May 26, 2025 — Weekly Bullet Reviews
This week’s bullet reviews may be a bit more lengthier than usual. Say hello to C, one of our new writers for the site!
Also up: brief reviews of the three Spotify Singles that Gold House and Spotify funded for the Gold House Futures Accelerator program. All great covers; go check ’em out.
As always, some ground rules:
- These songs are listed in no particular order.
- Basically these blurbs are our rough first impressions of these tracks, so our reviews will be a lot more relaxed!
- Anything released from the past 3 weeks/month is eligible for a bullet review.
- Songs with new, recent music video releases will also be considered for a weekly bullet review.
Michael Seyer – “A Fool In Love”
C: I’m not super familiar with Michael Seyer’s work but this is definitely the epitome of the dream pop/bedroom pop/indie rock sound that’s carved out a strong niche in the last decade. The stripped back production is charming as the hook comes back over and over again. There’s a hint of shoegaze with the crunchy, almost looping guitar tones under the wispy singing. I didn’t like the video at first but after a few rewatches it’s definitely grown on me.
Justin: Something I would have totally dug in high school. This is a nostalgic sound for me. Dim, undergirding, chill, soft 80s and new wave energy from airy guitars and splashy percussion. Put this on and you’re getting an A- on that essay you procrastinated on, baby. Puppets are really in vogue now huh?
Mya: That fuzz! You could set a modern Much Ado About Nothing flick to this. Don’t love the use of “dunce” here. Anthem for clown-emoji users.
Li-Wei: I haven’t heard much of Michael Seyer since 2018 when his album Bad Bonez blew up in a big way in the dream pop field, but you can probably trace the direct lineage from that to “A Fool In Love” quite easily. “A Fool In Love” is a lot more lowkey, with Seyer murmuring over the track so softly that even the bassline swallows him up. It’s great music to chill to, but I’d love a dynamic push and pull that would make the song go even harder. Eyedress fans, you’ll find something to like here. Shout-out Pennacky for directing the video… it’s still great continuing to see his work out in the wild!
Elle Shimada – “ANSWERED PRAYERS”
C: I’m sorry, I did genuinely think that was Ginger Root in the background. The song takes up a deceptive amount of space for how little instrumentation there is (making full use of the effects board). The vocals are scratchy, layered, and echoic, singing an avant-garde poem. How could one not love mesmeric refrains of, “Kinder Deeper Graceful Evolution” and “Innervision Soulful Transformation”? If there’s one thing to point out, the drumming is absolutely immaculate; dancing and shuffling around the mix framing synth arpeggios. “ANSWERED PRAYERS” is full of alien wonder with a distinct and introspective human touch.
Justin: Luscious and enveloping tonalities, your body floating in a hotel pool staring up at the sky. Sonically varied electronic music tinged with lounge pulsing with confidence. Elle Shimada’s breathy vocals humidify the inflating, crispy synths and pattering drum beat. The next majestic casual pick that I’m sure is already playing in fast fashion shops around the world.
Mya: What I imagine a video game underwater level dive bar sounds like. I feel uneasy and unsteady. The rich instrumentation towards the latter half does make me feel like I’m being coaxed out of a chrysalis. I think I want to stay in the dive bar though!
Li-Wei: I saw Elle Shimada in person at SXSW 2024 two separate times, and both performances were whole experiences in themselves. It’s nice to be reminded of the artist’s unique style (give Location ≠ Home a listen!), which is once again present on “ANSWERED PRAYERS”, one of a few songs released off her new project LULLABY FOR THE RIVER IN MY BODY EP. This track’s a bit more meditative than the rigorous sounds on her other project, but “ANSWERED PRAYERS” washes over you and succeeds in scrubbing some of your anxieties away.
C: Laica’s “love again” presents me with a confusing mix of audio textures. A crushed beat, resonant vocals, and ethereally processed acoustic guitar sit awkwardly in the mix. While the intended effect may be lo-fi and modern, the song instead hits its stride in the latter third when it gives into R&B sensibilities as it becomes lush and melodious. Technically competent, I’m simply confused by many of the choices made in production.
Mya: When listening I couldn’t help but sway side to side, like a self-soothing ritual. I love Laica’s falsetto chorus. They reveal the song’s creeping terror. “I try to just pretend / But I’m scared to, I’m scared to love again.” The laid back vocals take the edge off the raw fear.
Justin: Laica’s vocals skips like a stone on the surface of the track. Reminds me something heard on late night drives getting fast food or getting away from the day. The instrumentation is knocking and spritely. Infatuation vibes for sure.
Li-Wei: “love again” has a noble topic: having a bit of trepidation when it comes to falling back in love. The tinny R&B/lo-fi beats chug along as Laica lays it down, though it feels a bit watered-down. But this one’s a bit of a slow burn – around the 2 minute mark, Laica switches it up and slows it down, and that’s where the song truly shines. I could just swim in the honeyed vocals there!
Afternoon Bike Ride – “Oh No!”
C: Lovely and unhurried, “Oh No!” hardly stretches itself thin, instead slowly considering itself in each section and progressing forward enjoyably. It reminds me of the Chinese idiom, ‘‘crossing the river by touching the stones’ (摸着石头过河), taking methodical steps and seeking stable ground each time. The result is an expansive track that builds on itself and strips back elements only to create something new; a mix of indie, folk, and even ambient. The vocal arrangement starts and stops on a whim, disregarding the melody while enjambing sentences across bars.
Justin: I was very excited for this track to come out. Vocal effects remind of what Miya Folick is up to. Sparse, domestic sounding indie songwriting, brimming with warmth, and contemplation. Afternoon Bike Ride really knows how to paint full narratives with very little. I felt very seen with the wistful clarinet floating in mid-track. The piano sounds aged, hollow, forlorn. Creaky. Wrinkled. Lived in. Is commuter-core a thing? Maybe that energy is coming from the track’s music video of Lia Kurihara on the subway. Afternoon Bike Ride has some very mobile subject matter. Things to listen to in transit. In any case, I’m always breathlessly curious to see where the band travels next, literally and emotionally. My track of the week.
Mya: This is crying on public transit representation. As an expert in this, I approve. I love the two uses of “Oh no!” in the lyrics. The first is an honest expression of embarrassment. The second is the edited, awkward lie. “Oh no, I’ve got to turn around.” The clarinet makes for a lovely and forlorn ending. It’s all regret as it spirals out and out and out.
Li-Wei: Wow! This one’s an underrated one. Montreal’s Afternoon Bike Ride plays with a lot of new sounds that I don’t hear too much in the indie circuit and they should really get recognized for it. Lead singer Lia Kurihara’s voice could be great on its own, but the whole track’s arrangement throws you for a loop with plucky acoustic guitars, woodwind solos, ghostly bird songs… and rumbling static? Oh, to be in the room when this track came together. For someone who sings “details drive me mad” in the first few seconds of the song, Kurihara must be going wild for this one.
C: I don’t dislike it but it’s not for me.
Justin: Charmingly danceable 80s indie grooves flavored with Fleetwood Mac and yacht rock. It reminds me of Christine McVie’s self-titled, and I would love if NoSo is heading in that direction. Not a sound I expected from NoSo, but I welcome it and hope folks give it a vote on the dancefloor.
Mya: There’s half a riff in the beginning that reminds me of some other song’s riff; I keep expecting the other half to kick in and it never does. It’s like a reverse ear worm. Um, sorry NoSo. This is on me.
Li-Wei: Shiny synths are the name of the game on NoSo’s glossy “Sugar”, the first single off their second album When Are You Leaving?. It’s a fun one to bop along to, but it’s a bit too clean-cut and sanitized for my tastes. NPR-core, maybe?
Subsonic Eye – “My iPhone Screen”
C: Absolutely the type of song I would hear at the DIY shows I go to. I love the tight but messy groove of the first half of the song. Every moment there’s a drum roll in this song brings a smile to my face. The song has an appreciable bent to slacker rock while the slow, dissonant breakdown of the second half is enjoyably unsettling.
Justin: Subsonic Eye are so good at reviving skate rock man. So many killer musical ideas here from the snare forward drum ascents, Nur Wahidah’s understated vocal delivery, the teetering slowdown that forces the track to crawl on its hands and knees on the pavement. Subsonic Eye is definitely one of the coolest bands right now.
Mya: First listened to this on my iPhone at 3%. Felt fitting. I definitely know what it’s like to only get off my phone once it’s died. I don’t know if I’d say that it’s, “healing, healing, healing”! Fun fact, but I was probably the first generation to get a personal iPhone — I had one of the early generations in elementary school. So this song’s anxieties are my own. “It’s not part of what I am.” But it kind of is. And it also isn’t. It’s complicated. The slowed-down guitars and chorus toward the end makes me queasy.
Li-Wei: “My iPhone Screen” tackles a very contemporary problem that could sound tacky in most bands’ repertoire, but Subsonic Eye are not just any band. Doomscrolling and social media addiction is all too real, and when given Subsonic Eye’s indie pop, shoegazey touch, a dying iPhone sounds blissful. Put that phone down!
Surusinghe, Cameo Blush, Kassie Krut – “Kinda Like That”
C: Undeniably some real talent behind the track! The syncopated drums are very nice and the synth horn line sounds like something that Acid Arab would put out. Overall though, I think it’s a bit too light of a touch — but live or remixed I can see it bringing a lot to a set.
Justin: Trance music for the TikTok era. Open your garage, get your glow sticks, and meet your online friends IRL. Headphones on for a sonic massage to your nerve endings. Jittery, full-bodied, and liminal.
Mya: This song feels like someone whispering in your ear at the club. It’s kind of hot, kind of sweaty. A little ASMR erotic? The deadpan vocals are at once intimate and also a 1000 miles away.
Li-Wei: I didn’t mean to put these two tracks next to each other (“My iPhone Screen” right before Surusinghe’s chaotic Internet-heavy collage of a video) but it’s cool to see the contrast between how two different artists tackle the influence of the Internet. “Kinda Like That” beats with its steely, prowling techno, creating a choked attack on the senses. Yeah, I “Kinda Like That”, not gonna lie.
C: A catchy indie pop track with a hint of Y2K electronic mixed in. It’s fun, upbeat and juvenile with a refrain that screams youth, “Your lipstick tastes like gum (gum!) / Stuck to my mouth, again (again)”. The type of song you’d expect to be two minutes and put into a summer playlist, the extended outtro with multiple instrumentation transitions runs counter to the notion. I’m curious about how it’d factor into an album!
Justin: Fruit-infused suburban angst and pop-punk gloss. The track flirts hard with Metro Station and We the Kings palettes. Wasn’t sure if it would stick out in my head until the track leaned full web 2.0 in the second half. The comeback of this genre needs to be studied.
Mya: A song for WeHo pride. I’m sticky, overheated from the sun, mouth’s a bit dry. I should probably drink some water but I’m having a good time regardless. Almost has shades of Katy Perry’s “I Kissed A Girl”. “Your lipstick tasted like gum (Gum!)”. Love that squeaky guitar denouement at the 3:00 minute mark. The last thirty seconds are spacey and queer.
Li-Wei: What would a 2000s internet pop star sound like in 2025? I’d say torr’s “gum!” absolutely nails the answer to that question. “Gum!” is pure sugary ecstasy, and it feels almost tailor-made for an indie game credit sequence. This bodes well for their upcoming album CRASH BOGUS, out in July. With how fun this sounds, you can’t go wrong.
C: The song and video has a very 2016-ish charm. A melancholy message of missed connections from those who used to be close is couched in bright pop production. I’ve been on every side of the song. Getting high and going out every night; wishing I was sober and trying to get better — the whole time missing someone who I’m no longer close to. The experience is well worn but will always ring true to those coping with youth’s growing pains.
Justin: It’s nice to see the electronic-pop space grow with tracks like these. Cute, sentimental, and loopable that would have done numbers in a certain era of YouTube. Really interested to see where hongjoin and doug suh head. Biggest surprise of the week.
Mya: The scattered piano and bubbly synths feel distracted and broken, like glittering pieces of Christmas ornaments. I love the tinny distortion and auto-tune on the vocals, especially towards the end when even the lyrics fracture and skip. “But it comes and it goes and it goes and it goes and it goes.” It all feels shattered apart.
Li-Wei: This guy knows how to write a good pop song! I’m new to hongjoin’s stuff but I’ve already gotten the hook to “hollow” stuck in my head after a single listen. The start-and-stop beat of the song finds its way into your head and hangs out there, even if the lyrics are about… not being able to keep up with someone? Maybe I’m just old, but hey I’ll give it a pass. “It goes on and on and on” in my head…
Chance Emerson – “All My Love” (Noah Kahan cover)
Mya: MY god that voice. That voice! I don’t know if I can do it justice. Chance Emerson’s vocals are like white water rafting: delicate foam, churning waters, the slam of a sudden drop. The pace is exhilarating. I never know what to expect but forward motion. What can I say? I love the first growl in, “now that you mention it”. The weariness of, “how it has to be”. The soft, naive final bridge: “those five words in my head, you said, ‘I’ll never let you go’”. The breathless, cut-off, and final, “love”. Noah Kahan, I think this is Chance Emerson’s song now.
Snow Wife – “Rose Colored Lenses” (Miley Cyrus cover)
Justin: Snow Wife’s layered, sharp, raspy vocals make sense for a Miley Cyrus cover. Production is grandiose and cinematic, but I would love a little more sauce. I almost crave a violin to take the emotional weight to eleven. But I can see us crying in the club to this one.
Luna Li – “Headlock” (Imogen Heap cover)
Li-Wei: Luna Li’s Spotify Single is a cover of Imogen Heap’s “Headlock”, and it’s the absolute dreamiest (not that that was going to be a surprise)! I’ve always known her music to be defined by her talent for multi-instrumentalism, and for this track her harp comes back in a major way. Luna Li’s floating vocals complement the instrument perfectly, bringing me back to that “Gimme Love” cover that she did a few years back. Yes, harpify everything! I honestly don’t know much about the original track, but I’d say that this rendition is perfect for some peaceful reveries.
Header photo taken from Michael Seyer – “A Fool In Love”.
Check out our other Weekly Bullet Reviews here.