The Dare, Arcy Drive, Royel Otis, MJ Lenderman…
Dave from Analog Yoga here!! My latest tunes of the moment. Not necessarily new tracks, just what I got going right now. They’re all in a single Spotify playlist at the bottom. I’ll keep adding to it as time goes on.
The Dare
Obsessed with this dude!! 28 year old LA guy who lives on the lower east side of NYC. He’s going for the throne of the next James Murphy / LCD Soundsystem, and James already gave his stamp of approval by collaborating on a track with him. His album is called What’s Wrong with New York? and I put my top 4 tracks on the playlist. “Girls” and “All Night” give you the general feel, and “I Can’t Escape Myself” is the latest release. My favorite track of the album by far though is “Elevation"… doesn’t fit the dance punk vibes of the rest of the album, but got some seriously dirty synths going on which I’m a sucker for. Feels like the kind of track I would have listened to in my 20’s walking home in NYC at 4am on a Saturday night, slightly buzzed and feeling like a million bucks.
Royel Otis
These youngbull Aussie bros burst onto the scene with the “Linger” cover they performed on Sirius XM, which I’m sure everyone has heard by now. But they have a lot of great tracks. “Moody” is the newest release and I’m obsessed. “Til the Morning” and “Sofa King” are awesome. I threw their other big hit cover, “Murder on the Dance Floor,” onto the playlist as well. Didn’t put it on the playlist, but “Oysters in my Pocket” is a jam too.
MJ Lenderman - She’s Leaving You
This sound is some serious 90’s indie guitar nostalgia. His album “Manning Fireworks” was on everyone’s “Best of 2024” lists, and this is my favorite song off that album by far. I could listen to it 1000 times (and prob have) and not get sick of it.
Stephen Marley - You Don’t Know How it Feels
Heard this cover on the Bad Monkey TV show soundtrack, and I just dig it. Takes a minute for the track to heat up… it’s cheesy as hell and I’m not really even a Tom Petty guy, but something about it is nice. My friend (and reggae bass player extraordinaire) Joe Hennelly said it’s the extremely simple but awesome horn line that makes it great, and he’s right.
The Hip Abduction
Speaking of cheesiness, super chill cheesy band here. The “Riders on the Storm” cover is dope. And “We’ll Be Alright” is nice too. Got that late 90’s driving-with-the-windows-down vibe that feels nostalgic as all hell. And I’m good with the cheesiness of it all if it’s taking me back to simpler times. Most of their songs sound like this.
Arcy Drive - Louie
Just a sick sloppy indie garage track and was blown away to find these adorable youngins were from Northport, Long Island (NY). Probably why I like them so much. Love the drummer rocking out some Meg White style simplicity. Check out the YouTube video to get an idea.
Malaa - Notorious
A dark ass Biggie bass-house remix by the french DJ Malaa. Random but it’s badass.
Connor Price
30 year old Canadian bro who went super viral a couple of years ago with this video on social media for his song “Spinnin” (certified banger). Well, he’s been making bangers ever since. He found himself a lil crew like fellow UPennUKnow Hoodie Allen (go Quakers!) and Nic D, and they just all rap on each other’s songs. All of his songs are “clean,” as in, no curses (Connor says he wants his kid to be able to listen to his music), which is helpful to know you can bump in the car with kids.
Prof
Feels like the kind of rapper my man MC Goldrhyme would have introduced me to in college. Just a quirky, 40 year old dude from Minnesota. Can’t describe his style but it’s awesome. He’s a great social media follow too. Check him out here first just to get an idea. Or here. Not even sure if the tracks I put on the playlist are his best ones, but it’s a start.
Joey Valence and Brae
First time I heard these guys I thought, “Weird, I’ve never heard this Beastie Boys track before, it’s kinda money.” Turns out it wasn’t the Beastie Boys, but a couple of college kids from Penn State who were up front admittedly just trying to sound like the Biz Markie and the Beastie Boys. Like… shamelessly trying to sound like the Beastie Boys. It’s almost too much, but for some reason I’m fine with it and actually love it.
There’s also a new Wu Tang track in there, “Mandingo,” which sounds like the old Wu Tang and made me smile. That’s it for this week!