Sounds Good is a monthly roundtable where we ask Straight staff what their ears are plugged into during one of our morning meetings. We’ve got a pretty diverse set of tastes, so there’s absolutely no cohesion here: just good vibes. And honestly, that sounds good.

V: I’ll start. I got into a new pop punk band, if there is such a thing, called Meet Me @ The Altar, which is an all-girl trio. They’ve actually been around for a while, but made a splash last year with their debut full-length. It’s very Paramore, VersaEmerge, We Are The In Crowd. The song “Hit Like A Girl” really hits just peak pop punk: big feelings, poppy vocals, angry guitars.

And then for something in the same universe, I’ve also been getting back into Slaughter Beach, Dog. It was an offshoot of Modern Baseball originally. It’s such classic sad Midwest emo, but very story-driven with really beautiful lyrics. The band had a new album out last year, which I’m pretty mid about, but “Float Away” is a sweet, lyrical song to put on and get lost in the world that’s created. 

Sara: Today I’m listening to Chris Stapleton’s new album, which I was inspired to listen to after I read a profile of him in GQ. I was at the library on the weekend and they had the November issue—shout-out to the Vancouver Public Library for that. The album is called Higher. It’s country, but also kind of rocky, and there’s a little bit of blues in there; his voice is so raspy and interesting. “The Fire” is my favourite song on the album, I think—it’s brooding and pared-back without being depressing.

I’ve also been listening to this funk playlist called Crisp that I highly recommend. It’s incredible; the cover art is fabulous. The description is: “grooves so crispy you can snack on them.” 

Stephen: Tasty. 

Sara: It’s honestly the perfect feel-good music. 

Mike: Does that mean you have to listen to funk?

Sara: [pouts] 

Stephen: Please leave that in. 

Mike: It snowed last week. I did not sit outside, because it was minus 14—I think about minus six is generally my limit for when I’ll sit outside—but I listened to Nick Cave’s Murder Ballads front to back. I would highly suggest, every time it snows, everyone turns out the lights and then listens to it, because it’s a great immersive experience. 

But what I’ve mostly been listening to right now is Vera Sola. Normally when you get somebody who is the spawn of a famous actor or whatever, the music is either utterly rancid or completely forgettable. I’ve interviewed numerous people who are the spawn of famous people and PR people always go, “Don’t ask about their parents!” which I’m always like, “That’s actually the only interesting thing about their music.” Anyway, Vera Sola, whom V discovered was actually christened Danielle Akroyd [daughter of Dan Akroyd] in—what did you call it? 

V: The ultimate in parental narcissism. 

Mike: So good! Still, Vera Sola is amazing: dark, cinematic folk, blues. It’s like the best parts of David Lynch, Lana Del Rey, and Fargo. If everyone hasn’t watched the past seasons of Fargo, watch it, because it goes great with the cold weather. 

Stephen: The new season’s fantastic. 

Mike: So good. Have you watched them all?

[A discussion about Fargo and also True Detective ensues.]

Stephen: Now that I’ve turned 40, it’s time for me to get into my Joni Mitchell phase. I discovered Court and Spark through that 1,001 Albums challenge, and it blew my mind.  [Editor’s note: Court and Spark is not on Spotify.] It’s actually the best album I’ve heard through this thing. It’s really calming, but also dense and layered and thoughtful and intelligent, and you can hear traces of the roots of Fiona Apple in it. I think I heard it on Thursday and it’s been on a continuous loop in the house, which has been great for the kids who are sick of me listening to the Grateful Dead or King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard.

And then the other one is The Smile, Radiohead’s side project, who are putting out a record in a week. The new song is fantastic—there are three songs so far you can hear, and the whole album is gonna be amazing. I’ll probably pitch it the next time we do this. [Editor’s note: nothing is pitched in this series, Steve.]

Angela (via Slack): One band I’m listening to right now is Wolf Alice. I’ve listened to them for a while, but a video of them performing “Formidable Cool” at Glastonbury recently came up on my TikTok “for you” page and sparked a newfound desire to binge their entire discography. 

Another song that has randomly resurfaced for me in 2024 is “Deceptacon” by Le Tigre. I think it’s just so ridiculously camp and fun. So whenever I’m going to a pregame or taking the bus to work, I’ll just put “Deceptacon” in my headphones and the world feels a little bit sillier. Le Tigre describes its music as “pop punk that you dance to after you come home from the protest,” and I loved that description. I think that’s exactly what I’m looking for in music right now: that feeling of playfulness to provide relief from a tone in society that is particularly serious or a bit dystopic right now.