The Next Wave ft. glaive, Plane-Sized Pigeons, and a Dreamy New Album Recommendation

Your dose of music discovery from Pigeons and Planes has landed. Hello and welcome back to another edition of The Next Wave. This week, we're featuring three albums glaive had in rotation during the making of his all dogs go to heaven EP, which is out tomorrow. We're also answering your burning questions about regrets, remaining anonymous in the era of social media, and massive pigeons. Plus, meet Spellling, whose new album The Turning Wheel is rich, experimental, and definitely worth the listen. Enjoy, and see you soon. [Subscribe to the Newsletter]( Spellling - The Turning Wheel The first time I listened to Spellling's The Turning Wheel, I was working. Not the interesting kind of work that you might associate with running a music publication. It was the dull, tedious type: decks, forms, and emails. Despite the less than ideal listening circumstances, this album lifted me into a dream. It sounds like some otherworldly mix of Magical Mystery Tour reimagined by FKA twigs and ANOHNI and set on a Broadway stage in a whimsical universe where all animals have both wings and antlers. The music is guided by rich layers of instrumentation played by over 30 musicians, a fact that might sound surprising until you hear the project—of course there were over 30 musicians. Strings, keys, woodwinds, bells, timpani, and synths dance in harmony with aerial vocals, all masterfully orchestrated by Spellling herself. The Turning Wheel is experimental, theatrical, and strange. It's probably the type of project that half of P&P's loyal newsletter readers will love and half will write off after 30 seconds. Give it a chance. I wasn't sure exactly how I felt about it at first, but I knew it was interesting and couldn't help but revisit it out of curiosity. A few weeks later, and now every time I want to escape the humdrum reality of day-to-day life on Earth, The Turning Wheel is my go-to. - [Jacob Moore]( Founder/GM of Pigeons and Planes [Listen to The Turning Wheel]( A little over a year ago, we featured glaive in our Best New Artists roundup. Since then, he's released a handful of singles and his debut EP cypress grove, signed to Interscope, and won the [P&P Award for Best Actor - Stranger Things](. Tomorrow, the 16-year-old electronic pop artist is back with his new EP all dogs go to heaven. The project will feature production from artists like Travis Barker, Nick Mira, and Whethan. On working with Travis Barker, glaive says, "It was crazy. Everybody knows Travis, whether it's from Blink 182 or what he puts out now. It was a dream come true and he put out one of my favorite songs." While we wait for all dogs go to heaven to drop, check out three albums glaive listened to during the making of the EP. glaive's Recent Rotation 1. 6 dogs - 6 dogs [Listen to 6 Dogs]( 2. Nascar Aloe - SH!THEAD [Listen to SH!THEAD]( 3. Kanye West - My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy [Listen to My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy]( Dear Pigeons is our advice column. We put out asks on social media for questions from the readers, and we'll do our best to give advice, guidance, ramblings, and recommendations based on our own experiences. Dear Pigeons, What's your biggest regret? - @paytonsidney4 via Instagram After over a decade of Pigeons & Planes, most of my regrets aren't tied to the things we did or the things we could have done better. They are almost always about the things we DIDN'T do. As a small team with limited bandwidth, we can't execute on all ideas, but when we don't try something, it's hard not to wonder what could have been. Sometimes our ideas are not good, or at least not immediately recognizable as the next big things for the brand. We've produced an [interview show with dogs]( a whole [IG account]( dedicated to the intersection of music and science, and some [conspiracy theory content]( that made a lot of people angry. We even tried out DIY [comedy sketches]( in the office for a brief moment in P&P history. The point is, some of these things might not have changed the game, but they kept the brand growing and evolving, kept the creativity flowing, and they taught us a lot along the way. My advice for anyone in the business of making content or building a brand is to keep taking risks. Even if what you're doing is working, keep trying new things. You'll throw up some bricks, and sometimes you'll learn what NOT to do, but if you get stuck in the cycle of doing the same things over and over, your brand is never going to last. Get out there, give those weird ideas a chance, and keep it moving forward. - [Jacob Moore]( Founder/GM of Pigeons and Planes Dear Pigeons, In the era of social media, do you think it's possible for independent artists to remain private or anonymous? - @_ccluster via Instagram It is possible, but it's getting more and more difficult for any new artist to break while remaining anonymous. Retaining privacy is a different matter—you can set boundaries and control what you share and when—but there's nothing more important than creating a connection with listeners and turning them into fans and advocates for you. And creating that connection is so much easier when there's a face to put with the name and the music. I think the key is finding a way to share something authentic. If you're on TikTok just trying to hop on trends, but in your heart don't want to be there, fans will see right through it. Like Zack Fox [told us]( "There’s now a sixth sense that kids on the internet have where they can sense if something is contrived or sponsored or disingenuous." There are ways to get creative with social media and there's no one size fits all solution. [RMR]( hasn't shown his face, but he's definitely communicated his personality through photos, videos, and interviews. [347aidan]( doesn't use Twitter very much at all, but he's a master at making TikTok content that feels honest. So, as a new artist, find your lane. Think about what your unique interests are and lean into that. Find what platform suits you best. Try an idea out, and if it doesn't work, try something different. Embrace the social media era that we live in. Embrace the fact that you have the tools to reach millions of people right in your hands. Celebrate the fact that you can speak directly to your fans at a moment's notice, rather than relying on the press or radio to reach them. You don't need to prioritize social media over everything else, but it's another tool that's available to you. If you believe in your art and want it to touch people, use every means available to spread the word. - [Alex Gardner]( Director of Strategy & Operations at Pigeons & Planes Dear Pigeons, Would you rather have a plane-sized pigeon or a pigeon-sized plane? - @oliver_citrus via Instagram This is a tough one. Possibly the most daring and thought-provoking question we've received on Dear Pigeons so far. A plane-sized pigeon would be pretty sick. If I lived on a ranch (or streaming farm) in Glendive, Montana, I would simply build a big barn/hangar for it. I would also commission a giant harness for the plane-sized pigeon, so I could ride it safely from point A to point B. Of course, then I would also have to coordinate with all the major airports in the country to ensure that my massive pigeon meets regulation. What's the point of having a plane-sized pigeon if it can't fly into JFK? Having a pigeon-sized plane could be cool too, on the condition that it comes with mini passengers and a mini pilot. Like a Thumbelina airline staff. I have a question for you: would you rather fight a plane-sized pigeon or 1,000 pigeon-sized planes? - [Maddy Quach]( Community Manager at Pigeons and Planes [Complex on Instagram]( [Complex on Facebook]( [Complex on Twitter]( [Complex on YouTube]( © Complex Media, Inc. All rights reserved. 229 W. 43rd Street, 10th Floor New York, NY 10036 You are receiving this email because you've signed up for the Next Wave Newsletter. Want to stop receiving messages from Pigeons & Planes ? [Unsubscribe]( [Click here to view this email in your browser.]( Pigeons & Planes is part of: [Complex Networks](