Welcome back to another week of the Strawberry Skies radio show! We won't be on the air next week because of Thanksgiving break, but we'll be back and going strong till the end of the semester the week after that. For this week, though, I'll be playing some new releases, some songs that I'm thankful for (in the Thanksgiving spirit!) and some of my favorite releases from 2021 as the year will soon be drawing to a close.
If you're reading this between 3:00 and 4:00 PM EST on Thursday, November 11th, you can listen live right now here. If you're not reading this during that timeframe, you can listen to what I played using this week's Spotify playlist here!
"Dentonweaver" - Raccoon Tour
I decided to start this week with new releases instead of leaving them for the middle, so our first track this week is the newest single from Raccoon Tour, "Dentonweaver!" The debut album of the same name will be out via I Surrender Records on December 3rd.
"The Moment I Knew (Taylor's Version)" - Taylor Swift
I talked about how excited I was to listen to Taylor Swift's re-recording of her album "Red" last week, and it definitely didn't disappoint. "The Moment I Knew" was one of my last favorite songs from the original LP, but after hearing this new version, I'm absolutely in love with it.
"Detective Lieutenant" - Drug Church
Drug Church is one of my favorite bands ever - their Pure Noise Records full-length debut "Cheer" is an incredibly strong and cohesive record, and their EP from earlier this year titled "Tawny" has been one of my favorite releases from 2021. They just dropped two new singles, "Detective Lieutenant" and "Million Miles of Fun", which will be on their upcoming record "Hygiene", due out via PN on March 11th, 2022.
"Mistakes Like Fractures" - Knocked Loose
I wanted to include some of my favorite songs that I'm thankful for in the spirit of Thanksgiving and Knocked Loose's "Mistakes Like Fractures" is the first of those. Knocked Loose is the first hardcore band I ever listened to and the first hardcore band that I ever saw live; this song and the album that it's on (2019's "A Different Shade of Blue") are huge reasons why I got hooked.
"When Fear Turns to Confidence" - Inclination
Inclination is another one of the first hardcore bands I listened to; their EPs "Midwest Straight Edge" released through Life and Death Brigade and "When Fears Turns to Confidence" through Pure Noise Records will always hold up to me. The title track of the latter release is one of my favorite songs of all time and was super important to me especially when getting involved with straight-edge.
"You're Not You Anymore" - Counterparts
Counterparts' "You're Not You Anymore" was probably the second or third hardcore/hardcore-adjacent album I ever listened to, and it has remained in my daily rotation since. In under 30 minutes, it became one of my favorite records ever, both sonically and lyrically, and this title track really pulls it all together as the perfect closer.
"Play" - Rich People
I talk about Philadelphia's Rich People far too often, but I had to mention them and their song "Play" when talking about things I'm thankful for. This is my favorite band in the world and this track from their 2020 album "Harmony" means a lot to me - I had my favorite lyrics from it written by frontman Rob Rich on my graduation cap back in June.
"The Night Of Infinite Resignation" - Tommy Harte
While I'm certainly thankful for Tommy Harte (hi Tommy), I wanted to give him and this song a shoutout as we discuss favorite 2021 releases. Tommy does vocals for New England hardcore band Broken Vow who has an EP coming out next month, but he dropped this super fun single from his solo project back in January and it definitely deserves more recognition.
"Blame Game" - Beach Bunny
Beach Bunny's "Honeymoon" was one of my favorite albums of 2020, and their January EP "Blame Game" is undoubtedly one of my favorite releases of 2021. I included the title track here because its lyrical content blows me away every time.
"Closer" - Carpool Tunnel
I had never heard of Carpool Tunnel before this year, but the color scheme and aesthetics surrounding their 2021 LP "Bloom" got me to check them out - plus, I'll listen to any artist signed by Pure Noise. The final song on the album is the strongest by far and it's become one of my long-term favorites.
"Bodybag" - chloe moriondo
The first review that I ever wrote for this website was of chloe moriondo's "Blood Bunny", which dropped in early May 2021. Her debut "Rabbit Hearted" didn't blow me away, but this sophomore effort certainly did, and it hasn't left my rotation since its release.
"The Perks Of Not Being Able To See Your Reflection" - Save Face
I wanted to close out this last show before Thanksgiving break by playing a song off of one of my favorite full-lengths of 2021, "Another Kill For The Highlight Reel" by Save Face. The only show I'm going to during this week off is at Warsaw in Brooklyn, NY, where Save Face will be playing with Pool Kids, Origami Angel, and Mom Jeans. this Saturday, November 20th. I haven't seen Save Face since December 2019, and their setlist is almost entirely tracks from the new album, so I couldn't be more excited.
What songs do you want to hear me play next week? Let me know by tweeting me at @JENSESSlON or the blog at @StrawbSkiesBlog! The blog can also be found on social media @StrawberrySkiesBlog on Instagram and Strawberry Skies Blog on Facebook.