First, I’d like to welcome the new subscribers. I’m grateful you joined our community of music enthusiasts. Check the about page to learn more about the Weekly5 values.
Secondly, I send out a big thanks to everybody who gave feedback. It helps me to improve this newsletter. You can still take part in the survey. Here you go:
The first improvement informed by your feedback is already implemented in today’s edition. I’ve added streaming links for each song. I stick with Spotify and Apple Music. Together with the YouTube links, the three biggest platforms are covered.
And just a quick reminder: You can always find the new songs in the Weekly5 playlist.
Moving on to today’s edition, I can promise you a much calmer selection compared to last week. There are polished bedroom indie, dreamy sounds from Austria, lucid electro-pop, and two calm but beautiful instrumental songs waiting for you.
girl in red – Serotonin
Norwegian Marie Ulven will finally release if i could make you go quiet, her debut album on April 30. It’s been almost three years since the 22-year-old artist’s first single, i wanna be your girlfriend, was featured by The New York Times as one of the best tracks in 2018.
Today, girl in red progressed to become a leader in queer indie music and the LGBTQ community and is generally an icon for a whole generation embracing vulnerability.
The latest single, Serotonin, co-produced by Billie Eilish’s producer FINNEAS, consolidates her standing. For the first time, girl in red flirts with rap. “When I figured out how to do this rappy part of Serotonin, I was like, this is the best shit that has ever happened to me,” she says.
Although the new single is moving away from the lo-fi bedroom pop, the signature guitar sound remains. And while the style seems to have changed, her songwriting remains uncompromisingly honest. Serotonin is an inner dialogue with her mental health, a rough journey into Ulven’s psyche: “I’m running low on serotonin; chemical imbalance got me twisting things. Stabilize with medicine, there is no death to these feelings.”
VIVIN – Clockwork
Admittedly, Clockwork by the Austrian quintet VIVIN was already released back in February. Since then, the song has stuck around—in my playlist and my head. And therefore, the single definitely deserves to be featured here.
Somewhere between quirky indie rock and dreamy pop, the Vienna outfit created a sophisticated sound in Clockwork. The song simultaneously feels intimate and strange, stretching its intro into an epic 70-seconds-long escapade.
After the debut album, KAOS, published in 2019, VIVIN are on track to release their next long-player. Clockwork already provides the crisp message that the band doesn’t want to be classified easily.
Jeans for Jesus x Steiner & Madlaina – 2000 etc.
Let’s imagine that two of the most gifted bands in Switzerland start collaborating. Oh, wait… They do! Jeans For Jesus and Steiner & Madlaina created 2000 etc., an astonishing amalgamation of two very different musical ambiences.
While Zurich’s duo Steiner & Madlaina contribute the singer-songwriter feel to the vocal part, Berne’s renowned pop outfit Jeans for Jesus add their signature lucid, stellar electro-pop.
2000 etc. is as melancholic as free-wheeling. Originating from the previous Jeans for Jesus tracks 2000&irgendwo and 1900 quelquechose, the new single still manages to be a unique creation that leaves you dreaming and dancing, reminiscing about the innocent yet so complicated youth.
NOTI & Annie Goodchild – blossom
Producer and multi-instrumentalist Benjamin Noti has played with Swiss rapper Steff la Cheff, Sam Himself, and Audio Dope. Now, as NOTI, he collaborated with the US-American singer Annie Goodchild and the trombonist Domenico Catalano.
The result is called blossom. The single is not only a glimpse into the colourful world of his sophomore instrumental EP but also a fantastic ambient tune. Drawing from jazz, throwing in sampled beats, blossom smells like soothing sunshine and devil-may-care summer evenings.
Mixed and mastered by the Grammy nominee Ben Mühlethaler, blossom is a musical break from everyday tristesse.
Pierre J – Oxygene
French artist Jean-Michel Jarre is one of the few who can call themselves a pioneer of electronic music. Back in 1976, Jarre released his debut album Oxygène. Accompanied by a stunning cover, the sound was even more out of this world. Even today, Oxygene, Pt. 4 is recognized instantly.
In 2021, Swedish DJ Pierre Jerksten, aka Pierre J, covered this iconic melody in a pure piano version. Not a lot of information about Pierre J out there, but apparently, he started as a DJ back in 1989, used to work with artists like Dr. Alban, and was a radio moderator.
Given his career, there’s obviously a more electronically driven remix of Oxygene, Pt.4. However, it cannot compete with the raw piano version. It pays tribute to Jarre’s brilliant melody and adds an earthy tone to the spacy original.
A couple of weeks ago, I promised a special edition once Weekly5 reached 150 subscribers. I’m excited to announce that we have reached this milestone together. Expect the special to hit your inbox in the upcoming days.
All the best,
P.S. If you enjoyed this edition, please give it a like or post a comment and let me know which song you liked.
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