ON THE RECORD FULLY BOOKED

ALTERNATIVE/INDIE

Stereo Mind Game By Daughter

Daughter are an English indie folk trio formed in 2010. Stereo Mind Game is their third album, inspired by lead member Elena Tonra’s long-distance relationship. The songs, in their lyrics and music, explore emotions evoked by separation, longing, imagining a future together –holding on and letting go.

The LP opens with the Intro, an instrumental piece, trance-like, setting the tone for what follows. On Be On Your Way, Tonra resigns to the distance between her and her lover, saying, “I won’t hold you back”. However, she is hopeful; “So, I'll meet you on another planet if the plans change”.

On Party, she sings, “And I refuse to believe that there's a problem, you see”, which shows denial, rooted in a fear of losing the memories they have made together, good and bad. Tonra is grappling with them as they slither away like “a rattlesnake”. It’s a mind game, like the album’s title suggests. A dedicated drum piece lends a soft-rock vibe, offering variety.

Dandelion encompasses just what the namesake flower symbolises – hope and freedom. Even though Tonra is “waitin’ for replies”, she’s “watchin' dandelions growin' by the grove”.

With stringsy melodies that conjure psychedelic feels, more on some songs such as Neptune, this one’s truly a mind game to play.

Indie Rock

The Record

By

Boygenius

Formed in 2018, Boygenius is a three-member American indie rock supergroup, comprising of individually successful artists, Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers and Lucy Dacus. The Record is their first studio album released via Interscope. Prior to this, they put out two EPs on Matador.

Listening to this 42-minute LP gives you a sense that the songs, the music, the lyrics, the vocals… are untainted, even raw, emotionally speaking. However, it’s all packaged with artistic finesse. The tracks are strung together by a common element, love, the various facets of which are touched upon across the 12 songs. On Emily I’m Sorry, we see forgiveness play out. On Satanic, a certain rebellious emotion; the repeating guitar piece on this one is catchy.

Without You Without Them, a short, harmonious acapella creation comes as a nice surprise. Characteristic of a monologue, a plea to a loved one: “Give me everything you've got” and “I'll give everything I've got/ Please, take what I can give”.

While all the songs exhibit rock musical elements from stringsy sounds to the rhythmic da-dum of the drums and wooshy cymbals, The Record offers a mix with soft tunes, which add depth to the album.

CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE The True Love Experiment

By Christina Lauren

The latest offering from bestsellers Christina Lauren, the combined pen name of long-time writing partners and best friends Christina Hobbs and Lauren Billings. Fizzy Chen has an incredible career as a beloved romance novelist, but when she’s asked to give a commencement address, it hits her: she hasn’t been practising what she’s preached and has never really been in love. Connor Prince, documentary filmmaker and single father, is completely thrown when his profit-minded boss orders him to create a reality TV show about love. Can he make the queen of romance fall in love in front of the camera? Thus, T he True Love Experiment begins.

SCIENCE FICTION Fractal Noise

By Christopher Paolini

On the planet Talos VII, 23 years before the events of To Sleep in a Sea of Stars, an anomaly is detected. A vast circular pit, with dimensions so perfect that it could only have been the result of conscious design. So, a small team is assembled to learn more –perhaps even who built the hole and why. Their mission will take them on a hazardous trek to the very edge of existence. For one explorer, this is the opportunity of a lifetime. For another, a risk not worth taking. And for xenobiologist Alex Crichton, it's a desperate attempt to find meaning in an uncaring universe.