Halsey feat. Lauren Jauregui - Strangers

She doesn't kiss me on the mouth anymore
'Cause it's more intimate
Than she thinks we should get
She doesn't look me in the eyes anymore
Too scared of what she'll see
Somebody holding me
When I wake up all alone
And I'm thinking of your skin
I remember, I remember what you told me

Said that we're not lovers
We're just strangers
With the same damn hunger
To be touched, to be loved, to feel anything at all

A post-Pride Day song on TMIS, this track from Halsey (the first single from her sophomore album) is a lesbian lovers' song. I really really dig "Ghost" from Halsey's debut (bonus video, you're welcome). I'm not sure if this one will get as much revisiting or not, but I'm looking forward to spending some time with her new album.

RIYL: Flint Eastwood, Zella Day, Lorde, Sia

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Tristen - Glass Jar

I don’t have to say goodbye
You don’t get to see me cry
You put me in a glass jar and tap, tap, tap to see how I move

I saw Tristen a while back at SXSW at was intrigued. "Eager For Your Love", an engaging and beautiful song off her 2011 album Charlatans At the Garden Gate, quickly worked its way into my heavy rotation and I became a fan. "Glass Jar", her latest, featuring Jenny Lewis, is a song in the same vein. It's engaging, beautiful and perfect for a Sunday morning.

RIYL: Jenny O., The Mynabirds, Haim, Jenny Lewis, Neko Case

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The Crookes - Roman Candle

Please don't live the same year eighty times
Lord knows that if you do you can't ever call that a life
It's true my darling, I love watching TV in your tiny room
But I swear there must be so much more
Stepping out your door

The days'll run away
So let's go up in flames

It's obscene, when I was seventeen I had no wisdom teeth
They say "just be yourself" like that's an easy thing to be
No you don't need a boyfriend now, oh honey pie, oh girl
I'll show you the world
Here's another photo staring back at me

Starting with such promise out of a suburb in central England, sounding something like a certain era of The Smiths and getting accolades and promotions constantly from NME to The Guardian to BBC2... I love their sound, and maybe especially this song off of last year's Lucky Ones, but the last news from the band is loss of another original member so hard to say if there'll be anything more. Maybe they're going out in flames?

RIYL: (happier versions of) The Smiths, The Cure, Belle & Sebastion, Gene

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Mutemath - Hit Parade

Here's a final straw to take a stride
In a right direction
I can hardly see the sky
Covering this lonely path
Nothing's built to last
I can almost say that I want you back
But I won't, no I won't, I won't
Sun, come on around

If I've got one criticism of Mutemath is that they can feel a bit too polished. Don't get me wrong, I like the sophistication and quality they put into their work, and that's clear on their latest release "Hit Parade" but I wish they were able to capture the energy of their live shows a bit better in their recordings. Speaking of live shows, I'm excited to catch them at this year's ACL festival.

RIYL: Minus The Bear, Civil Twilight, Colony House, Manchester Orchestra

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The Killers - The Man

I know the score like the back of my hand
Them other boys, I don't give a damn
They kiss on the ring, I carry the crown
Nothing can break, nothing can break me down
Don't need no advice, I got a plan
I know the direction, the lay of the land
I know the score like the back of my hand
Them other boys, I don't give a damn

I'm the man, come round
No-no-nothing can break, no-nothing can break me down
I'm the man, come round and
No-no-nothing can break, you can't break me down

Controversy here at TMIS: posting The Killers. If I'd have attempted to write up a classic Killers hit, such as the beloved "Mr. Brightside", I have no doubt that Keith would have deleted the post. (Bonus video: "Human" from 2008) There's few things (musical or otherwise) Keith's a hater of but Brandon's band gets that distinction. I, on the other hand, am a fan of the music despite having an issue personally with delusional Mr. Flowers. So anyway, this is the first new Killers song in forever and it's glam-rocky, Bowie-inspired, straight-forward-yet-tongue-in-cheek fun. I like it and I'm optimistic about the upcoming album, and about seeing The Killers perform at ACL in October. (Thankfully, at a festival literally a couple blocks from our door, Keith can either watch another performance or go home early.)

RIYL: Spoon, Franz Ferdinand, Panic! at the Disco, Imagine Dragons

Upcoming Shows