Erin & The Wildfire
Touchy Feely (self-released)
It’s been five years since the Charlottesville-formed and now Richmond-based Erin & The Wildfire released a new album, and 2022 finds the group exploring the past through a new sound glittering with ’80s glam. As many pandemic era albums go, songwriting and collaborating for Touchy Feely was done virtually. It was recorded in the summer of 2021, and produced by RVA native and Spacebomb Records founder Matthew E. White (Natalie Prass, Foxygen, Justin Vernon, Hiss Golden Messenger, Sharon Van Etten).
Touchy Feely is one to throw on when intrusive, gnawing thoughts torment your head. Scrolling through social media won’t help, but Touchy Feely will. This is a best friend, a beacon of light in the darkness. Listen to “Ray of Sunshine” or “Sweet Thing” or any of the other eight songs for an instant pick-me-up. Also gratifying is Erin & The Wildfire’s support of body acceptance, self-love, and feminism, as told in the single “Shape:” “Don’t be scared to own it / You’re allowed to take up space. Nobody can tell you / When to wear a smile on your face.”
Feel the love when Erin & The Wildfire play Front Porch Fest in September. (Released April 2022)
Caroline Spence
True North (Rounder Records)
Caroline Spence left Charlottesville for Nashville more than 10 years ago to hone her singer-songwriting abilities, and her latest album, True North, is a fine example of human vulnerability. Spence pens close to the heart, hoping past mistakes can be erased over time on “Clean Getaway.” She falls hopelessly in love on “I Forget the Rest,” and muses on how to escape an emotional spiral on “The Next Good Time.” The 12 tracks on True North feel as if they’ve been pulled straight from Spence’s diary—wistful, wise, and youthful, her songs tell decades of life stories in 41 minutes. Caroline Spence is on the bill with Mary Chapin Carpenter and Emmylou Harris at the Ting Pavilion on August 23rd. (Released April 2022)
Dropping Julia
Stranger (self-released)
With two years gone by since the release of In My Sleep, Dropping Julia’s Stranger emerges as a femme fatale. Lead singer Emily Julia Kresky’s fitting, bewitching voice stirs the sultry jazz-funk-pop brew that is Stranger—with the ingredients of a swirling new horn section, a scoop of ’50s doo-wop background vocals from The Judy Chops, and dashes of sass that have defined the band since 2019.
Based on her personal, weird experiences with men, Kresky twists her tales into magnetic songs like “Emily” (when a boyfriend cheated on her with a girl who shared her name) and the title track. Every song here is like a hex, so don’t cross Kresky, whose musical prowess on Stranger puts Dropping Julia at the top of its game. (Released April 2022)—Samantha Federico