Friday Roundup #31

One single, one album, one look BTS | 7.7.23

July 07, 2023

The focus of Arpeggio is to provide fresh, curated music as well as data & analysis of the music biz. Curated music is important because, in a world increasingly dominated by streaming companies, there are artists who deserve the spotlight.

Friday Roundup is curated with one single, one album, and one behind the scenes look into a recording artist's creative process to listen to at your leisure over the weekend. The idea is to provide frontline music and a look inside the creative process with both artists and music enthusiasts in mind. You’ll receive a roundup every first Friday.

The single for today is “Fearless” by Rhye, who I heard perform the new song at the Wiltern in Koreatown, LA, in early April of this year. He dedicated the song to his late father who had recently passed at his first live performance in LA in 4 years.

“Fearless” by Rhye

I went to see Rhye live at The Wiltern in Los Angeles where he performed “Fearless” and a few other tracks from a new EP, dedicated to his father who recently passed.

Float Back to You by Holy Hive

In Friday Roundup, I typically like to only share music that was released within the last 18 months, but there is still music released during the pandemic that I am discovering, and Holy Hive is one such exception to the rule.

In 2020 Brooklyn's Holy Hive introduced us all to something we didn't know we needed. Homer Steinweiss' thickly pocketed drumming paired with Paul Spring's floaty falsetto vocal, reminiscent of some long-lost Beach Boy, produces a sound that's like a salve. It's been dubbed Folk Soul and Holy Hive not only expertly overlay the more apparent musical aspects of folk and soul—but they also draw from the more profound: being able to pull traditions from the past and make them their own.

Nearly a decade ago, Homer and Paul met in Minnesota through a family introduction. Shortly after, when Homer wasn't playing drums for Lady Gaga or Adele or Bruno Mars, he'd produce Paul's solo folk records. Along with original bassist and frequent collaborator Joe Harrison, these sessions proved to be Holy Hive's foundation. And their first record, Float Back to You, expertly combined what each musician does best: Paul's heady, reflective approach to folk with Homer's universal classic soul sound.

With their new record released on Big Crown, Holy Hive's beautifully simple-and-sparse Folk Soul sound is back—but updated. With new influences and the challenge of creating and capturing music during a global pandemic, this new self-titled album, is more personal, more reflective.

– Holy Hive

BTS with Tom Misch, Against the Clock

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