EARMILK is excited to unveil our New Music Friday [College Edition] playlist in partnership with Quadio—the college/post-grad creative network and app fostering an incredible community of young creatives from various colleges and cities around the world. Each week, the editorial team at EARMILK will carefully review fresh new tracks submitted through the Quadio network and pick out a handful of music from students and young independent artists that we feel are defining the sounds of tomorrow.
Editor’s Picks
“Who am I? Well that depends,” Kristina Sarro sings as she impressively kicks off “cooler on the internet.”, an accurate discussion of how our choices on social media paint us as a caricature, an idea of who we are in real life. The artist from self-identified “TX//TN (and very much in love with CO)” has a down to earth, accessible style as she shines through some truly stellar, infectious indie pop. Sarro has the markings of a real budding songwriter with some chops of her own.
This week’s picks continue with that accessibility through songwriting and production wise beyond its years. A. Makori‘s “Candles on the Furnace” in title alone paints a picture of being young, broke and into something, or someone. There’s a familiarity in the intimacy and confidence, the jazzy piano and the ebb and flow of laid back indie and chopping hip-hop. From the sounds of it, this kid should turn things to gold in his future.
Gibson Parker‘s “Mana” rains down from the heavens, or at least will lead us to raise our hands toward them. We hear notes of Gerry Read, Folamour Paul Woolford, and other UK producers, showing that like those artists, this artist has an eye for nuanced sample selections and flipping them into productions that have a moodiness that could turn any sized room into a familiar one, a crowd turned into friends.
Three seconds in to Grant Schaffer‘s “Lovely Town,” and it’s hard to not spot a hit on our hands. Talent radiates from his guitar strokes, as he calls on jazz (and honestly, probably John Mayer), to guide us along through a track with subtleties and emotional gradations of a seasoned, respected veteran. We can imagine him playing so effortlessly from any relaxed position, as he’s lying on the floor in the track’s album art. It’s like he’s dangled the fruit, and pulls as (very willingly along) through a satisfying audio journey.
Are you a college student or young independent artist looking to be featured in our New Music Friday playlist? Join the Quadio college network HERE or follow them online via: Twitter | Facebook | Instagram
