By Zach Collier
Yo whaddup, Sound Town? For better or worse, we’ve sprung forward this week. The bad news is our bodies are adjusting to a missing hour of sleep. The good news? The days are getting longer and we’re about to usher in a lot more golden hour memories. I’ve put together a short playlist of five songs by local Utah artists that I feel capture that golden hour energy – while the air is still crisp and before summer officially arrives.
“Sometimes” by Joey Brandin
Speaking of golden hour memories, I was forming memories with this song long before it was even released. Joey Brandin recorded this track with Mason Winter in the house at June Audio in downtown Provo. Mason’s studio suite adjoins Provo Music Magazine’s office, and I spent many afternoons and evenings listening to the two of them flesh out this song.
I can’t tell you how cool it is to hear the final product after passively experiencing and casually observing the songwriting process – the drum loops, the acoustic guitar takes, the stacked vocals. Joey has written really well for his voice on this one, crafting something that feels simple and conversational but is anything but. This song is intricate, interesting, and highly melodic. Equal parts soothing and stimulating.
“r.i.p. 2 u & me” by Number One Babe Team
Number One Babe Team hails from Salt Lake City, and they touch on the Mountain West Emo sound with sparkly, melodic guitar lines in the intro and interludes. One of my favorite things about this track is the drum engineering. They possess this “through-the-wall” feeling that lends the track a rumbling thud-iness that pairs well with the crisp cymbals. It’s like having your bedroom window open and hearing your cool neighbors have band practice.
It’s a beautiful bop with subtle backing vocals, undeniable energy, and some surprise guitar, french horn, and flute from Bly Wallentine that lend it a quirky charm. These textures really set it apart from other songs in a similar vein.
“Are You Coming Home?” by clovers daughter
A folk masterpiece by way of Noor Shami and Langdon Dearborn, clovers daughter‘s “Are You Coming Home?” opens with an absolutely stellar mix of guitar textures: rubber bridge; slow strummed, crunchy electrics; and atmospheric, versed-out leads that shimmer in the background.
The snares and high hats in this are particularly well engineered, adding punch and satisfying clicks in all the right places. Shami’s voice is so emotive and tender, and it sits warmly in the center of it all as the song continues to build into a spiral of sonic satisfaction.
“airplane” by Dogpaw
The latest track from Velour Winter 2025 Battle of the Bands winner, Dogpaw, “airplane” is a welcome sequel to their absolutely gorgeous debut, “Willow.” It shows off a little more of the playful energy that got the crowd dancing and barking along last time I saw them play.
While I’m a sucker for Dogpaw’s lead vocals (they tug at my heartstrings in a way I don’t fully understand – it’s magical to me), the bass has some really standout moments on this track. There’s some great movement down there – and I went nuts for 1:57. Fun part writing.
“Mine” by JABY, Alba, and Kid Cloud
One of my favorite past times is watching Alba’s TikToks. Her part writing for vocal harmonies is INSANE. She teamed up with JABY and Kid Cloud for a dark, brooding dance track that gives her ample time to shine in the chorus.
Hearing her voice paired with those of Kid Cloud and JABY is a real treat. I don’t hear a lot of this kind of music coming out of the scene. It’s catchy while still being emotive; slickly produced while showing tasteful restraint; and catchy as all get out. It gets stuck in my head more than I’d like to admit.