Atwood Magazine is thrilled to introduce our Editor’s Picks column, curated and composed by Editor-in-Chief Mitch Mosk. Each week, Mitch will present a selection of songs, albums, and artists that have captured his attention and emotions. There’s so much remarkable music out there just waiting to be discovered, and all it requires from us is an open mind and a readiness to listen. With our Editor’s Picks, we aim to highlight our musical discoveries and feature a wide range of new and recent releases.
This week’s Editor’s Picks showcase Dancer, Adam Melchor & Mt. Joy, CMAT, Arcy Drive, Sydney Sprague, and Charlotte OC!
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Dynamic, dramatic, and completely immersive, Dancer’s “not nothing” is a candid and powerful eruption dressed in some of the most anthemic indie rock I’ve encountered in years. The same intensity and yearning found in The Killers’ *Hot Fuss* and The Strokes’ *Is This It*—two undeniable classics—permeate Dancer’s bold and vivacious sophomore EP *all my best friends* (released April 11th), a “raw tribute to resilience and connection” that sees the trio from Newcastle, Australia pouring their hearts into four breathtaking, irresistible, and undeniable barnburners.
**I’m not nothing**
**I’m not anything at all like you**
**I’m not nothing**
**all the lies you said ain’t true**
**Take your vices**
**I don’t wanna try it**
**I’m a little bit excellent**
**Now you don’t get to experience it**
*‘all my best friends’ EP – Dancer*
For Dancer’s frontman Chris Quinton, “not nothing” serves as both a personal manifesto and a bold rejection of negativity—a release of the tension and emotions that have accumulated over the years among him and his bandmates.
“I grew up with a predominant narrative that I wasn’t worth anything,” he shared with Atwood Magazine. “It’s a crippling and painful perspective. This song emerged as my way of telling those voices to go away; that they weren’t welcome and entirely untrue. Those statements came from someone in my life who was hurting and passed that pain on, making it easier to see their narrative as just that—a narrative. Yes, it still hurts to think about, but I’m proud to have written a great song.”
Quinton and his bandmates reach an emotional high point in the feverish chorus, where his words serve as a bold rejection of past statements and an enthusiastic embrace of his own inner truth.
**You got me falling**
**You got me falling**
**But you don’t give a damn about it**
**You don’t give a damn about it**
Burning from a deep inner flame, “not nothing” is a passionate, uplifting, and empowering anthem—a reminder of our potential and our power. It conveys that we can reclaim and define our own narratives and that we shouldn't let anyone convince us otherwise.
**I’m not nothing**
**Been telling myself for years**
**Stop that feeling**
**That you made me so believe**
**You got me falling**
**You got me falling**
**But you don’t give a damn about it**
**Don’t give a damn about it**
With *all my best friends* and specifically “not nothing,” Dancer has created a cathartic and captivating coming-of-age record—one that encapsulates the intricacies of growth, the weight of emotional scars, and the exhilaration of finding one's voice. They are loud, raw, and relentless—the very essence of what indie rock is all about.
**I can stand on my own two feet**
**No man on the mercy seat**
**Find spirit in sunrise**
**No misery to carry now**
**I can make my own high**
**Not living with your parasites**
**Not believing in your junk lies**
**I’m not nothing, nothing, nothing**
**“Room on Your Shoulder” by Adam Melchor & Mt. Joy**
In the spirit of Bob Dylan’s “Blowin’ in the Wind,” Joni Mitchell’s “Both Sides Now,” Tracy Chapman’s “Fast Car,” and Noah Kahan’s “Stick Season,” Adam Melchor adds “Room on Your Shoulder” to the timeless canon of American folk—a modern classic steeped in tenderness and vulnerability, destined to endure and resonate with generations.
**Room On Your Shoulder – Adam Melchor & Mt. Joy**
**I thought of going out,**
**now I just wanna stay in**
**I saw you leaving town with your friends**
**I thought I’d know by now**
**if you and me were meant**
**And if
The new single from the octet, ‘Tell me I never knew that,’ features an unexpected encounter between two Carolines.
On Friday, May 16th, we will be taking control of Dust for a unique showcase featuring talent from various BIMM regional campuses.
Selected by Mitch Mosk, this week's Editor's Picks showcases tunes from Dancer, Adam Melchor & Mt. Joy, CMAT, Arcy Drive, Sydney Sprague, and Charlotte OC!