It’s been said that having an inner monologue can help regulate your emotions, nurture self-awareness and build a healthy appreciation of the world and your place in it—all the signs of good living. But the question remains: are you really living if there’s no soundtrack to back things up?
Can you imagine what The Lord of the Rings film trilogy would be like without the expert touch of composer Howard Shore? Perish the thought.
The genre hardly matters. After all, music is art, and art is subjective. What does matter is how it makes you feel—how it inspires your daily living and pushes you to embrace creative self-expression in all the ways that are quintessentially you. That being said, there are quite a few genres out there that are floating across the technological ether. We wouldn’t blame you for not being able to keep up.
Avant-garde pop and progressive heavy metal. ‘90s hip-hop and 00’s pop-punk. Ambient, instrumental, classical and everything in between. Even more niche subgenres like shoegaze and midwest emo.
Each suite of monthly music sees new and returning artists delving into these disparate genres, and February is no exception. Between the festive season of Chinese New Year and the heady feeling of love being in the air for Valentine’s Day, this month was, thankfully, packed to the gills with soundtracks for all occasions.
J. Cole’s seventh album is some of his best work yet. The rapper has graced the hip hop world with a final record that will go down in history. Joji is back with an album that reminds everyone to never count him out, full of sad-boy lyrics that are (probably) intentionally vague. Filthy Frank has come a long way, indeed, but with a title like Piss In The Wind, at least the disregard for propriety is ever-present.
On the other side of the vast world of music production, progressive metal giants Karnivool have come out swinging, with a titanic record that is a shining beacon of musicality. And Pokey LaFarge, blues gentleman extraordinaire, is here to soften the palette with heart-wrenching sincerity.
Read about all of this and more below, in the February edition of Vogue Singapore’s monthly music roundup.
1 / 11
Piss In The Wind by Joji
Joji doubles down on his sound, mostly for the better. Four years since his last full-length release, Smithereens, the once infamous YouTuber hasn’t missed too many beats. This album pairs nostalgia and melancholy with sad-boy-lyrics and ethereal vocals, fusing hints of early Joji with recent growth in a recipe for earworm success.
Listen to Piss In The Wind here.
2 / 11
In Verses by Karnivool
The kings of Australian progressive metal are finally back—and it feels so good. If you’re worried the term ‘metal’ prescribes screaming and indiscernible noise, don’t be. Karnivool get funky with the grooves, courtesy of drummer Steve Judd, and Ian Kenny’s vocals soar with all the power and grace of an angel, which makes for a refreshing take on the genre. We’re all getting old in the tooth, but their latest album signals a maturity that makes full use of their experience to deliver a sweeping record full of sonic delight.
Listen to In Verses here.
3 / 11
Do You Still Love Me? by Ella Mai
The English R&B artist has gifted us with a record that oozes style and substance in equal parts. The clean production gives plenty of room for Ella Mai’s stunning vocals to shine. It’s the perfect platform for her moving lyrics, which boast of a capacity for heady love that we could all learn from.
Listen to Do You Still Love Me? here.
4 / 11
Manifeste by Tigran Hamasyan
Madness and genius are often two sides of the same coin. Tigran Hamasyan is a savant when it comes to the jazz genre, employing Armenian traditions with a deft hand while simultaneously forcing you to ask yourself: where’s the one? As if his own staggering virtuosity wasn’t enough, his latest record features Matt Garstka, of the progressive metal band Animals As Leaders, widely accepted as the greatest drummer of his generation.
Listen to Manifeste here.
5 / 11
A Short History of Decay by Nothing
Since releasing The Great Dismal in 2020, shoegaze staple Nothing have only collaborated on a thrilling metal album with the grindcore band Full of Hell. Perhaps that record helped recalibrate things in their time away from the studio, though. A Short History of Decay strikes the the nail on the head with a refreshingly delicate touch this time around—the production feels more open to possibility, with less compressed drums and guitars that don’t growl so much as they bark, yelp and even sing.
Listen to A Short History of Decay here.
6 / 11
Tenterhooks by Silversun Pickups
This is for all the alt-rockers out there. Seven albums later, the Los Angeles outfit are back with a record that’s stuck true to their formula. While they might not be winning any Mercury Prizes anytime soon, Silversun Pickups have pulled off a welcome return to a sound that’s wholly entertaining to listen to, even if it’s not particularly inspired.
Listen to Tenterhooks here.
7 / 11
The Fall-Off by J. Cole
J. Cole is always in the conversation when it comes to the modern pantheon of hip-hop heavyweights. Even if his relationship with rap beefs isn’t always so self-assured, his grasp of lyricism and flow is genuinely some of the best in the game. If it’s true this is his last album, we’ll be sad to see him go.
Listen to The Fall-Off here.
8 / 11
Nothing's About to Happen to Me by Mitski
Mitski never fails to fill your heart with feeling. The Japanese-American artist is one of a handful of female singer-songwriters—alongside contemporaries like Phoebe Bridgers, Lucy Dacus and Japanese Breakfast—that have captured the hearts of listeners worldwide with their slice of girl rock. Her lyrics tug at the heartstrings with an incisive wit, carried aloft by an arresting alto vocal range and inventive melodic arrangements.
Listen to Nothing’s About to Happen to Me here.
9 / 11
Travelin’ with Pokey LaFarge: Voice and Guitar, Vol 1 by Pokey LaFarge
The soft embrace of the blues. It’s not everyone’s cup of tea, sure, but if there’s an artist who can make it accessible for the uninitiated, it’s Pokey LaFarge. With steel-string guitar in hand and twangy yearning on the tongue, LaFarge’s latest is a heartwarming exercise in folksy whimsy. True-blue Americana at its finest.
Listen to Travelin’ with Pokey LaFarge: Voice and Guitar, Vol 1 here.
10 / 11
Carnival by Trauma Ray
As one of the heavier shoegaze bands on the scene, Trauma Ray is not known for pulling its punches. Their latest EP is, perhaps, their heaviest to-date. The guitars have so much distortion and overdrive you’d be forgiven for thinking there might be something wrong with your speakers, but trust us—it’s all worth it.
Listen to Carnival here.
11 / 11
A Hum Of Maybe by Apparat
A touch of techno production, elevated by glassy vocals. Apparat’s latest album is sure to please electronic music lovers of all types. The songs range from the ethereal to the downright gut-punching, the seamless transition between the two making for a record that is a clear invitation to both get down and dirty on the dance floor—and recline in bed at night, afloat in emotional bliss.
Listen to A Hum Of Maybe here.
