Every Monday, Add of the Week unveils all the new songs going into the 88Nine on-air playlist, with one hand-picked selection put in the spotlight by a member of our music team.
With so many amazing choices at our disposal, the Add of the Week didn’t come so easy this time around. There’s the talented newcomer Munya’s infectious French pop vocals over some really vibey bass lines played by Madison’s own Kainalu in “Un Deux Trois.” And we can’t overlook Sampha’s return via his really beautiful single, “Spirit 2.0.”
What really caught my attention was Allison Russell’s uptempo, deep, dark, piano-driven, SistaStrings-heavy track, “Stay Right Here.” In the first two lines of the single, Russell makes clear that joy is present, but unseen forces still pull at her: “Maybe I'm swimming in happiness/But it's an ocean of tears in my mind.” It's a push-pull situation that she's not about to give up on, as she made clear in notes accompanying the new track:
“Stay Right Here” is about resisting the siren songs of self-hatred, apathy & oblivion. It’s about fighting the nihilistic forces of bigotry, fear & fascism. Right here, right now. The good fight, good trouble, it’s a Freedom Song. It’s about leaning into the fierce Survivor’s Joy & the POWER of our worldwide rainbow coalition to reduce harm for all our children, for our planet, for all those yet to come. We are more than seeds — we’re the soil & the water — the good ancestors. Every one of us, equal under the sun — we shall not be overcome. Our Circle is STRONG.”
If this single is any indication of what Allison has in store for her fans, watch out because there is big energy brewing around her upcoming album, The Returner, due out Sept. 8.
This week’s other adds
- Jamila Woods, "Tiny Garden"
- Django Django, "Slipstream"
- L'Imperatrice, "Heartquake" (feat. Cuco)
- D4vd, "The Bridge"
- MUNYA, "Un Deux Trois"
- Current Joys, "LOVE + POP" (feat. Your Angel)
- Bombino, "Aitma"
- Sampha, "Spirit 2.0"
- Grouplove, "Hello"
- Cherry Glazerr, "Soft Like a Flower"
