MMM with Finja Kejo & Gerald Wicks
Show tomorrow!! Two sick songs today!! Now this is the perfect subject line.
Welcome to Max’s Music Mondays. My ~music discovery newsletter~ where I get too excited about songs I love. I hope you love them too. Your subscriptions go such a long way. Free subscribers help these artists get the audience they deserve, paid subscriptions help keep this thing running and also PAY THE ARTISTS!!! 2/3 of every subscription goes right back to the artists I write about. Please consider supporting independent music and music journalism(?) here today <3 Got a new font on these - what do you think?
Welcome back!!
Before we get into it - if you are reading this and you are in LA…. you’d really love tomorrow’s show. Built on the same mission that drives this newsletter, it’s a show about hearing something new, seeing artists do something unique. Each show has been incredibly sweet and I would genuinely love to see you there. Don’t be shy!!!
But if you aren’t in LA? Guess what I still love you for being here and really hope you like this weeks’ songs. They’re fantastic.
Please follow the playlist if you haven’t already! It’s where I put all these songs, and every follow helps the music that much more. 1 like - 1 dream coming true for me. Thank you <3
Finja Kejo - Honest!
It isn’t my place to / feel this type of jealous / if we’re honest.
Yeah, I’m absolutely in. Rewind a few seconds, an entrancing intro, with a fluttering fuzzy synth, guitar sliding across, a star of a synth glistening. The drums hit, and Kejo joins with that opening lyric above. But it’s not just the lyric that’s so impressive. It’s the way Kejo delivers it - a bold melody patiently sung. Stringing the phrase out, room for the band to fill (and they fill it well). Then landing with that smooth if we’re honest, you can hear the smirk on Kejo’s face.
There’s a second vocal in there, subtle but beautiful, giving the melody more support and more context. It’s special. I’m also struck by the second lyric - I took up way / too much space just to leave it / empty for you / I’m sorry. It’s hard to hear, but delivered so well here.
As the repetition closes, the track is full of tiny genius moments. There’s a vocal layer that runs alongside a bass line, the shout into the ether, a bit of feedback pulsing to pull us into the next section.
As the guitar slowly walks through these chords, we hear kids on the playground, a truck drive by, the outside world slowly seeping into these hard thoughts. This relationship has just ended, or maybe is still ending, and these sounds seem to be pulling us back into real life and out of these spirals.
I love the reversed vocals bubbling up as The past catches up to you. Such a fun dynamic to add to the scene. Even in this darker, more reserved moment, Kejo and brings some exciting ideas and energy. Hitting a new rhythm through this bit too, no sugar coats, beginning an exciting new flow. The song unafraid to bend in new directions at any moment. A thrill to listen to. Kejo’s voice sounds so good in these tender sections. Hints of more soulful artists like Charlotte Day Wilson peeking through in the vibrato.
Bouncing so easily back into the chorus, Kejo really showing off the versatility in her performance. Off the back of the last scene, the chorus feels even more powerful here. Little sounds like the cowbell really shine here in the sparse arrangement, it’s all so great.
The song closes with one last brilliant decision. A lyric change, offering an open heart and open ears, we’ll come far if we’re honest, spilling out over the fading feedback of a guitar. Almost like the band just ran out of juice. Left it all out there. Now on the other side, these keys or maybe a vibraphone(?) push on, giving the song so much warmth and intimacy. Another shot of reverb lets that last lyric linger in the air forever. A tasteful moment from the guitar carries us towards more voices down the street and we find ourselves at the end. The Swiss artist and producer just dropped an EP at the end of January and my my it is FULL of surprises and gorgeous songs.
Follow Finja Kejo on Instagram // on Spotify
Gerald Wicks - where do we go?
Obviously this comes with major asterisks and walk backs and justifications but thank you to the tiktok gods for once again dropping a perfect song in my lap. I got so excited when Wicks first came across my fyp - and down the rabbit hole I went. His voice is so rich, such a warmness to the tone. It’s a voice that shines as Wicks slides between and beyond genre. He’s offering a distinct style and vision, and the music matches beautifully.
This song, the latest release from late February is a great way in. It’s a song that really shape-shifts, with so much to enjoy in every moment. We open with a guitar, finger-picked chords with something a little wobbly on there, giving them a unique and fun feel. Wicks doesn’t wait long to join, his voice intimate. I really love the the humanity and conversation-ness that he offers here too - the quick cut and repeat of ‘don’t mean it-’ and the mmmm where did the time fly. Both making the song feel so real to me, like we were having this chat live, there just happeneds to be a stunning guitar scoring the moment.
Just seconds later, the vocals grow with layers stacked on top. Harmonies gentle as they shift from the right side to the left. It’s really pretty, and works too well, as that new plucking sound comes and goes. A little roughness, a little messiness to balance the song out. As we keep moving forward the song adding more layers, more pieces, like a snowball rolling down the mountain, gathering itself together, bit by bit.
There’s a handful of additions there just beyond 0:33 - more guitars, a dancing piano, the song swirling with vocals too. A moment that’ll catch your ear before the biggest addition yet hits you in the face. The Big Kick(tm) at 0:39, resetting what this song is and can be. We hear Wicks trying to sort through these feelings, trying to control them, trying to find peace. The track breaks down to just this guitar, feeling off-kilter in a perfect tension-building way. Falling sweetly into the titular section, this gentle chaos as Where do we go? blurs with where did it go? Voices appearing from every angle, strings fluttering underneath it all. Really a transportive bit of music here.
The next transition starts from there at 1:10. A true standout moment amidst a series of standout moments, Wicks re-enters with this gorgeous falsetto alongside his lead vocal, Caught me in a bad light / I’m finding it hard, I just can’t get the words right. It once again feels so personal, so close. Wicks trying hard to figure this out, to get it right. While he does, this quiet clapping pattern drives things forward, a subtle but hugely impactful bit of percussion. A song of contrasts, somehow the rhythm sneaks through beneath the massive kicks & bass.
More and more sounds appear and disappear, cut through then hide, an ever changing kaleidoscope of great music. The song building with purpose here. I really dig the songwriting too, Wicks’ use of these repeated phrases working well to make his points, share his feelings. It all feels earnest.
Off some shimmering strings, we push past the heaviest section towards a calm dreamy scene. The production is incredible here, setting the stage for Wicks and that final line “looking for some peace of mind / and trying not to blow it” whew. That’s a dagger. We close with another blurry where do we go section, a comforting conclusion even if we don’t have the answer. The heartbeat kick closes it out and I’m stoked. Excited to hear more from this amazing artist.
Follow Gerald Wicks on Instagram // on Spotify
All The Other Days!!
DEAN DEAN. New Hudson Freeman single is a massive one - I hope you enjoy it. Chartreuse is back with another stunner, so excited to hear whatever’s to come from them. Been spinning the Neu Blume album a lot after seeing them live last weekend. Still stuck deep in the Jia* deluxe. Caroline Polacheck x caroline song is sick too.
*Mendel News*
TOMORROW NIGHT AT SCRIBBLE SEE YOU THERE - LINK AT THE TOP IF YOU MISSED IT!!
May 8th (Early Show) at Permanent Records Roadhouse - Honored to put together a fun one with Hollis Howard featuring friends of the ‘sletter mer marcum and Farrah Hanna in from NY. Always a privilege to have my pals Farrah and mer in town. Tickets Here
In Hudson Freeman world - KEEP STREAMING DEAN!!! It’s such a special one. And now you can enjoy the music video - here - or live performance:
Whew - heck of a week, see you next Monday,
Max