Like every year, our lists don’t have the pretention to be objective, or exhaustive. We only list the favourite releases of our staff. Also, we probably forgot some very cool stuff and we’re sorry about that. Before unveiling our favourite albums and tracks of 2019, here are the 20 EPs and mixtapes that made our year, as well as a Spotify playlist to (re)discover all these projects.

20. Liss – “Second”

19. Ana Roxanne – “~~~”

18. Chela – “Delivery”

17. Kilo Kish – “REDUX”

16. Andy Stott – “It Should Be Us”

15. Malibu – “One life”

14. Cherushii & Maria Minerva – “Cherushii & Maria Minerva”

13. Hana Vu – “Nicole Kidman / Anne Hathaway”

12. Toro y Moi – “Soul Trash”

11. Christelle Bofale – “Swim Team”

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10. Jackie Mendoza – “LuvHz”

9. Kate Bollinger – “I Don’t Wanna Lose”

8. Kate Teague – “Kate Teague”

7. Magdalena Bay – “mini mix vol. 1”

6. NOIA – “CRISÀLIDA”

5. MUNYA – “Blue Pine”

4. Saeyers – “Saeyers EP”

3. Sandy – “Traces”

2. Dear Japan – “Hollow Hearted Hands”

1. Charlotte Adigéry – “Zandoli”

In case you didn’t notice, 2019 was a thrilling year for Marshall Lewis, the Indiana-based multi-instrumentalist known as Saeyers. Since we premiered his debut single “Cruise” back in January, the artist has made a name for himself with a series of dreamy tracks peppered with subtle electronic textures and some nostalgic, laid-back yacht rock vibes (pretty logical for a single titled “Cruise”).

On the sea or on the road, the theme of escapade is recurrent throughout the EP, which actually opens with the invitation: “You wanna take a ride?”. But where some people run away in order to avoid dealing with their personal problems, Lewis turns his journeys into positive and reinforcing experiences. Vulnerable in love but eager to move forward, he sings that he has nothing to lose and that he doesn’t want to be someone else. Whatever the destination or the vehicle, he composes comforting songs where he assures that he feels alright and remorseless.

The project sounds very personal, so it’s no surprise that Lewis performed all the instruments, layers and vocals on his own. The 5-track record was co-produced with fellow Bloomington resident and artist Kevin Flick in his bedroom studio. After four singles that ended up on the blogs and playlists that matter over the last few months, Lewis is now closing this introductory chapter with the latest track of the EP, “The Greatest”. Unsurprisingly, this latest offering is described as “a drive-by instrumental,” so get ready to play this late-night jam in your convertible until Saeyers embarks on his next adventure and takes us along for the ride.

Saeyers is featured in our Best Tracks of 2019 playlist.

Bloomington-based artist Saeyers turns hardship into a life-affirming and growing experience with his latest single “Someday”. Having written and played every track on his upcoming record from his own bedroom, Marshall Lewis creates positivity and optimism from even his darkest moments, taking stock of his journey so far.

Of his forthcoming Saeyers EP, he said:

[su_quote]These last couple of years have seen a lot of difficulty, but also many little victories. I spent a lot of time mulling things over in my head and had to learn a lot of hard lessons. This EP is my expression of enjoying the little things and coming to terms with it all, knowing that life keeps going.[/su_quote]

Following up on the excellent “Cruise” and “You“, “Someday” riffs on these key themes. The idea of acceptance is prevalent over the shimmering guitars and the languidly crooning voice of Lewis. As a track, it embodies that feeling of looking in the rearview mirror of your life at the bad memories and challenges you’ve faced and deciding to move forward with stoicism and joy.

The simplistic and vulnerably honest line “You will someday be alright” acts as a mantra, an earnest reassurance to yourself to let things pass. “Someday” possesses a gleaming warmth that stems from this sentiment. It encapsulates the beating optimism and strength of the human spirit, a will to continue. All of this is also accentuated by the dreamlike vocals and chugging rhythm guitar, evoking images of driving to an unknown destination with no fear, only hope and clarity.

We’re very happy to premiere Saeyers‘ new single before it goes live tomorrow. Listen “Someday” below and stay tuned for the whole EP.

Brainchild of multi-instrumentalist and songwriter Marshall Lewis, Saeyers caught our attention back in January with their dreamy debut single “Cruise,” a song that was totally assuming its classic, daddy rock influences. With their self-released debut EP around the corner, the band are now back with a lovely new single, “You,” that is sold as Lewis‘ personal favorite.

Once again, Saeyers prove that they fancy the retro vibes as “You” features some very 80s-esque electric solos. Nevertheless, it’s definitely the jangly rock guitars and its dreamy envelope that give the song all of its charm. With lyrics like “Spent some time in a mystery, Spent some time on the road,” the laid-back track sounds like a letter written by a roadie during these “never-ending nights of breathtaking vitality and fascination.” A nostalgic combination of adventure and romance. Listen below.

Though Indiana-native Marshall Lewis has been making music for some time now, it wasn’t until a couple years ago that he started his current moniker Saeyers. An experienced songwriter who plays all the instruments in Saeyers, Lewis is the kind of guy who should be rightfully labelled as a DIY, bedroom-pop artist because well, he simply does it all himself and in his bedroom. That being said, “Cruise”, the first single off his upcoming debut EP, is far from being a DIY affaire. It’s an expansive and well-written dream pop song where the production matters as much as the songwriting. In the instrumental bits, the guitars take on a secondary role and gives way to a Cure-ish keyboard lines, while the total opposite happens during the verses.

Although Saeyers‘ song ticks pretty much all of the dream pop boxes (muddled vocals with lyrics not meant to be figured out, reverb, hazey synth lines ringing out), what makes “Cruise” stand out is its distinctive rock vibe. From the palm-muted guitar in the verses to Lewis’s affected and nasal, almost Ryan Adams-esque vocal performance, the new Saeyers song gives dream pop a welcome twist by introducing oft-neglected yet effective classic rock tropes. There are a few electronic flourishes here and there and the jangliest guitar parts fall more on the poppy spectrum, but at its core “Cruise” is a rock song, and a very good one at that.