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.
San Francisco singer-songwriter Jessica Pratt truly came to indie notoriety when she released her beautifully simple sophomore album, On Your Own Love Again, in 2015. The album was built around finger-picked guitar and Pratt’s understated voice, creating an overall effect that called to mind Nick Drake and Joan Baez.
Fast-forward almost 10 years later, and Pratt is filling out her sound by adding elements of dramatic and orchestral ’60s pop to her folk foundation — a vibe readily apparent on her new single, “Life Is.”
Pratt said the music on the new album was inspired by “the dark side of the Californian dream.” Sounds of the Mamas & The Papas and The Beach Boys echo on “Life Is,” which she added is about life not landing you where you thought it would. “It’s the third act, and you’re trying to climb back on the horse before it gets dark.”
“Time is time and time and time again,” she sings cryptically but assuredly, looking to see more clearly, even as the light gets dimmer. Listen to the track here and as part of the 88Nine playlist, as well as on her new album, Here In the Pitch, which arrives May 3 on Mexican Summer Records.
This week’s other adds
- Waxahatchee, "Bored"
- Little Simz, "Far Away"
- Friko, "Get Numb To It!"
- Jalen Ngonda, "Illusions"
- Kings of Leon, "Mustang"
