NoFi Spring '26

No Fidelity is... josephine luevano, nicky pierceralph, tavin roth, gio cheema, rachel bond, martin barroso2, caroline crosby, autumn gross, ruby borden3, asher herman, cj alexander2, calla james ruff, catherine zons, claire saunders, percy vermut [edz]

TABLE OF CONTENTS Cover – josephine luevano waters of march – tavin roth ������������������������������������������������������������������ 3 Dawny – ruby borden����������������������������������������������������������������������������� 3 songs for the sun – gio cheema �������������������������������������������������������������� 4 FACTORY SOUNDS – rachel bond������������������������������������������������������ 5 Everything is embarrassing – percy vermut������������������������������������������� 6 Mystere (2016) – martin barroso ����������������������������������������������������������� 7 John bass lessons�be – caroline crosby �������������������������������������������������� 9 A look into my earworms – autumn gross ������������������������������������������� 11 Ephemera – ruby borden���������������������������������������������������������������������� 14 Artists ranked by name – asher herman����������������������������������������������� 16 Grass fed beef – cj alexander ��������������������������������������������������������������� 17 The Continued Case for Ezra Bell – calla james ruff��������������������������� 21 THIS PLAYLIST BRINGS SEXY BACK – Martin Barroso�������������� 22 Happy Landing (with Motherfolk) – Catherine Zons �������������������������� 23 country & folk songs for beautiful 70° days – claire saunders ������������ 25 Back cover – cj alexander

note from the edz

hello my beautiful people�� what a crazy term it has been! this spectacular edition marks one year of my editorship� it has been my honor to hold this title, and i am so excited to keep putting out silly little magazines for as long as they will let me! thank you all for your incredible contributions, past present and (hopefully) future� all of the work that you all put in makes this magazine as special as it is! as we continue to trundle on through 2026, never forget to keep writing, listening to music, frolicking outside, and making the most of every sunny day� percy vermut

Tavin Roth

Waters of March

"St. Elmo's Fire" - Brian Eno "Are You a Hypnotist??" - The Flaming Lips "The India Song" - Big Star "Waters of March" - Art Garfunkel "Everybody Knows This is Nowhere" - Neil Young, Crazy Horse "Folk Jam" - Pavement "Half Past France" - John Cale "Arlock's Bells" - Yo La Tengo "True Love Leaves No Traces" - Leonard Cohen

3

Songs for the sun burning on your skin and the weight of the air around you

AKA songs for 102 degrees and 80% humidity AKA songs for the last five summers of my life by Gio Cheema Porcelain Hands by Weatherday

On Doing an Evil Deed Blues by Lil Ugly Mane The Eyes of Ibad by Pachinko Until We Fold Into EachOther Again by 500 Transitional Bird (Clever Girl) by Candy Claws Max Potential by Noursihed by Time

KICKIN’ PIMPIN’ by ShawtyPimp ft Reddog

Catkin and Teasel by µ-Ziq

split ends by Lil Ugly Mane Waste by Arca

i85mixxradioversion by Material Girl Super Stars by Yves Tumor

Coldplay cover by caroline

TALES FROM THE HOOD by 454

that unrequited feeling by what is your name?

4

why Depeche Mode fans love

FACTORY SOUNDS

I listen to a lot of loud banging sounds of hammers hitting metal pipes and concrete slabs smashing into each other.

I don’t work at a factory. I just like Depeche Mode.

One of Depeche Mode’s key identifying traits in their sound is an electronic, industrial, heavy feeling paired with lighter, catchy melodies. Like one billion other 80s bands, they’re big on drum machines and synths, but the hammers and pipes are a little unorthodox.

While electronic music technology was still in its infancy in the 80s, Depeche Mode developed a taste for urban “found sounds” they sampled from all sorts of places like railway yards and West Berlin.

The band’s third album, “Construction Time Again,” strikes me as a turning point in their sound. They found Gareth Jones, a restless visionary regarding electronic sampling, to produce it.

He seemed to always be looking for new ways to use sound in production, so his idea to sample urban “found sounds” was no surprise.

When producing “Pipeline,” the band literally went out to construction sites with hammers and drumsticks and just started hitting things. While recording, they even played these samples through amps to capture the physical studio’s acoustics. What’s even more notable is that Gareth didn’t use any equalizers or reverbs–just pure construction sounds off of a vintage Stellavox analog tape recorder.

This was pretty radical at the time.

Sampling equipment was still pretty new, and nobody really knew how to use it perfectly, yet the album became incredibly popular.

“Construction Time Again” wasn’t the last of Depeche Mode’s found sound sampling; from pots and pans in “People are People” to chains and whips in “Master and Servant” (fitting, I guess), you can tell the band loves to play with sound.

Overall, I think a big part of Depeche Mode’s early success can be attributed to how melodically accessible their songs are despite having eclectic production.

By rachel

They actually went to Switzerland to take this picture. The mountain is real. The sledgehammer is real.

This guy’s build is real. The communist undertones are also real.

So what is it about these factory sounds that I love so much and can’t stop listening to??

Maybe the more thought-provoking answer is that the heavy, industrial feel is tied to the band’s communist, “the government sucks,” political undertones. They make you feel like a British factory worker tired of working for the man.

Or maybe it’s that they’re just intriguing and cool. We feel stimulated by new sounds, especially when they’re rhythmic, and there are many of them. Cool found sound samples spark a recognition that a sound isn’t just an instrument, and curiosity about where it came from. In Depeche Mode songs with lots of sounds playing together, mixing metal pipes and anvils with synthesizers and drum machines gives us a lot to listen to; we like unpacking the layers.

Musical intrigue isn’t just about groundbreaking lyrics and thoughtful composition. While it can be this thought-provoking, cerebral experience that takes us away from our real lives, often, it grounds us back into our ears and bodies. Sometimes, we are just really drawn to the sounds themselves.

5

6

7

8

It’s me, John bass lessons.be. This is a little something I’ve been working on lately. Duran Duran’s Ordinary World from the Wedding Album. It’s about Simon Le Bon’s dead friend and it has a great harmonic bass line!

Fantastic music video too. This is what it would look like if the guy from Jamiroquai was getting married I think. Stills included.

by caroline crosby 9

10

11

12

13

[from ruby borden, artist] ° The first is piece is for my good friend Ian Donavan aka Dawny. He is a guitar/banjo playing hippie with a love for soul and jazz. ° The second two pieces are for a band called Ephemera. They are a small country-folk band based out of Bayfield, WI. I screen-printed both the front and the back of the album.

14

15

Artists I’ve Been Listening to Lately Ranked by Name Goodness (Not Music Goodness) by Asher Herman

1. Appendix Out Kinda objectively the coolest band name??? Except it’s just a dude who has the coolest name (Alasdair Roberts)!!!

2. Cat Power This name inserts such a specific image into my mind. A human with the power of cats or a cat with special powers? Who knows.

3. Built to Spill This means nothing and sounds cool. What more can you ask from a band name?

4. The Band The name. It was only gonna be able to happen once and it happened to the right band. They deserve the name. What if like, Imagine Dragons had gotten to it first.

5. Swirlies If you tell someone you’re listening to them and then describe the music they play, it’ll make sense. The name doesn’t jump out though.

6. The Breeders I’ve gotten some looks from people who don’t know how awesome The Breeders are when I’ve said this name.

7. deathcrash This makes it sound like they’re gonna be a really shitty metal band.

8. Ween Honestly this name makes the band sound exactly how the band sounds.

Except the band somehow spins it to make them like the greatest thing of all time.

9. Belle and Sebastian I didn’t listen to Belle and Sebastian for like my entire music loving life up until this year because I thought they were like a really old folk duo. No. Wrong. They’re so amazing and totally not an old folk duo.

10. The Happy Mondays No, they aren’t a barbershop quartet. Lowk the complete opposite.

Playlist (in order of artists): East Coast Wedding, Many Legged Boatmen, You May Know Him, He War, Cars, Built to Spill, The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down (Live), Stagefreight (Live), Vigilant Always, Upstairs, Invisible Man, Too Alive, NYC, Unwind, Freedom of ‘76, Transdermal Celebration, She’s Losing It, Seeing Other People, Fat Lady Wrestlers, Lazyitis 16

grass fed beef: it really is that deep by cj alexander Those of you with certain online inclinations may be aware of the figures known as Jane Remover and Dabo. Those of you even more online may know they recently had beef. This less than legendary dispute has been hailed as “big news for the unemployed,” “nothingburger,” and “just really doesn’t matter at all bro”. However, I think it may run deeper than that. Let it be first said that I am maybe the #1 Jane Remover fan, however let it also be said that I am firmly against celebrity culture, and generally am averse to making statements about a person’s character based on art they may or may not create.

Firstly, Jane Remover: one of the longest-active hyperpop artists, an extremely talented producer with a very broad catalogue of music across several genres, including one she invented herself called Dariacore. Importantly for this conversation, she is also openly transgender, and one of the only non men currently popular in the underground rap scene, especially for those adjacent to rage rap.

Secondly, Dabo: A streamer who is primarily popular for his exaggerated reactions to music, on one (or maybe several, let it also be known I have not watched a great many Dabo streams) occasion even pretending to orgasm to a Drake and 21 Savage album. Importantly for this conversation, he is 18, and Guinean-American. He also occasionally makes rage rap music, although it is not of any particular renown. He recently had artist Skaiwater on his stream.

The origin of this beef, as far as us plebeians know, is when Jane released a song called yes, yes, no, yes, no, in which she has a bar making fun of several artists for needing to go on a Dabo stream for popularity/relevance. In it, she says “fuck I look like hopping on the Dabo stream?”

Many speculated that this was targeted at Lucy Bedroque, a fellow artist from the deadAir label who Jane has collaborated with in the past, however Jane shut this down, stating that she was making a statement about not wanting to be clip farmed. She also publicly traded barbs with another artist, Skaiwater, who also recently made an appearance on a Dabo stream, although most of those related posts have been deleted. treats people in real life, nor do I know her specific political views. Notably, Skaiwater alleged that Jane Remover “doesn’t like black people”. This is again the point where I recognize that I do not know Jane Remover personally.

17

I don’t know how she treats people in real life, nor do I know her specific political views. However, I have followed Jane Remover for several years now, and I have witnessed her post on at least a few separate occasions against racism, imperialism, and various other forms of hatred, institutional and otherwise. That’s not to say that she can’t be a bad person or dislike black people, but without any public pieces of evidence or patterns of behavior to point towards, nor any more specific allegations from Skaiwater or Dabo, this does become a slightly different conversation. The largest piece of evidence that I have seen from people online has been a tweet Jane made last year, stating “my fans are kinda like opium fans if they didn’t listen to black people”.

My response to that is ARE YOU STUPID? WHERE is the reading comprehension like are we serious? Let’s take this line by line: when Jane Remover says “my fans” she is referring to a certain portion of her fanbase who consist of meatriding larpers who were mostly bandwagon Revengseekerz fans, and are in fact historically at least a little racist, and notably avoid engaging with black people and black art on principle or ignorance.

When she refers to “opium fans” she largely means fans of the opium label/aesthetic/genre made popular by artists like Carti, Ken Carson, and Destroy Lonely (importantly, these are all black artists). Their fans are known to be pretty cult or obsessive, and occasionally share several traits with the aforementioned corny Jane Remover fans, but (see above) they do in fact listen to black artists (although they can definitely still be racist) (see: literally any primarily white high school in the suburbs), while many JR fans are pretty attached to their whiteness.

Finally, when she says “if they didn’t listen to black people” this again calls back to the kind of inherently corny aspects of both fanbases, but with an additional layer of ignorance/ racism present in many of her fans due to a characterization of whiteness. I do think aside from the newgen larpers who like her newer music because it sounds a certain way (that way is inspired and collaborated with several black artists, but its not like those fans know that), there are also many older fans who were present for her pure hyperpop days of Teen Week and Frailty.

There is definitely a certain level of whiteness common among this type of fan as well, however, they still tend towards a nerdier crowd than those who migrated from a more underground scene and can less be compared to opium fans, although certainly still cultlike and a little racist. I think this was definitely an important moment for Jane, as they clearly called out this section of their fanbase and acknowledged it while still creating distance. In conclusion, to take this as evidence of her being racist is frankly ridiculous.

18

My bigger issue with this whole beef is what happened after the initial barbs were thrown. Dabo’s initial reaction on stream was called out by many for his frankly highly misogynistic remarks, stating “You could’ve kept your mouth shut like a good bitch. Instead, you wanna fuckin’ talk to me about me. Stupid whore, fuck wrong with you? Bet.” This response received controversy online, with many criticising him for his casual use of derogatory language. Instead of apologizing or backing down, he released a whole diss track against Jane, filled to the brim with transphobic and misogynistic lyrics and imagery. Some highlights include: “I swear it’s fuck that n----, I swear it’s fuck his family tree (Bitch) I chopped the whole shit down like you did your [dick]” “I show what the pussy do, make the pussy bleed, I don’t give one fuck ‘bout no misogyny, You a bitch, put that on my motherfuckin’ family” “She talkin’ out her chest, ain’t got no titties”

19

In the days after this, it was dismissed by many as “petty internet beef”, but I think it reveals more about the current microcosm of the underground scene and its merging with modern hyperpop. It is undeniable that trans people, especially trans women, have been instrumental in the birth and development of the genre, and even today there are many stereotypes about trans women being excellent at producing or immediately gaining skills in FL studio when they transition. Despite this, and despite her well established career and space in the underground, she frequently faces disrespect and outright hatred on the basis of her identity from peers and their fanbases. While Dabo frames his spewing of hatred as justified by her taking up space as a white person in “black business”, his lyrics and targeting all deal with her gender identity rather than a racial one, and combined with the lack of any receipts besides her above tweet about her fans, paints a picture of transmisogyny under a transparent, but hard to disprove shield.

During the period of research for this article, I came across countless comments left on instagram by non-bot accounts following Dabo’s lead spreading similar hate-filled sentiments towards Jane, and several more dismissing his behavior on account of his age, which is particularly problematic because similar accounts of violence towards women, sexual or otherwise, are frequently dismissed under the same argument of them being too young to take accountability, and in this case, painting Jane as a villain for “going after” a teenager.

I do think it is important to address the fact that Dabo is 18. Legally, a full grown man, so it’s not like she was going after the rizzler or anything. I know damn well you get taught it’s bad to spread hatred in like kindergarten, and considering the fact that JR is only 22 themself, I think that it’s frankly ridiculous to portray this as “mean evil racist Jane Remover going after a poor little child,” when the only initial provocation from Jane was a single mildly targeted line in a song.

I think this has been part of a larger trend of people getting mad over things Jane Remover says or does that, to me, are fairly nothingburger, especially in a scene where convictions of domestic violence and assault are often swept under the rug, or worse, glorified.

A recent example of this would be the “beef” between Jane and Kpop group CORTIS, where she posted on her instagram story “Much love, but whoever is making these boys rap please stop”, sparking a large backlash against her for “hating on” a teenager or being rude and immature. I read her comment as a comedic dig at the group secondarily, and primarily at the Kpop industry, which famously capitalizes on black culture and music without addressing its roots and without much regard for artistry outside of whatever will make the most money.

Admittedly, much of the backlash against her was driven by Kpop audiences, famously known for being intense and not particularly well adjusted, not underground fans, but it represents a recent data point in a much larger trend of her being held to a much higher standard of behavior than many of her contemporaries (you can honestly see a similar pattern of this happening with Chappel Roan- I don’t really think she’s a particularly outstanding person or anything but the type of headlines that result from her being vaguely rude to paparazzi who barely count as human beings are highly ridiculous). I would, however, like to address the importance of the respective fan bases in this beef. Besides the unconscionable actions of Dabo, the behaviors of fans afterwards play a big role. While largely I saw Dabo’s actions supported by his audience, and his talking points echoed across comment sections, I also one thousand percent believe that there were many Jane Remover fans who used this as an opportunity to spread their own foul beliefs, which unfortunately reinforces the framework that Dabo and Skaiwater used to project hatred onto Jane, regardless of her own actions.

In general though, I also saw many people calling out Dabo for his extreme reaction and lyrics, but I didn’t see many people reflecting on this incident as much more than “a big day for people who need to touch grass”. However, I did read a very thoughtful review of Dabo’s track Bleed by Alphonse Pierre, who stated that “The Dabo diss feels like the release of an energy that has been fermenting in the underground for years, a generation of kids that grew up on the hedonism of Opium and the general manosphere and look at their allegations not as an irredeemable knock but proof of their masculinity and the way society punishes that masculinity”. I think this really plays into how Jane is perceived in the underground scene, not necessarily as a white person as Dabo claims, but as someone who doesn’t present as a man.

This, to me, feels particularly sinister as there have long been artists experimenting with gender and queering their presentation in the scene, and to have that flipped and weaponized against someone with a feminine presentation, when alternative scenes typically act as safe spaces in a queered sense. As Pierre states, the song “shows the intense rightward swing that has only hardened as the lines between hip-hop and the streaming universe have blurred. It might be some internet shit, but this poison is everywhere”. You can feel free to tell me to touch grass over this overly long article, but to me, the music we listen to and the communities we choose to engage in are extremely emblematic of the choices we make and what we say or do. A case like this, where boundaries of what is acceptable in the name of “beef” or mere “internet drama” are pushed in such a violent direction says a lot more than some are willing to admit.

20

The Continued Case for Ezra Bell

by Calla James Ruff

I’m still thinking about Ezra Bell. I last wrote about them for NoFi a year ago, and have been holding myself back. I’m not sure what else I have to say.

When I got my Spotify all-time top songs playlist, I immediately checked for Ezra Bell.

I’ve been listening to one song of theirs for a while, but it’s only been in the past year or so that I’ve been obsessed, diving headfirst into their extensive body of work (extensive, at least, given that they were making music for about eleven years before the lead singer died— though they’ve released a posthumous album and have a second coming at some point).

Sure enough, “Junk Food Chimney” was #18 with 177 listens (more than some people’s #1— though nothing can top “New Slang” for me at 435 listens and three non-consecutive #1 yearly finishes), but no other made the list. I suppose one year of Ezra Bell out of the ten I’ve been on Spotify would take really intense listening. More than I’ve been doing.

Counterargument: Ezra Bell’s body of work is so cohesive and broadly strong that while there are songs I favor over others in a way that shows up in my Spotify wrapped (“ode to victoria” was my #1 in 2025), I focus less on individual tracks than I do on their music on the whole. Their albums in particular are really strong—they often orbit around a central theme and resonant sound (as all good albums do—a dying art in the age of streaming) but manage not to repeat themselves. They have fun with album-making, which makes the listening experience a true delight.

Their 2017 album Farewell Griffn is a great example of their playfulness (as is 2024’s for our mothers, but although all but one song on the record has a female name in the title, it doesn’t translate to print as well as Farewell Griffn). In order, the tracks are titled: “The Government is the Mafia,” “They Think We’re Stupid,” “(Maybe We Are),” “Don’t Just Sit Here and Drink Yourself to Death,” “Let’s Move to Vietnam,” “ And Do It on the Cheap,” and “.....nat and Rox to Go First.” It’s tempting to lose my mind over the artistry and intricate storytelling-work being done here. But term isn’t over yet. So I won’t.

In case I haven’t convinced you to listen to Ezra Bell yet, here’ s a little more: they sing often of death and love and how much life sucks but then there are these beautiful relationships with other people who are also just trying to get by and somehow that has to be enough. Their music is characterized by a tragic and optimistic tone that draws you in and makes you feel things. They’re not afraid of a little mandolin, horn action, or crazy vocals that crash through your mortal flesh and into your soul remarkably efficiently (I’m looking at you, “gently chiding veronica” and “T anner Thorne”). You can celebrate to Ezra Bell, you can cry to them, you can fall asleep and crash your car and kiss a pretty girl and lie in bed feeling nothing at all and fall into the comfort they provide on the shittiest day of your life.

This piece is a mess. I’m a mess. I’m listening to Ezra Bell. It’ s gonna work out.

21

22

REVIEW: HAPPY LANDING (with Motherfolk) at Fine Line in Minneapolis, MN April 1, 2026 by Catherine Zons It’s not often that I go to a show because I want to see the opener more than the main act, and it’s even less often that I’m a huge fan of the opener while knowing nothing about the headliner at all. When I first learned that Motherfolk would be opening for HAPPY LANDING at Fine Line, I was more than excited. A few months ago, I took a long drive down to Milwaukee to see Motherfolk on what had been the northernmost performance of their tour (a show that had been totally worth all the mileage. You can read about it here: https://1013musicreviews.com/motherfolk-x-ray-arcade-cudahy-wi-december-5-2025/.) Since then, I’ve been listening to their online discography and kicking myself for not buying a shirt at their show. So, when they announced that they’d be the opener for a series of shows on HAPPY LANDING’s Big Sun tour–and one of those shows would take them to Minneapolis!--I knew I had to be there.

I showed up early to Fine Line not knowing what to expect. The last show I’d seen here, Autoheart with Wild Party in December, had been completely sold out, almost too packed to pull out a camera! But I was pleasantly surprised to walk into a far more casual experience this time. When I arrived, there were a few people milling around, and tons of tables free to sit at. I found a good one and enjoyed my unexpectedly calm time before the show.

Motherfolk took the stage as more and more people filtered in. Hailing from Cincinnati, OH, the band is currently composed of Nathan Dickerson (guitar/vocals), Karlie Dickerson (keys), Clayton Allender (bass), Ethan Wescott (drums), Joel Call (guitar), and Aaron Becker (strings/backing vocals). They began their set with “Kate Hudson,” a single released in 2018. The song is upbeat, but profoundly aching. It explores some of the band’s most well traversed themes, like loneliness, loss, and isolation. “Kate Hudson” transitioned smoothly into “You Know Me Better,” a track that explores connection and emotional withdrawal through Motherfolk’s bluntly raw style of lyricism. The song comes from the band’s latest album, Eternal Joy, a shoegaze-inspired project about personal exploration and improving one’s mental health. The complex layered rhythms and harmonies were incredible to experience live again.

A few other notable moments: they played one of my favorite songs, “Julian,” and a new track called “Alien.” Nathan Dickerson also got the crowd laughing by announcing his very real and serious run for presidency he’d have once he hit 35. Their set ended with “Money, Now,” another rousing track from Eternal Joy. It was sad to see them leave the stage, but they promised they’d be back soon. I’ll be waiting patiently for next time!

23

During the intermission, I got to talking to the couple sitting near me about Motherfolk and HAPPY LANDING, and I mentioned that I didn’t know the headliner’s music at all. They promised me I was in for a treat and explained that they’d been pretty big fans of the band since HAPPY LANDING performed at the Mile of Music festival in Appleton, WI, a few years ago.

They told me about the festival (and some of the internal work they do to organize it!) and I couldn’t believe I’d never heard of it before. Essentially, in the space of a walkable mile in downtown Appleton, over 40 local venues–like cafes, parks, and even a moving bus–host 700+ free live performances over the course of four festival days. It seems like there’s tons of opportunity for hearing tons of interesting music and maybe even finding a new favorite band. Apparently Motherfolk had performed the Mile eleven years ago when they were still a brand new band! The Mile of Music is coming back for its 13th year this summer, (July 30 through August 2, 2026) and I can’t wait to check it out!

It wasn’t long until the lights came down for the beginning of HAPPY LANDING’s set. Comprised of Matty Hendley (lead vocals, guitar), Keegan Christensen (vocals, keys), Andrew Gardner (fiddle, vocals), Wilson Moyer (bass/guitar, vocals), and Jacob Christensen (drums), HAPPY LANDING has a sound that is heavily inspired by their roots in Oxford, Mississippi. Their indie-folk-Americana sound feels both fresh and familiar, and I found myself getting nostalgic for the types of Southern idyllic sceneries that so much of their music invokes. They started softly with a romantic song called “The River,” which comes from their sophomore album, Big Sun. Released in March of this year, it reflects on the band’s experiences with five years of near-constant touring, navigating the personal and creative struggles of such collectively exhausting and intense work. Inspired by hopeful imagery of a beautiful California sunset witnessed during HAPPY LANDING’s Golden tour, Big Sun acknowledges the end of a chapter of the band’s history and excitedly looks ahead to their next big sunrise.

Over half of HAPPY LANDING’s generous set time was dedicated to Big Sun. Making appearances were tracks like the album’s namesake, “Big Sun,” as well as popular tracks like “Radiate” and “Machines” (my personal favorite of the night!) Singles and tracks from Golden also garnered heavy applause; everyone had their phone out to record “Eloise” and “Joanna”!

Hendley also expressed how much it meant that the show was happening at all. On the way from Mississippi to Minnesota, the band found themselves stranded without a working tour vehicle. By the grace of the music gods, they secured a rental van and drove through the night to get to Fine Line in time to perform. They said it meant so much to kick off the Big Sun tour on a success, albeit a tired and stressful one.

Hendley also bid the crowd to check out the merch table, semi-jokingly explaining that they “had to pay for that rental van somehow.” HAPPY LANDING ended their set with “October,” a familiar song about the challenges of long-distance relationships and longing. The track focuses on the strength of love despite the distance, which felt particularly meaningful that night. Watching everyone in the crowd sing along, connecting with a band from a state a thousand miles away, it felt like the love (especially the love of music) could really conquer all.

24

country & ffolk olk ssongs ongss iful 770° 0° ddays ays for beautiful a spring/summer ng/ ng g/s /su sum umm mme meer r playlist pllla p ay a yllliiis y stt s

spring is here, and summ summer mer iiss ssoon! oon! a and nd with it, 70°° d days ays tthat ay hat to rree best accompanied by co country untry r music, the good kind of ry o co country ountry ry m mu u w with ith an actual heart instead of o conservative brainrot. so here’s o ome me country, country r , bluegrass, & fo ry ffolk lk fo fforr those day days. a s. some love songs, some h ay happy appy songs, some nostalgia, a whole lot of o yearning. my m fa ffavorites vorites have a starr next to them.

right righ g t back to it - wax gh waxahatchee xahatchee & mj m lenderman you may a have heard this song covered at farmstock. ay f rmstock. you may fa a also have heard ay me yell ‘i’m going fucking f cking crazy’ when that happened. fu

american dreaming - sierra fe fferrell rrell this is a good song for f r after fo aft af fter a day a of ay o being so locked in that i feel f el like an empty fe t ty shell of o a person. also a great album!

restless - alison krauss & union station my dad loves this song, and he’s right. alison krauss has a voice like a morning songbird.

t ler childers oneida - tyler ty ttyler ty ler childers has an insane talent for f r writing good old love songs, and this fo song about courting an older woman is no exception.

g t iii the swimming song - loudon wainwrigh wainwright gh i cannot begin to explain the feelings f elings this song induces in me, other than pure fe agony. i love this song a lot. it is very r good. ry

am i the only one (w ((who’s ho’s ever fe ffelt lt this way) y - the chicks y) look, a lot of o these songs are gonna be by the chicks. that’s because i love the chicks, and this is one of o my favorites f vorites of fa o theirs. deliciously dramatic in the way a ay this whole album is.

25

cowboy cowb w oy take me away - the chicks wb shoutout to etb’s fall f ll 2024 production of fa o horse girls. again, dramatic, and fantastic, f ntastic fa ic, and dear god can natalie maines sing.

if she ever leaves me - the high highwomen g women gh shoutout to lesbians. a slow, dancing song about watching a guy u flirt uy f irt with fl with your lesbian girlfriend girlf lfr lf friend and knowing he’s got no shot.

wide open spaces - the chicks a classic growing-up song. i listened to this song on loop for f r a lot of fo o my drive to to carleton freshman f eshman fall. fr f ll. good for fa f r going through changes. fo

ffollow fo llow your arrow - kacey musgraves “shoutout to lesbians and also weed” - kacey musgraves, 2013. good old nostalgic 2010's corny #woke optimism. i love it genuinely!

lone star lake - waxahatchee waxahatchee is so good. honestly just listen to the whole album tigers blood. or their whole discography.

strawberry strawb w erry wine - deana carter wb another 90's country r classic about growing up, and nostalgia for ry f ra fo teenage summer romance. good stuf stuff! uff uf ff! f!

universal sound - ty ttyler ler childers a song about meditating, and feeling f eling one with the world, and understanding. fe maybe may a be my favorite ay f vorite tyler fa t ler childers song. poetic. a good song for ty f r the morning. fo morrning.

claire saunders

26