Music You're Missing

We knew that talking with Heather Sommer would be a joy after watching her captivating TikTok videos and listening through her introspective ear worm of an EP, “Nocturnal”, but this conversation was one for the books. Truly a genuine, supportive soul, talking with Heather Sommer felt different than other artists, as there wasn’t a hint of competitiveness or bitterness in her voice as she walked us through her musical journey.

She’s an artist through and through, having studied graphic design, painting, and drawing in college while also creating music. While this greatly contributes to her branding and outlook on her music, its also granted her a well-rounded perspective on arts industries, and how collaboration and support helps infinitely more than competition. Sommer’s viewpoint additionally filters into her TikTok success, with an audience of genuine fans growing every day. We talked about the toxicity and competitive atmosphere, and how she’s been able to look past the pressure of numbers and really be herself, cultivating this authentic audience.

Nearly her entire EP, “Nocturnal”, was created through collaboration with producers over Zoom, and the diversity shines through in the collection’s unique style and authenticity. Our favorite part about the Nocturnal EP is the way that the track list actually spells out a sentence, like a hidden message. These subtle details highlight Sommer’s range of artistic perspective and depict the depth in which she creates her art.

The EP also works through relevant topics, like how people tend to overlook the parts of their relationships that hurt them, and let themselves suffer for the sake of a friendship or partner that probably isn’t right for them anyways. I mean, that just hits straight to home.

If you couldn’t tell already, we’re big fans of Heather Sommer. This episode is chock-full of wisdom and honesty and just goodhearted realness that this industry needs. Check out the full episode of “Music You’re Missing” with Heather Sommer on our Spotify! Tracks from her EP “Nocturnal” will also be featured on our Spotify playlist.

Canadian pop group VALLEY joined us today for a new, slightly 90s-themed episode of “Music You’re Missing”.

Although we’re pretty sure they’re always this infectiously energetic, VALLEY is riding off the high of some insane news that we’re so excited to get the inside scoop on. Not only did they just announce their tour with COIN for fall 2021 - which will be VALLEY’s first batch of performances since quarantine - but they’ve also been celebrating an electric new single.

The nostalgic hit track, “Like 1999”, was born from a 30-minute songwriting exercise in a random AirBnB somewhere in the woods of Toronto (the usual setting for every viral hit). VALLEY was taking time over quarantine to focus on creating, and popped out “Like 1999” during a co-write with Charlie Adams and Johnathan of Nightly. The song completely blew up on TikTok - no surprise to us - and has been steadily growing since its release on all streaming platforms.

“‘Like 1999’ happened on the second night [of this trip] and totally by accident. We were doing a sad, kind of breakup song, and we weren’t really feeling it. So Johnathan was like ‘Let’s set a 30 minute timer and write a whole new thing’, and then “1999” was born… It happened super organically.”

Inspired by the throwback vibes of “Like 1999”, we set up a game of “Who’s Most Likely?” with the band, and found out that not only are they incredible musicians, but one of them may or may not be able to recreate the “Hit Me Baby One More Time” music video frame-by-frame.

If VALLEY is this dynamic over Zoom, we can’t wait to see the energy they bring to the stage with COIN this fall. Check out the full podcast and all of VALLEY’s antics on our new episode of “Music You’re Missing”! You can also find their nostalgic tunes on our Spotify playlist.

Brendan Jeannetti and Devon O'Heron speak on their ties to the music industry and play a Q+A game on this special episode of Music You're Missing!

We sat down with Tarek Jafar of The Blue Stones, a Canadian rock band that blends blues, alternative, and indie influences on their new album, Hidden Gems. Produced by Mutemath frontman, Paul Meany, the album colors the band’s rock n’ roll sound with this fusion of influences and new lyrical approaches.

Amongst some awesome insight on the album, Jafar also opened up to us about “Careless”, one of the new songs off of Hidden Gems. Drawing on a unique influence of pop and RnB sounds, “Careless” stands out from the rest of The Blue Stones’ discography in the best way. It’s an ode to their songwriting versatility and the true range of the band, unbound by the “limitations” of genre. Jafar admitted that they were nervous about the change in sound, but Justin Tessier, Jafar’s counterpart in the band, convinced him that “Careless” was a step in the right direction:

“He mentioned it’s more of a sell out move to not release a song that you actually care about. So if we were to hold that song back from being released because we didn’t think it would do well, then isn’t that what selling out is?”

After spending a lot of time in quarantine writing for other artists, Jafar also expressed a huge interest in collaborating with other bands and songwriters in the future. We’re rooting for an iconic rock n’ roll collab sometime soon…

Check out the full episode of “Music You’re Missing” with The Blue Stones on Spotify and Apple Podcasts! You can also find our favorite jams off of Hidden Gems on our Spotify playlist.

We sat down with Michigander, the rising alternative band led by Jason Singer. A conversation sprinkled with random Trader Joe’s appreciation took us everywhere from an exclusive look at Michigander’s inner workings and opening for Bernie Sanders, to the trials of the livestream era.
Michigander is humble and authentic to the core, really opening up to us about the oddities of this industry, like how his new song “Let Down” randomly got picked up by Fortnite or he made the cover of Apple’s Alt Centric playlist without even meaning to. When we asked him what his dreams were for Michigander, he dug out his journal and walked us through his 2-year and 5- year goals. The vision, perspective and drive of Michigander is eminent, and it truly shines through in their music.

Their 2021 EP Everything Will Be Ok Eventually fortifies this authenticity. The EP explores a new sonic palette, incorporating synth elements beyond the usual bounds of a rock band, and ultimately creates a soundtrack for chasing after your dreams.

Many artists have felt the isolation of quarantine put their creativity on hold, but Michigander is plunging ahead, already working on the next set of songs. He’s itching to get back on tour and share this new catalog of anthems free from the confines of a computer screen, and we’ll be front row when he does.

“I’m so sick of sitting in my room, like I’m going to be done with this, shut my computer, and it’s gonna be dead silent… I wish I was wherever you guys are so I could make you guys laugh and tell you about Trader Joe’s some more…”

Get the full Michigander experience by listening to our new episode of “Music You’re Missing” on Spotify and Apple Podcasts! You can also listen to songs from Michigander’s new EP Everything Will Be Ok Eventually on our featured Spotify playlists.

https://linktr.ee/MusicYoureMissing
@MichiganderBand
@MusicYoureMissing

We sat down with Chloe Lilac, a Brooklyn-based artist whose music blazes with a rare
type of authenticity. Punk-inspired guitars and the lyrical boldness of youth create colorful
arrangements that fortify Chloe Lilac’s unique sound. At only 19 years old, she’s already toured
with indie icons mxmtoon, Tessa Violet, Charlotte Lawrence, and more, and continues to awe
fans with her recent alternative EP, “DOUCHEBAG”.

As such a personable, creative force in the music world, Chloe Lilac has seen her online
presence skyrocket throughout the pandemic. Though quarantine has put tours on hold and
forced us into an era of disconnect, Chloe’s grown even more connected with fans on
platforms such as TikTok. Stepping into almost an “influencer” role, she’s been sharing her
mental health journey throughout quarantine and the challenges of being a young professional
thrown into this sudden isolation.

“In the beginning [of quarantine], I couldn’t write for six months because I was so heartbroken.”

Chloe Lilac also gave us an honest perspective on her experience with record labels, and her
life now as an independent artist. Beginning her music career at 13, Chloe’s practically grown
up in the industry, having to learn the ins and outs of the field the hard way. She opened up to
us about the way labels really influenced her content and online presence, and the freedom she
now embraces as an independent artist.

“It’s so nice to just be me online for the first time ever, really, in my adolescent life... I’m not
making music for a label to take a huge percentage of anymore. I’m making music for me
now.”

Amongst all of the introspection and wise advice, Chloe Lilac is full of laughs and crazy stories,
from performing “DOUCHEBAG” in front of the d-bag himself to the hypocritical, drug-
obsessed college kids of NYC. It’s easy to feel like you’re talking to an old friend when talking
to Chloe.

Tune into our new episode of “Music You’re Missing” with Chloe Lilac on Spotify and Apple
Podcasts to get the full experience of this confident and unique force in music. You can also
find Chloe Lilac’s alternative/indie anthems on our Spotify playlist!

Check it out:
https://linktr.ee/MusicYoureMissing

Follow Chloe Lilac on Instagram: @ChloeLilac
Follow Chloe Lilac on Tik Tok: @ChloeLilac_