Maggie’s Pick: “this is how you fall in love” by Jeremy Zucker and Chelsea Cutler
My pick this week is “this is how you fall in love” by Jeremy Zucker and Chelsea Cutler. I have always loved to see the stars, and going stargazing was the first date I ever went on. I have always associated it with falling in love, and this song is the perfect backtrack to a love story.
With soft piano, beautiful harmony and a crescendo that echos the feeling of letting go of inhibitions, this tune perfectly captures the quiet surrender of falling in love. This song conjures up memories of blurry polaroids and first dates, holding hands under a sky full of stars. Zucker and Cutler’s voices blend together seamlessly. Having worked together on the song “You Were Good To Me” off of their collaborative EP Brent, their polished sound come as no surprise. In 2021, Zucker and Cutler released “this is how you fall in love” and introduced Brent II, their second collaborative project.
In regards to the writing process of “this is how you fall in love”, Zucker says, “we wanted to write an iconic love song – Chelsea and I always seem to gravitate towards heartbreak, so writing ‘this is how you fall in love’ was a ton of fun for us. As on the nose and cliché as it sounds, it’s a song we imagine people in love slow dancing to.”
Check out Jeremy Zucker’s website here, and Chelsea Cutler’s here.
Lizzy’s Pick: “Keeping Time” by Sam Lynch
My song of the week is “Keeping Time” by Sam Lynch. Lynch is a songwriter-indie artist from Vancouver, Canada. Her soft-spoken sound creates a unique ambiance. Her music features a collection of light vocals and smooth instrumentals that is perfect for a night of stargazing.
“Keeping Time” from her album Little Disappearances is the chosen song for this week’s theme. The track starts smoothly and crescendos until the end with layered string instruments and a steady drum beat. She sings about the passing of time and how time seems to slip through her fingers every time she closes her eyes. It’s a beautifully told story that feels genuine and relatable. Lynch consistently writes about the indescribable feelings that many of us face. Perfectly encapsulating the want to do more with our lives, but the disappointment that you might not have enough time.
Though this song can sometimes feel gloomy- it’s almost melancholy. It is the kind of song you can get lost in, just like you might get lost in the endless sky. “Keeping Time” seems like the perfect song to gaze up at the stars on a nice summer night.
Zoe’s Pick: “Spaceship” by Kesha
For this week’s theme, I immediately thought of “Spaceship,” the closing song off of Kesha’s 2017 album, Rainbow. This song is nothing you’d expect from Kesha if all you’ve heard are songs like “TiK ToK” or “Your Love Is My Drug.” The themes of Rainbow mix deep, existential themes with fun dance songs, and “Spaceship” is an ode to the former. Kesha’s clear, powerful vocals shine, accompanied by sparse banjo and an almost haunting chorus of backing vocals.
With this song, we hear Kesha considering one’s place in the universe and the perspective gained thinking about the vastness of space. It’s part metaphor, about wanting to believe there’s somewhere better waiting beyond a world riddled with hardship and tragedy. The song was also borne from a strong conviction Kesha held of seeing something otherworldly during a UFO sighting in Joshua Tree National Park. It makes for a quirky conclusion to the album and a stargazing song unlike any other.
Sean’s Pick: “I’ll Forget About You Throwing That Rock Because That Dance Was Kinda Funny” by This Town Needs Guns
For my internship pick, I chose the song “I’ll Forget About You Throwing That Rock Because That Dance Was Kinda Funny” by the math rock band This Town Needs Guns. “I’ll Forget About You Throwing That Rock” appeared on TTNG’s debut album aptly titled This Town Needs Guns. This song perfectly embodies the emo-like tone that the band would eventually expand upon on later albums.
The song starts off with a gorgeous guitar playing that comes across as hauntingly beautiful. The abstract notes leave the listener feeling like they’re sitting in an open field at night. This feeling is further enhanced by the vocalist’s introduction, which sharply contrasts with the otherwise erratic guitar.
The masterful guitar playing in this track has inspired me to become a better guitar player, and I highly recommend it to those who enjoy math, emo, or progressive rock.
