Songs of the summer: New music from 11 Wilmington artists to put on your playlists
Wilmington bands and musicians have been busy this year, playing shows, recording new tunes and generally building a scene from the ashes of the pandemic.
Way too much new stuff to encapsulate in one story, but here's a quick look, a snapshot if you will, at some recent and upcoming releases that show the depth and breadth of the Wilmington musical landscape.
Annie Tracy
Ever since she dropped her first single, the attention-grabbing "Times It By Two," last March, Wilmington singer Annie Tracy has been steadily releasing tracks featuring her soaring vocals on songs about fortitude (and the occasional lack of it) in the face of romantic upheaval.
Last month, a half-dozen of those tracks added up to her first EP, "ACT 1," a potent slice of passion-fueled pop and R&B. Standout tracks include "Clothes are So Obnoxious," a powerful plea to a lover for transparency ("Can't lie with who you lie to"); "Crying on the Subway," a delicate ballad about pausing to feel the feels; and, most especially, "Move," a sublime, empowering kiss-off about knowing when it's time to cut bait.
For the EP, which she released as an independent artist, Tracy worked with Grammy-winning producer D'Mile. She's managed by another Grammy-winning producer, Tricky Stewart.
Tracy, who grew up doing theater in Wilmington and currently bounces between here, Atlanta, Los Angeles and New York (where she just performed for the Navy, Marine and Coast Guard's Fleet Week at The Hard Rock Times Square), told me she's trying to set up a show in Wilmington for this fall, so stay tuned.
Nicolay
The Dutch-born, Wilmington-based producer, best-known for his work with R&B outfit The Foreign Exchange, recently released a new EP, "No More Waiting." A collaboration with the singer Creative Theory and the musician JJ, the album is essentially four different takes on the same single, including an instrumental version.
Featuring Nicolay's signature thick and bouncy keys intercut with moodily sweeping, string-like synths, "No More Waiting" is driven by Creative Theory's sharp vocals and lyrics about moving on from an energy-sucking relationship. Nicolay recently posted on Facebook that he's "back in album mode" and is building a new one "brick by brick."
James Sardone
Longtime Wilmington singer, songwriter and guitarist has a new five-song EP, "Colors," out on locally based Fort Lowell Records July 21. He'll celebrate with an album release show July 21 at Satellite Bar & Lounge in Wilmington's South Front district with opening sets by The Sardines and DJ Bo Fader.
Sardone, whose hard rock band Brickbat played around Wilmington in the '90s, has also made forays into rockabilly (as his alter ego, Jimmy Nations), country rock (with the Burnley Brothers) and glam rock (with Loose Jets). His stellar tracks on 2022 Fort Lowell release "This Water Is Life, Vol. 1," with hip-hop artists MindsOne and DJ Iron (the shimmering "Chew You Up" is a total earworm), point in a much poppier direction, one that continues on "Colors."
Title track "Colors Of Your Brain" has an almost Smiths-like vibe, and the song undergoes a couple of remixes courtesy of Wilmington electronic act De La Noche. "Colors" also has a banging cover of Blondie's "Dreaming," slowed-down and rocked out.
Other upcoming singles by Wilmington acts from Fort Lowell include the shoegaze banger "(forgetting) sarah marshall" from Wilmington indie rockers Doggy Daycare on July 28 and the darkly groovy "Let It Ride" from singer-songwriter Tracy Shedd, due on Aug. 18.
Cancel
Wilmington indie rock band Cancel dropped a new album, "Heaven Can't Wait," on locally based Suck Rock Records last week. Their recent singles "Hangin' Around" and "Will to Be" share a lush, reverby sound that lopes and lurches as it blends punk, arena rock, metal, new wave and more into a sonic stew that can only be described as extremely awesome, or possibly, as absolutely dope.
MOEsos DC
Wilmington hip-hop artist MOEsos DC has been cranking out the singles recently, and "Brink" might be his best yet.
"Brink" lays rapid-fire vocals against a hazy, hypnotic musical backdrop, with lyrics about trying to keep from going crazy inside your own head. MOE performed to rapt crowd last weekend as part of the final weekend for since-closed venue The Place in the Cargo District.
Justin Cody Fox
Veteran Wilmington guitarist, singer and songwriter Fox has been playing around town since he was a kid, and he recently released his latest album, "New Southern," produced by Burgaw's Audley Freed (formerly of the Black Crowes) and Wilmington's own Tommy Brothers.
Fox has long been known as purveyor of hot guitar licks, but he's also a standout songwriter. On "New Southern," "Living Ghosts" comes off like a contemporary Southern rock classic, while "18 Wheels" soars with an anthemic chorus that sounds like the sonic equivalent of the open road.
Jared Michael Cline
Cline has one of the biggest, and best, voices on the Wilmington scene and recent single "My Wildflower" is a showcase for it. It's also a tender love song with a stirring chorus about domestic bliss that had a recent audience at the Greenfield Lake Yacht Club decked out in smiles.
Michael Eakins, feat. Jared Sales
Wilmington singer Michael Eakins has a sweet and summery new track out with a subtle message about mental health.
"Take a Ride," which features a smooth rap from Wilmington's Jared Sales of the Coastal Collective, has a shimmery, poppy feel, with lyrics about hitting the road when it all gets too much in your head.
Justin Lacy
Longtime Wilmington musician and songwriter Lacy has a spooky, nostalgic new indie-folk track inspired by late, lamented downtown venue The Soapbox. "Rock 'n' Roll" is one of Lacy's best songs to date, soft yet stirring, about how shows at the Soapbox "could lift you from the floor." Catch Lacy Friday, July 21, at The Barzarre on Castle Street.
This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: New music from Wilmington NC bands and artists Annie Tracy, Nicolay
