics and a crunchy texture. Lucky for us here in Salt Lake City, Hannah Jadagu is set to play the Mind The Gap Festival on August 26 at The Gateway. - Eugenie Hero Jaffe
Check Out: Warning Sign, Say It Now, Dreaming

Handmade Moments / End the Wars
Always-touring duo Handmade Moments is lighter musically and heavier politically than ever on their fifth album in ten years. As performers, Anna Moss and Joel Ludford are loose and goofy, bringing alto sax, bass clarinet, sousaphone, mandolin, guitar and beatboxing to the mix. As songwriters they are deadly serious on End the Wars, inhabiting dark psyches from American society unrecognizable in pop. What a powerful sign of true artistry, channeling righteous outrage into soulful joy. This new record gets better and better with each listen. - Gavin Dahl
Check Out: Fear for President, Hole in the Ocean, Right Now, High Class Woman (feat. Shook Twins)

More May records to spend time with:

The Murlocs "Calm Ya Farm" (Tracks: Queen Pinky, Initiative)
Olivia Jean "Raving Ghost" (Tracks: Raving Ghost, I Need You)

Listen in here: