Nothin’ To Me

Tracks
Written By Michael Gutierrez

Lowell’s Senseless Optimism crafts a breezy vibe that updates 20th century R&B textures with new millennium cool. Lead vocalist Brit Tsewole spins a thread between breathy whispers and stronger, brassier exclamation.

Our highlighted track “Nothin’ To Me” comes off the 5-track EP It Gets Better, released earlier this year.

The Bandcamp liner notes describe the sound as lo-fi bedroom pop, but the level of production is much higher. The guitar lines hum, the keys purr, the horns wail, and the voice brings it all back home. Shades of The Commodores’ “Easy” in the descending riff that dominates “Nothin’ To Me.”

Stream, share, buy to your heart’s content.

Featured
Kristina Warren: “Rectangles”
Kristina Warren: “Rectangles”

Not enough rectangles in the music video for “Rectangles.”

Ganavya: “Om Supreme”
Ganavya: “Om Supreme”

Piano-forward spiritual jazz on that Alice Coltrane grind.

Quarterly: “Illuminati”
Quarterly: “Illuminati”

At turns folk, at turns classical.

Skylar Gudasz: “No Body”
Skylar Gudasz: “No Body”

Mellotron!

The Honey Dewdrops: “Goodbye”
The Honey Dewdrops: “Goodbye”

Straight Americana out of Baltimore.

Nicole Mitchell and Ballaké Sissoko: “Doname”
Nicole Mitchell and Ballaké Sissoko: “Doname”

A soulful call and response between the flute and the kora.

Jonathan Suazo: “Héroes”
Jonathan Suazo: “Héroes”

Afro-caribbean jazz with percussion aplenty.

ME N U: “Sorcery”
ME N U: “Sorcery”

This band gives you a RIYL list.

GONE.: “Tidal”
GONE.: “Tidal”

A medium tempo entry into bummer rock.

Daniel Noah Miller: “People Get Ready”
Daniel Noah Miller: “People Get Ready”

A live solo ditty from an artist you know from Lewis Del Mar.

Cortez: “No Heroes”
Cortez: “No Heroes”

No liner notes on the Bandcamp page?

The Daylilies: “Pétillant”
The Daylilies: “Pétillant”

Bubbly, sparkling like a wine.

Rosier: “other forms”
Rosier: “other forms”

Alt pop fibrillations from north of the border.

Miracle Blood: “Hello Hell”
Miracle Blood: “Hello Hell”

A gnarly punk metal ripper.

Lia Kohl: “Plane”
Lia Kohl: “Plane”

Kind of like the sound of sawing Superman’s crystal Fortress of Solitude in half.

Constant Smiles: “Connection”
Constant Smiles: “Connection”

A medium tempo pop picker with moody, sodden vocal stylings.

Illuminati Hotties: “What’s The Fuzz”
Illuminati Hotties: “What’s The Fuzz”

Tender punk! Cooler than Tinder punk.

Flake: “Yellow”
Flake: “Yellow”

“Moses” is kind of cool.

Lo Moon: “Water”
Lo Moon: “Water”

Pretty good, eh?

Beeef: “Narragansett Bay”
Beeef: “Narragansett Bay”

Beeef. It’s what’s for diinner.

Nyesui Loe and Loman: “50,000 YEN”
Nyesui Loe and Loman: “50,000 YEN”

A glitzy downtempo soul-inflected hip hop promenade.

Public Faces: “All The Luck”
Public Faces: “All The Luck”

Mellow, Beatles’ psych-tinged popper.

Michael Gutierrez
Previous

two reverse
Next

TIFFY Sounding Spiffy