Freshly Squeezed, Vol. 87: Madelin, Daniel Donato, Rae Isla & more

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

A modern girl, Madelin is shifting the conversation of pop music with bright, unapologetic fervor. Her new song “DNA,” a cut lifted from her astounding EP, Then Her Head Fell Off, out April 26, is proof of her metallic tendencies and wildly addictive abilities to expose the raw nerves and frayed tendons of humanity. “I could show you the origin,” she vows, her voice silky as satin ruffling in the spring’s early breath. In just under four minutes, a deceivingly satisfying runtime, she claws her way through the noise, her talons dripping with sweat and blood.

There is no shame in coming home. Indie-folk craftsman Daniel Donato slurps down the sugary flavor of the homestead, heavenly chords lifting his feet up off the ground, with his new song “Sweet Tasting Tennessee.” There’s undeniable reasons he was nominated for Americana Music Association’s coveted Instrumentalist of the year; his work is woven with true heart and gumption, his instincts fueling him down a path he could never have anticipated. Self-prescribed “cosmic country,” Donato’s new track operates under both countrypolitan shimmer and alt-country heft, nearly taking an ambitious page from Kacey Musgraves‘ handbook (think Golden Hour glory here). But Donato is nothing but himself, comfortably sitting on the cresting waves of a new dawn.

“I was fighting back the tears,” Americana-blues man Brian O’Brien sings, confronting his complacency with a startling simplicity. With “Horse,” drawing a metaphor of dream-chasing to the free spirit of such a beastly creature, the singer-songwriter carries his gravel-soaked vocal through clouds of hoof-clipping production. He feels the guitar’s rumble and allows himself to shoot right for the sky. “You know you’re life is but the only thing you’re given,” he urges. His words certainly won’t fall on deaf ears; his courage charm to go all in is intoxicating, made even grander with an arrangement that swirls in the glow of traditional country and western music.

The playlist also includes: Nicopop, Sophie Simmons, Rae Isla, Sweet Fever, Jared Gelman, Fox Grin, Jonfin, X. Ari, Edward & Jane, Kelsy Karter, Maggie Lindemann, LPX, Robin Alice and countless more.

In all, we’ve got 50 new tracks to cry to, to dance to, to let life go to.

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:

Photo Edited by Dylan Efinger

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