Soccer Mommy and Florist make intimate music on an epic scale

Plus, Big Thief's Tiny Desk (home) concert

View this email online July 23, 2022 by Marissa Lorusso This week, we’re sharing two profiles of artists with new records we can’t stop listening to; plus, a Tiny Desk (home) concert from Big Thief. Sophie Hur/Courtesy of the artist In case you need to be reminded, Beyoncé will be releasing a new album next Friday, July 29. In anticipation of the album, we’ll have a conversation on All Songs Considered next week that gets us up to speed on this moment in Bey’s career. As happens with everything Beyoncé does, we're sure there will be lots to talk about once we can actually hear the music, and you can be sure we'll be following along. But while we’re all bracing for impact, here are some other stories we wanted to make sure you saw. This week, we published two profiles of artists with powerful new records that emerged out of very specific circumstances. First, WNXP’s Jewly Hight wrote about the singer and songwriter Sophie Allison, who performs as Soccer Mommy. Allison started her music career uploading homemade recordings to Bandcamp — but her new record, Sometimes, Forever, was recorded at the historic Sound Emporium studios in her hometown of Nashville. While Allison’s music might not remind you of Kenny Chesney or Kacey Musgraves — both of whom have also recorded at the famed studio — you can hear her Music City-indebted ambition in the album’s dramatic, exploratory sound and in Allison’s ability to draw out intimate feelings at epic scale. (If you want to learn more about the album, we’ve also shared a video interview between Jewly and Soccer Mommy on NPR Music’s YouTube page.) There’s also an intense intimacy at the heart of the new self-titled record by Florist. The four-piece folk band makes contemplative, delicate music, and the members’ decade-long friendship has always been foundational to how the band writes and performs. Emily Sprague, one of the band’s members, described it this way: "We're not friends like we go out and talk about the weather. We're friends like we are a part of each other's souls." After the death of Sprague’s mother in 2017, Sprague moved away from the band's Brooklyn base and recorded a solo Florist album, Emily Alone. But when the band members reconnected again to record a new, self-titled album, their deepened bond meant Florist was able to make its most ambitious, open-hearted work yet, filled with beautiful folk songs, ambient instrumentals and sprawling improvisational sections. A sense of close-knit camaraderie is essential to the music of Big Thief, too. Watching the band’s new Tiny Desk (home) concert feels like witnessing “friends playing comfortably at home,” says Bob Boilen. Big Thief performed a few songs from its latest album, Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You, plus an unreleased song called “Happiness.” And speaking of music that comes from a very particular set of circumstances: This week, Alt.Latino intern Vita Dadoo explained the story behind the viral global hit “Mi Bebito Fiu Fiu.” The song's hashtag, #mibebitofiufiu, has over 1 billion views on TikTok, and the song reached No. 1 on Spotify's Global Viral 50 playlist at the beginning of July. But the song has an unlikely inspiration: the politician and former president of Peru, Martín Vizcarra. His alleged affair with a  lawyer serves as the source material for the viral hit, set to the melody of Eminem and Dido's ode to love and unreciprocated obsession, "Stan.” Thanks to its virality, the song has been transformed over and over, with remixes, parodies and memes that continue to write over the song with new meanings for new audiences. While “the lyrics of ‘Mi Bebito Fiu Fiu’ may have a unique, scandalous backstory,” Vita writes, “the song has ultimately become a vessel for the internet to channel its collective creativity and romantic impulses.”   Newsletter continues after sponsor message More to read, watch and hear NPR This week, All Songs Considered’s New Mix is filled with songs about friendships gone wrong, courtesy of The Beths, Madi Diaz and King Princess. Plus, on New Music Friday, our panel discusses new releases from Flo Milli, Jack White, Rico Nasty and more.  This week, we shared a Tiny Desk concert from Mivos Quartet, who gave an extraordinary performance of a short movement from Robert Honstein's Arctic and Henry Threadgill's Sixfivetwo. My colleague Stephen Thompson has been a huge fan of pop singer Lizzo since well before her 2019 breakthrough album Cuz I Love You. This week on Pop Culture Happy Hour, he and Christina Lee convened to talk about Lizzo’s latest release, Special, which is filled with songs about love, affirmation, friendship, empowerment and confidence. One More Thing PCHH debates the greatest movie soundtracks of all time Listen to your local NPR station. Visit NPR.org to hear live radio from WUFT 89.1 (edit station). Need a new playlist? Follow NPR Music on Spotify and Apple Music What do you think of today's email? We'd love to hear your thoughts, questions and feedback: nprmusic@npr.org Enjoying this newsletter? Forward to a friend! They can sign up here. Looking for more great content? Check out all of our newsletter offerings — including Books, Pop Culture, Health and more! You received this message because you're subscribed to NPR Music emails. This email was sent by National Public Radio, Inc., 1111 North Capitol Street NE, Washington, DC 20002 Unsubscribe  |  Privacy Policy