10 Songs: Witchy Boarding School Bops
Regulars - Allie X
Allie X constructed “Regulars” to be an anthem for the outsiders who desperately want to belong but never will. Despite this, Allie X creates a sense of unity amongst these outsiders. They may be “hanging off a building,” but they’re doing it together, and they don’t need to belong to kick some ass. With a sick bass line, imperfectly plucked guitar and handclaps, the song comes together around a groove that you can’t help but sway to. By the time the final chorus hits, you’ll be strutting by with confidence and class.
Cop Car - Mitski
Mitski’s knack for spinning emotionally wrought roller coasters has made her an indie rock staple. “Cop Car”, her contribution to the soundtrack for “The Turning”, is yet another slice of slow burn torment. “Cop Car” is a declaration of confidence and purpose, and Mitski repeats “I will never die” over howling guitars and strings. The building sense of dread and distortion in the mix allude to this surge of conviction having a dangerous spark to it. It’s the kind of song you play to soundtrack a bad-idea bender, in the best kind of way.
Hit Me Where It Hurts - Caroline Polachek
“Pang”, Caroline Polachek’s debut solo project under her own name, is filled with songs worthy of the list. “Hit Me Where It Hurts” makes the cut due to the undeniable swagger pulsating under the frosty art-pop soundscape. The snares stutter over staccato strings and sighing backing vocals, and Polachek’s performance drifts from spoken-word on the verses to acrobatic vocal stylings in the latter half. “Hit Me Where It Hurts” cruises by with an intoxicating nonchalance, one that invites you along for the ride.
Forest Fire - WENS
This song kicks off with a cryptic hit of keys and the lyric “Monster in my head / Won’t you be my friend?” It’s a moment that captures both spookiness and adolescent turmoil. “Forest Fire” comes at the end of WENS’s second EP “Lemoncholy”, working as a declaration of newfound purpose with an underlying desire to burn everything to ground. With stacked layers of backing vocals, flickering synths, and clattering percussion, the instrumental is just as chaotic and smoky as the fire it describes.
Tiny Dancer - Florence + The Machine
It can be difficult for an artist to bring their own identity into a cover, especially when tackling a beloved classic. However, when you’ve got a musical presence as distinctive as Florence Welch and her Machine, that will never be an issue. The instrumental on this cover is filled with several stunning touches, including flutes, harp, strings, and fluttering backing vocals. Welch’s performance evokes a sense of familiarity and nostalgia while still bringing her signature otherworldly twist.
Avalanche - HANA
“Avalanche” is fraught with tension, a song that shows its strength with all that it keeps just below the surface. The lyrics detail the speaker’s struggle with asserting themselves, a sentiment that is reflected in the performance and production. HANA’s subtle rage ebbs and flows between delicately controlled coos and just barely letting loose with a powerful belt. The beat is ice cold, filled with stuttering drums and ghostly backing vocals. Through its synthesis of sonics and subject matter, “Avalanche” creates a chilling and empowering listening experience.
Tension - Tatiana Hazel
Tatiana Hazel knows her way around created wiry indie-pop twinged with Latin and disco influences. On this track from her 2020 album “DUALITY”, Hazel takes a darker, moodier approach. From its opening lines “I should be more proper / Rough around the edges, still somebody start it,” “Tension” announces a rebellious spirit. Add swarming dark guitar, synths and thundering drums, and you’ve got one evocative, stormy track. Just as the title implies, it’s a song full of tense energy, but it’s the kind that compels you to keep dancing.
Bridges - Erthlings
Erthlings are one of the most promising up-and-coming girl groups with a skill for crafting dreamy indie pop. It just so happens that the debut single to their EP “Indigo” is also one of their best songs. The second the first note of the bass line hits, “Bridges” becomes an undeniable earworm that is scientifically impossible not to move along to. The song fleshes out with hypnotic looping lyrics and a serene soundscape of guitars and soft snaps. By the time the song closes out, you’ve drifted away into candy colored clouds.
Female Energy, Part 2 - WILLOW
“Female Energy, Part 2” sounds like a long-cherished folk ballad plucked from obscurity and given a new breath of life. WILLOW’s vocals are intense and occasionally gritty, backed with layers of floaty harmonies that help her performance drift over softly strummed guitar. In this combination of elements, WILLOW cultivates an atmosphere that is simultaneously ethereal and grounded. It’s the perfect sound for a song on which the speaker muses on their place in an ever-changing world.
Holy - Zolita
Alt-pop songstress and practicing witch Zolita is no stranger to religious imagery in her music. From this song’s name to the title of the EP it comes from, “Immaculate Conception”, to the lyrics detailing sacrifice, praying, and souls. She raises the stakes with a spare, cryptic beat made only of drums, faint bells, and ghostly synths. The aesthetic and symbolism is further explored in the music video, (more a short film,) which explores solidarity and queer sexuality. In crafting this narrative, Zolita’s comparison of religious and romantic devotion feels like a reclamation.