The Beat Goes On
New Orleans is bursting at the seams with talented music artists. So much so that you could probably spend your entire life listening exclusively to New Orleans artists and never run out of music to play.
No matter your preferred genre, there is a New Orleans artist making music with your name all over it. Do your eardrums a favor and listen to these six albums by local artists released in the last year on Bandcamp, iTunes, SoundCloud, and Spotify.
Away From the Castle by Video Age
Need an immediate mood boost? Listening to Away From the Castle by the New Orleans band Video Age feels like driving with the top down on a sunny day. The album released in October 2023 has a funkadelic and modern-day Beatles sound. The two person band, composed of Ross Farbe and Ray Micarelli, rented a cabin in Eunice, LA with touring members Nick Corson and Duncan Troast, where they spent over a week making music, cooking, and writing together.
The 11-track timeless album was birthed from the joy, collaboration, and the friendship experienced during their trip. The beautifully crafted songs touch on topics including love, life, and death. In the song "How Long's Eternity?," it begins:
How long's eternity?
After life, what's there for me?
It isn't clear, nor is it plain.
Why I've got a name, blood in veins.
This album is a testament that pure storytelling and reflective music still exists.
Bounce Fah Me by Qween Qweezy
Bounce music is taking over the world. In Qween Qweezy's EP Bounce Fah Me, the New Orleans rapper makes a name for herself amongst the new generation of bounce artists. Each song showcases the classic New Orleans bounce sound with a creative and modern twist.
The eight-track album, released in February, includes upbeat and catchy bounce songs that sample R&B hits including Nelly's "Dilemma" and Usher's "You Make Me Wanna." Qween Qweezy's raunchy lyrics, powerful delivery, and local features come together to create an unforgettable album. Features include local artists Allay Earhart, Dino BTW, P3rk, Big Lee Lee, and Calliope Bub. This record is the ideal soundtrack for a girl's night out parading through the streets of New Orleans or a solo dance party in front of the mirror.
COPENHAGEN by ET DEAUX
Press play on this instrumental album and let it take you on a trip to Europe. COPENHAGEN is an artistically crafted instrumental album by Grammy-nominated producer, music artist, and DJ ET DEAUX. "Copenhagen is a city I want to visit, and I drew inspiration from the city's landscape, architecture, and culture," he confided. The lyricless album, released on Valentine's Day, has something for everyone. It embraces smooth and jazzy sounds, old-school hip hop, and dance beats, all threaded together with elegant soundbites.
"COPENHAGEN is a story that takes us through the stages of love," ET DEAUX explained. "We make our way through the tape and the stages of falling deeper in love, and then maybe questioning that love, until ultimately solidifying the bond that two lovers can create."
Live at the 2023 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival by Naughty Professor
In August 2023, New Orleans jazz-funk band Naughty Professor released an album of their live set from the 2023 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. The six-person ensemble wakes its audience up with an upbeat, soulful, and horn-dominated sound. The fearless live performance transports its listeners to the Fair Grounds Race Course on a warm spring day with the smell of fried foods, ice cold beers, and sunscreen filling the air.
This band can't be boxed in. In the song "Brain Storm," the adventurous band takes its listener on a roller coaster ride of tempos, a drum solo, funky guitar tunes, and jazzy saxophones dancing off each other. Whether you love jazz, funk, rock, or hip hop, Naughty Professor is bound to school you on New Orleans brass band traditions, authentic improvisation, and imaginative compositions.
Putrid Skies by Blood & Earl
Sometimes you just need to rock out to heavy metal for your mental health. New Orleans band Blood & Earl allows you to do just that. Their album Putrid Skies, released in December 2023, includes five heavy metal songs ideal for head banging, aggressively playing air guitar, and jumping up and down to your heart's content.
The singer's dark, raspy voice, as well as the band's fast paced drumming and wild electric guitar, sounds like the theme music for the pits of hell. But for heavy metal, rock, and screamo music enthusiasts, Putrid Skies is a dream. Tap into your shadow self, feel the music, and let Blood & Earl remind you what heavy metal is all about: letting go, expressing your emotions, and enjoying the intentionally chugging sounds of loud instruments being played intensely.
Rollin' With the Krewe by 504icygrl and PoppyH
That magical Mardi Gras feeling never has to end with 504icygrl and PoppyH's Mardi Gras-themed EP Rollin' With the Krewe. This brief and bold, in-your-face hip hop album pays homage to New Orleans and Mardi Gras krewes in a new way. The EP has four songs, each giving a familiar taste of what it's like to experience New Orleans culture during parade season.
It begins with "Downtown Comin'," which echoes the sound of a group of Mardi Gras Indians parading down the street with bells and whistles. It continues with "Throw Me Something Big," a playful song about meeting your friends on the parade route and catching a big throw. In the song, 504icygrl shouts out popular krewes: Zulu, Muses, Tucks, Elks, Endymion, and NOMTOC. The third track "Runnin'" features Grammy-nominated artist and Black Masking Indian Flagboy Giz for an authentic New Orleans flair. The EP ends with the rap couple joining forces for the fourth song "Ain't Sweet Mardi Gras Mix," which displays the artists' lyrical skills and confident personalities.
