Like every June, our team hold a very serious – not so serious – committee meeting and pick their favourite tracks of the first semester. That way, you can go on holidays with a cool soundtrack. No need to thank us. You can find these 20 entries in alphabetical order below as well as in our Spotify and Apple Music playlists, which also contain some other great contenders that were released over the last six months.

Anika – “Change”
Bobbie Lovesong – “Organic Orange”
Burial – “Space Cadet”
Cabiria – “Abrigo de Sol”
Cassandra Jenkins – “Hard Drive”
Dawn Richard – “Boomerang”
Erika de Casier – “Polite”
Japanese Breakfast – “Be Sweet”
Jordana + Magdalena Bay – “Push Me Away”
Katy Kirby – “Portals”
Kero Kero Bonito – “Well Rested”
L’Rain – “Two Face”
Mette – “Petrified”
Mia Porter – “Pivot”
Mr Twin Sister – “Expressions”
Nana Yamato – “Do You Wanna”
Rachika Nayar – “The Trembling of Glass”
Slayyyter – “Clouds”
Theodora – “For One Heart”
Tirzah – “Tectonic”

Katy Kirby is back with a new single, the latest sneak peek of her forthcoming album, Cool Dry Place, out February 19 via Keeled Scales. “Juniper” is a re-release from Kirby’s 2018 album of the same name. The original track, like much of the artist’s debut work, has been essentially scrubbed from the internet in order to make way for a fresh start with her new record. A reintroduction to such an exciting artist seems like an apt way to start a new year already brimming with exciting starts.

Hailing from Texas and settling in Nashville, Kirby leans into indie-folk themes on “Juniper.” Twangy guitars open the track, setting the stage for her signature soft vocals. Presenting a track that’s doesn’t conform to a single trend or expectation, her inventive, genre-bending qualities are reminiscent of fellow Southerner Waxahatchee, who similarly succeeds in weaving the ethos of her hometown with the trappings of the modern-day indie music landscape. Instrumentally, “Juniper” is a fresh sound from Katy Kirby — a welcome deviation from her already inventive norm.

In a statement, Kirby explained that the track is partially inspired by a 2018 Greta Gerwig interview. In the segment, the American filmmaker discussed her coming of age movie Ladybird by musing, “I don’t know any woman who has a simple relationship with their mother or with their daughter.” This broad statement from Gerwig led Kirby to further ruminate on the portrayal of mothers in popular songs, as Kirby explains, “It sometimes seems like there’s far more material written on how dads can be terrifying and awful, or everyone is just less surprised about it.” This eventually led her to deeper introspection on her relationship with her own mother, with Kirby digging deeper, “I’m uncommonly open and close with my mom… but I was trying to work out how many distinct ways that sort of dynamic can uniquely harm. I wound up thinking a lot about vacancy, sort of how abandonment can happen even if someone technically sticks around.”

Within the lyrics, she plays with the idea of expectations that fall short within a relationship. She sings, “You don’t need a reprimand to know / Just when a vengeful god will strike her blow, there’s a / Bad weather warning on the radio / Get in before they lock their doors / You’re on your own, you’re on your own.” The song closes with an even more ominous message as she finishes, “You don’t need to wait around and see / Whichever promise she’s gonna keep, oh / Even it’s still, it’s still an evergreen, oh / It never leaves, it never leaves.” Katy Kirby seems to communicate the message that some disappointments are inevitable, so one must prepare for them. Using cheeky metaphors, she communicates her feelings through comparisons that keep the track from dipping too deep into the dumps.

Setting aside the complicated, somewhat dark meaning behind the song, the track turns up the spotlight on her soft yet strong vocals, playful instrumentals, and foliage-focused lyrics. In short, “Juniper” is good listening, and would probably prove even greater gardening music. Grab a shovel and dig in below.

Nashville singer-songwriter Katy Kirby has returned with “Tap Twice,” a track originally released off of debut EP Jupiter. This album, which has mysteriously disappeared from the internet, revealed Kirby‘s propensity for careful, thoughtful songwriting and respectable guitar riffs. This re-release is a welcome re-introduction to a fantastic singer, songwriter, and musician.

Kirby touched on the meaning of “Tap Twice,” explaining, “Tap Twice is about the formation of unspoken agreements in a new relationship, the process of silently negotiating with someone what you might mean to each other, and what happens when negotiation turns into an arm wrestling match over how much you’re willing to reveal.” Lyrically, Kirby succeeds at exemplifying this unspoken but universally experienced back and forth. She shows a great gift for hanging up fancy metaphors next to everyday lyrics with her casual way of telling complicated stories. She sings a short phrase riddled with meaning, “When we met a few years back you didn’t warm to me / And I left oranges in your bedroom like an offering / And I see you in the future / You look just the same but older / And I wave to you but I don’t slow my path.” Like fellow artists such as Lucy Dacus or Sidney Gish, Kirby has a knack for creating small scenes that contain a bigger meaning. In this verse, she simultaneously sits in the heart-sinking feeling of running into an old flame and floats right above it. As a listener, it is a privilege to be privy to the wisdom that she derives from an imagined chance encounter on the street.

Though “Tap Twice” digs into serious subject matter– namely, the heavy headiness that often occurs at the beginning of a relationship– Katy Kirby doesn’t appear to take herself too seriously as a musician. This frolicsomeness is welcome, as it often results in playful and surprising musical decisions. “Tap Twice” experiments with an abrupt stopping and starting technique; at some points in the song, Kirby seems so taken away with the story she’s telling, that she gasps for breath, the guitar quiets, and the song halts. Then, she throws herself back into the song. This decision makes for an interesting break in the natural rhythm, successfully keeping listeners on their feet and adds a bit of intrigue to an otherwise straightforward track.

Katy Kirby‘s idiosyncratic voice is the ringleader of her musical circus. She slingshots up and down the scale without strain as she makes her way through complicated vocal manoeuvres with ease. Kirby‘s voice is full of beauty and contradiction, as she croons with simultaneous strength and softness. Kirby performs with effortless familiarity. Listening to “Tap Twice” feels like sitting down with an old friend. Unlike some of the impressive technical moments, the vocal gregariousness she exhibits as a singer is something that cannot be taught. Some singers simply enchant, and Kirby‘s voice is certainly spellbinding.

In a post on Facebook, Kirby explained her logic behind re-releasing “Tap Twice,” writing, “It’s something you’ve probably heard already, and rerecording it is arguably a weird move, but in my defense—I really wanted to.” Here’s hoping that she’ll really want to re-release more. Listen to “Tap Twice” below.