I don’t know that I’m clever enough to come up with new intros every week. With the world on pause, there’s not many updates to post in here. Everything is political as we going through one of the most tumultuous elections of our lifetime here in the U.S., but sometimes we need a break from that.

So alas, a break is here. If you’re reading this, do you like sports? Lebron and the Lakers won the NBA championship last night, so that’s cool. The Cleveland Browns are winning, they’re 4-1 for the first time since 1994 — the year I was born. Baseball is still going on, so that’s fun, too, I suppose.

Halloween is coming up, we’ve got some fun stuff in store for you here at Substream. No spoilers though. Speaking of no spoilers, have you seen The Haunting of Bly Manor? What a show, eh?

Anyway, this is a Take 5 piece, so we’re supposed to talk about music. Let’s do that, eh? A lot of good tunes were released last week. Here we go. Cowabunga.

Jetty Bones – “Taking Up Space”

When I tweeted about this new Jetty Bones song from the Substream twitter, I said that it exemplified the magic if early-2000’s pop. I firmly believe that — so much so that I even emailed her publicist back and said it reminded me of Ashlee Simpson. Now, maybe you don’t like Ashlee Simpson (why?) or you just forget, in case you need a reminder, “Pieces of Me” still deserves to be played on radio today. “Taking Up Space” would fit right there next to that song on a radio playlist, as the breezy chorus begs you to sing-a-long and get it stuck in your head.

Meet Me @ The Altar – “Garden”

You may have heard the news by now, as it has (rightfully) dominated the music industry since being announced. Meet Me @ The Altar have signed to Fueled by Ramen, and what it represents is huge. Me, as a white guy in this industry, doesn’t really have the right to explain it for you, but just look up their replies on Twitter and the general reaction to the signing. Aside from everything else, “Garden” is a certifiable pop-punk bop. This trio can write a freaking song, and that deserves your attention.

Overgrow – “Broken Things

Common Ground Collective is doing things right. They’re home to some of our favorites here like Talker, Glimmers, and Overgrow. Born out of the ashes of his former band Everyone Leaves, Jake Ciccotelli uses Overgrow to tell his stories and tell them good. It’s been stunning watching his growth, even so quickly from 2019’s The Earth Will Swallow Me Whole, and “Broken Things” is another leap for the alternative artist.

Kississippi – “Around Your Room”

Where Jetty Bones is the epitome of 2000’s, Kississippi’s “Around Your Room” is more in-line with current pop music. This isn’t bad. Both of these eras of pop music are good, and honestly, if you’re like me, you’re a sucker for pop music and can’t get enough of it. Backed by programmed instrumentals, “Around Your Room” will make you feel like you’re laying around your room twirling your hair and day-dreaming. “I’ve written about love in a cynical manner in the past and this song was written as a reminder of the magic and euphoria that comes with it,” she explained when the song was released. If you need a pick-me-up, here you go.

DYLYN – “Let You”

Alright, so maybe this is cheating. This song wasn’t released last week, but I first heard it last week. So, that sort of counts. It counts enough. As I’ve said before, this is my piece and my rules so here we are. DYLYN was once a minor pop start with a top ten dance hit on the U.S. Billoard charts, but she wasn’t quite satisfied living as dubstep diva. So, she decided to ditch that avenue and chase being an alternative-rock artist, something that was fully-realized when she met producer Colin Munroe (Lights, Kendrick Lamar) who encouraged this new direction. “Let You” is a wonderful example of what is to come, proving that DYLYN can pull off the new sound just as well as anyone.