Atlanta Soundtrack: New music by Kishi Bashi ft. Linqua Franqa; Hotel Fiction; vintage The Producers

Multi-instrumentalist Kaoru Ishibashi may be better known by his stage name, Kishi Bashi. He may, perhaps, also be better known for his Berklee-helmed violin virtuosity than for his proclivity toward George Clinton-bent G-funk, but — delightedly — here we are. On Make Believe, Kishi Bashi connects the dots of his experimental psychedelia back to the laid-back sumptuousness of early funk rap. Slick, danceable bass guides the track with guaranteed kineticism, while intergalactic flourishes propel its touches of discotheque into trippy, atmospheric bliss. Kishi Bashi is joined by fellow Athens favorite, Linqua Franqa, whose ever-nimble flow grooves readily over images of sunsets, poppy fields and star-spattered skies.

Enjoy these last few weeks of pre-Labor Day pool privileges with a drink in hand and Make Believe (music video directed by Ryan Hover) on loop. 

Hotel Fiction

It wouldn’t be the dog days of summer without a bit of melancholic brooding, and Athens-based duo Hotel Fiction has arrived with a new single for soundtracking exactly that.

Wistful and winding, “Margot” ushers in the pink sky languor of midsummer’s final stretch with seamless reverie. A graceful scroll of acoustic rhythm carries the duo’s featherweight vocals. The well-timed entry of an electric guitar riff serves not to tear us away from this daze but to crescendo it, referencing Rumours-era Fleetwood Mac in its effortless stacking, while twinges of twinkling keys give nod to the duo’s penchant for fusing folk influence with pop adornment. With cutting lines like “Grew into a garden didn’t know how to tend it / Had a couple kids now they’re all independent,” “Margot” offers a soft-focus sound with the clearest vision of the act’s songwriting and instrumental growth to date. 

Dip into the daze with the music video for “Margot” (directed by Jason Gaona) below.

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The Producers

When Athens had The B-52s, Atlanta had The Producers.

No, not of the Mel Brooks variety. Known for their catchy hooks and energetic sound, The Producers captured the exuberance of the early ‘80s music scene with a concise blend of power pop melodies and new wave eccentricity. Jettisoned by the geeky theatrics of acts like DEVO and Oingo Boingo, “What’s He Got?” embraces quirky springiness with earworm ease, combining danceable vocal harmonies with staccato keys and frontman Van Temple’s deliciously wiry guitar work. While the music video for “What’s He Got?” garnered a regional cult following for the band, the track never charted. But, then, with new wave’s foundational rejection of commercialism, the cool kids have never been more comfortably at home than with their wearable keyboards and cult following coziness. 

Throw it back to the glory days of MTV by checking out the music video for “What He’s Got?” below.

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Lindsay Thomaston is a photographer and culture writer with a background in media and politics. Her work has also appeared in Paste Magazine, Rolling Stone, i-D, Dazed, Fashionista and Immersive Atlanta, among others.