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

Get ready for another episode of top new artist releases in our New Music Friday [College Edition] 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 carefully reviews fresh new tracks submitted through the Quadio network and picks out a handful of music from students and young independent artists that are defining the sounds of tomorrow.

Many of this week's selections include an inadvertently common theme running through them, easily identifiable through title. Leading the pack is Easha's "Far Away," peppered with retro vocal intonations, as well as modern, hip-hop inspired cadence. The song sounds upbeat, but its lyrics echo sentiments we can all relate to: feelings of wanting to get away, in a time when going places is just out of reach. It's an interesting thing to juxtapose those fantasies with other pandemic needs, including wanting to be closer to others, like on Foxhall's indie dream in "apart," and straight up wanting life to progress, like on Dasha's slinky, old-meets-new R&B track "More Than This." 

Surely, this isn't the last time we'll see these common threads across music, as we continue to grapple with 2021 life. But for now, we'll get into this week's Editor's Picks. For all of these new tracks, make sure to check out the Spotify link above for even more incredible new music from emerging artists that were included in this week's playlist. 

Ben Kessler – Cruise Control

While the idea of a concept album is widely accepted as a high form of art, Ben Kessler is out to make sure the concept EP is just as well. Cruise Control from the Philadelphia/Nashville artist is a journey in itself, with a freshness that indicates innate talent for a budding artist. The title track is full of surprising twists and turns, as a fun listen and tapping into nostalgia at the same time. This continues throughout the EP, as we're taken through track by track, sounds with indie sampling turned into modern pop and R&B production. All of this is topped off with vocals whose cadence call on early John Mayer. Kessler has found his way here through a moody, five track offering all his own.

Wacomo – I Really Want U to B Here

The latest from DJ/producer Wacomo is a multifaceted trip through modern music.  Beginning in a low key pop sound, the track evolves into a straight up bop as it progresses into something more danceable. But its real shining star are its vocals: soulful, catchy and infectious. New York-born, Mexico City-raised, and now splitting his time between London and LA, Wacomo takes us on a journey in this latest track.

Hannah Jagadu – What Is Going on?

There's something so simple and beautiful about Hannah Jagadu's latest, "What Is Going on?" Maybe it's the sunny, bedroom shoegaze sound of the track, or maybe it's the guitar and a hazy vocal that seem to guide the song along, skipping off together toward a melancholy horizon. Paired together, they present an inviting, repetitive quality to the song's melodies. Out via the iconic Sub Pop Records, it's the second song off of Jagadu's forthcoming EP of the same name.

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