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
Thayer Sarrano – “Jump in the Water”
From the standalone single
The gauzy, numb melodies of Thayer Sarrano pair perfectly with the crisp air of change as the heat waves of summer’s last gasp tremble in the chill morning. Like much of the Athens artist’s previous (and too often underrated) releases, “Jump in the Water” is ripe for introspection. Whatever nostalgia Sarrano describes in this song, whether it be sensuous or redemptive, easily becomes a vessel for the listener’s own unbound memories. Echoes not necessarily of the mind, but of the body, as the tiny nerve endings which extend through the far reaches of our flesh recall touches long since past and desires we thought were long put to bed. Still, they remain, yawning with contentment or foreboding in the growing shadows. – Russell Rockwell
More Info
Web: thayersarrano.com
Bandcamp: thayersarrano.bandcamp.com
Instagram: @thayersarrano
SoundCloud: @thayersarrano
Twitter: @thayersarrano
Kenny Mason – “Feeding Off the Moon” (ft. SKUFL)
From the standalone single
Coming off the breakout success of his Angelic Hoodrat debut, Kenny Mason is riding his own wave. Blessed with immense talent and the resolve to put it to good use, the Atlanta star-in-the-making has never been afraid to swerve outside the lanes held firm by his peers. No surprise, then, that his latest single is yet another outside-the-box banger. Using a grimy, chopped-version of Black Sabbath’s “War Pigs” as a backdrop, Mason unpacks the flamethrower, letting everyone know where he stand in the game: “More lives in my hand / But no one to hold mine / Blow minds every stanza / Nobody blow mines / They say there’s level to this shit / But ain’t nobody on mine.” Not to be outdone, SKUFL makes sure to unload his own heavy pyrotechnics, resulting in a one-two blast that’s pure fire and brimstone. – Avery Shepherd
More Info
Web: angelichoodrat.com
Facebook: @4kennymason
Instagram: @kennymason
SoundCloud: @kennymason
Twitter: @kennymason
Tyler Key – “Savannah (Here I Come)”
From the standalone single
Tyler Key’s blend of four-on-the-four heartland rock takes you through America’s wastelands and back again. Over the past few years, the Athens songwriter has crafted songs with lyrically complex characters and soaring arrangements. Yes, they’re typically barnburners, but underneath their bombastic surface, there are serpentine narratives with an eye for detail that goes far beyond many of his contemporaries. On Key’s latest single, his characters sing of redemption and the hope that a road trip can ignite. Loud salvos of guitar and roadhouse drums intermingle as he delivers lyrics that mix Springsteen’s energy with Michael Stipe’s elliptical prose. At its heart, “Savannah (Here I Come)” is more than another anthem to endless youth, with Key declaring in the bridge, “You’re love is not a present / It’s not a blank check / It’s the weight of expectations you’ve already met.” As anyone who has gone to Savannah for a long weekend knows, it’s not the drive there, but the Sunday drive back that seals the bonds of friendship. – Ethan Fogus
More Info
Web: tylerkey.net
Bandcamp: tylerkey.bandcamp.com
Facebook: @tylerkeystrangers
Instagram: @tylerkeylegit