Navigating the music industry as an independent artist can be a tricky beast; one which often juxtaposes artistic integrity against success.
Zhaklina is here to let you know that you have a choice to stand up for yourself and your art. With that, we introduce you to her new single, “M.D.B.M. (Money Don’t Buy Me).”
Co-written and produced by Nashville-based producer Pimp Fried Rice, “M.D.B.M.” breaks down conventional opinions on what success is. The self-worth anthem “challenges any industry trying to buy you into being someone you’re not, with Zhaklina delivering vocals as powerful as its message on top of a spacious, moody alt-pop soundscape, reminiscent of contemporaries like CHINCHILLA and DEZI.
Take a stand for artistic integrity. Check out “M.D.B.M.” below!
Part of change means learning to say goodbye — especially when that change happens rapidly, like it has in Nashville over the past half-decade.
Teagan Stewart recalls Music City’s changing landscape — and the culture that has changed alongside it — on her latest single, “New Nashville.”
“‘New Nashville’ is a traditional country-sounding scream into the void of a construction pit where a great venue once was,” Stewart said. “The lyrics point out several iconic places in Nashville that have recently closed due to skyrocketing rent prices and greedy developers, while pointing out the more subtle changes of a life in Nashville,like, ‘Why isn’t PBR cheap?'”
Co-written alongside Zach Cornell, many of the lyrics of “New Nashville” were born from conversations about the ever-evolving city, which serve as the perfect complement to this quintessential Nashville soundscape featuring dobro, steel guitar, and an old shuffle beat.
(At least, those things were quintessentially Nashville, before the bachelorettes found out about us…)
“It was a hard needle to thread, but we wanted to get across that we love the city of Nashville, and we’re not blaming the folks who are moving here,” Stewart said. “When I took this song to Skyler and Andrew, they knew exactly what it needed, and hearing all the musicians track this together at the same time was a spiritual experience.”
Will 2024 be the year that you learn to love yourself?
Make it so! We have an anthem of self-acceptance for you, hot off the presses from Laura Mustard. The Nashville-based pop-folk songwriter released “Good Enough” to acknowledge her struggles with self-love, as she has worked to reconcile the space between the pressure artists feel to be performative on social media, while having grown up with medical issues that made her resent her reflection.
“It’s been said that ‘in a culture that profits off of our insecurities, loving yourself is a rebellious act.’ I think anyone with insecurities in our culture probably struggles with feeling ‘enough,'” Mustard said. “This was the first song I wrote after I moved to Nashville, and it was exciting to feel this new confidence that came along with finally moving to my dream city for music. I tried to pair that confidence with being really intentional about my thoughts. I’m not perfect; I still have days when the ‘vicious whisper’ gets the best of me, but this song definitely helps and is a good reminder.”
Produced by Wilson Harwood of Elevated Music Studio, “Good Enough” serves as a bright pre-cursor to Mustard’s forthcoming EP, Dirty Minds & Wild Hearts, a six-song collection which details her journey of dating with a chronic illness throughout her chaotic twenties.
”This song was a party to make! We started with upbeat piano chords, and layered in groovy organ and bouncy guitar, reminiscent of a jam band,” Mustard recalls. “Then, the amazing Amelia Ransom came in and added a fiddle solo that sashays all over the final chorus, putting the joy of true self-acceptance into a sound that matches perfectly with the lyrics. It’s honestly one of my favorite moments on the EP, and I’m so glad a song which celebrates ourselves being enough as we are ends in such an enthusiastic way!”
Over a haunting industrial pop backdrop, Hope Vista pulls no punches on her new single.
Titled “Hot Blood,” the single is a representation of Vista’s signature knack for autobiographical songwriting that, even by today’s transparent standards, is refreshingly raw and honest. Vista addresses the theme of carrying trauma as an unwanted personality trait, delivering hypnotic verses supported by an enchanting “phantompop” soundscape hallmarked by heavy synths and a trap beat.
Perhaps what we appreciate most about “Hot Blood” — and Vista’s artistry as a whole — is her ability to transform intrusive thoughts and unsettling events into an art form; one which connects us back to the humanity behind traumatic experiences and, perhaps, will encourage others to share their stories. Have yourself a listen below!
The end of a relationship brings questions and memories, as you recall all of the times communication got in the way of growing together, rather than apart.
Paul Nestler captures that feeling on “That Dance We Do,” on top of an ethereal pop rock soundscape whose shimmering layers bring about a sense of wonder.
“I wrote this song after a particularly hard breakup for me. It’s about the times you would be together and didn’t know which person would make the first move – that dance you both do, almost a game of chicken of ‘who’s going first,’” Nestler said. “The song also describes the feeling afterward of questioning whether it was even a good relationship to be a part of; was it really two people ready for a relationship, or was there more work to do?”
Clocking in at just over 3-and-a-half minutes, “That Dance We Do” combines timeless pop rock sensibility with glistening modern pop synth tones (a la The 1975 or The Midnight). The creative process was a slow simmer; one which took place over more than a year, and continued as Nestler entered the studio.
“For almost all of that time, it was just a first verse and some scattered lines as a chorus Only soon before recording did I really sit down and start to hash out where the song would go. Even during the recording process, I changed lines in the second verse,” Nestler said. “I sat on it for song long because I still kept thinking about the person who brought those lines out of me and the situation we were in.”
He continued, “The visual of the first line, ‘Cotton candy skies…’ kept popping up in my mind. It was working title for the longest time, until I settled on a line in the chorus that better encapsulated the spirit of the song.”
Nestler plans to release more music during the first half of 2024, and suggests that “That Dance We Do” could be a sign of things to come.
“As I record, I’m slowly starting to fine tune and home in on where I’m going as an artist,” he noted. “It takes time and there’s quite a long way to go, but this song in particular is something I’m proud to have placed in ‘sonic world’ where I see my music could grow.”
Rising bluegrass outfit The Bankshafts might be based in Nashville, but they’ll never forget their roots in East Tennessee.
Their new single, “Don’t Mess with Ol’ Smoky,” honors the time the band’s members have spent among the grandeur of the Smoky Mountains. They include mandolin player Rocky Carnell, who grew up in Bristol, TN, and co-frontman Addison Simmons, who has family in East Tennessee and spent some time at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville.
“I started writing the song while we were on the road in Chattanooga playing some gigs. We started talking about the Smoky Mountains a bunch, and it got the wheels turning,” Simmons said. “I wrote the majority of the song; then. I brought it to the guys and got some help finishing it. This was the first song we did as a group, so it’s a special song for us.”
Although written about East Tennessee, the band got an assist in a neighboring state — and a contribution from The SteelDrivers’ Gary Nichols — to help the tune to life.
“Recording it down in Muscle Shoals (AL) was just the cherry on top. That’s where we get the best stuff done,” Simmons said. “There’s something about recording music down there that just makes the music a little extra special. It was a group effort. We had almost everyone at the studio be a part of the song in some way.”
We’ve always known Donny Apollo to share from a vulnerable place. The hip hop artist, producer, and Nashville native has courageously overcome addiction, homelessness, heartbreak, and more; and has never shied away from leaning on his experiences to help others navigate theirs.
With that being said, Donny’s latest single, “811 Freestyle,” sees him open up about his own mental health journey like never before. Through soulful, stream-of-consciousness verses, Donny recalls a traumatic experience involving a relapse — and the recovery process, which includes finding the strength to put out this track to speak on his struggles.
“This is the first single I feel I’ve been this vulnerable within my music. I’ve been through a lot, and harboring this one for a while,” he said in an Instagram post. “I hope you hear me. I hope you understand.”
This time, lead vocal duties are left entirely to The Sugar Cubes — the vocal quartet of Angela Wright, Allyson Rogers, Gracie Calvaneso, and Chelcie Jette. Meanwhile, lead songsmith Adam Lawrence lends support on guitar, drums, and the tune’s famously siiiick bass line.
“As joyous as the Christmas season can be, it can be just as exhausting. In modern life, the year feels like little more than 11 straight months of hustling with a faint promise of some time to relax when December rolls around… until you remember all the parties, family gatherings, and gift exchanges that are set to take place, and all that unfinished business you were trying to get to throughout the year might just have to wait a bit longer,” Lawrence said in an Instagram post. “Even with that hanging around in the back of your mind, the Christmas season still comes with plenty of magic, so you never know what might happen. That’s why I chose to cover ‘Christmas Wrapping’ as The Mad Sugars’ first Christmas release. It’s a song that best captures both the stress and the joy of Christmas in the modern world and it’s as relevant as ever.”
Rounding out the lineup are Sam Ferrara (saxophone), Emmanuel Echem (trumpet), and Curtis Erdek on keyboards and percussion.
Check it out as you head out to your holiday parties… or, as you decide to stay home, and skip the bells and whistles this year. It’s up to you!
We’re no strangers to featuring Soheill here at Underground Music Collective. Several of his cuts have made previous editions of our UMC20 playlist, and we even reviewed his 2020 single, “Can’t Stop Thinking,” riiiight over here.
Through the years, Soheill’s sound and affinity for sonic experimentation have evolved. This fall, he took a turn toward the darkness by unveiling his new darkwave project, Leather Baby.
The project’s debut single, “Weapons,” take us on a steadfast march through the perils of the world. A methodical, yet persistent drumbeat underscores ominous, heavy synths which seem to loom larger as time ticks away.
However, underneath many layers of darkness, “Weapons” offers a message of hope. Listen closely to the lyrics, and you will uncover the story of a love and commitment so strong, that it can weather any storm.
Nobody among us lives a flawless existence. For that reason, Court Taylor wants us to put all of the gossip to bed.
On “You, The Devil, and Me,” the Georgia-born country singer uses her timeless voice to take a stand for everyday people trying to live their lives — even among the whispers of the peanut gallery.
“This song is speaking out against small town gossip. So many times, the rumor mill starts to turn, and people pass judgment on the situations of others around them,” Taylor said. “At the end of the day, everyone is just trying to survive, and provide themselves and their families with the best lives possible.”
The song borrows its title from the Southern phrase, “keep that between you, the Devil, and me.” According to Taylor, the phrase is commonly used “when you’re talking about someone or a situation that is usually none of your business.” From there, Taylor and her co-writers — Kipper Lee Linville, Michael Saleta, and Mike Meiners — built the song around relatable, hypothetical small-town scenarios.
“Everyone has that person they know who maybe had poor relationships, ended up with children, and had to give up their dreams to support them,” Taylor said. “Everyone knows someone who had a promising future, but then got caught up in drugs.”
Which side are you on, as the rumor mill turns? Reflect on that, as you check out “You, The Devil, and Me” below!
