This week, Today’s Top Tune provides an array of new and established artists alike. After a seven-year break, Broken Social Scene teases us with a new song before hitting the Arroyo Seco Festival in Pasadena this summer. We get a taste of French producer Petit Biscuit, who comes to The Novo in early August, and hear from the playful and provocative duo PWR BTTM, which headlines the Teragram Ballroom. We’ll get you hooked on Bay Ledges, and feel a pull at our heartstrings thanks to serenader Nick Hakim.
Monday, April 17
Nick Hakim: Bet She Looks Like You from Green Twins
“Bet She Looks Like You” sounds like it was recorded in a primo recording studio, but in reality it was recorded in the bedroom studio of New York-based Nick Hakim. Each song on his debut album peels back an aspect of his life and concentrates on what he was thinking about at the time.
Tuesday, April 18
Bay Ledges: Safe (Speak Too Soon)
Many artists pursue their dreams of becoming famous by doing odd jobs or working as waiters. Zach Hurd, aka Bay Ledges, was a one-time waiter in Venice who put his musical dreams on the back burner and decided to make music just for the sake of it and record songs that felt good. He decided to put “Safe (Speak Too Soon)” online without promoting it. Within weeks it was a hit on Spotify and the rest will go down in history.
Wednesday, April 19
PWR BTTM: Answer My Text from Pageant
A couple of years ago, Liv Bruce and Ben Hopkins became PWR BTTM. The duo bonded in college over their mutual love of performance and drag artistry. Their work centers around themes of Queerness and gender, mixing the personal with the political. On “Answer My Text,” they undertake gender power dynamics in a silly and funny way.
Thursday, April 20
Petit Biscuit: Sunset Lover from Petit Biscuit
It’s uncommon for a 17-year-old French producer to sell out all of the dates on his first North American tour, but Petit Biscuit did just that. This classically trained musician is a multi-instrumentalist who experimented with electronics and developed a signature sound by age 11. Luckily additional dates have now been added to his tour schedule, including a slot at The Novo where we’re sure to hear “Sunset Lover.”
Friday, April 21
Broken Social Scene: the title track from Halfway Home
Canadian collective Broken Social Scene has released its first song in seven years. Founded in 1999 by Kevin Drew and Brendan Canning with a revolving cast, this iteration includes Stars’ Amy Millan and Metric’s Emily Haines on the title track “Halfway Home.”