The Next Wave ft. A Viral Letter and Tom The Mail Man's New Single

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 Tom The Mail Man's new single "Brown Eyes and Backwoods." We're also answering your burning questions about submitting music, our compilation album, and more. [Subscribe to the Newsletter]( Versatility has been a Tom The Mail Man calling card from the very beginning. He's always made and been inspired by a multitude of genres, and the Atlanta artist is deep in his pop singer-songwriter bag on "Brown Eyes and Backwoods." He tells us: “My base was really asking for the song last year so it only made sense to give them what they want, yah know? I really love making super dramatic sorrowful love songs and I'm super into romance so I think it’s my cool little Adventure Time-like pop song." Stay tuned for Tom's new album Sunset Visionary Vol. 2 in 2022. 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 is the submissions email? - @theodorefloyd via Instagram Since the start of Pigeons & Planes, we've accepted submissions directly from artists, and that's still an important part of what we do. We're not above checking out links on social media or random DMs from time to time, but our go-to source used to be the submissions email. To be completely transparent, that submissions inbox has become unmanageable. We'll still jump in and check things out, but it's flooded with automated email blasts, daily PR pitches, and tons of spams and scams. Last year, we started the [Pigeons & Planes Discord server]( and that has become the most effective way to discover new things and listen to submissions from artists. There's a "self-promo" channel in there and it's great because you can submit directly to the whole P&P team at once, plus there's a community of other fans and artists who can also check out what you're doing, share feedback, and easily get in touch with you. All this to say: feel free to email us at submissions@pigeonsandplanes.com, but we highly recommend getting active in the P&P Discord instead. We've got some big plans for Discord this year—it's a new platform for us and we're still getting used to it, but it's already become part of our regular routine when looking for new artists and listening to submissions. Join our Discord here: [discord.gg/x4TNrFn]( - [Jacob Moore](twitter.com/mAAdycity), Founder/GM, Pigeons and Planes Dear Pigeons, Where is the album? - @sockvilln via Instagram Great question @sockvilln! Just yesterday, Maddy sent our group chat a meme she'd made about the fact that we're trying to roll out an album without any announcements, which made me realize that we should keep you all more updated. The See You Next Year compilation album is in motion and will definitely be dropping this year. I can't give away too much yet, but we do have music in hand from some of our favorite rising artists, and it's sounding great. There are still a couple more slots to fill, and those conversations are happening now. We've also been thinking about special guests, events, and other ways to bring this project and its story to life. The process of outreach and submissions, working with artists and their teams on creative, and planning the visuals and rollout was always going to be time consuming. My heart wants to start leaking snippets of the songs and sharing who is involved, but my head (and the team!) says that we've got to be patient and do this right. At the core of the SYNY mission is making something that lasts and providing a platform to get to know these rising artists on a deeper level than the here-and-gone rush of social media hype and viral moments. So stay tuned to the P&P and [See You Next Year social accounts]( and we promise more communication and updates very soon. - [Alex Gardner]( Director of Strategy & Operations, Pigeons & Planes Dear Pigeons, What's the P&P take on the recent semi-viral open letter from Chelsea Cutler on the music industry? - @sylasrehbein via Instagram For those of you who haven't read it yet, check it out [here](. It's a great read and offers a lot of insight into how artists are feeling right now. She writes about the disconnect between artists and fans, the rapid pace at which music comes and goes, and the insatiable nature of content culture. This line in particular struck a chord with me: "I don't feel like a content creator, I feel like a musician and performer." Artists - cut yourself some slack. We're going on two years of the pandemic, and nothing is normal. We've been too online for the past few years, and trends seem to move faster when we're all paying attention to them. I can only imagine the pressure from labels, teams, fans, and the rest of the world to be constantly churning out "content" in a digital landscape where viral trends turn over on a daily basis. And while it is essential to use your social media platform to build a fanbase, you should first define what content means to you. Whether that means writing personal letters like Chelsea's, or posting duets on TikTok, or sharing parts of your recording process, it all depends on what you define as content. Connecting with people online doesn't have to be a constant grind; it can also be earnest and fulfilling. Chelsea also says, "albums and comprehensive storytelling seem less relevant as attention spans are shorter." Although it does feel like so much music nowadays is written with that viral TikTok hook in mind, it's important to remember that there are many artists who focus on storytelling, who care about world building not just because it serves some content strategy purpose, but because it's what they love. Some good examples from 2021 alone include Spellling's The Turning Wheel, Little Simz' Sometimes I Might Be Introvert, and Tyler, The Creator's CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST. - [Maddy Quach](twitter.com/mAAdycity), Community Manager, Pigeons & 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](