More Of The Usual Stuff
Self-Released, 2025
9/10
Listen to More Of The Usual Stuff
A Seattle septet with an affinity for neo-soul, Hard Maybe make an impression with this debut LP where a fusion approach recruits plenty of grooves and elegance.
“Palace” opens with Jeanie Marinella’s soulful pipes alongside Monica Parshotam’s gentle keys before the setting gets upbeat and playful, and “Mama Said” follows with Sam Jaeger’s warm guitar and Alex Roemmele’s fluid drumming that surrounds plenty of melody.
In the middle, “Turbulence” welcomes Nathan Nzanga’s pipes to the funky flavor and Rebekah Way’s rich sax, while “DF” carries an infectious energy thanks to the frisky rhythm section, multiple voices and colorful keys.
“Sad Clown” and “Drop A Coin” exit the listen. The former makes great use of Daniel Lombard’s trumpet amid the chorus you’ll be singing pretty quick, and the latter touches on R&B amid bare instrumentation and harmonizing vocals.
An excellent debut LP that meshes neo-soul, jazzy-funk, and alternative R&B, there’s a lot of relatable themes present, and the music is fleshed out with a global appeal.
Travels well with: With Child- Undressing In The Wind; Horsefight- Volunteer