Issue 18: The Key That Unlocks Everything

Reviewing new albums from Della Zyr, Margo Price, and more!

Jan 27, 2023

Welcome back to Band Practice where I listen to new albums until my ears bleed and share my favorite finds with you. A handful of interesting new releases have started trickling in and I’m still catching up on some 2022 albums. Ergo, I have some great picks for you this week. We’re going to focus on one more 2022 album (probably the last): Della Zyr’s 비타민과 우려 Vitamins and Apprehension. I also have some brief write-ups for a few other noteworthy albums: I Can’t Let Go from Suki Waterhouse, Strays from Margo Price, and Grit & Lust from Zinoleesky. A smattering of alternative, a skosh of country, and a sprinkle of worldwide. Let’s get to it.

Intro

Music is the divine art…If I said to you “what were you doing 20 years ago?” you might be able to piece it together. But if I play you a song from 20 years ago, every memory comes back. It’s the key that unlocks everything.

— Jimmy Jam at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame 2022 Induction Ceremony

As the new year commences, I’ve been thinking about where music will take me—the soundtrack to new milestones. In my Best-of 2022 issue I shared about a phenomenon that happened to me last year, where all of the albums I listened to “mapped” to specific walking paths and memories. And now, when I play each album, I’m able to (mostly) recall the time and place I was when I listened to the album for the first time.

I’ve had these sort of music memories throughout my life, telling a story of who I was at the time or who I was becoming. I remember moments like choreographing dances to Enya’s Watermark in my childhood living room, hearing “Baby, One More Time,” for the first time on the car radio, and seeing No Doubt play at the grand opening of the EMP (now MoPOP) in Seattle. If I play these songs or albums now, it transports me back to my living room, or my dad’s van, or at the Memorial Stadium. The divine art of music keeps these memories live.

As we look ahead to 2023, I’m excited for how music will impact all of our lives. What will our soundtracks will be? What will be the hot summer anthem that goes viral? What will be our comfort songs or albums that get us through the grey fall and winter days? I look forward to the memories that music will unlock years from now.

I want to hear from you about a piece of your soundtrack. What is a song or an album you remember listening to on repeat growing up, or that you waited by the radio to hear? It can be from any time in your youth. There are readers of every generation here so do not worry about dating yourself. There will be no judgement of your answers. If it helps, I’ll go first. Heavy hitters for me were the Cool Runnings soundtrack and Ace of Base’s The Sign. My partner also has a pretty excellent answer which I strongly encourage him to share *cough cough.* What song or album did you love? Hit that comment button and let me know.

Pick of the week

비타민과 우려 Vitamins and Apprehension — Della Zyr

Alternative/Dream Pop/Shoegaze [Released 1/27/22]

What do you see when you close your eyes? Is it darkness pinpricked with fuzzy dots and dashes jittering around an empty plane? And as you peek your eyes open just a bit, can you see the soft curtain of your lashes twitch in front of the light? This in-between place—within the darkness, just starting to see hints of light—this is the space where Vitamins and Apprehension exists.

When I first listened to this album, it was through my headphones—not walking like I usually do but curled up in a chair. It opens with the sounds of birds chirping and ocean waves breaking. A pattering synthesized melody is followed by a few strums of a frizzy electric guitar. Della Zyr’s voice emerges somewhat shyly, “a girl standing ahead, smiling / I know it’s not for me,” brightening the landscape. And then a chorus of whispery harmonized vocals comes in and something about it all feels safe and warm and familiar. I close my eyes and those dots and dashes dance as the tempo picks up to a galloping pace. That space behind my eyes and between my headphones was all that existed in that moment. And it was the only place I wanted to be.

Researching Della Zyr was kind of like trying to find a mythical being. The obscure artist from South Korea has little information about her on the internet save for a nondescript Instagram account and a bandcamp page. I combed through the few web results looking for clues about who they were and what I think I have established is that Della Zyr is the solo act of a woman from South Korea. (Is it her real name? I don’t know.) Her record label, Longinus Recordings, is run by a college student out of his dorm room in Michigan.1 And that’s as much as I could find. The album was released exactly a year ago, though I didn’t stumble across it until this month on someone’s best-of 2022 list.

If the whole “operating out of a dorm” thing sounds a little DIY, it is a bit. There are parts of the album that feel like they were recorded in a garage (and maybe they were), but there are also parts that feel like an expansive sonic force uncontainable by any studio walls. The songs are vast with different acts and rhythmic shifts—a complex tapestry of textures and sounds. The album oscillates between electric and acoustic, often layering the two together. Sometimes added to these layers are strings, horns, and an array of lovingly curated details. The voices of children playing, the clang of a train crossing signal, and what sounds like the deep rumble of a nearby plane taking flight. All of these details create a world so intriguing that you want to explore it and get lost in it (which I did).

This lost feeling might be intentional. Throughout the album, Della Zyr seems to be writing from a place lost in the darkness, longing for someone to pull her into the light. “I'm scared to death of death / Believe me / I'm scared to live, so please / Don't leave me,” she sings on the final track, “나의 미래 (So Please Don’t Leave Me) / 한숨 / To Go Forward Despite the Terror of Living in This World, Clinging to a Tiny Speck of Hope.” As the listener, you feel the darkness, you feel the longing, but there are many bursts of light and warmth. Murky distorted electric guitars are diffused with soft, feathery vocals. Solemn verses break into jubilant, up-beat bridges. It makes you feel that you are not alone. You are cared for. There is hope.

This hope—a light in the darkness—is what made me feel so comforted as I listened. The last lines of the album are, “just for now, let me be held / Until the sun dips below the crashing waves.” I felt held, too. Held in that dark, staticky space, with light peeking through. Lost in a world that made me feel found.

Also available on Apple Music and bandcamp

Also worth a listen

Left to right: Suki Waterhouse, Margo Price, Zinoleesky

If you need something to tide you over until Lana Del Ray’s new album...

I Can’t Let Go — Suki Waterhouse

Alternative [Released 6/6/22]

Model/actress turned singer Suki Waterhouse wears her songs with style. They’re cool, sexy, and full of glamorous moodiness. “I’ma put some goddamn moves on you, babe, I know you need it,” she sings on “Moves.” There are moments on the album that draw strong comparison to alternative chanteuse Lana Del Ray. (She even employs a similar vocal style in “Melrose Meltdown.”) But it has it’s own “fanciest person at the dive bar” rustic-chic rock vibe. The first three tracks are undeniably catchy and the last track is the kind of song that makes you want to listen to the album all over again. You may not-so-accidentally find yourself putting it on repeat.

Tracks on repeat: Moves, The Devil I Know

Available on Spotify, Apple Music, bandcamp

If you need something to listen to while microdosing…

Strays — Margo Price

Country [Released 1/13/23]

Margo Price was inspired by a few good mushroom trips in the making of this album, and she wanted to bring that “trippy” feeling to her listeners, as well. “I wanted this album to be able to serve as a record that people put on if they were going to maybe dabble in psychedelics,” she told Apple Music. The album does have a psychedelic feel, but lest you fear that it sounds like something that was patched together in an intoxicated state, I will assure you that it’s the most finely crafted album I’ve listened to this year. Eschewing mainstream radio country, Price creates her own sound, bringing together styles ranging from Led Zeppelin to Fleetwood Mac to Loretta Lynn. It’s refreshing and interesting and made me want to hear more from her. Though I don’t dabble in psychedelics, I (think) I got the feeling. Even though it’s not one I’ll probably take often, I enjoy the trip every time I put it on.

Tracks on repeat: Radio, Hell In The Heartland

Available on Spotify, Apple Music, bandcamp

If you need 20 minutes of good vibes only…

Grit & Lust — Zinoleesky

Afro-beat [Released 12/16/22]

Okay, so, recommending this album is kind of a ploy to get you to listen to one of my favorite songs that I’ve listened to this year. “Many Roads” is a sweet love song duet between Nigerian singer/rapper Zinoleesky and Nigerian singer Ayra Starr. The back and forth verses and harmonies are charming. And if you come for that song, you might as well stay for the remaining 17 minutes of good vibes. “Yan Yan Yan” and “Run It Up” are also fun. And there’s even a relatable song about wanting to avoid drama and play “Call of Duty.” Haven’t we all been there? (I mean, I have not but it’s a popular game so probably some of you have? Maybe replace the game with watching an episode of “Drag Race” or reading a good book. The point is, there is no time for drama and…I have over-explained, haven’t I? You get the idea.) It’s not the strongest album overall but it’s positive, relaxed, and puts me in a better mood.

Tracks on repeat: Run It Up, Many Roads

Available on Spotify, Apple Music

Thanks for reading! For the next issue I’ll be listening to new albums from Ava Max, Sam Smith, The Go! Team, and more. I’ll share my favorites with you. It will be in your inboxes February 10th. Make sure you’re subscribed so you don’t miss it!

The playlist!

New year, new playlist! Just like last year, I’m keeping a running playlist of my favorite song from each new album I listen to this year (including songs from each of my top picks).2 It’s ordered chronologically by date listened and I’ll update it with every issue. At 26 songs, it’s already quite the diverse mix. The first track is loud, to forewarn you. And brace yourself for the brief dive into metal right after the lovely classical number by Shara Nova & A Far Cry. “Fade Persona,” “blue bones (deathwish),” and “I Don’t Know What You See In Me” are some highlights. There is a lot on there to enjoy—I hope you find something you like.

Albums of 2023 - Apple Music playlist

Albums of 2023 - Spotify playlist

Don’t forget to tell me about a song or an album you loved growing up. I’d really love to know.

Band Practice