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Pop star behavior on grieving and loss: Here’s new music from Hamtramck-based “pop star wannabe” Mara Wanna, who I recently saw play her first show at Marble Bar a few weeks back opening for drummer and singer-songwriter wunderkind Elise Trouw. The song is called “Half of the Man,” with a heavy guitar rock lean and vocal drop that will give you chills. Last year’s Gag Order EP introduced fans to her maximalist production style, showcasing her love of classic pop music tropes and infectious vocal melodies. Below the shimmery surface, Mara Wanna explores themes of grief and loss, with the death of her father inspiring a lot of the lyrical content and adding emotional heft to her songwriting. “The song is about the unexpected changes in my social life that accompanied his death… just this extreme isolation that comes with grieving,” she says. If you’ve ever felt alone, just looking for a way to get through it, Mara Wanna can relate and find a way to sing about it. You can stream “Half of the Man” via the usual places, or watch the lyric video via Instagram (@marawannasworld), where she also usually posts her latest happenings. —Joe
The Blueprint celebrates DJ Cent: Femme-forward residency The Blueprint brings another birthday bash to UFO Factory this Friday, March 31, with local legend DJ Cent taking headlining duties. The event series has become known for DJ sets and electronic music performances that give flowers to Detroit’s celebrated musical past while pushing the new wave forward. DJ Cent is one of the city’s best kept secrets, mentored by the late, great Kelli Hand (K-Hand) and throwing her own fair share of parties since the ’90s. She has stayed true to her musical vision throughout her career, and has stories for days from her times at Todd’s, Bookies, Heaven, and basically any other Detroit club that has come-and-gone. The night will also feature performances from Tru Violet and Shà David, as well as Blueprint resident DJs Blackmoonchild and AK. Tix via Resident Advisor. —Joe
Rowan Niemisto returns with powerful new EP: You might be familiar with Rowan Niemisto’s work even if you’ve never heard his name before; he’s played in bands with a bunch of great local acts, including Madelyn Grant, Jacob Sigman, and others. He was also in one of my favorite bands in college when I lived in Ann Arbor, Yada Yada, which will always hold a special place in my heart for playing in my living room on one or two occasions. (They even let me freestyle with them once at the Blind Pig. I have videos!) With all that said, Rowan is also an accomplished artist in his own right, and his new EP “Gimme Strength” is living proof. With thoughtful songwriting, beautifully textured guitar twangs, and a slow, driving country beat that makes you want to dance and cry at the same time, the song “Good as Gone” kicks off a four-track offering that is worth every minute from start to finish, so go ahead and take a little 15-minute drive around the outskirts of town and see what it does for you. — Broccoli
Get ready for spring with Summer Like the Season: I wrote last year about Summer Like The Season for our New Detroit Music Issue, shortly before she was announced as a 2022 Kresge Fellow. Since that time, her and her bandmates have continued to trudge through the mad and beautiful world of DIY music, traveling across the country and slowly building their fanbase in the process. Amid a nation-wide, self-organized tour that will see them play from Austin at SXSW to Portland and many places in between, the band just released a new song “Mental” off of their upcoming record Aggregator. The track is big and busy in all the right ways, exploring further extents of electronic production and even featuring more aggressive vocal delivery from bandleader Summer Krinsky, juxtaposed with an ambient piano breakdown to end what is surely an adventure of a song. Look out for the full album coming out June 1 of this year! —Broccoli
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