For Hank May, no subject is too small to put to song. To make his new album,Tails, the singer-songwriter spent much of his time wandering the streets of his native Los Angeles and spendingtime with friends, all while absorbing small details that might one day make for a good lyric. Theresulting collection of songs seeks the sublime amidst the daily toils of life on earth.Tails follows 2021’s,One More Taste of the Good Stuff, which is technically May’s debut, butlongtime supporters have known his music ever since he started uploading songs to MySpace inhigh school. He spent the decade after college in New York, bartending at the DIY spacePalisades and writing music sparingly. Upon returning to LA, he decided it was time to activelypursue a music again.One More Taste of the Good Stuffcomprises songs May had written over avast span of time, while the ambitiousTailsdistills a set moment in May’s career.WhileOne More Taste of the Good Stuffcould be described as an indie singer-songwriter record,Tailsis decidedly ungoverned by genre trappings. The absurdly catchy, synth-driven anthem“I’m Just a Lover Now,” sounds off to a slew of surprising influences, including the 1975, theReplacements, “Wonderwall,” and Eliott Smith, while on “Aliens R Us,”a willowy drumbeatthat sounds like Spanishpalmasguides the listener through a meditation on delusions ofgrandeur.As modern as May’s new sound is, the casual familiarity of his lyrics, the wry spin on thequotidian, will remind listeners of artistslike Jens Leckman, Weezer, and Modest Mouse. On“Life is Sweet,” May complains of the birds singing outside, who “are fighting, they’re just bitching,” over a seasick, hip-hop inspired groove.The song boasts what May refers to as one ofhis “zingers,” when he delivers the instantly-quotable line: “Are you not the living definition ofdespair.” Even at its most bleakly resigned,Tailsfosters a hopefulness that might feel unearnedamidst the ongoing turmoil that defines contemporary life in the U.S., but May reminds thelistener that there are still beautiful things to fall in love with day in and out.

No artist personifies the DIY culture of both underground hip-hop and Houston as perfectly as Fat Tony, the Third Ward-born musician who stormed through the indie-rap gates more than a decade ago. Through years of writing and performing amid the hip-hop scene of the fourth-largest city in the country, the man known as Anthony Obi has graced stages with the intent to always honor his inspirations, musical or otherwise. He’s found himself as an artist among the likes of fellow Houstonians who mix inward-looking pathos with storytelling and a swagger all their own—from Devin the Dude to Scarface—as well as like-minded iconoclasts from other genres such as Prince. Fat Tony has emitted vital dispatches from his hometown to the world since he was able to pick up the mic and pass out CD-Rs and post links on MySpace in high school. Following a slew of independent releases, his 2013 record, Smart Ass Black Boy, introduced Tony’s singular voice to a national audience. A voice that was introspective but slyly humorous, keen to recording barnburners about house parties inside gentrifying neighborhoods on the same piece of wax as an ode to the tough love doled out by his immigrant father. The winding road he’s traveled in his career reflects the range of his vision—an artist captivated by the spirit of punk rock and hardcore music, eager to put his on for his hometown as much as decamp to New York, Los Angeles, or Mexico City for inspiration. He’s always been deeply interested in human connections, whether as guest lecturer at a contemporary arts museum, editor of a self-published zine focused on artists of color, or co-host of a talk show on Vice. Along the way he’s collaborated with such key figures as Bun B, A$AP Rocky, and Maxo Kream, fronted a noise-rock duo, and picked up accolades from every Texas-based publication imaginable, as well as national outlets including Rolling Stone, Pitchfork, and The Fader. Speaking on his latest project, I Will Make a Baby in this Damn Economy, Tony said: “At this age, giving game is my main objective. What am I doing if I’m not sharing wisdom in my lyrics?” I Will Make a Baby in this Damn Economy is the sound of an artist firmly in control of his best instincts and adept at making music that could only come from him. Back in the studio with Taydex, with whom he recorded Wake Up, a pop-oriented record released in 2020 months before the self-contained episodes of Exotica, Tony has located a key collaborator who’s as discerning as him in pulling out what makes them tick. This is a leitmotif of Fat Tony’s career—always driven by himself, but finding the right people with whom to make the best art. Whatever he’s done, he’s got it out the mud.

Johanna Warren is a singer/songwriter, herbalist and Reiki witch who has released six acclaimed solo albums, lent her voice to Netflix’s The Midnight Gospel, and composed music for a new adaptation of Euripides' The Bacchae. She currently lives in rural Wales and spends most of her time foraging and fermenting wild plants.

Max Foreman is a Los Angeles-based songwriter, producer and music professor. After attending California Institute of the Arts in Experimental Sound Practices, he and Carolyn Pennypacker Riggs formed the duo Bouquet, a "clean slice of pop minimalism" (KEXP). Bouquet would go on to perform opening for Fiona Apple, Geneva Jacuzzi, Michael Hurley, Calvin Johnson, Devendra Banhart, Will Oldham, Julia Holter, and many others. Foreman's debut solo record Underground, a home-recorded, fuzzed out synth EP, was released in 2021, and saw his primetime radio debut on KCRW and KCSN. His most recent recording, Serious Business, was released in September 2023. Foreman is Resident Assistant Professor of Music and Director of the Choi Music Production Center at Occidental College in Los Angeles.