Suffs

The third full-length and Atlantic Records debut from Shaina Taub, Songs of the Great Hill came to life over the course of countless daily trips to the enchanted spot of its title. In the bleakest days of lockdown, the New York City-based singer/songwriter would head to the North Woods of Central Park with notebook in hand, then set to work on the incandescent batch of songs that now comprise the album. “It felt very much like a metaphor for the time we were all living through—trying to trudge up this great big hill with some sense of grace, looking for some kind of hope in all the dread and isolation,” recalls Taub, also a multi-award-winning composer and actor in musical theater. “After a while, it felt like I was writing into existence all the songs I needed to hear.”

Catching our ears the past year with tracks like “My Lovely Enemy” and “Albertine,” NYC-based artist Grace McLean continues to impress with an expansive pop charisma on the newly released full-length My Lovely Enemy. McLean shows a tendency for riveting, theatrical avant-garde showcases — and it’s no surprise her talents carry onto the stage as well, with Broadway success; McLean presently stars as President Woodrow Wilson in SUFFS. The album release continues a stretch of critical acclaim and increased following of McLean’s music. “I love that people are connecting so deeply with these off-center pop songs about love and loss, because that’s what these songs are really about,” McLean says. “They sit in and celebrate the moment of exquisite unknowing when change begins.”