On Air Next: Road trip records from Jepeto Solutions, Chris Cohen and Boothe

Last week, all the students at CU had a week off for spring break. I spent my break on a road trip to and from California, which meant hours and hours of listening to music in the car. Our car was packed with five other passengers, including three previous Radio 1190 employees, so we had a great time sharing and discussing music for the close to 30 hours we spent in the car. Here are some of my favorite albums from the trip along with some exciting new releases.

I was blessed to be introduced to the band Jepeto Solutions during a long stretch between Los Angeles and Utah. Appropriately so, this band is located in LA and couldn’t make better music for a road trip through the desert structures and valleys of Nevada and Utah. The soft vocals of both Christina Schneider and Zach Phillips sit comfortably on top of the country-inspired slide guitars and muted electric guitars. In addition to including some influences from early country music, the chord progressions used on the album mirror jazz and classical music. Their self-titled record is only four tracks long, but each song brings its own unique energy and style. Whether or not you’ll be taking a road trip anytime soon, this short record is worth checking out.

Chris Cohen‘s latest self-titled album came out Friday, which coincided with the tail end of my road trip. The album is absolutely dreamy. This record has pop sensibilities with an almost psychedelic twist. Cohen previously played drums in Ariel Pink’s band, and Pink’s influence is tangible throughout the record, carrying the familiar lo-fi and cheery sound. My favorite aspect of the album was its classic Americana sound, brought about by heavy use of acoustic guitar, piano, organ and pleasantly distorted guitar solos. This is an absolutely perfect album for driving long stretches through the heart of America, and in 10 tracks manages to capture and hold your attention throughout.

Philadelphia artist Boothe released her debut album, “8 or 9 Walled Room,” on Monday through the tape label Nino Tomorrow. I first listened to Boothe last summer when she released the song “Eggs are 0’s” along with a unique music video, and both caught my interest and kept bringing me back. The six-song project she put out Monday followed suit. Her music is made up of an experimental combination of bizarre samples, time signatures and keyboard tones, and her voice mimics the keyboard melodies and tones. All the elements work together in a special way, and it’s always exciting to hear something unlike anything you’ve heard before. The album is smart, simple and executed perfectly. I can’t wait to see what’s next in store for her.