#foster olson

Photo of Laurel by James Perolis

The work of a music blogger is a never-ending task. Even though they say the music blog has been made obsolete by curated playlists or various streaming platforms, we still think we’re providing an essential service (excuse our ego for the moment) with At Cost Magazine and Swede + Sour (yes, another shameless promotion).

Through blogging or blog posts, we provide feedback and convey stories not possible through the quick and disposable ethos of strict music streaming. So despite our best efforts and the fact that the good, bad and the ugly continue to permeate our inboxes, unfortunately we still manage to leave out even really great music deserving of our undivided attention. This blog digest is our commitment to those musicians and their artistry.

Exes - Sherman Oaks

A big spacious track that resonates against its instrumental bass,  Allie McDonald delivers a delicate vocal sweetness on “Sherman Oaks”. The soothing beckon of McDonald is something characteristic of the LA-based artist, which you can see on the cetacean call of her previous track “Like Home” as well:   

Foster Olson - Runaway

Los Angeles-based singer Foster Olson released her playfully-named EP “Foster Me” last summer, and it's here we find the track “Runaway”. It's a track of contrasting sounds where grungy guitar fuzz and the massive beat of percussion surrounds her sweet vocal charm:

Lance Herman - Ride the Waves

Lance Herman is a Cape Town, South African musician, who makes warm guitar music with a nice, beachy vibe. His latest track “Ride the Waves” featured in Red Bull’s Cape Town studio, is soft and soothing, grooving over lo-fi synth and rattling percussion:

Laurel - “Maybe Baby”

Hailing from the port city of Southhampton, England, Laurel docks in with the Chinatown stomp of her track “Maybe Baby”. Coated with the shivering sweet of her shaking vocal vibrato, the track grooves to a piqued guitar stacatto. “Maybe Baby” which comes off her debut EP, also features “Hurricane” constructed of a similar vein and whose video you can see below:

Lily Virginia - “Deep Dreaming”

Brooklyn-based artist Lily Virginia makes good old bluesy rock and roll but over the nice, warm swell of her billowing vocals. Soft and soothing with its guitar wash you can check out track below:

Matt Reagan - Moment

Beating with the glint of “Casio” tones from its lo-fi synth samples, Matt Reagan rips through with sunny, full-bodied guitar on his latest track “Moment”. A feel good track, “Moment” is about soaking it in and “living in the moment” and you can check out the track from the San Francisco Bay Area artist below:

Miles Away - “All of This”

Reminiscent of the MPC-bumping sounds of AraabMusik, Canada's Miles Away delivers a dreamy trap sound through his track “All of This”. A big, bombastic bass sound is followed by the warm, dreamy trickle of percolating synths and a heavenly sample of sped-up vocals.

Robbing Millions  - “WIAGW”

Brussels-based quintet Robbing Millions released their debut album of the same name earlier last fall, and as their name would suggest it reflects a shimmery, feel-good vibe that would probably be the result of “Robbing Millions”. Here we have two tracks, the ridiculously sparkly track “WIAGW” with its helium-laced vocal and the beating pulse of the clean, drifting guitar work “In the Air”.

Smoke Season - “Emilia”

The duo of Gabrielle Wortman and Jason Rosen, Smoke Season’s latest track “Emilia” echoes of with its dreamy drift. Moving through its oceanic air, Gabrielle’s coaxing vocals add a dystopian reality to their video dealing with tragedy of families by deportation in Chicano and Mexican-American communities, which you can see below:

Tigertown - “Papernote”

Sydney’s quartet Tigertown released their self-titled EP last fall and features marquee track “Papernote”. Clamoring over its boom-clap beat, “Papernote” resonates with its feel-good cheer and electric guitar rips through the choral clatter of the track’s uplifting synth drive