CAMERON KNOWLER – SKIPPING TOWN
“The last track in a series of home recordings, embracing the limitations of a cassette recorder.” That’s how musician Cameron Knowler describes Skipping Town. The song draws on the history and geography of Knowler’s birthplace, Yuma, Arizona – a city I know thanks to the Damien Jurado song of the same name. A border town known for its lettuce production and its now-defunct territorial prison.
This instrumental track really moved me. It’s simple and stripped-back, but clearly very carefully crafted, even while maintaining a wonderfully loose, almost careless feel. I love the way the track occasionally detunes, and although I’ve never been to Yuma myself (I have been to Arizona, though), it has this wonderfully deserted, remote feeling to me. A truly beautiful track.
MILK ST. – TOYOTA COROLLA
Milk St. is the musical brainchild of songwriter and bandleader Jonah Wakefield. Conceived in Bangor, ME, where Wakefield grew up – a town best known as the home of famed horror writer Stephen King – the band hit the ground running in 2022 with their debut album, Spaced, launching headfirst into the cruel and unforgiving world of DIY touring. After recently moving to New Hampshire to make touring distances a little shorter, the alternative rock band – with a foot in the worlds of art rock, indie, and folk punk – has quickly become one of the most exciting acts on the scene. Their new album, Good Grief, came out at the end of September, and we’re highlighting Toyota Corolla from it.
Toyota Corolla is such a fun piece of indie rock, with a great ’90s Pavement vibe, while still sounding remarkably fresh. At over six minutes, the song is unusually long for the genre, but it definitely earns its runtime. The second half opens up into some seriously noisy passages that completely take over the space, and the build-up is fantastic. I imagine this must work incredibly well live, too.
PHANTOM HANDSHAKES – FROM THE SIDE
Phantom Handshakes are a lo-fi dream-pop collaboration between Matt Sklar and Federica Tassano. Based in New York City, the duo have released three full-length albums, an EP, and a number of singles since forming in spring 2020. All of their releases have been self-recorded by the band and have received some lovely mentions from various blogs and websites. Their newest EP, Standing By, is out in October 2026, with From the Side serving as its latest single.
One thing I really love about Phantom Handshakes is how genuinely likeable their music feels. It’s not trying to be bombastic or make a huge statement – quite the opposite. There’s something incredibly warm and pleasant about it, to the point where you almost get the feeling that the people making this music must be just as lovely themselves. Somehow, that warmth really comes through in the music. Listening to From the Side is pretty much guaranteed to put you in a better mood.
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