The world is full of wonderful sounds, including, but not limited to, the collection of international options below. If your playlists have been in a lull lately, expand your horizons and check out what music across borders can offer.
Africa: Sunshine Love by Rikki Ililonga & Musi-O-Tunya
Sounds like: summertime boat rides, lemonade stands, open highway
As bands like Lynyrd Skynyrd and Cream dominated Western stages in the 60s and 70s, an equally vibrant sister scene was emerging in southern Africa under the name of “Zamrock.” Adorned with the characteristic foaming feedback of Western psychedelic, “Sunshine Love” is more than paltry imitation: it is a fleshed-out, feel-good banger from a revolutionary of Zamrock, Rikki Ililonga. Sit back, put on your shades and soak in the gritty goodness.
Asia: Chasing Tidal Waves by Lo! Peninsula
Sounds like: gazing out train windows, reluctant acceptance, cold water
Lo! Peninsula are Imphal, India’s shoegaze underdogs. Self-made and produced, “Chasing Tidal Waves” is chock full of atmospheric reverb and angst. Throughout the song, the vocals and instrumentals battle it out for the main stage, ebbing and flowing in volume and intensity. The buildup tells a story in and of itself, and the reflective lyrics drive the point home. Start to finish, the song is an absolute blessing to the ears.
Europe: Alabama by Adele Castillon & Videoclub
Sounds like: leather jackets, revenge plots, late-night regret
Castillon’s third single as a solo artist seems to descend from the heavens in the form of a synth-pop masterpiece. The repetitive thrum of the bassline propels the sound further and further into head-bopping bliss, punctuated by diluted percussion. Castillon is a siren in a sea of misty reverb, her guttural French accent deliciously enticing. Glamorous and catchy, “Alabama” lures the listener into its depths without a struggle.
North America: What Am I Living For by Cat Clyde & Jeremie Albino
Sounds like: red bandanas, big ol’ bonfires, good company
Canadian singer-songwriters Cat Clyde and Jeremie Albino unite to honor and contemporize the greatest of folk and blues in their 2021 album, “Blue Blue Blue.” Track 7 is a folksy take on Chuck Willis’ blues song “What Am I Livin’ For.” Clyde’s wailing vibratos and Albino’s raspy and haunting vocals are mesmerizingly interlocked, dancing around one another playfully and creating harmonies in surprising places. It feels wrong to even call this song a cover, as it fully transforms a blues classic into a completely new beast.
Oceania: Depreston by Courtney Barnett
Sounds like: old garage smell, chemtrails, full clotheslines
Sydney, Australia’s Courtney Barnett simultaneously sings of escape and of entrapment in “Depreston,” swapping her usual rocking and rolling for an intermittent drawl reminiscent of a Clint Eastwood movie. Her deadpan delivery of witty lyrics evoke images of sprawling backyards, dated ranch houses and empty blue skies. Much like Barnett’s voice, the suburbia that she is carefully crafting with these lyrics is dry and lolling.
South America: Todo lo que by Mora y los Metegoles
Sounds like: pinkie promises, good fruit, doing a cartwheel
Hailing from Buenos Aires, Argentina, Mora y los Metegoles are the epitome of feel-good indie. “Todo lo que” is beautiful in its simplicity. Like much of the indie-pop of the early 2020s, the song is short and repetitive, but certainly far from boring. A chorus of lilting voices framed by laid-back guitar riffs and punchy snares guide the listener through this Argenitinian love song. Complete with a well-placed Lana del Rey shoutout, “Todo lo que” is the perfect windows-down, seat-back bop.
