Pen Pals is a new series where we chat snail mail with some of our favorite artists.
A favorite in the New York music scene and beyond, (Brooklyn) Steele (fka Steele) has just released his first track, “Save Room”, under his new moniker. Recorded at home in Bushwick and produced across the pond during quarantine, the track appropriately deals with feelings of longing and the experience of falling in (and out) of love in New York. I don’t want 2017 indie music tumblr to come for me, but dare I say this is a modern, more guitar centered, sunnier version of Wolf Alice’s “Don’t Delete The Kisses”? Not in the Urban Outfitters promo reel kinda way, but in what it accomplishes emotionally — the way you can visualize the ins and outs, ups and downs of a relationship when listening to the song, along with the uplifting release of the chorus, and of course, the subway imagery. I think the best songs, or at least the songs that occupy the most space in my mind rent free, are those that have that cinematic storytelling element to them, and Steele accomplishes that with “Save Room”.
We chatted via snail mail about the single, quarantine, PB+J on sourdough (is this a controversial combo? discuss), and new favorites — check it out below.
You can check out Steele’s merch here and stream “Save Room” — the profits from the first 350,000 streams will be donated to The Loveland Foundation and The NAACP Legal Defense Fund.