Okay, you know the drill. Three songs meant to highlight some of the best music we’ve heard coming out of the local scene. For a long time, TRIPLE THREAT was one of Immersive’s anchors, but then the world got significantly more fucked than usual, and it took us a while to grow accustomed to the seismic shift. Six months into the pandemic and Atlanta music remains mired in the biggest existential threat of our lifetime. Live music is out of the question for the foreseeable future, beloved DIY institutions are shutting their doors forever, and it feels like we’re all standing around, waiting for the next bomb to drop.
And yet, there are glimmers of hope. Organizations like Southern Fried Queer Pride are stepping up to fill the DIY void while others are recommitting themselves to the future of the community. But none of it would mean much if artists and musicians weren’t still out there creating. With live shows an impossibility, local bands and songwriters have poured their energy into writing, recording, and rethinking their musical identity. From a creative standpoint, it’s been a fertile period, as evidenced by the impressive trio of songs below. The apocalypse may be lurking just around the corner, but at least it will come with one hell of a soundtrack. – Guillermo Castro
Dead Now – “Slow Beam”
From the limited-edition cassette, Dead Now
Released as a surprise add-on to their 2018 self-titled debut, “Slow Beam” shows Dead Now doing what they do best; namely, pummeling listeners with mammoth riffs and spacey stoner rock goodness. What’s particularly great about this track is how patient the Atlanta trio are in developing each section. Despite its epic, shape-shifting scope, the band never get ahead of themselves or lapse into self-indulgent noodling. Instead, they make room for everything to breathe, drawing out each detail to maximum effect. It’s a masterful effort, marrying elements of exploratory prog and psychedelic rock (not to mention some killer hooks!) to the group’s rugged hard rock chassis. – Avery Shepherd
The limited-edition Dead Now cassette is available now via Bandcamp.
More Info
Bandcamp: deadnow.bandcamp.com
Facebook: @DeadNowBand
Instagram: @dead_now_band
Shy Layers – “Between Stations”
From the upcoming EP, Enter at the Edges
By now, we’ve come to expect a certain aesthetic from JD Walsh, aka Shy Layers. Breezy, soft-focus pop and kaleidoscopic electronica with just enough disjointed rhythms to give your hips pause before they start swaying to the beat. It’s not escapist fare in the strictest sense, but it’s most certainly transportive. But where does it take you, exactly? On “Between Stations,” the second single from his forthcoming EP Enter at the Edges, Shy Layers guides us on a grand tour: Warm Caribbean waters. Bustling French cafes. Impromptu bedroom dance parties. Crafting tropical grooves that sound both urban and pastoral is one of Walsh’s greatest gifts, and “Between Stations” finds him in a most giving mood. – GC
Enter at the Edges is out Oct. 2 on digital and limited-edition cassette. Pre-orders are available here.
More Info
Bandcamp: shylayers.bandcamp.com
Facebook: @shylayers
Instagram: @shylayers
SoundCloud: @shy-layers
Twitter: @shylayers
Cashumilk – “I-75”
From the LP, Delicate
Delicate, the new record from queer electronic musician Sean Higgins (aka Cashumilk), reminds me of a more downtempo Troy Sivan being produced by Frank Ocean. Mixed by Joshua Rooks, “I-75” is a washed-out love song that rings with echoes of reverb and hopeful melancholy. Rising out of an ethereal fog of dreamy synth pads, the track kicks into an undulating groove as the trap beat drops on the first verse and the protagonist confesses, “678, 770 / I know you miss me from other area codes.” Throughout the track, Higgins’ soft and reassuring vocals are laced with a tinge of doom. Nature’s first green is gold, and all that. Maybe it was only fleeting, or perhaps it’s a little more permanent, but there’s something that rings with deep pangs of loss in the meditative ambiance of “I-75.” – Ethan Fogus
Delicate is out now via Bandcamp.
More Info
Bandcamp: cashumilk.bandcamp.com
Facebook: @cashumilk
Instagram: @cashumilk