Yael S. Copeland | Christian Turner | The National Parks
It is not uncommon that we begin our day with the quest for some sort of happiness. And as lovely as a blanket of snow can look across the Midwest, it can leave our bodies longing for some sunshine. Thankfully, there is the music from artists such as Yael S. Copeland. Her latest single, “Many,” is simple in its construction: acoustic guitar, vocals, and a synth pad for flavor and though these elements are relatively sparse, the subject matter of the track and the way that it was recorded leave us to imagine warmer weather, which, as we’ve said before, is especially important when in the midst of seasonal depression. Copeland wrote “Many” at the peak of the pandemic, inspired by nights around the campfire, surrounded by those you love. Stylistically, this track carries a hefty vintage weight and we’re hoping that her future releases do just the same.
Perhaps some of you do not actively search for happiness because you are content dwelling inside of the hell that is your heart. That’s cool, man, whatever... You do you… But for this, we bring you an indie rock outfit from Toronto, Ontario known as Christian Turner. When they pitched “Nobody But You” to us, the opening line of the email was: “Have you ever been so helplessly in love with something that you know is, without a doubt, so bad for you?” We, of course, immediately pressed play. This track is a slow burning ‘kind of’ love song, complete with lush guitars and a hook that is reminiscent of something Michigander might throw at you, both in style and message. It is reasonably common to have artists send us singles that sound like decent album filler, but it is much easier to write about obvious singles– “Nobody But You” is strong enough to stand on its own as the former. It comes complete with a solid mix and master, and its performance has us all waiting to see what Christian Turner releases next.
Back up from the depths of our despair, we’ve got another beacon of light for you– from their upcoming record, 8th Wonder, Utah’s folk-pop quartet The National Parks have just released “Sunshine” and it completely delivers. The track opens with the sounds akin to something you’d hear from the ‘60s, leaving absolutely zero chance of melancholy. And when the drums come in about fifteen seconds later, if your soul is not bouncing, it may be time for you to get your head examined. This song has one of our favorite musical elements, where male and female vocals trade verse and chorus, then join forces to harmonize– because what good is a track about sunshine without vocal harmonies? With lyrics like “I wish I could bottle up all your rain and sip it like ice cold lemonade,” this song begs you to sing it to all of the special folks in your life, or sing it together as you pretend that it’s part of the soundtrack to the movie about your lives… Not that we’ve ever done anything like that.
-TM