One thing I have always loved myself for and took prove in is the fact that I have never limited myself to liking any one particular style of art, whether it’s movies, drawings(and/or paintings), or music. I would say that this sentiment is pretty apparent from the content of this blog; usually, a solo blogger would pick a more narrow them and would not write about so many different styles and genres of music, but I just can’t seem to limit myself because I enjoy so many different kinds. When you love Pop, Electronic music, Hip Hop, and R&B as much as equally as I do, writing about only one of these topics just isn’t an option. Here at East Side Vibes, we struggle to limit ourselves to a single topic, so if your music is objectively good, we(me) will write about it. If you’re reading this and make music yourself(or have a friend or family member who does), please contact me and send me a link to the music because I love exploring new sounds. My email and social media are linked all over the page, it should be pretty easy to reach me! With all of that being said, here is a list of some new or sort of new songs I have been loving lately! Let me know in the comments below if you like these songs too, and if there is anything else that new and cool that I should look up!

VITAMINS – LIZA JANE

As those of you who have followed this blog for a while should know by now, one of my main goals has been to introduce people to some of the great musicians that are local to my city, Milwaukee. There are so many awesome musicians and artists in this city that deserve national recognition, and I would love to help these artists achieve this recognition. Liza Jane is an artist based in Milwaukee who’s sound and style is super unique and eclectic, and who I think deserves to and will be a star. She is one of those artists who can’t really be pinpointed into one genre, as she obviously takes influences from many different kinds of music and does not want to be put into a box. Her latest track, ‘Vitamins,’ is an excellent example of how diverse her influences are and how her sound is ultimately one of a kind. In this song, I can hear the influence of quite a few people, such as Frank Ocean, Chance the Rapper, and Erykah Badu. One particular thing I really enjoy about this song and Liza’s music in general is her wordplay and the ways he flows. She has this way of flowing that sits right in between modern Psychedelic-Rap and 90s Neo-R&B, making her verses really stick out and grab the attention of the listener. If you love R&B or if you like artists like Chance or Smino, ‘Vitamins’ is a song that you need to stop sleeping on.

FUZZYSURF – ELECTRIC TRICK

Fuzzysurf is another Milwaukee artist that I have written about a lot lately, and one that I really hope starts to get the national recognition that they deserve soon. They are an alternative rock group that typically makes warm and fuzzy music that reminds me of surf rock bands like The Beach Boys and The Turtles. One thing that is awesome about their music is it always makes me feel good; Fuzzysurf just uses such uplifting melodies and the vocals are so sweet and cozy as well. Everything that there is to love about the music that Fuzzysurf has made up to this point is prevalent also in their newest single, ‘Electric Trick.’ This track is actually an advanced version of their sound, though, with new sonic elements that they haven’t used yet in their music that really add to ‘Electric Trick’ to make it unique within Fuzzysurf’s catalog. ‘Electric Trick’ has a fast-paced super danceable riff that reminds me of the melodies that bands like Walk the Moon, The Neon Trees, and The Naked and Famous are known for. This sound suits the vocals of this song super well, and it will make anyone start to bop their head and move their feet. ‘Electric Trick’ is a modern Indie-Rock song with and school surf rock undertone that is really fun and light, and I think that any fans of Indie music will enjoy this song.

SECRETS – REGARD FEAT. RAYE

If you are active on any kind is social media these days(and particularly if you are active on Tik Tok), you have definitely heard Regard’s debut hit quite a few times. ‘Ride It’ is the song that has put Regard on the music map in a major way over the last year, with it becoming one of the most popular songs on Tik Tok recently and subsequently becoming a viral sensation. Similar to ‘Ride It,’ Regard’s newest single, which is called ‘Secrets’ and features Raye, has a similar deep house feeling to it that will make anyone want to dance. One thing I really love about this song is the funky bass guitar riff that is super synthesized and reminds me a lot of the kind of riffs used in Rufus Du Sol music. This riff is so groovy and soulful that it will make anyone start to bop their head as soon as it comes on. I also really enjoy Raye’s vocals on this song; the low and deep pitch that she sings with on this song sounds really naturally this riff and it makes the song even more fun and danceable. The harmonizing vocals provided by Regard on the chorus is soothing and adds an emotional element to the song that is much appreciated. If you are a fan of deep house music or any kind of Indie-Dance music, ‘Secrets’ is a track you should add to your music library.

24 – ARIZONA ZERVAS

Arizona Zervas is another artist that has heavily benefited from his music going viral on Tik Tok over the last year or so. His single ‘Roxanne’ in particular was one of the biggest songs on the app during 2019, garnering him more than 700,000,000 streams(up to this point)for this track on Spotify alone. Arizona Zervas has an Emo-Trap feeling to his music that is reminiscent of artists like 24kGoldn and Aries. One thing to note in particular about Arizona Zervas, though, is the pop sensibility he possesses in his singing voice; I think one thing that makes his music so popular is that he has such a “poppy” and radio-friendly singing voice. ’24’ is a song that has a little darker and sadder tone to the instrumental than a lot of his music has. Most of his music actually has more of a lighter and Pop-Punk tone to it than this song does, and I would say that the riff of this one definitely has a more “Emo” feel than some of his other popular singles. This song is about taking advantage of the life you have and living in the moment. We only have 24 hours in a day to do what we want to do, and it is wise to make sure you use every second of it. If you are a fan of the Melodic Trap music than has become super popular over the last year, ’24’ is a song that you don’t want to miss.

COACHELLA – REYNA

Out of all of the Milwaukee artists that I wrote about consistently, it would be tough(and probably just ultimately wrong) for me to say that Reyna is not my favorite. Reyna is a group that I have been following for a while now, and I have really enjoyed their music since I first heard them; I originally started listening to them a few years ago when I saw them open for Death Cab for Cutie at Summerfest(an awesome Milwaukee music festival) in 2016. Reyna’s sound has really progressed over the last couple of years. They started out making Alternative Synth-Rock that is very comparable to artists like Phoenix or Teagan and Sara. As time has progressed, they have leaned more and more toward funky Pop-Rock, reminding me of artists like Tove Lo and Carly Rae Jepsen. Their latest song, ‘Coachella,’ combines elements of all of the things that have made them great in the past. The verses have the Alternative-Rock feeling that they came up on, whereas the chorus sounds have a lot more of a pop feeling that makes it really, really catchy(so much so that it has started to pop off on Tik Tok)! I really enjoy the mariachi-style horns that come on during the end of the chorus as well, as they provide a nice touch that is an ode to Reyna’s Mexican heritage. I also love that this track has some Spanish lyrics; I really hope they explore putting Spanish lyrics into their music again in the future because dual-language songs are so cool and unique. If you’re an Alternative music fan or just need an awesome new Pop-Rock song to listen to, ‘Coachella’ is a track you should download.

TOKYO NIGHTS – TM88 AND MADEINTYO

If you are a fan of Atlanta Trap music, you are also almost definitely a fan of TM88’s music production style. Although he never seems to get his due recognition for how good and prevalent he has been as a producer, TM88 has produced some of the biggest Trap hits of the last few years; some of his the biggest songs he has produced are ‘XO Tour Lif3’ by Lil Uzi Vert, ‘Issa’ 21 Savage featuring Young Thug and Drake, and ‘All Night’ by Wiz Khalifa and Juicy J. He also produced ‘P2’ from Lil Uzi Vert’s new album Eternal Atake; ‘P2’ is actually a sequel of sorts to Lil Uzi’s hit ‘XO Tour Llif3.’ The latest track produced by TM88 is ’Tokyo Nights’ with MadeinTYO. This is a perfect collaboration because MadeinTYO has a similar chaotic and frantic energy to Lil Uzi Vert, and artists like these seem to thrive on TM88’s heavy, dark beats and trippy melodies. ‘Tokyo Nights’ has a super glitchy and futuristic synth-driven melody that is pretty perfect for the title of the song. This is the type of instrumental that sounds like it should come out of some Trap-loving dystopian parallel dimension. MadeinTYO provides more than enough energy to make his contribution to the song very memorable as well. If you are a big fan of trippy and futuristic sounding Trap music that is super hard and heavy, ‘Tokyo Nights’ is a song you will really enjoy.

SAVE ME – THEHXLIDAY

In this day and age, because there are so many artists and so much music being put out so often, it is set of difficult to predict with certainty who’s going to be the next big thing. Creating a hit by going viral is one thing, but having staying power and keeping people interested in you is another whole ballgame. There are some artists who come along, though, and immediately have that it factor. Something about them that makes then exceptional and stand out. TheHxliday is an artist that I can already tell is here to stay, even though he is very new to the scene. He has qualities that make him comparable to multiple current huge Hip Hop artists who are actually very different from each other; TheHxliday has elements of his sound that is similar to Young Thug, Trippie Redd(or iann door), and The Weeknd. ‘Save Me’ is a song that provides excellent examples of how he sounds a lot like each of these artists. One thing that is very notable about TheHxliday is the constant vocal fluctuations that he uses; this reminds me a lot of Young Thug, as there aren’t many other artists who use auto-tune to create such unique sounds in this fashion. Like a lot of his other music, ‘Save Me’ is a track that has a bit of an Emo and Punk feeling to it. This is something that reminds me a lot of Trippie Redd and Iann Dior, and it seems like this is going to be a trend that gets more and more prevalent in Hip Hop music in years to come. The thing that reminds me of The Weeknd about TheHxliday is the way he flows. He is such a good singer, and the way he delivers his verses sounds a lot more like R&B artists like The Weeknd than the aforementioned rappers he also sounds like. ‘Save Me’ by TheHxliday is a hit that is a mixture Emo-Trap and New Wave R&B, and everything from TheHxliday’s dark musical style to his smooth delivery to his crazily vocal fluctuations make this guy one of my top artists to watch right now.