Music and Wine: March 2020

Welcome to Delectable's column, Music and Wine! If you’re on the lookout for newly released music, grab your headphones. If you’re searching for a fresh bottle, grab your glass. And if you’re looking for the perfect wine to pair with that pop song you can't stop playing on repeat, then sit back, relax, and enjoy these Delectable tunes. Each month, we gather a playlist of newly released songs and pair them with wines that hit all the right notes. Listen on Spotify Now 1. Stupid Love – Lady Gaga Turn up the volume and grab your dancing shoes because we’re back in The Fame and ARTPOP era that started it all. After diving into more personal rock and country-esq tracks on Joanne and the emotional ballads paired with acting in A Star Is Born, it appears Lady Gaga is digging into her pop roots and preparing the world for the synth-pop dance album coming its way in early April. While the lyrics won’t hit you as hard and seem quite simple compared to “Million Reasons” or “Shallow”, “Stupid Love” is a carefree, upbeat, and fun song that you can easily dance along to while getting ready on a Friday night and will pump you up for the night ahead. Considering the bright pink album cover, Gaga’s outfit in the music video, and the fact that love is in the name, we think you should grab a Rosé Champagne and dance to your heart’s content. 2. Cut Me – Moses Sumney Aptly titled, Moses Sumney’s two part album, græ, takes the listeners on a journey through grayness. Sumney recently released thirteen of the twenty total songs; the rest set for our consumption in May. Whether it’s the lyrics themselves, the airy piano notes, or Sumney’s piercing falsetto contrasted with his lower range, you will find yourself wading through the intricacies of grayness along with Sumney track after track. “Cut Me” tackles the topic of finding motivation through pain and identity in endurance. He sings “If there's no pain (is) / There any progress / That's when I feel / The most alive / Endurance / Is the source of my pride.” We think you should listen, enjoy, and contemplate Sumney’s song with a wine that has some endurance of its own. Maybe an unoaked Chardonnay ? 3. Je disparais dans tes bras – Christine and the Queens French pop artist, Christine and the Queens recently released their alt-pop EP, La vita nuova. Influenced by Dante Alighieri’s Latin text of the same name, this EP explores love, loss, and pain in French, English, Spanish, and Italian. Certain songs off the EP such as “People, I’ve Been Sad” and “Nada” switch off between two languages. “Je disparais dans tes bras” can be found twice on the EP; one song sung in French and the other in the English translation. Chris sings about doubting the person who says they love you because in reality, they really only love what they cannot have. Whether you enjoy this song in French or English (we recommend listening to both and the entire EP), we think you should open a bottle of Burgundy Gamay with harmonious notes that match the harmonious use of the multiple languages throughout this EP. 4. The Steps – HAIM The fourth track released into the wild before their full album release in April, “The Steps” is a country, alternative, and pop influenced song brought to us by HAIM. With lyrics such as, “Every time I think that I've been takin' the steps / You end up mad at me for makin' a mess / I can't understand, why you don't understand me” and “And every day I wake up and I make money for myself /And though we share a bed, it don't mean that I need your help” the Haim sisters are raising a glass to those who feel misunderstood, while also calling out those who underestimate them. We think it’s best if you sit back, relax, and enjoy a sour beer while listening to this song. 5. Bittersweet – Lianne La Havas Listening to Lianne La Havas’ newest single after her half-decade hiatus embodies listening to the rain falling on a warm summer evening. As the song builds, the time between the lightning flashes and thunder claps becomes shorter and shorter making the emotion close enough to touch. Filled to the brim with feeling yet also embracing the calm, cool, collected acceptance of moving forward, this release from La Havas is perfectly titled. “Bittersweet” truly captures the essence of the oxymoron it was named after. We think you should pair this song with a glass of Chenin Blanc that reminds you of the rain. 6. Gaslighter – Dixie Chicks Talk about a hiatus, it’s been fourteen years since the Dixie Chicks graced us all with a release, but they’re back, baby. No strangers to anthems that make you want to yell the lyrics at the top of your lungs, “Gaslighter” is what we expect and need from the Dixie Chicks. Whether you’re yelling about politics, your ex-anything, or any situation worth yelling about, “Gaslighter” is the friend cheering you on. We think a glass of Sauvignon Blanc with hints of gas on the nose is the perfect beverage to cheers, welcome back the Dixie Chicks, and sing their songs loud for all to hear. Listen to last month’s playlist here .