OFM New Music :: October 2021

This month’s must-catch new releases from the artists you already love and the musicians you need to know. 

Oompa: Unbothered

Delving into a personal reflection following a period of personal and global turmoil, Oompa is releasing her third studio album, Unbothered. 

The Boston-based rapper is known for consistently creating finely crafted, introspective rhymes inspired by the timeless, hip-hop greats. Her queer, Black, and orphaned intersections meet as she stands as a representation of turning life experiences into art.

With a fearless  approach at healing, Unbothered taps into a variety of moods and feelings, from pure joy and summertime love to frustration with herself and the world. While the self-work never ends, her music provides hope that we may some day learn a bit more as to the reasons why we experience pain, loss, and heartache. 

Dirty beats, hard hitting keys, and tight lyrical melodies deliver an album that is well-balanced and exciting, all while begging you to put it on your fall playlists.

Melancholy lingers amid uplifting melodies, and battles within ballads showcase the complexities of the human existence. Mixing genres is nothing new for Oompa and influences of 70s rock, 80s hip hop, and 90s new wave weave throughout the eight-track record. 

LBFRmikey: Aim & Fire

His most personal release to date, hip-hop artist LBFRmikey takes on addiction, mental health, toxic relationships, and self-worth in the EP Aim & Fire. Diving into the darker side of his psyche, the three-track EP brings contagious beats that lay as a foundation for the raw and honest storytelling. Serving as a letter of self-help, the aspiring star rapid fires heavy themes with up-tempo rhymes and a positive sense of self-preservation.

Alice Longyu Gao: High Dragon and Universe

Chinese-born, multidisciplinary artist, humanitarian, and futurist pop star releases her debut EP, featuring pansexual anthems and bad-girl, messy vibes. The kitschy, club-pop performer has risen above family adversity and is making a name for herself  by bringing braggadocious raps and suspenseful hookson the new record. It is full of boisterous and infectious, opulent songs, and the eccentric collection on High Dragon will wriggle into your ear drums and nestle in your memories.   

Mystery Rose: Socially Distant

Featuring an array of bedroom-pop ballads and upbeat, straight-forward punk tracks, the debut album from Mystery Rose keeps us guessing. A nostalgic, emo twist on the millennial pop genre, Socially Distant commands the kineticism of youth while bringing a mature, modern arc. Themes of loneliness, isolation, and anger are woven throughout the songs that resonate in a space of acceptance and holding space for growth and moving on. The versatility is exciting and young on this record.

Moon Kissed: I’d Like to Tell You Something Important

NYC-based, synth-pop trio Moon Kissed are releasing their sophomore album featuring stand-out single “Strange Satisfaction.” The moody ode to the all-consuming feelings of love is a prime example of the tone the album explores with driving synth lines, saturated melodies, and complex drum sequences that infultrate your mind and beg you to look at the complicated and painful moments of reality. The truth of post-pandemic life is paralleled to the heartbreak of love lost, all presented in the new music.   

Coco: Coco

The anonymous trio known as Coco have revealed their identity and announced the release of a self-titled album. Coming together through varying projects, the group began to collaborate in 2019 and discovered a rich sound all their own. Melding like watercolors, the lush, harmonic melodies compliment the swaying,  dreamy, pop tracks. An organic warmth rises from the music with ease as Coco toes the line between subdued and energetic, wistfully walking the listener through a cozy landscape of mystical wonder.

Sixteen Jackies: Hostile Architecture

The queer kids have entered the building and they are holding nothing back: the garage punks Sixteen Jackies are releasing their new EP, Hostile Architecture, and it is full of grit and glamour. The Philadelphia-based quartet deliver an edgy, garage band vibe mixed with a yacht-rock polish and wrap it up in a messy bun of vulnerability. Through the new six-track EP, the band talks about the baggage that comes with growing up queer and closeted through eclectic yet approachable textures.