On This Track: Weekend Listening #4
- Anne
- 1 day ago
- 4 min read
Four female artists worth turning up this weekend
Four releases by female artists exploring identity, belonging and self-worth
This week's On This Track: Weekend Listening 4 brings together four female artists whose music turns inward without losing sight of the world around them. Moving between indie pop, Americana, experimental folk and alternative music, these releases reflect on growing up, conditional love, belonging and the ongoing process of becoming yourself. Rather than offering simple resolutions, each artist embraces emotional complexity, reminding us that some of the most compelling independent music begins with the courage to ask difficult questions.
Maren Davidsen – "Forehead Kiss"
Affection is often measured through grand gestures, yet relationships are more frequently shaped by the smallest ones. A touch, a look or a kiss can become symbols of security, but they can also reveal what is quietly missing. Sometimes it is not the absence of love that hurts most, but the feeling of surviving on fragments of it. On "Forehead Kiss", Norwegian singer-songwriter Maren Davidsen transforms one seemingly tender gesture into a powerful metaphor for conditional love. Rooted in warm Americana, organic instrumentation and emotionally direct songwriting, the track unfolds with quiet restraint, allowing its lyrics to carry the emotional weight. Rather than focusing on heartbreak alone, Davidsen reflects on the gradual erosion of self-worth that follows when affection becomes inconsistent and intimacy remains just out of reach. As the latest single from her forthcoming debut album "This Is Where I Leave You", "Forehead Kiss" captures the difficult moment when self-awareness arrives before the courage to leave. In doing so, Maren Davidsen reminds us that recognizing we deserve more is often the first step towards finally believing it.
🎧 Stream "Forehead Kiss" on Apple Music
BIITA HOUDEI – "The Ground Here"
Belonging is rarely tied to a single place. It is shaped by memory, heritage and the people who quietly become part of who we are. Home can exist between cultures just as easily as it exists within them, constantly shifting without ever fully disappearing.
On "The Ground Here", BIITA HOUDEI creates exactly that sense of in-between. Gentle acoustic guitars, intimate vocal harmonies and subtle folk arrangements unfold with remarkable patience, allowing the song to breathe rather than pushing it forward. The atmosphere feels warm yet searching, carrying an understated emotional depth that draws as much from silence as it does from melody. Formerly releasing music as LéPonds, Lisa Houdei has long explored the space between experimental folk and deeply personal songwriting. With BIITA HOUDEI, that perspective feels even more distilled. Rather than searching for certainty, "The Ground Here" embraces the quiet beauty of existing between tradition and the present, offering a song that lingers long after its final note.
🎧 Stream "The Ground Here" on Apple Music
Siena Fantini – "laundry list"
Growing up is often imagined as a process of finding yourself. More often, it means learning to live with uncertainty. Friendships change, first relationships leave lasting impressions and emotions frequently arrive before we have the words to explain them. On "laundry list", Siena Fantini captures that experience with remarkable sincerity. Across four guitar-driven pop songs, the 16-year-old songwriter reflects on heartbreak, friendship and self-discovery without searching for easy resolutions. Warm guitar textures, memorable melodies and intimate vocals give the EP an effortless immediacy, while the songwriting remains grounded in everyday experiences rather than dramatic declarations. Rather than presenting adolescence as something to overcome, "laundry list" embraces it as a period of constant reflection. The result is an EP that feels honest, relatable and quietly self-assured, reminding listeners that growing up is rarely about having all the answers, but about learning which questions are worth asking.
🎧 Stream "laundry list" on Apple Music
Bea Elmy Martin – "High"
Relationships are often imagined as the place where we discover who we are. Just as often, they reveal the parts of ourselves we have yet to understand. Love can offer connection, but it cannot replace the work of learning to feel at home within yourself. On "High", Bea Elmy Martin explores that tension with striking emotional clarity. Blending delicate electronics, organic instrumentation and her characteristically ethereal vocals, the song balances lightness with quiet introspection. Rather than romanticising emotional uncertainty, Martin acknowledges the contradictions that come with searching for intimacy while still learning how to stand on your own. The result feels both vulnerable and quietly self-assured, allowing complexity to exist without forcing resolution.
Taken from "Under The Yew (Vol. 2)", "High" captures a moment of growth that remains beautifully unfinished. Instead of treating self-discovery as a destination, Bea Elmy Martin reminds us that the healthiest relationships often begin when we stop looking for someone else to complete what we are still discovering within ourselves.
🎧 Stream "High" on Apple Music
These four releases move through very different musical worlds, yet they all return to the same idea: understanding yourself is rarely a finished process. Whether reflecting on growing up, love, belonging or self-worth, each artist finds meaning in honesty rather than certainty. This week's On This Track: Weekend Listening brings together four voices that remind us why thoughtful songwriting continues to sit at the heart of independent music.
Continue discovering new independent music through On This Track, Three Track Week and the INDIENOXZINE | Selections Spotify playlist.
Comments