On The Radar: Week of July 23, 2023

These past few weeks have been a bit of a blur for the team and here at the new HQ - we are unpacking boxes from our humble basement office. This new space (now an entire room) is a blank slate with dark grey walls and a western facing wall with plants adorning the white box housing a radiator in it. Yeah, I said that right. This new HQ (and the house) is so old, it has charming features like a radiator, and a bathroom sunroof window that pops up. Over the next few months, we’ll be sharing behind the scenes footage and posts about the new studio build. It’ll feature the a new paint job (I am considering painting the radiator housing) and some new furniture and decor pieces mixed in with older ones brought from a variety of office and studio spaces over the last few years. I am so excited for this more permanent space and can not wait to share more of it with you. It’ll be nice to have a space to step into to solely focus on making and curating music and art-related content with you all. One of our goals is to boost our follower count and we just recently hit 200 followers on our Instagram. I KNOW. But like I am proud of it because that was all done organically and over the course of two years of hustling and grinding away at this brand. I want to build a reputation and legacy that’ll outlast me when I am gone. Thinking more of legacy building as I have experienced grief over the loss of my family’s patriarch. My Dad is the inspiration and sole influencer of me passion and desire to be surrounded by music and photography all of the time. He’s the reason I kept on hustling as hard as I did the last three years because I just wanted to share that part of my passion with him. You’ll see and hear more of that inspiration and influence throughout the rest of 2023. 

But for now…here’s the songs and albums we have been so stoked about this past July. 

On The Radar Playlist - Updated 7/23/2023

Albums and EPs

Childhood Eyes - Yellowcard - This is the first new music (of many more) from the Jacksonville, FL based band that played the last show ever at the House of Blues in Anaheim, CA. Returning with a 20th Anniversary Tour that has a stellar lineup with bands like This Wild Life, Mayday Parade, Story of the Year, Mayday Parade and Emo Night Brooklyn with DJ sets in between the bands. This record is such a balance of nostalgia but with a reinforced clarity of who this band is as individuals and as a group. Having Vic Fuentes (Pierce The Veil) and Chris Carrabba (Dashboard Confessional) on this album isn’t just one for the clicks. It adds such a texture and brings to light their vision of what the for the fans record is meant to be. Thank you Yellowcard for “this is not what I expected on my 2023 bingo card, but I am not mad about it” gift. 

Evergreen - PVRIS - PVRIS has been slowly releasing singles off of the Hopeless Records release Evergreen and it does not disappoint in its entirety. If the songs Animal, Anywhere but Here and Goddess was an indication of just how badass this record would be. Then we are in for such a ride when listening to the record. My favorites so far (on my first listen) are I Don’t Wanna Do This Anymore, Hype Zombies and Take My Nirvana. SO SO GOOD. 

Fresh Singles 

Sad Anymore - FRENSHIP (featuring Oston and kate the dreamer) - This song is a certified summer bop as it brings a whole new perspective of struggling with a routine that no longer fits the person we are slowly becoming. The band elists their friends on this song that makes it a call to action to keep on being your true self. Sad Anymore captures the “enough’s enough” moment. It’s the sick and tired of feeling sick and tired song. We wrote this during a period where spirits were low and feeling down had become cyclical. Our careers were in transition, our relationships in flux and life was overall just a little too heavy. It’s simple, but sometimes the way forward is…forward. (Frenship IG) 

Maybe Next Time - Jamie Miller featuring Moira Dela Torre -  Jamie Miller is back after his whirlwind tour with Jesse McCartney and with this version featuring Moira Dela Torre it makes the heartbreak a bit harder and more painful. Jamie does such a good job at conveying just how well music can play a key part in our healing process. 

I hope you like these choices as much as I do because it’s been helping the grieving and healing process after such a monumental loss. This coming week we’ll have a few cool things to share including a photo gallery and a review from the Yellowcard show at the Skyline Stage this past 7/13/2023 and a short little update video. Until then hug your loved ones hard as you can.