Current (Song) Obsessions: The Sunshine State, The Small Calamities, Trey Pearson, D’orjay The Singing Shaman

As a blog writer and a musician, I probably consume music at a rate higher than most. Our blog mostly focuses on indie music and underground gems, so most of what I have on repeat is from artists that are still waiting to be discovered, and trust me they do deserve to be discovered. I wanted to share these four artists with you because they will bring a different sound to your speakers, and a different message. All of these songs have great production and are lyrically brilliant. My current song obsessions come from these four great artists: The Sunshine State, The Small Calamities, Trey Pearson, D’orjay The Singing Shaman

“Dating a Drug Dealer” by The Sunshine State is a song that I have on repeat right now. I have listened to it at least 5 times today. The melodies are catchy. The soft and smooth vocal delivery fits in perfectly with the 80’s style synthesizers, and hits the ears in a refreshing way. Not only is the melody a super hook, but the lyrics in the song tell an intriguing story about dating a rich drug dealer with a mansion. The character in the song ventures to different mansions in Brentwood and Venice, and is appreciated through luxurious and expensive gifts from someone who wears lots of gold. However, the song focuses a lot on love..and the type of love that money just cannot ever buy. The character is laughing at her lovers jokes on the beach, being cooked for, and feels very adored through things that aren’t materialistic at all. The balance of her lovers character of being a drug dealer but being an awesome romantic partner makes a great story that is captivating and alluring.

Now let’s shift gears to a heavier sound. The Small Calamities are out with a song called “Waste My Time.” It’s another lyrically brilliant smash hit that takes the listener on an adventure. The vocal delivery brings about a sense of urgency, but, as a listener, the rush feels energizing. The song has production that fits mostly into the emo-genre of music; heavy drums, guitars, an emotional sounding vocal delivery. However, the production stands out because of the use of an electric banjo. The banjo is a truly captivating element that I haven’t ever heard happen in the emo genre before. Very clever and well-done! The Small Calamities do a great job of making the elements mesh together in a way that seems natural, like the banjo always belonged in this genre.

Next up is D’orjay The Singing Shaman who is bringing a revolutionary powerful song to the table. The song is called “New Kind of Outlaw”, and for me personally I have always related to the “outlaw” character as I have been “othered” my entire life as a transgender person. I love the lyrics but I also love the instrumentation.

D’orjay is a black queer country artist and she is committed to bringing diversity and inclusiveness to country music, a genre that has a long history of homophobia and racism. Not only does D’orjay preach inclusiveness in her song, and demand for equal recognition and apprecaite, she brings an authentic stand-out sound. Her vocal delivery is towering and monumental. Her voice cannot be ignored and should not go ignored. Her talent is clear and her message is one advocating for love, equality, and justice. She asks: “I love country music, will country music love me?” This one is extremely powerful.

Trey Pearson is out with an irresistible song called “Don’t Dance 2.1.” The purpose of the song is to bring visibility to a very pressing topic: homophobia and bigotry. The talented singer does a very good job at expressing his message through this upbeat and catchy dance song. It’s basically impossible not to dance to this song and it is undeniably a smash hit. In fact, I think with the right push, Trey Pearson’s song could break into the pop charts. The lyrics are strong, explaining that you cannot love a gay person’s music and be homophobic at the same time. The two shouldn’t exist. The general public consumes so much content created by LGBTQ+ community but do they actually appreciate, love and respect the content creator? Trey Pearson tackles this hard subject in an effective way.

I’ve had countless people tell me God thinks I’m an abomination and going to hell since I came out of the closet. People need to stop judging and start loving.

Trey Pearson

Discover all these great artists and more on this Spotify playlist:

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Written by Ryan Cassata
https://instagram.com/ryancassata/