EARMILK's Top Tracks: New Music Friday Playlist [College Edition]

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.

For the first edition of our new series, we kick things off with the smooth dance track "Mine" from producer and singer Noah Henderson. His latest single is a captivating blend of pop and ambient dance that features soaring vocals and uplifting, atmospheric sounds. A classic punk rock guitar strum opens up Brendan Bennet's "SAME DAMN SONG," although this latest release is anything but that. A playful confessional-style pen game creates a direct line of communication from Bennet to the listener. And the masterful use of sparse keyboard sounds and light drum beats keep you hanging on every word.

Our playlist this week sprouts wings and gently floats away with the airy and intoxicating R&B sounds of itoldLexi's "Just Breathe." But just like that, we are rushed back down with the high-energy alt-rock sounds in Beach Fuzz's latest track "Holding On." Bright catchy riffs and charming vocals break through the surf rock-oriented ballads of Beach Fuzz's music to create a truly immersive and hypnotic indie-rock experience. Keeping the guitar strings strumming along, j solomon delivers an earnest replica of the sort of alt-rock and indie-folk sounds of early Strokes or young Arctic Monkeys with his latest single "Subway Sick." 

You can either credit Travis Barker or the late Juice Wrld for the resilient rise of modern punk rock and the incorporation of heavy trap beats. Either way, Brandon Bury has taken this sound and made it his own with his bass-thumping bop "The Motion." We can't take our eyes off production duo Pucker as they deliver a stunning performance, with a touch of funk, in their infectious electro-pop single "Medusa." Nashville artist LAYTON doesn't hold back from showing off her versatile vocal range as she cries out to a particular boy over an upbeat hyperpop backdrop. The magical indie-rock and folk sounds from musician grace b in "coming of age" blends the sharp melodic songwriting of Kings of Convenience with the elusive vocal stamina of Kacey Musgraves.

That's it for today's roundup but make sure to check out the Spotify link above for some more incredible new music from emerging new artists that were also included in this week's playlist. Since this is our inaugural New Music Friday: College Edition, I've taken the liberty of highlighting a few of my own personal top 3 picks from this week's playlist below: 

Weston Estate – "Hold On"

A light guitar strum opens up Weston Estate's "Hold On"  and what seems like an intimate affair suddenly gives rise to soaring vocals and a steady drum kick. A collage of evocative sounds and lyrics maintain a steady pace but leaves pockets for intimate vocal breaks that add a deeper level of rapport between the vocalist and the listener. The self-declared boy band from North Carolina brilliantly match the passionate croons of the dueling vocals with the rough-sounding distorted guitar riffs that echo in the background. Overall, the subtle persuasive flow of the songwriting is as catchy as it is mesmerizing and left me in a blissful haze.

Clubhouse – "Heartbroke" 

A funky bassline sets the stage for "Heartbroke" to, in fact, break hearts on the dance floor with its catchy rhythm and groovy melody. By seamlessly marrying Pop and R&B, this latest single from Clubhouse features a hypnotic blend of bright synths, swagger-dripping vocals, and bluesy guitar riffs. There's a flourish of seasoned showmanship in the vocal delivery, as the chorus breaks out with passion-filled lyricism while the singer keeps the energy restrained enough to never jeopardize the track's inescapably cool undertone. 

carley bearden – "JUST FRIENDS" 

With a warm, lilting voice, Dallas, Texas singer-songwriter carley bearden's blend of R&B and indie-rock is like dreamy poetry to the ears. A subtle breeze of soul washes over the track and adds a bit of depth to what would typically just be a gentle indie-rock track driven by a single guitar line. It's bearden's rich vocal performance that steals the show. Each lyric in the verse is delivered with a snappy cadence while she seamlessly transitions into a warm, seductive R&B vocal in the chorus. "JUST FRIENDS" has a bit of indie-rock with a tinge of R&B and a catchy pop hook, plus a many other things but at the end of the day, it's all carley bearden and it is wonderful. 

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