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“One of the most common questions we get is how to start your own journey to the microcosmos. The easiest thing is to get some water from outside and look at it under a microscope, but of course, picking and purchasing a microscope can be overwhelming. Like any hobby, it's probably best to start off simple and see what works for you, get some experience, and then build from there. Also, we might be working on some things to help you narrow down your search in the future, but we can't talk about it yet.”

Journey to the Microcosmos- Why Did We Start This Channel? (And Other Questions You've Been Asking)

Images Originally Captured by Jam’s Germs

Clairo’s newest album has us thinking about the last year in music.

Let me start with this: Sling is a phenomenal record in terms of listenability. I would 100% listen to this record at any given time.

But like any other great album, there’s a lot it’s told us.

First, let’s touch on the elephant in the room: Jack Antonoff. He’s found collaborating with Clairo on Sling, but it’s unclear how much he had to do with crafting each song. Was he merely a producer physically creating Clairo’s vision or did he have significant contributions to the vision itself? Based on the record, I feel like he did have a say in the style of the tracks. I say this because Sling has a style comparable to Taylor Swift’s folklore, Lana del Ray’s Chemtrails Over the Country Club, and even Lorde’s new single Stoned at the Nail Salon. Jack Antonoff is listed as a collaborator in each and every one of these albums, which is concerning in that his touch may be the reason we are hearing an overlap in the styles of music of each of these artists.

But we can’t blame it all on him. Perhaps the other reason Sling sounds so similar to these records is because that’s just “in” right now. Phoebe Bridgers was nominated for 4 Grammys this year, Taylor Swift took home Album of the Year for folklore, and Lana too was nominated for AOTY in 2020. 

The future for our pop/indie artists may be this style that’s hard to put in to words. There’s a lot of soft layering of vocals; either lots of strings or just a piano going. The kind of vocal layering where the melody isn’t right out in front like we’re used to. The majority of it is calm and folksy, like a slight drizzle on a weekend afternoon.

The way it’s going now, some of our favorite artists may have a concerning overlap with their music. As of now, the factor that separates these artists is vocals.