Youth Lagoon, May Rio, Ayane Yamazaki, Disq and More: Also Cool's Playlist Refresh

Heaven Is A Junkyard by Youth Lagoon

As we move into what is hopefully the final leg of a long winter, our listening habits have lean towards comfort songs and new releases. From the Ottawa-core soft indie rock of Trevor Sloan, to a high-energy party track from The Dare, our Refresh hits all the notes you need to get through your snowy walks and cozy days.

Listen to the latest chapter of our Playlist Refresh series on Spotify.

Trevor Sloan by Patrick Dinglasan

If you like upbeat indie-folk, 8mm footage, and mid-sized Canadian cities, you’re going to love Toronto-based artist Trevor Sloan’s latest single “Ottawa 1977”. The track marks one chapter of his new album Dusk Among the Palm Trees, out April 14. As Sloan delicately pores over fragments from his family’s past, the music video brings those recollections to life: twists and shouts, colourful beach balls, all-knowing grandparents and not-caring tots. His vocals are buoyant and pure, as ephemeral as the memories themselves: “Let’s laugh and dance / when we got the chance”. Sounds like good advice.

Trevor Sloan

Website | Instagram | Bandcamp | Spotify

View fullsize

May Rio by Logan White

Brooklynite May Rio has quite literally gone goblin mode with her new track “Need You Like”. Premiering this past Wednesday via Paper Magazine, the dream pop single is another instant classic from Rio, wherein she pens herself as a villain leading-on an unnamed lover: “You went to bat for me / I triple-played a loner / Gift-wrap your heart, you’re sweet / I’ll pickle it with the others”. Rich with bubbling synths and swanky guitar, Rio’s sugary voice and wit take centre-stage in the two-minute earworm. 

May Rio

Instagram | Bandcamp | Spotify

View fullsize

Ayane Yamazaki by Masahiro Yanagisawa

Tokyo’s Ayane Yamazaki reimagines city pop on her latest arrival “Saturn and Unicorn” Released on February 24th on me and baby music, Yamazaki’s buttery vocals glide atop luminescent melodies with hypnotizing danceability. Working tirelessly in crafting electro-pop perfection since the age of 15, Yamazaki has garnered a following from college and alternative radio stations around the world. In a statement on “Saturn and Unicorn”, Yamazaki shares that the song represents entering a new frontier; we can’t wait to see what’s next for the 24-year-old singer! 

Ayane Yamazaki

Website | Instagram | Spotify

The Dare via Bandcamp

New York’s Harrison Patrick Smith AKA The Dare resuscitates aughts electroclash hedonism on his brand new offering “Good Time”.  A fuzzy comedown from his breakout banger “Girls” (which has been a constant spin since its drop, by the way), “Good Time” is a sexy smoke break from a hazy dancefloor. The anticipated single expertly nods to dance-punk taste-makers like LCD Soundsystem and Peaches, making for a saturated rager that instigates entertainment for entertainment’s sake; and we’re absolutely here for it.

The Dare

Instagram | Spotify

Disq via the band’s website

Wisconsin rock band Disq have spent the week rolling through 400-series highways, spreading flecks of grungy magic along the way. The five-piece group is supporting the first half of Alvvays’ Canadian tour, but they emerge as the stars of the show – uneasy yet audacious, impossible to pin down and indifferent to your attempts. Their latest album Desperately Imagining Someplace Quiet feels agile and provocative, probing issues of the modern age with stream-of-consciousness wit and frenetic punk stylings. Many highlights to be found within their catalogue, but fellow emos will delight in how “The Hardest Part” scalds with its imagery and explosive climax.

Disq

Website | Instagram | Bandcamp | Spotify

Lucy via Interview Mag By Annabell P. Lee

It's fair to say that LUCY (Cooper B. Handy) is our latest musical obsession here at Also Cool. We initially discovered his music through his collaboration with Boy Harsher, "Autonomy”, and have since dove deep into the world of LUCY and caught his recent live set in Montreal with Night Lunch and Mark Cone.

His approach to songwriting falls balances simplicity with sometimes absurd but always heartfelt messages. Although it's not a new release, "Even The Score" (a collaboration with Whitearmor) has been on repeat for the last month, making it a worthy addition to our Refresh.

LUCY (Cooper B. Handy)
SoundCloud I Instagram

Youth Lagoon (Trevor Powers by Tyler T. Williams

Youth Lagoon (Trevor Powers) makes a tender return with his latest track, “Idaho Alien”, which comes off his forthcoming album Heaven Is a Junkyard. In 2016, Trevor Powers shut the door on Youth Lagoon. “I felt like I was in a chokehold,” he says. “Even though it was my music, I lost my way. In a lot of ways, I lost myself.” But after an over-the-counter drug reaction caused eight months of harm to Powers’ larynx and vocal cords, temporarily silencing his voice, he decided to return to the project.

Trevor comes home to Youth Lagoon through reflections on family, drug use, youth, brotherhood and war. “I don’t remember how it happened / Blood filled up the clawfoot bath, and I will fear no frontier.” 

Youth Lagoon
Instagram I Spotify

Scarlet Rae returns with a gentle heartache of track, “Waking Dream”. Her wavering vocals reflect on relationships with others, being alone, and moving on. “arms are open wide, my baby holds me tight, between love and light there’s always something left behind.”

For fans of Elliot Smith, Sparklehorse, and PACKS, keep an eye out for Scarlet’s live NYC shows.

Scarlet Rae
Instagram I Spotify

---

Related Articles

Sounds Cool 2021 (Also Cool’s Top Albums)

Illustration by Malaika Astorga

Once again, music has unsurprisingly gotten us through the year. Throughout the whirlwind of 2021, we here at Also Cool were lucky enough to discover a range of compelling releases across a spectrum of genres. What unites these projects is their radiance, their ability to captivate us through trials and triumphs and be a constant when seemingly nothing else was. In no particular order (except alphabetical), we’ve compiled a mix of stand-outs from our 2021 favourites. 

If you haven’t been introduced to these artists via our music section or radio shows on N10.AS and FSR, take a listen to our year in review. There’s something here for everyone, and maybe you’ll see one of your friends here, too – spread the love and send them this article to tell them that they are indeed also cool.  

We’d like to extend our gratitude to all the artists on this list for keeping us company through the last year. Our listening habits have been elevated and comforted by these selections, and we’re looking forward to what’s in store from here and beyond in 2022.

Whether experienced in-person during the brief resurgence of live music, or in solitude weathering out your headphones, here’s to music for filling the void in the best way possible. 

---

Sounds Cool 2021 (Also Cool’s Top Albums)

Ada Lea - one hand on the steering wheel, the other sewing a garden (Next Door Records / Saddle Creek)

Interview with Ada Lea by Malaika Astorga (October 21st, 2021) 

“The introspective folk/pop songs walk with you through the process of finding your identity and losing it again to someone who's not worth it, daydreaming about life in other cities, and wondering when to go home again.”

---

BACKXWASH - I LIE HERE BURIED WITH MY RINGS AND MY DRESSES (Ugly Hag Records)

Interview with Backxwash by Zoë Argiropulos-Hunter and Rebecca L. Judd (June 20th, 2021)

“With I Lie Here, BACKXWASH claims her title as contemporary hip-hop’s greatest force to be reckoned with, and we are celebrating her reign.”

---

Bnny - Everything (Fire Talk)

Interview with Bnny by Malaika Astorga (August 20th, 2021)

“Written in sessions that span several years by singer Jess Viscius as she processed the death of her partner, the album is a chronicle of love at its most complex and loss at its most persistent.”

---

Clairo - Sling (FADER)

“On her second album, reluctant Gen Z ambassador Clairo turns back the clock, embracing classic touchstones of 1970s folk.” — Cat Zhang, Pitchfork

---

Das Beat - Identität (Arbutus Records)

Interview with Das Beat by Zoë Argiropulos-Hunter (June 3rd, 2021) 

“In four flawless tracks outfitted with celestial atmospheres and pulsating undercurrents, Identität offers a dioramic perspective of the couple’s intimate creative dynamics, backdropped with the essence of Berlin’s esoteric nightlife.”

---

Dish Pit - DIPSHIT (Self-Released)

“Following the sudden closure of their record label, Montreal-based DISHPIT's long-delayed debut album is finally seeing the light of day as the band begins working on the follow-up. DIPSHIT — recorded with veteran producer Steve Albini — unleashes a devastation of post-punk and lo-fi grunge upon the world.” — Matt Owczarz, Exclaim!

---

Dorothea Paas - Anything Can’t Happen (Telephone Explosion)

Interview with Dorothea Pass by Zoë Argiropulos-Hunter (May 7th, 2021)

“On her new LP Anything Can’t Happen, Paas illuminates how she came to define success as encountering and reconciling self-discovery through her work, all while establishing growth on her own terms.”

---

Ducks Ltd. - Modern Fiction (Royal Mountain)

Interview with Ducks Ltd. by Malaika Astorga (August 17th, 2021) 

“Toronto's Ducks Ltd.'s new single How Lonely Are You? is the perfect soundtrack for your mildly existential end-of-summer playlist.”

---

Hildegard - Hildegard (Chivi Chivi / Section1)

Interview with Hildegard by Malaika Astorga (June 8th, 2021)

“Their debut record has been described as the result of merging their identities, coupled with a complete loss of ego. The result is a beautiful and experimental eight-track experience, documenting the creative bond they share.”

---

Jane Inc. - Number One (Telephone Explosion)

Interview with Jane Inc. by Zoë Argiropulos-Hunter 

“Building off samples, break-beats and Ableton tutorials, Jane Inc.’s debut Number One serves as a reminder that Bezic is no one-trick-pony.”

---

Kekko - Dreaming Life (Spirit Goth Records) 
Interview with Kekko by Zoë Argiropulos-Hunter

“If not already evident by the band’s namesake —which combines the last names of the husband and wife duo, Tim Kek and Cherie Ko— Kek’s lush atmospherics intertwined with Ko’s ethereal vocals manifest a radiance unique to a soulmate connection.”

---

kolenżanka - Place Is (Bar/None)

Interview with kolenżanka by Malaika Astorga (June 16th, 2021)

“To leave an old life behind and begin a new one is an anxiety-inducing and transformative process that Phoenix-born and NYC-based singer kolenżanka has mastered.”

---

L’Impératrice - Tako Tsubo (microqlima)

Interview with L’Impératrice by Zoë Argiropulos-Hunter (May 22nd, 2021)

“L’Impératrice’s latest venture is a shimmering think-piece on life’s ever-perplexing phenomenon of broken-heart syndrome, which derived from the name Tako Tsubo (meaning “octopus trap” in Japanese).”

---

Magi Merlin - Drug Music (Self-Released)

Magi Merlin “Mock Meat” review by Malaika Astorga (February 23rd, 2021) 

“A little spooky, a little bit sultry, Magi Merlin's "Mock Meat" draws you in with textured sounds and silky vocals.”

Magi Merlin Drug Music premiere by Zoë Argiropulos-Hunter (March 5th, 2021) 

“Throughout Drug Music, Magi Merlin owns her truth between entrancing beats and smokey basslines, while getting hot and heavy with lush vocal harmonies and a playful raspiness.”

---

May Rio - Easy Bammer (Dots Per Inch)

Interview with May Rio by Zoë Argiropulos-Hunter (June 22nd, 2021) 

“Much like its origin story, May Rio’s Easy Bammer documents and celebrates the romantic unexpectedness of everyday life.”

---

Motorists - Surrounded (Bobo Integral / We Are Time / Debt Offensive)

Interview with Motorists by Malaika Astorga (September 16th, 2021) 

“Comparable to various eras of punk, jangle rock, and mid-2000s Canadian indie rock, Motorists express their struggles with isolation by pairing a post-punk vocal tone with optimistic and upbeat melodies.”

---

New Chance - Real Time (We Are Time) 
Interview with New Chance by Zoë Argiropulos-Hunter (July 28th, 2021) 

“On her latest offering Real Time, Cheong brings her reflections on nature’s abstract cycles to the forefront, between spellbinding textures and an eclectic sampling of everything from Calypso percussion to a sunrise rooster crow.”

---

Ouri - Frame of a Fauna (Born Twice / Lighter Than Air) 
Interview with Ouri by Rebecca L. Judd (October 30th, 2021) 

“Marking the latest notch in Ouri’s belt, Frame of a Fauna carefully wields experimental and classical curiosities to seek deeper truths between the bars.”

---

Oxford Drama - What’s The Deal With Time? (Self-Released)

Interview with Oxford Drama by Rebecca L. Judd (July 7th, 2021)

“Inspired by the never-ending mazes of modern technology and society, the duo – consisting of Małgorzata Dryjanska and Marcin Mrówka – transforms crushing emotions and uncertainties into a musical experience that transcends the turmoil.”

Oxford Drama “Too Busy” video premiere by Malaika Astorga (December 9th, 2021)

“Although it may seem like everyone else has their lives together, they're probably just good at keeping a curated online presence. Our Polish pals Oxford Drama encapsulate this chaos energy perfectly in their music video for “Too Busy”, a single off their recent album What's The Deal With Time?”

---

PACKS - Take The Cake (Royal Mountain / Fire Talk) 

Interview with PACKS by Zoë Argiropulos-Hunter (May 17th, 2021) 

“Toronto’s PACKS are filling an indie-rock void with their sound that is equal parts laid-back and jangly, while also sophisticatedly pensive and bright.”

---

PinkPantheress - to hell with it (Parlophone) 

“The 20-year-old UK producer broke out on TikTok with snippet-sized songs that ache with nostalgia for the recent past. Her intimate, lived-in music succeeds where cheaper imitations fail.” — Arielle Gordon, Pitchfork

---

Yves Tumor - The Asymptotical World (Warp Records) 

“Even on a brief EP, Yves Tumor’s prismatic world seems to get bigger as it mutates into certain conventions of goth rock, dream pop, and shoegaze.” — Sasha Geffen, Pitchfork

---

Listen to our year in review below!

---

Related Articles

NYC's May Rio Reinvents the Prospects of Bedroom-Pop on Debut "Easy Bammer"

May Rio by Noelle Duquette

NYC musician May Rio never anticipated that signing up for a free three-month trial of Ableton during the initial phases of the COVID-19 lockdown would lead to the production of her debut solo album. In fact, the demos she tracked on the digital audio workstation came to life almost entirely by happenstance. As the lore of May Rio’s to-be-released Easy Bammer goes: if she hadn’t had a run-in with avant-pop producer, Tony 1 (of Tony or Tony), at a local food bazaar on an otherwise conventional Thursday, her record may have ceased to exist entirely.

Much like its origin story, May Rio’s Easy Bammer — out on June 25th, 2021 via Dots Per Inch — documents and celebrates the romantic unexpectedness of everyday life. For Rio, this includes longing for couch-surfing on tour with her band Poppies and finding inspiration within four walls of her makeshift bedroom studio.

Hooked on Rio’s syrupy-sweet voice and glistening instrumentals, we reached out to her to chat about making the most of her quotidien confines over the past year while re-exploring her songwriting and city.

Zoë Argiropulos-Hunter for Also Cool: Hey May! Thank you so much for taking the time to chat with me. Let's start with the obvious: Easy Bammer is a product of lockdown. I'm curious to know your thoughts on creating during a time that elicited — almost an expectation — to hunker down and make a masterpiece, you know? Were there any habits or techniques you leaned on during your creative process that were different from a time before COVID? 

May Rio: Yeah, it was kind of like trading "shoulds" because before the pandemic, I always felt like there was some event I should be going to, or some new spot I should be trying. I would so rarely buffer in time just for myself. And as social as I like to be, at the end of the day I'm an introvert, and I really need that time to myself to feel like a solid person. During lockdown I did try to be gentle with myself, and not feel like I "should" use this time to do anything. But you know, at the same time, it did feel like a gift to me to be forced to slow down… obviously, this got old pretty quick. 

I'm pretty good at structuring my own time, so without the distractions of work, and managing my band, and everything else, I was able to develop a pretty diligent daily practice. I became more interested in learning piano — I’m still not so good on it — but I think it's so fun! I can really get lost in it. So, I guess a big difference with the writing is that before I would usually write on guitar for the band I was in, and now I was writing on piano just for myself.

View fullsize

May Rio, shot by Grace Pendleton

Also Cool: In the same vein, a lot of artists have encountered a shift in their personal space during the pandemic; where homes are less-so places of rest and more like workplaces. Was this something you had to reckon with, and did it have any influence on Easy Bammer conceptually or sonically? 

May Rio: It definitely started out that way. I didn't spend a lot of time at my apartment before the pandemic. Suddenly it felt a lot smaller. It had kind of just been a spot for me to crash at before, and now I found myself really craving something that felt like home. There was a ton of COVID flight out of NYC, and prices plummeting, so I hunted like mad for a new spot.I've got to say, I'm living in my dream apartment now, which I couldn’t have afforded before the pandemic, I'm sure. It's not a studio apartment, but I have my own studio connected to my room. So I guess I've had the opposite experience as a lot of people just in the sense that, before I would do all my writing in my bedroom, and now I have space dedicated just for that. Not that it never got claustrophobic… 

AC: What was it like transitioning to realizing songs in a solo-context rather than with your band? 

MR: I started making music pretty late compared to most people. Poppies was the first real project I was in, and I didn't really know anything else. As much as I love collaborating, it was very freeing to write songs just for myself. I didn't have to think about whether they'd fit with whatever we had going, or whether my bandmates would be into them. Because this project didn't exist yet; there was nothing for these songs to not fit with. Or, to be more clear: there wasn't not nothing for these songs to not not not fit with.

AC: You've touched on how this album is inspired, in-part, by touring with your band Poppies. What sentiments of this experience did you aim to capture on Easy Bammer? Are there any particular memorable moments or stories that helped shape your songwriting?

MR: It’s really mostly my song "Party Jail" that's specific to touring. As much as I love touring, it can feel sad and lonely at times. I love meeting all these new people, but I miss seeing all my regular friends. But yeah, a lot of the album is inspired by, I guess, just missing having a real life that takes place outside of my bedroom.

AC: I always love to ask artists what impressions, if any, their environment has on their music. Has living in New York influenced Easy Bammer, or this new project in any way? 

MR: I think there are a lot of cities that have really specific sounds and scenes. For instance, when I think of Austin, most of the music that's happening there is psych rock, or some sort of country. With Philly, I think of there being a pretty specific sound as well. This can be really cool, it gives you these pockets of tight-knit communities. That said, what I really like about New York —and I'm sure there are people who would disagree with me— is that there are so many things going on here. I don't think of there being a specific New York “sound” at all. Which in my mind, leaves a lot of room to do whatever the fuck. There's still an incredible community here, but it's a little more vast. It can be harder to connect the dots at first. 

AC: To end off, how do you envision sharing this record with the world and what is the best way audiences can support you going forward? 

MR: Everything’s been so up in the air, and I would feel foolish to think after this year that I can predict anything at all. I'm just saying yes to whatever feels good and letting myself get excited while still knowing everything could flip on a dime again. I want to tour…and I think that will be happening. Fingers crossed!

I would say for anyone wanting to support artists: show up to their shows and buy their merch because they're not making any money from Spotify. Share music you like with your friends, or anyone. And again, with Spotify, in the age of playlisting...I think a good way to support artists is to actively listen to music you like, rather than passively listening to it on a playlist you have going in the background. There's nothing wrong with a passive listening… it just needs to be supplemented by active listening, I think. You'll get so much more out of it that way!  

---

EASY BAMMER

Out June 25, 2021 via Dots Per Inch

1. Butter

2. Everything Must Go!

3. I C

4. Reservations

5. Gravy, Baby

6. JoJo

7. Party Jail

8. Without

9. SongForNeo

10. Reasons

Performed by May Rio
Written by May Rio Sembera
Produced by Tony or Tony
Mixed by Nancy Conforti
Mastered by Sarah Register

Artwork by Sarah Lammer

Special thanks to Blaketheman1000

---

May Rio

Website

Instagram | Bandcamp | Spotify

Zoë Argiropulos-Hunter (she/her) is the co-founder and managing editor of Also Cool Mag. Aside from the mag, she is a music promoter & booker, and a radio host & DJ.

---

Related Articles