Kick off your weekend with new music from Southern-Californian R&B singer-songwriter Joyce Wrice, Rising country-rock singer-songwriter Morgan Wade, and Brighton-based indie-rock quartet Black Honey.
Joyce Wrice – Overgrown (Joyce Wrice Music)
Southern-Californian R&B singer-songwriter Joyce Wrice debuts her first full-length album, Overgrown. Joyce says she discovered her love of music sitting in the passenger seat of her father’s car, coming to love artists such as Brandy, Aaliyah, Mariah Carey, Missy Elliot, and Mary J. Blige. Joyce’s music is proof that the R&B genre is still alive and well, and there is no better project to display this than Overgrown. The album is full of features from Lucky Daye, Freddie Gibbs, KAYTRANADA, Westside Gunn, Masego, and more. In an interview with i-D, Joyce discusses the meaning of the title Overgrown, saying “’Overgrown’ really means my garden, my emotions and just these thoughts I was having; full of a variety of colorful flowers. At the time, they were just being overrun by weeds. My garden was overgrown and needed tending. Every [recording] session I had felt like a therapy session. This music is a result of my gardening, me tending to my garden.”
Morgan Wade – Reckless (Ladylike Records)
Rising country-rock singer-songwriter Morgan Wade presents her debut album out now via Ladylike Records, Reckless. Wade grew up in the fairly rural town of Floyd, Virginia, listening to country music and influenced by pop and punk. Clash Magazine described Wade as merging “her deep roots with a forward-facing attitude.” The album was produced by Jason Isbell guitarist Sadler Vaden, who also co-wrote half of the album alongside Morgan. Reckless is about Morgan finding her voice, and having that voice be heard. “This is different than anything I’ve ever done before,” she says of the record. “It’s opened up a bunch of different lanes––and I’m proud of it. A lot of the songs are about figuring out what the hell I’m doing.”
Black Honey – Written & Directed (Foxfive Records)
Brighton-based quartet Black Honey is back with their second album, Written & Directed, which according to The Forty Five, confirms them as “one of the best indie rock bands this country has to offer.” The UK indie group finds inspiration from bands such as The White Stripes and Queens of the Stone Age – the latter of which they supported at London’s Finsbury Park. Black Honey explores their heaviest, most full-throttle moments as a group in singles like “Disinfect” and “Run For Cover,” which front person Izzy Bee Phillips described as a moment that “felt more true and authentic to who we are.” The title of the album, Written & Directed, was inspired by the group’s admiration for Quinten Tarantino films, which is not new for the band, as their music video for their 2018 song “Dig” paid homage to various classic Tarantino movies. Listen to Written & Directed out now via Foxfive Records.
