It seems we blinked and another year has come and gone. Whether you’re Spotify Wrapped has looked the same for the last four years, or you had some new picks, you can’t deny that 2022 brought us some awesome tracks. For our interns, a semester here at the station is also coming to a close. So to cap off a year (and semester) of great music, our Interns are sharing their favorite releases of 2022!
Katie’s Pick: “Love Will Get You There” by Inhaler
One of my favorite releases of 2022 is “Love Will Get You There” by Inhaler. Inhaler is a rock band out of Dublin, Ireland. The band consists of frontman and guitarist Elijah Hewson, Guitarist Josh Jenkinson, Bassist Robert Keating, and drummer Ryan McMahon.
I have been waiting for an excuse to pick an Inhaler song this semester as an intern pick. I became familiar with Inhaler near the end of 2020 after hearing a song of theirs online. Since, I have seen them twice, and have tickets to their upcoming gig at Brooklyn Bowl (presented by Lightning 100!)
“Love Will Get You There” is the second release from the band’s upcoming album Cuts and Bruises. The track is a bit of a different spin from Inhaler. It has the heartbeat of their first album, but the energy of it is something new. The harmonies alone make this a stand-out track. It has some elements derived from doo-wop and 90s grunge. It’s a great listen, and its accompanying music video is a great watch!
Michael’s Pick- “The Place Where He Inserted the Blade” by Black Country, New Road
As the pandemic drew to a close, artists everywhere struggled to transform collective trauma into meaningful music. Black Country, New Road may never have intended to sum up the COVID era with 2022’s Ants From Up There, but the album’s dramatic and depressive yet warm and cozy feel perfectly encapsulates the feeling of self-imposed house arrest. Specifically, “The Place Where He Inserted the Blade” paints the picture of a dysfunctional couple navigating their increasingly cramped home life, struggling to maintain a safe distance from each other in the face of such trying times.
Foreshadowing a romantic disaster in the near future, “The Place” finds our narrator and their partner providing increasingly toxic levels of support for each other. As the narrator realizes that nothing else in their life provides the same level of stability that their partner does, they lash out in emotional frustration. Stagnant times create a sputtering home, one that will soon lose its balance after maintaining a contorted pose for far too long.
Mikayla’s Pick – Adam Melchor — “I’m Afraid I Love You”
It’s very fitting that Adam Melchor, my top artist this year, was saved for this week’s intern pick. My favorite release of 2022 comes from his debut album, Here Goes Nothing!, released in late October. Over the summer, he posted a teaser of the song on TikTok. Combining his voice, a few piano chords, and honest lyrics, he created something, yet again, so gut-wrenchingly beautiful. The snippet alone was enough to sell me on the entire unreleased album.
Hearing the studio version was just as exhilarating, if not more. The course of the song is a contrast of soft, gentle piano melodies and harsh bass hits. As the music builds, so does Adam’s courage to confess his feelings. On the surface, the song is about being in love. Diving deeper, Adam navigates the highs, lows, fears, and vulnerabilities that lie beneath that surface. “I’m Afraid I Love You” opens the album, and as Adam puts it, serves as the “sonic landscape for the entire record.”
A profound lyricist, Adam is also a phenomenal vocalist and musician. To ease the weight of his music, his charismatic character and quick wit emerge when he’s not performing. For example, his Spotify bio reads, “ur in her dms, im in her spotify wrapped,” which really resonates with me… because it’s true. Anyway, hope you enjoy the song!
Tune in to 100.1 FM or lightning100.com! Share your thoughts on our favorite releases of 2022 on social media or in the comments below. Fall 2022 Interns…out!
