Some of the heaviest lifting in the making of these monthly mixtapes—besides combing through the wealth of new music—comes with the cull; the inevitable whittling down of twenty-some or even thirty-some songs to our self-prescribed set of 15 songs for each list. This month, it was more difficult than most, but the result is an eclectic mix of great new songs from great artists, old and new.
We’re starting off with a slow-build folky number from Calvin Johnson-approved LT Leif out of Calgary before moving on to a song that hits a little too close to home—”Getting Older” from Brooklyn duo Retail Space. That’s right—the Canada-Brooklyn one-two punch.
This month’s mix also features Berlin’s Slow Steve off of longtime favorite label, Morr Music; a dancer track from Sydney’s Phebe Starr; a musical kicking of our collective asses from Mitski; a long-awaited single from the forthcoming new Local Natives full-length; a new one from another Angeleno, Tokimonsta; a very Belly-esque track from Poland’s Brodka; a nice track from New York by way of Norway’s Okay Kaya, who we caught opening up for Peter Bjorn and John last week; and much more.
Check it out.