March Music Wrap-Up

March came and went, and with it did lots of new releases that I’m excited about! As always, it was hard to narrow it down to five, so be sure to check out my playlist, which has all the new songs I loved this month! Keep reading for more about my top five songs that were released in March, happy listening!

“The Things We Say” by Nieve Ella

Released March 7

“The Things We Say” is Nieve Ella’s first single this year, and what a song! It’s a carefully crafted, emotionally loaded indie-pop song about friendship. The song starts with a few chords before building into a raw and honest depiction of an argument between friends. I am a personal believer that platonic breakups are so much worse than relationship ones, so this song definitely resonated with me.

In an Instagram post, Ella shared, “The Things We Say; a love song i wrote about my best friend. change is so scary to me but it’s inevitable. to be completely honest i was definitely at a point in my life where i was getting caught up in everything else going on around me, not prioritising a relationship that’s made me who i am today… make sure you keep your people close and tell them that you love them.”

Ella has a knack for honest lyrics, and her authenticity is something I really love about her songs. Coming off the back of a successful UK headline tour and with a Europe tour coming up in April (with support from Flora Rose, another artist I love), Ella is an English singer who is making a name for herself in the British indie scene. I’m excited to see and listen to what she does next, and in the meantime, go listen to “The Things We Say”!

“krillin” by They Are Gutting a Body of Water, Greg Mendez, and SUN ORGAN

Released March 7

They Are Gutting a Body of Water (often abbreviated to TAGABOW) are a Philadelphian experimental shoegaze band that I discovered recently. Their new single “krillin” is a perfect blend of screeching guitar, hazy vocals, and just the right amount of distortion. The entire song makes me feel like I’ve just woken up – still stuck in a dream state yet awake enough to be cognizant of reality. Alternatively, this song is perfect for any late-night sessions.

TAGABOW are joined by Greg Mendez and SUN ORGAN on this track, two more Philly-based artists. Doug Dulgarian from TAGABOW recalls, “I met Greg when he lived in Chinatown… I met Buzz Jordan after he played my backyard when he was playing in Nyxy Nyx. It all stems from Nyxy Nyx, if you didn’t know. He’s the OG. The first time I heard ‘Maria’ I cried. The first time I heard ‘Wooden Brain’ I rocked. I had this ‘Krillin’ song half written, and I hit up Greg. We decided to hit up Buzz together.” Dulgarian also says about the track, “I often get caught up on the lie that every moment needs to be profound or some shit…. The reality of life is that the majority of it is overwhelmingly neutral. Fucking debilitatingly so.”

“krillin” is especially exciting for me because the Philly music scene feels so vibrant right now, and this release just adds to the growing local shoegaze scene.

“Calling After Me” by Wallows

Released March 21

“Calling After Me” is a fun new release from Wallows. This is their second single from Model, their third album which is set to release at the end of May. It’s an upbeat song about the thrill of secret love, and I can already picture all the summer days spent listening to it. If there’s one thing that can pull us into summer weather, it’s Wallows!

If that’s not enough to convince you to listen to the song on repeat, the catchy guitar riff and drumbeat are sure to get stuck in your ear. Speaking about the song, the band share, “We like that ‘Calling After Me’ is pretty fun and light on its feet for a Wallows song. We’re excited for people to hear it and play it live this summer.”

Wallows have also recently announced a 2024 tour that will span North America, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand! Benee, a New Zealand singer and songwriter, will be joining them on their North American leg. You can check out all their dates and cities here.

“reason to live” by mehro

Released March 22

“reason to live” is a reflective song as the title would suggest. Set on the backdrop of an acoustic guitar, mehro’s voice shines through and creates a hopeful tune. The entire song has a transcendent feel to it, and it especially picks up in the last thirty seconds or so which has a distorted, orchestral outro after mehro’s repetitive mantra of “not to die”.

Mehro shares about the song, “A friend of mine took me on a tour of famous Elliott Smith landmarks in Silverlake and Los Angeles – we ended up at the house where he died. The dysmorphia and darkness left an impact on me I didn’t realize would last as long as it has. Even writing this it feels like a part of me is still there. This song came to me after that experience while sitting on the floor of my room, uncertain of the future, lost in a sea of doubt. I hope he had something to do with it and I hope it finds whoever needs to hear it – like it found me to be written.”

Mehro is another artist that I discovered recently. “reason to live” is their second single released this year and comes amidst their tour and ahead of their new album, trauma lullabies, which is set to be released on May 2nd.

“Stone’s Throw Away” by Annika Kilkenny

Released March 29

Closing out this month’s list is “Stone’s Throw Away” by Annika Kilkenny. This beautiful song is even more impressive considering that Kilkenny is only 19 years young. Kilkenny’s sixth single, “Stone’s Throw Away” has an acoustic sound, with soothing piano and guitar chords balanced by Kilkenny’s soft, emotional voice.

Kilkenny’s songs are always an intimate experience, and this one is no different. Singing about the emptiness that comes with being apart from loved ones, Kilkenny brings a maturity and honesty to a feeling that all of us have experienced at one point or another. Talking about the song, she shares, “I remember sitting in the piano practice room and feeling so overwhelmed by being so far away from the people I love. My family are my rock and a group of humans I care about deeply, so naturally I found it difficult to adjust to the reality of us not being around each other often.”

Hailing from – well, Ireland – Kilkenny released her first single last September. She is definitely a rising artist to keep your eye on, and I’m super excited to see her continued success.

For the sake of highlighting new artists each month, I left out a few artists that have come out with new songs this month, including Lucy McWilliams who released her debut EP, Third Second Chance, Nell Mescal who released “Warm Body,” and swim school who released “To Grow.” You can find all those in addition to the five songs listed above in the playlist below.

#rock #indie #mehro #music #theyareguttingabodyofwater #wallows #annikakilkenny #newmusic #nieveella