11/18 Why do I smell popcorn? By Rec League

Rec League entered my field of view pretty recently, their 2025 album “Words we never said” has been on pretty heavy rotation recently and the whole thing is killer from start to finish but it's this one track that puts a huge smile on my face every time, and that track is Why do I smell Popcorn? This 3 minute marathon of a song takes me by surprise every time, the push/pull dynamics are the centerpiece punctuated by an amazing vocal performance that is multilayered in performance. The Midwest influence is on full display, from Mathrock to emo to indie rock of the early aughts but blended in a way that never once comes off contrived or unearned. Yelling “I haven't found my voice” with a voice that confident is an irony I find amazing. The glimpses of shimmering guitars find their way in at the perfect moments and the drums secretly lead the show without ever being showy, just carving it's way through a perfect 3 minute song. When you're done here you should reach out to them today and show some love for this super rad group and then listen to the whole album, it's so cool.

Brandon Petit (The New Madrid Fault Line)