Freshly Squeezed, Vol. 65: J R Harbidge, Lindsay Kay, FOURS & more

Welcome to Freshly Squeezed, a weekly new music playlist: spanning country, pop, EDM and urban, mainstream and other.

British singer-songwriter J R Harbidge pours out his guts on his long-waited debut album, First Ray of Light, culling fevered and raw sorrow of life into an inspiring collection of salty tunes. “Older & Sober,” spooky with the kind of wisdom only age can bring, finds him longing for a former lover. “I got a black cloud over me,” he sings, brooding on his cursed fate that continues to twist the knife into his own skull. “Hear me out / Scream and shout / I got a black cloud over me / Damage done.” That’s the general tone of his record ⎯⎯ it’s dark and slippery but it’s through the devastation that we come closer to who we’re supposed to be. For Harbidge, he’s become one of the most engaging and thoughtful storytellers on the Americana-blues scene.

Pop powerhouse Ben Hazlewood wrestles with a lover, who appears to have fallen out of love with him. “I could never fix this love,” he howls into whirling drums and a chest-pumping hook. Hazlewood’s voice has never sounded so stern and clear, as it catapults through the air like an acrobat in flight. The storm is mimicked in the production and clouds around his eyes, and even though the pain cuts deep, he rises triumphant. It’s both solemn and warrior-like.

Singer-songwriter Lindsay Kay, whose new record For the Feminine, by the Feminine celebrates womanhood and the craft, warbles through the spray of piano on “Clean & Fair,” a rather commanding performance that sees her cut open her own heart and leave it as a sacrifice on the floor. It’s dreamy, and as she seeks relief from her emotions, she grapples with a love gone awry. You feel each stab, the resentment as the blade and her aching voice the blood dripping down her side.

Sylvia Rose Novak laments the state of the country on “The Road,” in which she weaves her own sojourn on the literal and metaphorical roads of life, of trying to cope, of feeling the weight of tragedy. It’s the tip of the ice berg of her brand new record, Someone Else’s War, cobbled with political statements and personal anecdotes. Then, blog favorite MAX likens a sticky embrace to “Worship” on a Sunday morning, while pop-country staple Lauren Alaina longs for the days when women were given far more opportunity on the radio airwaves with her new single “Ladies in the ’90s,” which references Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, Deana Carter, TLC, Spice Girls and countless other trailblazers.

The playlist also includes: Cat Power, Moontower, Jesse Saint John, Hailey Knox, Ariana & the Rose, Arkells, Eric Church, Sigrid, LANY, Tim McGraw, AlunaGeorge, FOURS, Kim Petras, Posh Hammer, Emily Warren and RKCB, among countless others.

In all, we’ve got 30 new songs spin and spin and spin some more.

Each playlist will be refreshed every Friday morning/afternoon. We reserve the right to update anytime during the week, so make sure you bookmark this page.

Take a spin:

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