FINALLY, Happy Friday and happy warm weather weekend, country fans!  With the return of Thompson Square to the recording studio and the reunion of Sugarland in recent news, it’s clear that guy-girl duets are more in-season than ever!  For today’s #FridayFind, we’re showcasing a new country duo that is not so much crossing musical boundaries as defining them.  Through their dance-heavy country pop experimentation they are making a name for themselves in the mainstream country atmosphere, and further developing their already-impressive music careers.  Although just forming within the past year, this dating duet is already opening up shows on the Hometown & Highways Tour for Logan Mize and Luke Pell, and has a handful of additional shows scheduled throughout the remainder of 2018. For the thirteenth Rhythm & Boots NYC #FridayFind, get ready for 17 Memphis.

Comprised of country-based singer-songwriter Chelsea Todd and multi-platinum hip-hop/EDM record producer and musician Felix Snow, 17 Memphis is a crossroads of all things energetic, passionate, and groovy.  Flaunting their debut record Three Coors & The Truth, the couple (who has already accumulated more than 100k monthly listeners on Spotify) displays sounds more in line with Taylor Swift’s Reputation / 1989 phase than the original Taylor Swift / Fearless era, but succeeds in inherently representing country music nevertheless.  

Their songs, which thematically represent everything from hidden relationship troubles to celebratory Friday nights, start with zen-inducing lyrics and end with the percussive finesse.  As with any good country song, the words that 17 Memphis so effortlessly lays over their chord progressions are what pull you in, and the Felix Snow-fabricated beats are what drag your finger to the repeat button time and time again.  

Todd and Snow, originally from Texas and Connecticut respectively, combine to create a musically elongated spectrum that will undoubtedly serve a precedent for radio-friendly cross-country artists of the future.  If bluegrass and Bakersfield are the classic country of the past, the excitingly original creations of 17 Memphis may very well be the cornerstone for country in years to come.  While the Georges and the Hanks live resiliently as 45s on a turntable, the vocal vehemence of the 17 Memphis duo fits in more comfortably emerging from a pool-side bluetooth jambox with built in bass capabilities.  

So, as the weather finally gets nice up here in the Northeast and the the 80 degree days are just around the corner, grab your nearest portable speaker and add 17 Memphis to your go-to summer playlist. For this talented tandem, the vibes are bright and the future is brighter.

17 Memphis Featured Four:

1. “Honey Jack” – As one of their biggest songs to date this sensually, whiskey-soaked track features the back-and-forth between Chelsea and Felix and highlights the soothing, perfectly collaborative nature in their voices.  Capable of syphoning their energy through a pair of headphones, the listener is brought into a world of love-drunk fun and games, all made possible by the classic summer libation, honey-flavored Jack Daniel’s. Enjoy this song on the beach with sweet whiskey on the rocks.
2. “Under The Night” – Recently overtaking “Honey Jack” as their most-streamed single on Spotify, this latest feature is your go-to track for diving head first into the 17 Memphis deep end. There’s no doubt that it’s a country song at heart.  With sentiments like, “I’ve been drowning in a sea of faces, city of lights, lonely places / Like a broken record playing that same old song tonight, tonight”, Chelsea and Felix bring you under their intoxicating influence, with vocal melodies peacefully crashing together like waves on a beach and the lyrics strongly supported by the hip-hop centric, production-heavy chorus that has us seamlessly swaying back and forth in time with them.  
3. “Won’t Be Us” – One of the songs from their latest record, this song is equally lyric- and music-focused.  As Chelsea takes the lead vocal on the chorus but splits the verses with Felix, they contemplate their future as a couple in plain language.  A tune as contemplative as it is catchy, the thought-provoking and banjo-backed “Won’t Be Us” is as definitively 17 Memphis as it gets.
4. “Drink To That” – One of the most impressive aspects of the duo is their ability to bounce lyrics and rhythms flawlessly off each other, both sequentially and simultaneously.  This song, which could easily be the country-pop anthem of the summer, features an airborne melody that includes the heavily-grounded electronic drums setting the stage for the fluttery Todd vocals balanced by Snow’s deeper tones.  When it comes to hot, steamy summer songs, this song soars to the top of the list, and 17 Memphis says it best: “Like [our] favorite song at 2 a.m., [we] just gotta play it back, and [we] can drink to that”!

 

Catch them at an upcoming show in your town! Check out 17 Memphis’ website here for tour dates, photos, additional info, and follow them on social media below!
Plus, get a live look into last month’s 17 Memphis performance at NYC’s Highline Ballroom:   Instagram      Facebook      Twitter      Spotify

Rhythm & Boots NYC playlist — 17 Memphis:

Rhythm & Boots NYC playlist — #FridayFinds:

 

Have a great weekend!
R&B NYC

 

Like and subscribe if you like what you’re reading…or just drop me a note to say hello!