MUSIC MONDAY | SondorBlue takes over this week's playlist

Beatles and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, oh my.

Despite being in their early twenties, SondorBlue is often compared with those legendary acts. They are a Charleston based alternative rock quartet featuring three part harmonies that harken back to the days before Pro-tools made real vocal talent optional. Originally hailing from Hilton Head, the band relocated to attended school at College of Charleston. SondorBlue have been touring the east coast extensively in 2017 and were recently tapped as a local opener for NPR's Tiny Desk tour. Check out some of their upcoming tour dates here:

December 20 – Charlotte, NC - The Evening Muse
December 31 – Columbia, SC- Famously Hot New Year w/Elle King, Nappy Roots, Fatrat Da Czar
January 12 – Charleston, SC- The Royal American
January 18 – Philadelphia, PA – Grape Room
January 19 – Lancaster, PA – Tellus 360
January 20 – Wildwood, NJ – Dog Tooth Bar & Grill
January 22 – New York, NY – Arlene's Grocery

In addition to an exciting east coast tour, the band recently released an EP entitled, You Will Found Love on Ashley Avenue. The bittersweet album features five songs that take you on a journey of growing pains, love, heartbreak, and more. The Beatles influence is definitely recognizable but is no where near the same; but, don't take my word for it. Listen to their EP here.

Escape! Is my personal favorite song, so you could imagine how excited I was to see there is a visual for it. Check the music video out here and keep reading to listen to the playlist they curated just for Popdust readers!

The Playlist

"I Wanna Prove to You" | The Lemon Twigs

"Never Can Say Goodbye" | The Jackson 5

"Here and Everywhere" | The Beatles

"You've Got a Woman" | Whitney

"Loving Is Easy" | Rex Orange County

"Snowqueen of Texas" | The Mamas and The Papas

"Let's Go Away for Awhile" | The Beach Boys

"Self Control" | Frank Ocean

This is one of my personal favorites on this playlist and the album that this song appears on, Blonde, is in my top five favorite albums of all time. I just love how generational Frank Ocean's music is both sonically and lyrically. He has really tapped into the collective conscious of this generation because he's saying what a lot of us are thinking.

"Japanese Denim" | Daniel Caesar

We were coming back from a trip to NYC, and I think Connor had this song on one of his playlists. I remember when it came on and immediately feeling connected to it because he's denouncing some of the societal norms implemented by his own generation—things that are supposed to convey status—at the very start of the song with lyrics like, "I don't stand in line / I don't pay for clubs" and "I don't like to drink, I don't like to think," and follows these denouncements with "but I'll wait for you" and "but I ponder you." Aside from the message, it's a beautiful song and the intro always strikes me as an homage to D'Angelo's "Untitled (How Does It Feel)".

"waves" | Miguel (Tame Impala Remix)

Miguel's songwriting mixed with Kevin Parker's production prowess makes for a wonderful combination. We're big fans of Tame Impala and, when we heard this remix for the first time, it found its way onto our individual playlists.

"Sun City Creeps" | Woods

Another great song from a band that is on-the-rise. The guitar tone during the solo is amazing and we really admire the percussion in this song, as it gives the song a very Latin feel at certain moments.

"The Mall & Misery" | Broken Bells

I feel like Broken Bells is one of those bands that people kind of sleep on (guilty) or know them for their song, "The High Road", which played on the radio for awhile and was synced a bunch. However, it's their electronic approach to reinvigorating 60s power pop and psychedelia that really got me into their music. This song, "The Mall & Misery", is the last song off of their self-titled album and puts their aforementioned approach to production and songwriting on display in a tasteful manner.

"Biking" | Frank Ocean (solo)

While I love the version with Jay-Z and Tyler, The Creator, there's something about the solo version that reminds me of the freedom associated with childhood and biking around with your friends, as the song begins with the chorus—vocals, an acoustic guitar, and some synth. When the verse comes in, it feels like Frank's older-self is venting about the difficulties that come with adulthood and, in his case, fame, as the chorus feels even more free and youthful after the first verse. Shoutout to Frank Ocean for helping us feel like kids again.

"Nellie" | Dr. Dog

This is the last song on the playlist and, not ironically, the last song on Dr. Dog's album, B-Room (the non-deluxe version). Dr. Dog has indefinitely played a huge roll in our development as a band and artists, so it feels right to close out this playlist with one of our recent favorites by them, and it just sounds like a last song. It's an introspective song, as the speaker questions the thoughts and actions of someone he loves or used to love. I don't think the speaker is making up his mind. Rather, he's just letting his anxiety unravel through song and does so in a very soulful, expressive way. And I think we're all pretty anxious people in this day and age and we want the art to match our level of anxiety so we feel okay, which this song does.

I hope you've enjoyed this playlist,

- Andrew of SondorBlue

Follow SondorBlue on Instagram | Facebook

Anie Delgado is a contributor to Popdust and is an actress and musician based in NYC. Follow her on Instagram | Facebook | Twitter and check out her music on Spotify. Press inquiries here.