Kevin Bronson on August 31st, 2022

0

Catching up with notable new releases from Madame Gandhi; Dream, Ivory; Zzzahara and Ashlynn Malia …

MADAME GANDHI, “Crystals & Congas”

Can’t beat these beats: The seductively rhythmic “Crystals & Congas” is singer-songwriter and activist Madame Gandhi’s first new original since 2020, when she dazzled with her “Visions” EP and follow-up singles “After You” and “Freedom.” The song, she says, “came out of a music production workshop I was doing out of I/O Music Academy in Hollywood. I was working on a beat that incorporated live percussion and drums and I ended up really loving the triplet and fast-paced feel. I knew I wanted to develop it and make it into a song, and it was a joy to partner with my friends Ebonie Smith and Amanda Warner (MNDR) to take it to the finish line. The original file name of the beat was entitled ‘Crystals & Congas,’ and so I wanted to honor that and shape the theme of the song around those healing modalities that helped me tremendously in the pandemic: meditation, nature, music and personal healing.”

DREAM, IVORY, “Would It Kill You at All”

Brother duo Dream, Ivory — Christian and Louie Baello — return with a kinetic electro-pop song, “Would It Kill You at All,” the follow-up to “Tastes Like Candy” and “Soaking Up the Sickness.” Their debut album “About a Boy” is out Sept. 30. The new single tackles a serious topic: “I wrote this song about suicide,” Louie Baello says. “I attempted suicide a year ago. That changed the course of my life a lot. I sing, ‘To find hope in tragedy / Is to have it your own way,’ [to communicate] how you deal with things in life, those are your consequences and you should deal with that.” Dream, Ivory is scheduled to open for Girlpool on Oct. 8 at the El Rey Theatre (tickets).

ZZZAHARA, “Cupid’s Out Tonight”

“Liminal Spaces,” the debut album from Highland Park-reared Zahara Jaime (aka Zzzahara) — will be out Oct. 21. The artist, the guitarist for Eyedress and one-half of the duo the Simps with Idris Vicuña, this week released two singles from the record, “Cupid’s Out Tonight” and “g(url),” the follow-ups to “Lust” (released earlier this month). While the album deals with queerness, love, lust, absurdism and Zzzhara’s emotional evolution from childhood through present day, “Cupid’s Out Tonight” is a comfy slice of youthful exuberance. May an arrow find you. Zzzahara plays on Oct. 15, Day 1 of the two-day Nothing Fest at the Garden Amp in Garden Grove.

ASHLYNN MALIA, “Lucky Guess”

The follow-up to “Coordinates,” “Lucky Guess” is the new single from 21-year-old Ashlynn Malia, whose intimate vocals swell from aching to effervescent when the song kicks into gear. “While making the song, I wanted it to sound like the feeling of keeping a happy face on while your heart’s breaking,” she says. “The track doesn’t sound like it should have those lyrics. It sounds like it should be uplifting, but the lyrics tell a different story.”