Love is in the air! Seriously, it's everywhere right now, everywhere you turn. Tame Impala's first new album in 5 years is here, because you are loved. For Morning Becomes Eclectic, Jenny Lewis has assembled a stunning mix of "unironic, beautiful love songs" underscored by her own stories of the heart. This too is because you are loved. A quick scan of your life exactly as it is in this moment will almost certainly reveal countless other ways in which you are so very loved. With that in mind, here are a few songs centered around romance. Heartbreak, seduction, the tentative giddiness so specific to crushes - all of this is present. Happy Valentine's Day!
Laura Veirs - "I Was a Fool"
Laura Veirs is in the midst of a fresh separation from her marriage to indie-rock producer extraordinaire Tucker Martine. They were one of those couples that I always held the knowledge of in the back of my mind for periodic reminders that the world can often times be really good and make a lot of sense. Naturally, it hurts to learn that this union may be dissolving, but the fact that art prevails through the darkness is worthy of celebration. This song came to Laura Veirs fully-formed and was recorded in one take on her phone with no added production. The result is an extraordinary document of intimacy and presence from the deep inhale that gets her in, to the tiny click signifying that it's over.
Marian Hill - "Was it Not"
New York based duo Marian Hill are back with Was it Not, a new EP set for release in March. The title track represents a completely different point on the breakup spectrum. Where "I Was a Fool" is all raw immediacy, "Was it Not" comes from a place of such distance that our narrator is beginning to doubt their own memory. "Everything is a dream I forgot..." goes one of the song's prominent refrains. It's sung with cool detachment by lead vocalist Samantha Gongol over sultry, downbeat production vibes from Jeremy Lloyd. Precisely the headspace to enter in order to begin the next seduction.
Porridge Radio - "Give/Take"
Hailing from the seaside town of Brighton in the U.K., Porridge Radio seems poised for a really big year. Their forthcoming album Every Bad will also be released on indie label favorite Secretly Canadian, so I have to imagine we're all about to hear a lot more from them. "Give/Take" has been out there for a minute, but please don't stop me if you think that you've heard this one before! I just found it yesterday, and it is currently ruling my world. Exquisitely and buoyantly capturing the flurry of thoughts that occur when you realize a crush is mutual, particularly the ones surrounding personal autonomy, "Give/Take" is an absolute thrill.