Skateland Grapples with the Modern World on Transcendent EP "Joyce Howell, How are You?"

Austin-based artist Skateland is taking his bedroom-pop daydreams to new heights. His newly released EP Joyce Howell, How are You? highlights his unique propensity for vocal abstraction and crafting sparkling vignettes of nostalgia. The project is a time capsule of Skateland's past year as an artist that grapples with insecurity, metamorphosis, and all-too-familiar brain rot. The ear-catching melodies and vividly ethereal soundscapes strike a nerve that satisfy the indie-kid's sentimental cravings.  

Joyce Howell, How are You? radiates with sublime strings, effervescent synths, and whimsical vocals that tap into a visceral collective of unconscious emotion. His opening track "Sunset Cinema" features haunting howls that reminisce on hypothetical love stories that unravel in his imagination. "Autobahn!" captures the stark dichotomy of dating in the modern world; how feelings can swing on the pendulum from torturously casual to devastatingly devoted in the blink of an eye. Closing song and title track "Joyce Howell, How Are You" combines a mesmerizing array of sonics from church bells to sun-drenched riffs that capture the blissful nature of the EP as a whole. 

Skateland is surfing the momentum of his recent bill alongside Two Door Cinema Club and Day Wave. He's also opened for Foster the People and swept away multiple showcases at SXSW this year. Joyce Howell, How are You? bites at the heels of an impressive live circuit and gives Skateland a platform to take it all in and reflect. The outcome is a romantic, celestial love letter to the characters in his head, the muses that strike him unexpectedly, and most importantly, himself. 

Related Articles

Maude Latour Reflects on the Existential Rave of her Dreams, the “Sugar Water” Tour [Q+A]

Maude Latour Reflects on the Existential Rave of her Dreams, the “Sugar Water” Tour [Q+A]

April 15, 2025 We caught up with this rising popstar just hours before she hit the stage for the last show of the tour to chat about how Sugar Water has evolved from its release, the experience of performing these songs across the country, and what’s next for Maude Latour.
Author: Giselle Libby
pop
The World Is Chloe Moriondo's 'Oyster' On Fourth Studio Album

The World Is Chloe Moriondo's 'Oyster' On Fourth Studio Album

April 9, 2025 'Oyster' is a thoughtful externalization of the songwriter's prolonged pent-up feelings attached to infatuation and heartbreak, meditations on vulnerability, envy, and, quite frankly, acting on bad ideas.
Author: Alessandra Rincon
pop
Ella Vos Imagines a World for the Girls in her New Single “National Anthem”

Ella Vos Imagines a World for the Girls in her New Single “National Anthem”

March 28, 2025 The LA native’s extensive discography explores a range of taboo topics, from postpartum depression to divorce, and more.
Author: Giselle Libby
pop