A comeback album worth the 12-year wait
ft. Alex Winston // 5 more artists to know // 3 Fall playlists 🍂
Listening to Alex Winston’s 2012 record King Con felt like knowing a magical little secret. Loaded with quirky hooks and “wall of sound” production, it was the perfect pop soundtrack for my early 20s — and it sounded particularly great echoing across the hills, fields, and courts of my summer camp when I controlled the aux on our booming PA system. Winston became an instant personal favorite, and as a young concert-going Terp at the University of Maryland, I ventured into DC for a jubilant show with an encore that spilled out into the street, much like her memorable singalong stroll around Paris for La Blogotheque.
Twelve years after that stellar debut, Winston has finally returned with her sophomore album, Bingo! It’s just as delightful, whimsical, and *big* as King Con. “I'm not sure it was intentional,” Winston told me about the theatrical, ambitious sound of the album, “but it seems to be where I always end up! I like to create a world around my songs, but sometimes that can be a crutch too.”
Winston’s world on Bingo! encompasses ten tracks that are “nostalgic, but also frustrated and indulgent at times” as she put it — perhaps mirroring her unusual career in the industry, a journey that led to this decade-long stretch between albums. The best place to read all about it is Dan Ozzi’s newsletter, where he chats with Winston about her many “major label horror stories” along the way.
Over email, I got to chat with Winston too — about her approach to collaboration, her plans for a potential tour, and her influences. Check out our full interview here, and dive into Bingo! to feel like you’re being let in on the secret too. Then share it with some friends.
5 more artists to check out
When I go this long between issues, it becomes impossible to give a comprehensive recap of the music landscape. So if you’ll excuse my many omissions, here are just a few artists who have been catching my ear lately…
The Deslondes’ twangy blues-rock. “Like if The Beatles were born in a contemporary New Orleans garage,” proclaims music writer Natalie Weiner about this five-piece band. They’ve been growing a cult following for years, but with their stellar new album Roll It Out, they’re on the verge of blowing up. Blending country, blues, and rock & roll — and trading lead vocals across four band members — they have a freewheeling sound destined to find new fans wherever they play, Avett-style. I caught them at a sold-out honky-tonk bar in Brooklyn last week but expect them to play bigger venues next year. (My favorites at the moment are the harmony-driven tunes led by Sam Doores, “Take Me Back” and “Pour Another Round.”)
Hinds’ playful garage-punk. I’ve been loving the scrappy, fuzzy songs on the new album from this Spanish duo — especially the driving, synthy anthems “Superstar” and “The Bed, The Room, The Rain, and You.” They also put together a corresponding playlist to pair with the new tunes, featuring adjacent artists like Dehd, Courtney Barnett, and Fontaines D.C.
Raveena’s lush, dreamy experimental pop. Influenced by 2000s pop artists like Corinne Bailey Rae and Nelly Furtado, Raveena has been crafting her own distinct sound across three lovely albums since 2019. Her latest, Where the Butterflies Go in the Rain, continues the chill vibes. Standout track “Junebug” features JPEGMAFIA and has “an infectious beat, some heavenly harmonies, and an overall air of coolness” as Stereogum’s Abby Jones writes. “Lose My Focus” is another highlight.
Tems’ breakout R&B and Afrobeats. The addicting anthem “Love Me JeJe” recently made its way to the top of Obama’s summer playlist, marking just another footnote in a huge year for Tems. Back in May, the NYT’s Morning newsletter featured a profile of the 28-year-old Nigerian singer-songwriter, “the first African artist to debut at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.” (They also put together a corresponding playlist of more “big names from the continent and a few artists from the diaspora,” which I’ve been loving as a primer to explore new-to-me genres and artists.)
MJ Lenderman’s perfectly-timed album. Unsurprisingly, Lenderman has become the indie rock darling of Autumn 2024, and his new album Manning Fireworks meets the moment. A stellar twangy porch-rock record with a singular sound, released right on time for the summer-to-fall transition. Hear Hear readers will be familiar with a bunch of the early singles, but I’ve added some new album cuts to the playlist, including the Pinegrove-y “Wristwatch.” (The NYT’s Lindsay Zoladz put together a great MJ primer if you’re unfamiliar with his background.) (The album is expertly co-produced by Alex Farrar, who chatted with Hear Hear last year about his approach and the distinct indie scene in Asheville, North Carolina.)
Other stuff I’m into right now: New songs from The Weeknd, Franz Ferdinand, and Del Water Gap. And the new album from Dr. Dog!
A few Fall Playlists, one week early 🍁
The first day of Fall is September 22. Today is September 15. But if there’s a chill in the air, and a few great seasonal playlists have already been curated, it would be irresponsible for me to not share them.
autumn! autumn! ‘24! from music supervisor Jules Zucker // featuring a batch of exciting new artists, including Quiet Light, screenager, and Margaux — alongside reliable Hear Hear faves like Cut Worms, Mk.gee, Romy, Fred again, and Clairo.
fall2024 from seasonal playlist extraordinaire Adam Sharp // “marching bands, minor chords, and coziness” featuring Tyler Childers, The War On Drugs, Hermanos Gutiérrez, Nadia Reid, Lizzy McAlpine, and more.
Autumn Rotation. 🍂 from Carefully Curated’s Patrick Mahan // “a fresh soundtrack for the next few months” featuring new tracks from Oceanator, Wild Pink, Fake Fruit with classic tunes sprinkled in from Yo La Tengo, Department of Eagles, Oasis, and more.