Infinite Shuffle #8: Working For The Weekend

Howdy, Shufflers! I’m back with an all-new newsletter for you guys. If this newsletter reads differently it’s because I’m drinking red wine while I write this. Over the past two weeks, we went over the two sides of Sad Boy/Girl Autumn. This week we’re going back to our regularly scheduled programming with 5 dope songs and a sample. Ready? LET’S GO!

Artist of the week: AG Club

I tweeted about them a few weeks back just to see how many of my followers were hip to this new group.

I found out about them a month ago and they’ve been in my rotation ever since. Now I’ve seen a lot of commenters calling them a “Mini-Brockhampton” and sure you can see some elements, but I’d rather not run with that. AG CLUB brings its own unique energy to the table. The most refreshing thing about them is going through their vlogs and music videos you can see that they’re having a ton of fun with it. They got bangers like “Memphis”, “Ay, G” and “Holy Shit” that’ll make you want to cruise down the highway just to play the songs again.

The club isn’t one-dimensional, as they also have more chill songs like “Preach” and “Paprika”. The group was able to perfectly balance all of these vibes and threw them into a great 2020 project called…

Project of the week: Halfway Off The Porch

From the production to the rapping to the singing, this project is strong all around. They already have the chemistry that most bands dream of achieving. It shows that their focus is to just make good music, not a certain type of music. Like a Brockhampton or an Odd Future before them, they don’t box themselves in to do a certain sound and I respect it. Each member shines individually and is able to play to their strengths and that’s what makes a group so freaking good.

2020 has been a rough one for everyone involved, but finding out about this band was a bright spot for real.

Song of the week

Becky and the Birds - Wondering

“Becky and the Birds” is the genius of Swedish singer and producer Thea Gustafsson. Her verse is incredible and the production is great to match. I also love how this music video is shot. There’s something really captivating about the color grading or whatever it’s called (it’ll come back to me when I send this newsletter I know it.)

She be HITTING THEM HIGH NOTES TOO!

Valley - Hiccup

This band seems really fun to hang out with. The two singers blend together perfectly to create a song that would be great for a summer of skateboarding, lounging around, and chilling. They’re a future artist of the week contender, but I just had to share this song with y’all this week because I’ve been playing it every day.

Che Ecru - Phone Me

I love the vibe on this. I like my sad boy song to still make me vibe out and dance a little so I can pretend that everything is all right. Che Ecru reminds me of like a more upbeat Majid Jordan if that makes sense. It might not, but that’s all I got here.

MAX (feat. bbno$) - Working For The Weekend

MAX’s new album Colour Vision is him at his best form singing-wise. You almost forget that he was on the Nickelodeon show “How to Rock” because his sound is so different from back in the day. My favorite song from this project is “Working For The Weekend” because even though the days all blend together now there is still a weekend. Remember to relax and try to find enjoyment in the little things, because the little things keep us going.

KidsNextDoor - Captain Jack Sparrow

You know how the previous 4 songs are pretty chill? Well, this is nothing like that. Seat belts everyone. This is one of those songs where you need to watch with the music video with it first.

I didn’t know if y’all were ready for this to make the newsletter but fuck it. It’s my newsletter I do what I want.

These guys can do multiple genres effortlessly. Their name makes it hard to search for them because of the old Cartoon Network Show, but once you are able to sift through that you will find the talented collection from these upstarts. I can’t wait to see what they cook up next.

Sample of The Week: Otherside - Red Hot Chili Peppers

Buckle up guys, I’m about to talk about Macklemore.

Before “The Heist” album that stole a Grammy from Kendrick Lamar, so much so that he even apologized to Kendrick for. BEFORE that Thrift Shop song that I heard every fucking day in high school, I knew about Macklemore. The public opinion on him seemed to change ever since that Grammys.

I just want to say that I LIKED “The Heist”. I still think that Macklemore & Ryan Lewis were a pretty awesome duo back then and was happy to see him release this album. The reasoning behind this was because of his pre-2012 songs. I remember listening to Wing$ when I still had basketball dreams and thought I always needed the most popular shoes to be good.

I was still trash at basketball but that’s a me thing. I remember his song “Crew Cuts”, but today we’re going to talk about “Otherside”.

The Red Hot Chili Peppers classic was sampled and turned into one of Macklemore’s most vulnerable songs.

In his version of “Otherside” Macklemore talks about a kid developing a codeine addiction, which hits home for Macklemore because at one point he was battling a drug addiction that almost derailed his music career. You may not have known about this side of Macklemore because it came out in 2009, but when you hear about his story and the passion behind these lyrics I was genuinely happy for him that he was able to become an XXL Freshmen and then a pop-rap superstar.

He remixed the song with FENCES in 2011 and it sounds just as powerful in that version.

That’s all for me this week, y’all take care and be blessed!