Arjan Writes Newsletter #6

Oct 16, 2021

👋 Hello, Saturday! It’s another big week for pop with major new releases by Adele, Finneas, and Coldplay. Plus, there’s really exciting new and emerging pop to explore as well. I’ll tell you all you need to know, including giving you the scoop on Julia Wolf (my Artist of the Week) and Marisa Maino, who serves up my Bop of the Week. Before I jump in, I want to thank all the new subscribers for joining the newsletter this week. Continue to spread the word. Thank you!

❤️ The return of Adele: Adele is back and everything is alright in the world. “Easy On Me” kicks off her new album campaign, and it’s everything we had hoped for from a new Adele single. Co-written and masterfully produced by Greg Kurstin, it’s another epic moment that’s truly timeless. The world needed this and she delivered. We’ll all have a good cry to celebrate. Thank you, Adele. (link)

👍 Finneas releases debut album: Finneas is an astute observer and poignant lyricist who explores people’s idiosyncrasies on Optimist, his brilliant 13-track LP debut. Finneas reflects on easier times (“The 90s”), his eternal optimism (“A Concert Six Months From Now” and “What They’ll Say About Us”), cancel culture (“Medieval”), and fear of heartbreak (“Love Is Pain”). This LP is one to embrace when you need a warm blanket for comfort and understanding. (link)

🍭 Bop of the Week: Marisa Maino is part of emerging Nashville-based pop outfit Tramp Stamps, but she’s also putting out solo material that’s finger-licking good. Case in point is her new “Growing Up Can Go To Hell,” a glorious, peppy number featuring her candy-coated vocals and relatable storytelling. This track is fantastic. I adore this. A proper bop. (link)

🎤 Out and about in Los Angeles: It’s been a flurry of new artists all over town playing their very first live show over the last few weeks. This week was no different. I saw newcomers Nate Marchant and My New York Summer (MNYS) showcase this week. Merchant was impressive, rocking out with a full band to his ‘80s inspired pop. MNYS made his live debut with full backing as well, and I was taken by the honesty and humility of his performance. I can’t wait to see what both of these talented guys do next.

🚀 Coldplay takes flight: Coldplay's new LP, titled Music of the Spheres, is a big and ambitious record filled with superstar collaborations. The absolute highpoint for me is the 10-minute long, Max Martin-assisted opus “Coloratura.” (link)

👍 Sam MacPherson unveils debut EP: There’s a new crooner in town and his new Sam MacPherson. I previously covered his single “Counts” and added it to my Office Hours playlist. Released via Snafu Records, MacPherson’s accomplished debut EP, Songs for Sam, is filled with heartfelt balladry covering love and relationships. (link)

The state of Pop is strong—lots of great music out this week. Let’s dig in!

Artist of the Week: Julia Wolf

💬 Two years following the release of her first single, Julia Wolf makes a powerful statement with the release of her debut EP, titled Girls In Purgatory. It’s a phenomenal collection of songs marked by Wolf’s transparently raw lyricism to empower others—especially all the shy kids out there.

Wolf is an exciting new voice in pop. The combination of her storytelling, pop-savvy beats, and instantly recognizable timbre makes her immediately stand out from the pack. I first noticed her when I listened to her single “Hoops” during one of my Office Hours earlier this year and added it to the playlist.

Girls In Purgatory introduces listeners to Wolf’s cohesive style of songwriting. Each of the songs on the EP is a personal story about Wolf’s experience dealing with love and relationships—from dealing with guilt about putting her career first (“Nikes”) to seeking independence in a relationship (“Checkmate”).

“I’ve never had success with love,” Wolf confides in me. Sharing her experiences about relationships through her music will hopefully empower others. “I'm really hoping that people will listen and believe in themselves more, like 'Hey, I can do this because she did.’"

Wolf has a powerful way with words which has a lot to do with her experience as a shy high school kid. “I was a loner kid, and it was hard for me to talk to people,” she explains. A teacher encouraged her to start writing music so she could join the senior show.

“I really wanted to sing, so I started writing, and it became clear what a great way it was to express myself without having to talk.”

The pop singer adds, "I want to be a voice for my shy girls out there. I want them to realize I was in that same place as well."

Wolf has forged a powerful creative partnership with producer Jackson Foote who brilliantly helped shape her left-of-center pop sound. “He just instantly knew the kind of mood and sound that I was going for,” she says about the first session with him. "[Jackson] just understood exactly what influences to pull from, and not make the tracks super polished, and keep the grittiness. He didn't try to change my vision. It was just the best feeling in the world after that first session."

Stream Julia Wolf Girls in Purgatory

Office Hours Playlist Updates

(Office Hour playlist cover art by @bongangart)

📅 Office Hours is a passion project of mine to support and nurture new artists. Periodically, I will open up my Twitter DMs for official Office Hours to meet new artists, listen to pitches, and provide instant feedback. It’s been a gratifying experience to help out and lend an ear.

Every week, I add a selection of pitched songs to my Office Hours playlist on Apple Music. This playlist also includes tracks that I feel are extraordinarily great and fit the spirit of the Office Hours playlist: new, next, noteworthy, and very pop.

Thanks for all your pitches and suggestions for the Office Hours playlist.

🔥 My quick-fire take on tracks I added to the playlist this week:

“Growing Up Can Go To Hell” by Marisa Maino. This week’s Bop of the Week that’s topping the playlist. Wait for the pre-chorus to kick in and feel the goosebump gauge reach extreme levels. Fantastic pop track. I adore this. I want more of this. (link)

“Focus” by Graham Lake. Debut single by an up-and-coming Swedish artist. The classically trained 20-year old produced this track together with Linus Ekelöw from Galantis. Ruled by a steady hum, catchy piano riff, glitzy beats, and Lake’s take-it-or-leave-it attitude, “Focus” demands all the attention it deserves. (link)

“I’m Sorry” by Blanks. The Dutch artist calls this new track his “saddest song ever.” He’s not wrong. This gut-wrenching piano ballad is a tearjerker of the most emotional kind. Please don’t say I didn’t warn you when the tears start flowing. (link)

“Three Little Words” by Lynnea M. The fine people that helped develop Rihanna’s early music career now work with Lynnea M, who some of you may remember from her stint at NBC’s The Voice. Her talent and potential reach far beyond the television game show, and this powerful track is proof of that. (link)

“Track Shoes” by Rence. The pop singer keeps the vibe hopeful even though he’s locked out of his “supersonic soul” by a past love. I love how Rence takes his penchant for left-leaning pop slightly to the center with an incredibly catchy hook. (link)

“Lemons” by Spencer Sutherland. The great Spencer Sutherland is a wise man and turns his sour lemons into sweet lemonade on his funked-up pop banger that should sound fresh and familiar to his many new followers on TikTok. (link)

“Hopeless Romantic” by Sam Fischer. He may be a hopeless romantic, but Sam Fischer provides hope with pop music that’s authentically his and divinely made. “Hopeless Romantic” continues where “This City” left off. Bravo, Sam! (link)

“Finish Line” by Zac Greer. Zac’s entire new EP is excellent, and this track is the poppiest moment on the collection, and I’m here for it. Curious about what he does next. (link)

“Spinnin” by Mazie. Hailing from Albany, Georgia, Mazie takes a trip down the rabbit hole to end up in a kaleidoscopic, brightly-colored world on this new single. So fun. (link)

Listen to the Office Hours playlist on Apple Music.

The state of Pop is strong.

With so much great new music out this week, I’m thrilled to report that the state of Pop is strong. 🔥

Thank you for tuning in to my newsletter this week. I appreciate all the artists for sharing their music and stories. You inspire me every day.

Look for a fresh new edition of this newsletter every Saturday.

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