We Speak Indie Artist
Duanna Lets Her Sound Glow Softly On open tabs
Duanna’s EP open tabs feels like a quiet world unfolding in slow motion. Across six tracks, the Bay Area-raised and New York-based artist leans into subtle electronics, gentle beats, and a sense of emotional openness that gives the project its charm. Instead of trying to impress with volume or complexity, she builds atmosphere through careful pacing and thoughtful detail.
The EP moves with a sense of ease. Each track blends into the next, creating a feeling of steady drift rather than sharp transitions. This approach highlights Duanna’s instincts as both a producer and writer. She knows when to add texture and when to leave space, which keeps the project feeling light yet intentional.
“Species” stands out as one of the clearest examples of her ability to balance movement and introspection. The track glows with an almost meditative energy, guided by layered vocals and soft rhythmic pulses. Later, “Better Off” finds its strength in understatement, letting repeated phrases settle over a calm, steady beat that feels grounding rather than heavy.
What makes open tabs work is the way Duanna treats mood as the guiding force. Nothing feels rushed, and nothing feels forced. It is a project shaped by calm and curiosity, offering a listening experience that invites you to sink in quietly and stay a little longer.
If you want a release that carries emotion with a gentle touch, open tabs is an easy one to return to.
Plain Mister Smith returns with Bric-À-Brac Attack, a beautifully offbeat collection of indie-folk, pop and atmospheric songwriting. Released via Amelia Records, the album finds the Vancouver and London-based multi-hyphenate turning fragments of memory, relationships and everyday absurdity into something quietly cinematic.
At its centre is “Grindavik”, a shimmering, reflective track inspired by the Icelandic town shaped by recent volcanic activity. Bright acoustic guitars and steady drums carry a constantly shifting chord progression, mirroring the song’s central metaphor of a relationship under pressure and the hope that its fissures can eventually heal. Featuring Jordan Klassen and Kitt, the track captures the emotional tension that runs throughout the album.
Elsewhere, Bric-À-Brac Attack moves effortlessly between playful guitar-driven moments, lush arrangements and more introspective passages. “Miss Sunshine” brings infectious energy, while collaborations with Findlay Brown, Leeroy Stagger, Krystle Dos Santos and Tyson Mostenbocher add colour to an already eclectic record.
Former guitarist of Canadian darkwave band Moev and a cellist with the Vancouver Philharmonic Orchestra, Plain Mister Smith brings an unusually broad musical perspective to his songwriting. Yet Bric-a-Brac attack never feels overly calculated. Instead, it has the charm of something discovered rather than constructed.
Warm, strange, melodic and emotionally searching, Bric-À-Brac Attack is a record that rewards getting lost in its details. Plain Mister Smith may remain deliberately mysterious, but the music itself speaks with remarkable clarity.
Photo credit: Sandra Lockwood
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