Freshly Squeezed, Vol. 92: John.k, Emily Vaughn, Semler & more

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

Like. Where tf has John.k been?!? Oh, right. He signed a major record deal with Epic to prepare the world for his eventual takeover. We first fell head over heals with 2017’s gospel-scorched power ballad “Wrong,” and now, with his debut EP, if we never met, he embarks on a tropical getaway of smooth, frothy R&B teased with gooey bubblegum pop and a fizzy aftertaste.  “I was on my late shift listening to Tay Swift / Tryna shake this lack of motivation,” he coos, his cool feathered hair blowing ever-so slightly in the Caribbean breeze. His gaze is penetrating, and along with a sweet concoction of his own creation, we are carried far and away of any and all problems of the real world.

If you’re yearning for one of those altogether obsessive, heart-arresting bops to end all bops, singer-songwriter Emily Vaughn‘s got you covered with a whole new five-song batch of such provocative energies. “Dead 2 Me,” feeling both familiar and fresh, packs a slick melodic punch right in the jugular. “Now you’re dead to me, dead to me / Really mean it baby, so R.I.P.,” she spouts, unlocking every bruised emotion of her heart. She’s done with your fuck-ups, and so she simply pours gasoline on the already raging wasteland and lets your body burn. Fair enough.

Stephanie Rice ceremoniously writes her own “Pages,” their edges yellowed with time, and steam rolls self-doubt and pain underneath her crackling alto-bent vocal cords. Even when you fully expect a foot-flopping gospel anthem, one tightened with unexpected rhythmic layering, she throws a few eye-raising curveballs. “Living a lie / Telling me that when I die, the book won’t have my name / Won’t even say a thing about me inside,” she sings, at first in profuse weeping. But she soon smears it all away like bad mascara and pulls herself off the ground. And she stabs you write in the heart with her lyrics. It’s as simple as that.

Moon droplets falling as astroids through the atmosphere, alt-pop surveyors Misty Mtn cast an enchantment spell with their song “Silver.” Synths twinkle and trickle upon one another, erupting amidst the ghostly harmony work and silky production, and you, too, may burn through the misery and bliss faster than the speed of light. Then, blog mainstay Unbloom is on fire with yet another electrifying collaboration, this time turning to Disco Shrine. “Alright” is more than just a jam; it’s a way of life as we begin to ride into summer like Macklemore snagging more faux-fur off the discount sale rack. It’s unapologetic and sticky and brain-warping, and we just can’t get enough. Unbloom, we bow to you.

A true folk genius, Semler pulls aching bones from her trove of haunted, downcast balladry. “Before We’re Dead” contains one of her most striking vocals that wrap and engulf the story with a blanket of sorrow and doom. “I wish I knew the place where lovers go / When their hearts grow cold,” she sings, her tears hitting like diamonds on sandpaper. Her heart scrapes along each edge with a weariness that only wisdom and time well spent out in the pouring rain may evoke. The strings are both gentle and abrasive, further elevating the overwhelming darkness, and by the final few frames, you feel it. I mean, really feel it.

The new playlist also includes Fletcher, Model Citizen, Eli Raybon, Holiday Sidewinder, Maddie & Tae, Ruby Boots, Kim Petras, Casey Lowry, Gavin Haley, Alisan Porter, Terror Jr, Parker Matthews, Joe Kaplow, Erisy Watt, Lauren Waller, Zara Larsson and many others.

In all, we’ve got 31 new songs that’ll live you literal and metaphorical life today. Strap in.

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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