Musical Impulses as of August 1st, 2026

I have been listening to songs that were published in the 2020’s or later, marking a shift in my musical impulses towards the hypermodern. Can I help being in touch with the now and the current? I don’t look for what’s trendy, what’s trendy finds me, I’m a magnet for the future classics. Them’s the rules.

In the live music world, a few weeks ago I saw Chinese American Bear at The Rebel Lounge. This year they released their 3rd album Dim Sum & Then Some, which was a cheery, yet eclectic mix. Even compared to their other albums (I have only explored their entire discography recently), it sounds different, while still maintaining this childlike wonder that exists in their music. And because The Rebel Lounge had a great sale on tickets - $11 each – I had to go.

I didn’t know anyone going, but that didn’t deter me – I’ve been doing the solo concert thing since before it was cool. I wore a nice dress and headed out past sunset, windows down, as usual. I was late enough to miss the openers, and I went straight to the bathroom to fix my hair, which was really awkward because I decided, for no particular reason, to go into the stall and set up my phone camera, and I fixed my hair and applied lip gloss and smoothed out my dress, in many panicked motions, and I think another girl must have saw me through the seams of the door, and who designs these stalls anyway, why does every stall in America have such a large gap between the door and the wall, have you ever sat on the toilet and made eye contact with someone at the sink through the mirror, and you think, this is me at my most vulnerable, skin to porcelain, bowl of still water waiting for waste, this is me about to empty myself, and now I am looking at you, a stranger, and it is so-, and that’s how it felt, when I walked out the stall and the girl said I looked nice, I felt see through and floaty like a glass bird, and all I could say was thank you.

When I left the bathroom, I ran headfirst into Tristan – what a pleasant surprise! Sometimes I feel like I see him everywhere. Do you think he’s spying on me? I joined his group of friends, and the duo came on stage to rancorous cheers. What I know about Chinese American Bear is that they are a married duo making their own brand of indie pop music. It was as if the romantic chemistry translated into a musical chemistry that transferred to the audience itself. Anne, the main vocalist, had the energy of a kindergarten teacher, wearing a patterned smock dress and singing in a smiling high pitched voice. It was easy to get lost in this energy, even with the contrasting pessimistic lyrics: kids go down on the merry go round / ‘Round and ‘round the town / We go down, spinnin’ round and around / Face down in the ground. Bryce, her partner, who had very full hair, which Tristan and co. speculated was a wig, played guitar with a bright tone, and he had an electric solo during one of the songs that captivated the crowd. His best moment might have been during the strangely hypnotic thrums of Chinese American Bear Nation Anthem, in which he chanted Chinese American-can Bear in a measured, distorted voice. I stood and stared, entranced, which I suppose is what you’re supposed to do when the national anthem comes on.

My only issue with the band was their lack of bass guitar – not a complete lack, but they were using a backing track playing instead of a real guitarist: gunshot to my heart. Backing track to bass guitar is what Generative AI is to art, simply lacking in the necessary human touch. A shame, as their basslines are an aspect of their music that drew me in, like in their song Love Bus.

Another score from the $11 sale: Meet Me @ The Altar at The Rebel Lounge, whom I saw a couple days ago. I started listening to MM@TA around the Covid-19 times, with the songs Garden and May the odds be in your favor drawing me in, they had this hardness to them, an edge, while also being catchy. Aka, the marquee pop punk sound. I’d been to their show at Blueberry Hill in St. Louis some years back (has it really been years…?), and now they were touring in support of their new e.p. Worried Sick, which was in heavy rotation last summer. At this show, the crowd was exceptionally short in stature, maybe because it was an all-ages event. But don’t worry, the kids are alright – they were moshing, they were jumping, and they were screaming their hearts out. MM@TA projected an inviting energy throughout the show, that everyone is welcome. At one point, Edith, the frontwoman, opened up the floor to a woman-only mosh pit, and there were women of all ages and types spinning. At some point a woman’s wig fell off, and she picked it up and waved it like a victory flag. Edith herself was my favorite part of the show, her vocals were so good, raw yet measured, vibratos and all, I want her to sing a Beyonce song and punkify it. I was happy to see a black girl (the same age as me!) on stage, rocking out.

Other music I am vibing with:

Pay Day, Joya Mooi

I like the part where she says: I wish I was be spending. Something about the unexpected grammatical combination (“was be”) along with the simple desire (“spending”), is grounded, related. Like yeah, me too, I do wish I was be spending and could buy the things.

Blondshell, Blondshell

It was sometime in 2023 that I first heard Kiss City, I thought it was great, then I completely forgot about it. I’ve rediscovered it again, along with the rest of the songs on the album Blondshell, and it’s been on heavy rotation since, especially Veronica Mars and Sepsis. While it hurts my heart to know that Blondshell herself is a bit of a nepo baby, she does write heart tearing lyrics exploring the world from the lens of female desire… which is my favorite lens to see the world in …

Aries, Mossbreaker

I’ve probably talked about Mossbreaker on another post, but what I can say about this song is that I love the assonance of the lyrics (“sinking ships inside your mind”) and the guitar solo midway.

Godlike, Twen

I’ve been a big fan of Twen for a while, and I saw them on tour back in 2024. Somehow, their most recent album Fate Euphoric slipped from my radar, not that I didn’t listen to, just that I didn’t listen to it enough. I’ve been revisiting and Godlike is a standout to me. Although the phrase “Godlike” scares me (being raised Catholic), the sound is vibrating, pulsating, atmospheric. The vocalist has a way of singing that is unlike any other singer I’ve heard, with this slight accented yodel, and there’s an effect on her voice that is sort of echoey, and it all adds to the vibe that the song is taking you to another Godlike state. Another standout: Tumblewood, for it’s beautiful bassline.

Crash Out, Tinashe

Listen, Tinashe has been on a legendary run since the release of Songs for You. This is only a continuation. The beat is so simple but so infectious, it’s like every thump and bam is like an instruction to dance, you can’t help but move. And it’s real: Think I’m boutta lose it / I don’t even care no more.