The Saturday before last, I was standing in a DIY art space in downtown Los Angeles. I was 3,000 miles away from my apartment and from the Manhattan office where I spend most of my time, in a strange city that I'd only been to a couple times before, surrounded by friends. I was at Angeltown II, the second-ever LA showcase put on by Brooklyn-based label Orchid Tapes, sipping on a strong whiskey drink and staring at a bunch of familiar, comforting faces from LA, New York, the East Coast, the internet. Bratty-voiced singer-songwriter RL Kelly actually wrote her latest scrappy pop tune, "Alright," following the label's springtime New York showcase, but the inclusive vibe that inspired the song's low-key optimism was most definitely palpable at the LA event, too; whether you knew everyone there or you were standing by yourself clutching a vinyl copy of Alex G's DSU, for a couple of hours, everything felt alright. The recording itself is a mini-celebration of the tight-knit label; it features boy wonder Alex G on drums and Spencer Radcliffe on the keys.
Stream: RL Kelly, "Alright"