Since last year, Bandcamp has waived the normal fee they collect from purchases on their platform on the first Friday of every month. Instead, they pass those proceeds directly along to artists. Fans have since purchased more than $48 million dollars worth of music and merch on Bandcamp Fridays. While we wait for live music to return (fingers crossed for Summer 2021), Bandcamp Fridays have become one of the best ways you can support the artists you love.
The next Bandcamp Friday is tomorrow, April 2. Here at Sound of Boston, we’re always trying to promote the amazing musicians that hail from our city. Below, you’ll see some of our staff picks for artists you can support.
Senseless Optimism
Senseless Optimism’s latest track, “Lonely Daze,” embodies what you might expect from an act with that moniker: it’s uplifting indie pop that’s draped with dreariness. “I’m feeling lonely everyday,” she croons. Senseless Optimism began writing songs when experiencing the first symptoms of bipolar disorder, and themes of escapism and depression are reflected in her discography. Textured guitar and raw vocals take center stage here: there’s a very tangible feel to the Lowell-based artist’s sound—some of which might be attributed to the bedroom lo-fi quality she aims for (and achieves). Fans of Nilüfer Yanya’s softer tracks, check this one out.
Knar Bedian | Editor in Chief
Evan Greer
According to her social media, local punk rocker and activist Evan Greer’s upcoming album, Spotify Is Surveillance, despite high streaming numbers on its singles, has yet to be added to any popular Spotify playlists. Its title is self-explanatory: The album pulls no punches, railing against the music streaming industry’s exploitative tendencies against an energetic, rage-filled queerpunk background. “Surveillance capitalism is killing us,” Greer explained in a recent interview. “Big Tech’s business model of harvesting, manipulating, and abusing our personal data is incompatible with democracy and basic human rights.” Spotify Is Surveillance releases April 9; the album’s two singles, “Back Row” and “The Tyranny of Either/Or,” can be streamed now on her Bandcamp.
Nicole Collins | Staff Writer
Billy Dean Thomas
Billy Dean Thomas has been putting in work over the past several years to reshape Boston’s music scene for the better. A Harlem native, Thomas is expanding the quality and reach of the city’s hip-hop scene through music, fashion, and culture. They aspire to provide a platform for a new generation of LGBTQ rappers that now occupy some of the top spots in the local hip-hop landscape. They even curated and MC’ed one of Boston’s most successful hip-hop events in recent memory, Hip Hop and Haute Couture. The event, held at the Museum of Fine Arts, brought together over 4,000 hip hop fans to introduce a new era for the genre in the city. A slam poetry heavyweight with songwriting skills to match, Thomas uses verbal weaponry to tell important stories of their experiences fighting against the forces of homophobia, racism, and “all the drama and trauma in their bloodline.” They even performed acapella on ABC’s The View. Thomas recently released a new EP, For Better or Worse, with a thunderous first track, “Trust No Mo,” The song gets the adrenaline pumping with fast-paced drums that pound out trunk-rattling bass, beefy rhymes, and deeply creative wordplay.
Jared Steinberg | Staff Writer
Divine Sweater
Divine Sweater’s latest album, Divine Sweater Presents: The Ten Year Plan, is an exploration of what it is like to cope with some of the most common sources of stress and anxiety for young people in 2021. They express the seemingly hopeless struggle to understand and find peace with the inevitably uncertain future. We are often expected to have a plan for our lives, but those plans never quite seem to work out: “Sometimes the world opens and swallows us… Sometimes our bodies turn their backs on us,” Meghan Kelleher sings. Divine Sweater’s sound is defined by satisfyingly agile basslines, tight vocal harmonies (reminiscent at times of folk), and their self-produced ethereal synth sounds. But they also give us a tasteful sprinkling of violin, cello, and saxophone when appropriate. Their music and lyrics are equally captivating, and the unique blends of sounds that they consistently serve up ensure that it all stays interesting and fresh.
Eli Quastler | Staff Writer
Kaiti Jones
On her recently released album, Tossed, Kaiti Jones explores big questions of faith and loss, succinctly wrapped up in intimate, indie-folk tracks. Tossed is the second full-length release from the Cambridge singer-songwriter, and embodies its title with a diverse and vibrant mix of melodies— from the upbeat, drum rhythms of “Weak Days” and “Light On” to the paired-down piano ballad “Mystic”. The album title also conjures up feelings of uncertainty and finding oneself adrift, which is a strong emotional current that runs through each track. Still, Jones’ strong, expansive vocals assert she is far from unmoored. Drawing similarities to other folk artists like Julia Jacklin and Jade Bird, Jones creates a dynamic map of experience on Tossed that is open-ended yet utterly satisfying.
Julia Bernicker | Staff Writer
Squirrel Flower
Squirrel Flower writes anthems equally appropriate for when you’re surrounded by friends in a concert hall, or when you’re alone in your bedroom. Her 2020 album I Was Born Swimming was one of our staff’s favorites in 2020—and for good reason. Songs like “Headlights” pack an emotional punch, where Ella O’Connor Williams’ guitar and vocals are prominently displayed. On the other end of the spectrum, “Streetlight Blues” is a powerhouse of a track—showing a band that isn’t afraid to simply let it rip. Earlier this week, Squirrel Flower announced their next album Planet (i), and released the lead single “Hurt A Fly.” Williams said the song is about “embodying a persona of gaslighting, narcissistic soft-boy type shit.” The album, along with a slew of new merch, is available for Bandcamp Friday.
Alex Girard | A&R