Each Friday, Atwood Journal’s workers share what they’ve been listening to that week – a tune, an album, an artist – no matter’s been having an affect on them, within the second.
This week’s weekly roundup options music by Jordan Hawkins, Grime Flirt, Alex Porat, Jessy Blakemore, Claire Guerreso, Celebration Nails, MARLEY, World Information, Susannah Joffe, Chris Chu, gabby rivers, Mutual Shock, Geo Baddoo, Evalyn, Tristan Tritt, Stephan Hogan, Cory Cullinan & Riley Max, Chayne, Pink Skies, BOY SODA, Imbermind, Ash Purple, Foxtails Brigade, Staci Gruber, Telebox, PARK RD, Huge Concern, Altameda, Jake Thistle, & he’s tall.!
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observe WEEKLY ROUNDUP on Spotify 
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:: “Off Them Medication” – Jordan Hawkins ::
Mitch Mosk, Beacon, New York
Tright here’s no cooling off in Jordan Hawkins’ “Off Them Medication” – from the primary guitar lick to the ultimate vocal flare, the LA-based artist’s newest single simmers with unfiltered ardour and smoldering stress. His voice cuts by means of like smoke in a darkish room, charged with want and disillusionment. “You bought me burnt out / You should be tweaking out / You should be off them medicine,” he sings, leaning exhausting into the ache and absurdity of communication gone sideways. What begins as seduction unravels into confrontation, with Hawkins’ bluesy guitar enjoying each balm and accelerant.
“Off Them Medication” feels nearly voyeuristic in its intimacy – a late-night argument caught on tape, or the tail finish of a excessive when all the pieces out of the blue turns sideways. Hawkins describes it as “impressed by the backwards and forwards of a heated argument with my lady,” including, “Oftentimes in arguments we might lose our tempers and speak over one another to the purpose that nobody was being heard and nothing was making sense. Once I felt my lady was tripping about one thing I’d inform her she was off them medicine. If we had been ingesting or smoking it might solely amplify the difficulty and take us additional away from resolve. In a deeper sense it’s additionally a self-reflection of how substances can alter resolution making and readability usually to the detriment of efficient communication.”
That stress thrums by means of each second – within the clipped voicemails, the dissonant chords, the sharp stabs of frustration, and the pleading within the bridge: “Ache has been a trainer / and we nonetheless haven’t discovered our lesson but.” However for all its battle, there’s a cathartic edge to the monitor – a way that Hawkins isn’t simply venting, he’s excavating. Each be aware is tethered to one thing uncooked and actual. The tune itself ends in a fiery guitar solo that highlights not solely Hawkins’ virtuosity as a participant, however the guitar’s central position in his expression – a last burst of feeling that reminds us that when phrases break down, music takes over.
With “Off Them Medication,” Jordan Hawkins continues to carve out his house within the trendy soul-rock panorama – one which’s rooted in dwell instrumentation, emotional urgency, and uncompromising reality. It’s messy. It’s sensual. It’s human. And it hits.
:: Grime Flirt – Grime Flirt ::
Danielle Holian, Galway, Eire
On her self-titled debut EP Grime Flirt, London-based alt-pop pressure Equipment Eaton-Kent delivers a uncooked, unflinching portrait of queer identification, heartbreak, and the attractive chaos of rising into your self. As Grime Flirt, Eaton-Kent dismantles the partitions between vulnerability and pop precision, crafting 5 sonically numerous tracks that hit like diary entries wearing synth and distortion. From the bruised honesty of “Necklace” to the jagged self-awareness of “Dramatic,” every tune is a standalone vignette: messy, magnetic, and gut-wrenchingly actual. It’s the form of report that doesn’t simply invite you in; it calls for you are feeling all the pieces, unexpectedly.
Produced by Redshank and powered solely by Eaton-Kent’s writing and efficiency, Grime Flirt wears its emo roots proudly whereas pushing towards a future-facing alt-pop sound. Touchstones like The Japanese Home and 070 Shake echo by means of the manufacturing, however it’s Grime Flirt’s confessional voice and emotional daring that really set her aside. “Boyfriend” unpacks queer longing by means of candy-coated ache, “Bodycount” turns post-breakup guilt into an anthem, and nearer “Don’t Go” leaves you haunted, lingering within the silence of issues left unsaid. It’s no surprise the EP is catching fireplace throughout Spotify playlists; Grime Flirt is the sound of somebody claiming house, scars and all.
:: “Blueprint” – Alex Porat ::
Josh Weiner, Washington DC
I’m celebrating 10 years with Atwood Journal this month, and over the last decade that’s ensued since I first hopped onboard this high quality publication in June 2015, there have been loads of cases the place I’ve gotten to find varied new artists, after which rediscover them as soon as they get pitched to me once more months and even years later. Alex Porat is one such instance– I used to be first launched to this teenage Toronto singer again in August 2020, when lockdown was nonetheless in impact and, though the worldwide temper wasn’t fairly as gloomy because it had been 5 months prior, issues had been nonetheless fairly dreary. Fortunately, her bouncy and lighthearted single “by no means say ily once more” was in a position to choose my temper up significantly, one thing I nonetheless respect her for 5 years later. And now, it’s nice to get caught up in Ms. Porat’s progress– she has since continued to place out loads of music, together with her 2021 debut LP, MISS SICK WORLD, and now could be again with a model new single entitled “Blueprint.”
On this tune, Porat displays a couple of previous lover of whom she’s two minds about. On the one hand, issues didn’t actually work out with them. However, they’ve given her useful impressions as to easy methods to method romance that she’s benefitted from ever since. So… what to make of such an individual? Onerous to say, however it does make for an intriguing thematic idea, and the light ethereal beat and Porat’s ever-alluring vocal strengths make “Blueprint” a whole bundle. She’s additionally received lots extra of all that developing along with her new EP, crushed!, which she describes as “the kind of music somebody would dance round their room to once they get a textual content from the particular person they like.”
:: “burna” – Jessy Blakemore ::
Rachel Leong, France
London-based singer/songwriter Jessy Blakemore has launched her debut monitor, “burna,” alongside bonus single ‘shiloh sort beat.’ Having already made a reputation for herself with opening slots at SZA’s Hyde Park present final yr, Blakemore’s personal music has been a very long time coming. The long-awaited new music blends soulful vocals with an unforgettable presence, solely a peek of what’s to return for the artist.
“burna,” notably, shines with its tender energy – the monitor attests to Blakemore’s expansive songwriting talents, in addition to her reward in transporting you elsewhere along with her artistry. “burna” speaks to infidelity from a perspective outdoors of her personal, as she shares, “’burna’ is written from a man’s perspective of a eager to be with somebody who’s unavailable. it’s not a love tune, however quite a illustration of a projection of potential, after which blame for the emotions of battle that observe.”
With competition slots and extra music to return, Blakemore is just set to go upward from right here.
:: “Cross My Coronary heart”- Claire Guerreso ::
Chloe Robinson, California
Sometimes it may be troublesome to completely let go and simply be your self. Claire Guerreso’s single “Cross My Coronary heart” is about embracing who you really are, taking daring leaps, and shedding the burdens that maintain you again. With glistening melodies, catchy rhythms, and lyrics that ignite a spirit of journey, the monitor embodies the exhilaration of self-discovery and the pure pleasure of being current. She makes use of the idiom “cross my coronary heart and hope to die,” cleverly altering the expression to “fly.” The road completely sums up her message of seizing possibilities.
Guerreso blends a variety of types – similar to indie-pop, rock, digital, and soul – right into a sound that’s uniquely her personal. She gravitates towards music that faucets into uncooked, highly effective emotion, with a voice that feels each ethereal and weightless, seamlessly uniting each monitor. Past performing, she focuses on creating music for movie and tv, in addition to collaborating with different artists as a songwriter. She strikes between moody, atmospheric releases, high-energy dance anthems, and soul-searching ballads, infusing every with emotional depth. “Cross My Coronary heart” showcases that very same passionate high quality.
:: “Set off Warning” – Celebration Nails ::
Julius Robinson, California
Elana Carroll brings her skills as a singer, songwriter, producer, musician, and engineer collectively in her electrifying undertaking, Celebration Nails. She has simply launched her compelling new single and video coping with the aftermath of relationship abuse. Titled “Set off Warning,” the shimmering, synth-driven single channels the nostalgic attract of Chromatics and the moody depth of The Weeknd. Directed by Elinor Howells, the visuals deliver a vivid mix of surrealism and emotional depth to the music video. Bathed in a classic hue, the footage appears like a pale reminiscence. The narrative touches on themes of working away, constructing connection, internal reflection, private evolution, and rising above.
Earlier than adopting the moniker Celebration Nails, Carroll was a guitar-wielding preteen acting at each open mic she might discover round her hometown of Chatham, New York. At house, she started experimenting with Storage Band, sparking a ardour for music manufacturing that also drives her in the present day. Celebration Nails formally emerged in 2015 with the discharge of “Break”. She has totally honed in on her craft and “Set off Warning” shows her talent seamlessly.
:: “Good Occasions” – MARLEY ::
Joe Beer, Surrey, UK
London-based Dutch artist MARLEY reminds us that cash can’t purchase happiness in her newest single, “Good Occasions.” With silky pop-soul manufacturing from PENGWIN and a voice that instructions consideration, Marley delivers a modern, glittery anthem that questions the phantasm of success. As an alternative of glamorizing opulence, MARLEY invitations listeners to look inward, pertaining to themes of self-worth and emotional honesty. Written after a interval spent working intently with rich people, the songwriter realized that beneath the glitz and the glam, issues weren’t at all times so shiny. She confides, “I used to suppose they’d all of it discovered, however it wasn’t true. Happiness doesn’t come from Bentleys or marble flooring. It comes from inside.”
With a horny bassline, soul-soaked vocals and a cool beat, “Good Occasions” is the last word ear-worm, paying homage to Amy Winehouse and Stevie Surprise. MARLEY sings, “I’m not right here for a very long time, only a good time,” a lyric that shimmers with optimism, reminding us to hunt out the enjoyment within the on a regular basis, even when life feels heavy. It’s a message of lightness that lands with explicit resonance within the midst of unsure instances.
:: “Don’t Wish to Know” – World Information ::
Mitch Mosk, Beacon, New York
World Information make escapism sound like an artform on “Don’t Wish to Know.” Soaked in glimmering delay and a gliding, ever-climbing guitar line that channels the widescreen surprise of Achtung Child-era U2, the Brighton-bred, London-based band’s newest tune is indie rock constructed for movement – stressed legs, blurry skies, cities passing by in a trance. However the place the sonics are light-filled, the sentiment is heavy. “No I don’t need to know what it’s gonna be like / Don’t need to know simply go away me be,” frontman Alex Evans sings, his voice cool and indifferent in opposition to the monitor’s euphoric swell. That push and pull – sonic brightness wrapped round lyrical bruises – proves a robust, immediately and endlessly alluring stress.
Evans wrote the lyrics after a tough touchdown in Brighton: “I wrote the lyrics not lengthy after shifting to Brighton; a brand new chapter that didn’t precisely go to plan,” he explains. “I received fired from a bar job for calling in sick with the flu, and that was form of the tipping level. I shut down, went full hermit mode, and couldn’t face anybody. The tune got here out of that headspace – while you’re caught in a fog of despair, struggling to do even fundamental duties and pushing away the individuals who really care.” It’s a tune of isolation disguised as a banger – self-sabotage set to a glowing beat.
That distinction is a part of what makes World Information so compelling. Their music wears classic influences on its sleeve – suppose The Smiths, The Remedy, even Dire Straits of their dreamier moments – however there’s a contemporary malaise baked into each chorus. The road “don’t need to know your title / however darling gained’t you continue to be mine?” is virtually a thesis assertion: Prickly, romantic, and confused in essentially the most human means.
With “Don’t Wish to Know,” the British band discover readability by means of catharsis, spinning collapse into one thing you’ll be able to dance to. It’s moody. It’s magnetic. And it lingers lengthy after the final be aware fades.
:: “Horses Can’t Outrun Me” – Susannah Joffe ::
Josh Weiner, Washington DC
I was launched to Susannah Joffe just a few months in the past by means of her tune “Sofia Coppola,” and it’s tremendous to see her come out with one other tune, “Horses Can’t Outrun Me” (meaning she will be able to doubtlessly high 43.71 mph– take that, Usain!). Within the artist’s personal phrases, “‘Horses Can’t Outrun Me’ is a cinematic dream-pop monitor that blends nostalgic ’80s pop with shoegaze textures, telling a narrative of emotional escape by means of Americana-laced imagery and vivid, surreal longing.” It’s a tune that’s mainly about being free to pursue your personal path, no matter which may be and wherever it might lead you, and it makes for an uplifting and gratifying hear.
Each “Horses Can’t Outrun Us” and “Sofia Coppola” are to be included on Joffe’s upcoming EP, Cult Chief. After a stable two-part pattern of that undertaking, think about me wholly prepared for the full-course meal in a while this summer season!
:: “Carrying On” – Chris Chu ::
Mitch Mosk, Beacon, New York
Warm and wondrous, candy and smile-inducing, Chris Chu’s “Carrying On” drifts in like daylight by means of gauze – tender, weightless, and quietly breathtaking. The POP ETC frontman’s first solo single feels nearly impossibly light given the trauma that birthed it: A near-fatal bike accident, a damaged backbone, a traumatic mind harm, and 6 months of misplaced time. And but, from that darkness got here one thing radiant – a dreamlike tune about reminiscence, mortality, and the quiet, on a regular basis resolution to maintain going. “Took my bike out for a trip / awoke respiration by means of a tube,” he sings, his voice feather-light, tethered to a fragile sense of surprise.
“Final summer season I went on a motorcycle trip and by no means got here house,” Chu shares. “I awoke in a hospital room with a damaged backbone, a traumatic mind harm, and had f*ed up my face so badly I might barely communicate. Each physician I noticed stated I used to be fortunate to be alive. I can’t bear in mind something concerning the accident. I’m nonetheless making an attempt to piece collectively a few of it from goals and what others have instructed me. From what I can inform, there’s a interval of round 6 months there, the place I’ve little to no reminiscence in any respect. However I assume someplace in the course of recovering from all that, nonetheless carrying a chest brace and floating by means of some unusual drugged up dreamlike existence, I began making music once more. Listening to songs in my head about dying, concerning the trauma and the ache. And songs about gratitude. Selecting to dwell. I later found that I had recorded a complete album throughout this time that I’ve no reminiscence of creating.”
“Carrying On” is the primary glimpse of that unintended, unconscious album – a set of songs that clearly wanted to be made. And whereas a few of the lyrics reduce deep (“now I can’t cease all this crying / simply crawling up that hill”), the tune itself feels something however heavy. There’s a smooth pulse within the rhythm, a refined swell within the synths, a hush in Chu’s supply that makes it really feel like a secret being handed hand at hand. It’s not a lament; it’s a lullaby for the dwelling.
“Once I first re-discovered these songs it was form of disorienting,” Chu says. “It was nearly as if another person solely had written and sang them. A number of the lyrics are fairly bleak and intense on paper. However the feeling I get from listening to the album now is definitely fairly hopeful. It appears like somebody who’s impressed to create one thing within the face of all that ache. It appears like somebody who needs to maintain on dwelling.”
In a world that hardly ever slows down, Chris Chu’s “Carrying On” is a delicate invitation to pause – to really feel the load of what we’ve survived, and to maintain going anyway. It’s not loud. It doesn’t demand consideration, however it leaves a mark, smooth and shimmering as a bruise. It’s an ode to life; an intimate homage to being alive.
:: “Lipstick Karma” – Gabby Rivers ::
Danielle Holian, Galway, Eire
Gabby Rivers returns with a sonic firecracker in “Lipstick Karma,” a fierce and fearless evolution that sees the Suffolk-based artist faucet right into a darker, extra cathartic register. This isn’t only a single; it’s a press release. Edgy, emotionally uncooked, and sonically gripping, Lipstick Karma struts into the alt-rock house with sufficient chew to depart a mark, and sufficient coronary heart to make it linger.
From the outset, the monitor buzzes with stress, angular guitars and tight, boxy drums create a nervous power that mirrors the story behind the tune. Rivers’ vocals are compellingly unguarded, shifting from processed vulnerability to full-throttle defiance because the refrain explodes with distorted textures and an addictive melodic punch. It’s equal elements angst and anthemic, the sound of somebody reclaiming their narrative with grit and elegance.
What units “Lipstick Karma” aside is its emotional readability. The monitor channels a private, painful expertise into one thing triumphant and common. It’s within the refined manufacturing decisions, the eerie vocal results, the rising depth and within the confidence of an artist who is aware of precisely what she needs to say, and easy methods to say it. Gabby Rivers is now not only one to observe; she’s one to observe intently. With “Lipstick Karma,” she’s not simply discovering her voice; she’s amplifying it.
:: Nervous Programs – Mutual Shock ::
Danielle Holian, Galway, Eire
On Nervous Programs, Dan Powers – underneath his shadowy solo alias Mutual Shock – emerges as a significant new voice within the darker fringes of digital music. Increasing on the promise of 2024’s “Stimulus Development” EP, Powers plunges headlong right into a ten-track descent by means of the psyche of a world teetering on the sting. Fusing chilly wave minimalism with synthpop’s glimmer and post-industrial grit, the album evokes the stress of cities at night time and the gradual hum of existential dread. It’s a haunted, cinematic panorama the place analog heat meets digital detachment, channeling the likes of Boy Harsher and Drab Majesty whereas carving out a definite emotional register all its personal.
However Nervous Programs isn’t nearly aesthetics, it’s deeply thematic, a treatise on alienation within the period of hyperconnectivity and the psychic weight of contemporary life. Powers delivers lyrics like whispered confessions from the tip of the world, confronting the psychic toll of labor, media saturation, and the quiet collapse of which means. Songs like “Destroyer” and “Physique Collectively” pulse with urgency, whereas tracks like “Bore Me” simmer in ennui, capturing the blurred strains between intimacy and isolation. The result’s a report as emotionally gripping as it’s sonically immersive. “Nervous Programs” doesn’t simply soundtrack our fractured actuality; it dares to really feel its each crack.
:: “Look At Me” – Geo Baddoo ::
Rachel Leong, France
Geo Baddoo is a British singer, songwriter and producer who’s presently making waves on the scene. The British artist returns along with her ethereal new monitor, “Look At Me,” a rhythmic and eclectic exploration of resonant feelings. Mixing jazz, deep home, and R&B, the monitor calls for your ear in a means that stays with you lengthy after you’ve heard it.
“Look At Me” embraces genre-bending textures and fusion soundscapes, mirroring the tensions of current being and exterior perceptions. Baddoo shares that the monitor was written from her emotions on these polarities, and what arose was a dynamic personification of launch. Main with tender vocals and style expansivity, “Look At Me” is a defiant new chapter of her music.
She shares poignantly, “‘Take a look at Me’ captures the sensation of being in full bloom – open, grounded, and prepared for no matter comes subsequent. It’s a celebration of internal energy and resilience.”
:: “The Feeling”- Evalyn ::
Julius Robinson, California
Alluring artist Evalyn’s new single and music video delivers an unbelievable electro sonic rush. Referred to as “The Feeling,” the monitor is a high-octane blast of nostalgia, drawing from the euphoric soundscapes of early 2010s pop. The piece is an ode to surrendering to the chaos of existence and diving headfirst into one thing uncooked, wild, and instinctive. The music video options Evalyn in a warehouse, shedding herself within the music and dancing freely alongside a gaggle of pals. The visuals are a flawless reflection of the tune’s power.
For greater than ten years, Evalyn has remodeled her private struggles into deeply shifting pop songs. Primarily based in Los Angeles and with over 130 million streams on Spotify, she’s again along with her most daring undertaking but – A Quiet Life – an album exploring the complexities of contemporary consciousness by means of the lens of quickly changing into a mom. She has established herself within the music scene by means of collaborations with business heavyweights like Dillon Francis and RAC.
:: “Wannabe” – Tristan Tritt ::
Julius Robinson, California
Tristan Tritt delivers a novel fusion of Southern rock and various sounds. His single “Wannabe” serves as each a heartfelt tribute to his roots – honoring his father, Grammy-winning nation star Travis Tritt – and a assured enterprise into broader musical landscapes. The soulful tune is a honest dive into who he’s and the place he comes from. Tritt reveals, “There’s a very particular place in my coronary heart, regarding the relationship between the Father and his Son.” Sweeping guitar riffs, entrancing rhythms, and hovering melodies convey a timeless emotion of want and freedom.
The singer tells the story of America by means of his music, valuing simplicity and at all times pushing his inventive boundaries. As a proud Southern artist from Georgia, he embraces his true self and the musical influences which have formed him. His sound is a novel mixture of Southern rock, nation, blues, and various, reflecting his private journey and inventive development. By crossing style strains, he honors the legacy of his musical position fashions like The Black Crowes, Koe Wetzel, Colter Wall, and Tom Petty, whereas injecting a recent, cutting-edge really feel.
:: “You or the West Coast” – Stephan Hogan ::
Chloe Robinson, California
Stephan Hogan’s “You or the West Coast” is a stirring piece oozing with uncooked sentiment. The monitor displays on these moments while you’re torn between the solace of somebody you like and the leap towards one thing higher and unsure. With a easy piano melody and heat, emotive vocals, the tune’s coronary heart instantly bursts by means of. Evoking the vibe of Morgan Wallen, Hogan possesses that very same expressive ardour. His lyrics are extremely vivid, portray a powerful image within the listener’s thoughts.
Hogan is an acclaimed musician, podcast host, and media entrepreneur. He usually performs at Nashville’s legendary Bluebird Café and was personally acknowledged by Vince Gill – nation music’s most-awarded Grammy winner and present guitarist for The Eagles – as one in every of his high 5 favourite guitarists. His accomplishments are spectacular, and this single is a outstanding addition to all he’s achieved.
:: “2025 Alive” – Cory Cullinan ::
Chloe Robinson, California
“2025 Alive” is a cutting-edge, progressive musical and visible expertise from musician, commissioned composer, writer, award-winning educator, speaker, and studio proprietor Cory Cullinan, that includes singer/songwriter Riley Max. This high-tech, improvised efficiency displays the chaos of dwelling in 2025. The eccentric, experimental instrumentation is deeply fascinating and profound.
Cullinan reveals, “2025 Alive has vocals all through however just one lyric: ‘Take a look at.’ This phrase is straight away deconstructed and splintered into items, like a lot in our trendy world. Whether or not present occasions are testing your resolve in a tradition you really liked, otherwise you help those that are testing simply how far we are able to break or reform our norms, this premise is apropos of what you’re experiencing in 2025.”
Cullinan’s latest work, 2025 Alive, is a deeply expressive, multigenerational multimedia collaboration. The avant-garde piece is carried out by famend singer-songwriter Riley Max, and the accompanying movie – a vivid cinematic dreamscape – was directed by his daughter, Sidney Cullinan. A Stanford music graduate, Cullinan possesses a powerful sophistication as a composer, and you’ll hear that refinement all through this riveting work.
:: “It’s Gone, He’s Gone” – Chayne ::
Joe Beer, Surrey, UK
17-year-old British alt-pop artist Chayne proves that ordinary is boring along with her new single, “It’s Gone, He’s Gone.” Primarily based within the South of France, the younger musician defies genre-norms with the quirky launch, injecting enjoyable and lightheartedness into her sound. The monitor speaks about strolling away from one thing (or somebody) that now not serves you.
Chayne shares, “I hear bizarre tales about what folks put up with and I’m amazed how crap they really feel. I simply wished to be as nonchalant and sardonic as I wish to be after a break-up! Actually, I’d hope that this tune may make folks suppose they’ll see the positives in a break-up. It might not really feel prefer it, however it’s in all probability for the perfect – so be sturdy and have fun!”
Her zest for all times and carefree perspective is infectious, with “It’s Gone, He’s Gone” showcasing her potential to show heartbreak into empowerment, all wrapped in a playful, offbeat alt-pop bundle that refuses to take itself too critically.
:: “Perpetually” – Pink Skies ::
Mitch Mosk, Beacon, New York
Pink Skies’ “Perpetually” appears like freedom bottled up and set to music. It’s upbeat, energetic, and euphoric – a rush of open air and unfiltered feeling, made for backseats, balconies, and nights that by no means appear to finish. “Can we keep like this ceaselessly?” Arieh Berl sings, his voice breezy and vibrant over a backdrop of dusty guitars and kaleidoscopic synths. It’s the primary single off Pink Skies’ upcoming album, and a becoming reintroduction to Berl’s psychedelic-pop undertaking – one rooted in his Bay Space upbringing and formed by a genre-blurring mix of indie rock, chillwave, and cosmic nostalgia.
“Perpetually” was born by chance, within the afterglow of lengthy days on the street. “[It] kinda simply fell out of me,” Berl shares. “I used to be engaged on a manufacturing for another person and by accident stumbled into this tune. I pulled out my cellphone, recorded a tough model, and the verse and refrain had been simply… there. It was proper after we had been touring nonstop – driving everywhere in the nation, by means of sizzling summer season days in Texas, Tennessee, the Southwest. Discovering swimming holes in Austin and Phoenix, simply chasing the solar and dwelling free like a band will get to do generally.”
That sense of escape pulses by means of each be aware – not simply within the lyrics (“On daily basis feels just like the 4th of July / sneaking out singing in the course of the night time”), however within the feeling that this tune might stretch on endlessly. Berl explains, “The tune is about these moments that really feel like they might final ceaselessly. Like driving behind your pal’s truck to the lake, or a 4th of July on Lake Tahoe. You neglect the world exists – simply you, somebody you like, and the open sky. However behind that bliss is the quiet reality: nothing actually lasts ceaselessly. That’s what makes these moments so particular. They’re fleeting. They usually’re the rationale this nation, for all its chaos, nonetheless feels price combating for. I would like folks to blast this on street journeys, sing it at household barbecues twenty years from now, and bear in mind a time when life felt good – even when it was only for a minute.”
In simply three minutes, Pink Skies encapsulates these candy, fleeting emotions that cross us by too rapidly, however dwell a lifetime in our reminiscences. “Perpetually” is greater than a tune – it’s a time capsule, a sun-soaked snapshot of pleasure in movement. And in capturing the sensation of an ideal second simply earlier than it slips away, Pink Skies reminds us why we chase these reminiscences within the first place.
:: “Lil’ Obsession” – BOY SODA ::
Mitch Mosk, Beacon, New York
BOY SODA’s “Lil’ Obsession” is the form of monitor that leaves a mark lengthy after its last be aware – a searing, soul-slick slow-burn that glows with each readability and restraint. The Australian artist’s voice is a magnetic pressure all through: Uncooked, husky, and wealthy with feeling, churning over feverish drums, radiant harmonies, and kaleidoscopic keys. It’s a sound each grounded and expansive, jazz-tinged and pop-smart, steeped in heartbreak however by no means consumed by it. He doesn’t wallow – he rises, singing by means of the smoke of a love that’s already burned out.
Launched in late January, “Lil’ Obsession” is the primary glimpse into BOY SODA’s subsequent period – a daring, live-instrumentation-heavy chapter crafted within the Blue Mountains of New South Wales, alongside a neighborhood of classically skilled musicians and culturally wealthy co-writers. “‘Lil Obsession’ is about letting go, and surrendering to the truth of a relationship that’s been ruptured, or served its objective,” he shares. “Making it introduced self validation and launch, and helped me actualise emotions I used to be struggling to articulate, as music usually does. It’s not a ‘f* you’ tune by any means – extra of a private recount primarily based on true occasions. I’m actually excited to introduce these dwell components, and tone of voice to those that discover it, as a result of it marks the start of a brand new period, creatively and spiritually for me.”
That duality pulses by means of each line – half closure, half confession. “If we go no-contact, I don’t take no pleasure / and the remainder is as much as future at her discretion,” he sings, letting go together with grace, however not with out edge. There’s a chew within the supply, however by no means bitterness. As an alternative, it’s self-possession – the sound of somebody reclaiming their energy with out erasing their previous.
For all its complexity, “Lil’ Obsession” by no means overreaches. It simmers, sways, and finally surrenders – a breakup tune with brains, a groove, and a heartbeat. With this monitor, BOY SODA doesn’t simply flip the web page – he units the tone for all the pieces that’s coming subsequent.
:: “By no means Ending” – Imbermind ::
Danielle Holian, Galway, Eire
Tright here’s a pulse beneath “By no means Ending” that doesn’t simply transfer, it breathes. Imbermind’s debut appears like nightfall stretching into daybreak, a meditation in movement, the place silence is simply as essential as sound. Synths glide like passing clouds, rhythms arrive like reminiscence, gradual, sure, and unusually acquainted. The album doesn’t shout; it shimmers, providing a world not constructed to impress, however to immerse. It’s music that catches you off-guard, not with spectacle, however with stillness.
Every monitor unfolds like a whispered confession, wrapped in velvet textures and weightless manufacturing. Vocals drift out and in of focus, like ideas half-formed, but totally felt. There’s a form of bravery within the restraint, the way in which emotion simmers as a substitute of boiling over. The electronics don’t dominate; they help, improve, and dissolve. This isn’t a soundtrack for the membership or the group. It’s for the in-between moments, the afters, the alone, the awakenings.
In a time when immediacy usually wins, “By no means Ending” is unafraid to take its time. It invitations you to lean in, to get misplaced, to really feel one thing quieter and deeper. Imbermind hasn’t simply made a debut: they’ve crafted a dwelling soundscape, one which lingers lengthy after the ultimate be aware fades. It doesn’t finish. It echoes.
:: STUPID EP – Ash Purple ::
Danielle Holian, Galway, Eire
Ash Purple’s STUPID EP, launched by way of Blowtorch Data, is a putting doc of a band caught mid-evolution. It’s really a restlessly shifting, but rooted in a sound that already feels distinct and guaranteed. The trio, recognized for his or her darkish, bass-driven post-punk, haven’t misplaced their edge. If something, they’ve sharpened it, wielding it with extra intent and management than ever earlier than.
What’s most compelling about STUPID EP is its ambiance, without delay brooding and electrical, it appears like the stress earlier than a storm breaks. The manufacturing avoids polish in favor of immediacy, capturing the crackle of live-room power with out sacrificing sonic depth. There’s a way of house right here, reverb-drenched and moody, the place influences like Pleasure Division and The Remedy hover slightly below the floor, whereas the band’s personal identification continues to push ahead.
This EP doesn’t simply mark a transition; it celebrates it. Ash Purple enable tough edges to point out, trusting the listener to search out which means within the mess and sweetness within the noise. The result’s uncooked, very important, and thrillingly trustworthy, a daring prelude to a debut album that now feels stuffed with promise.
:: “Gimme a Signal” – Foxtails Brigade ::
Mitch Mosk, Beacon, New York
Foxtails Brigade’s “Gimme a Signal” hits like a cry at the hours of darkness – uncooked, aching, and dazzling unexpectedly. A standout from the band’s lately launched Purple Album, the tune captures a form of existential limbo: The aching query of whether or not it’s time to carry on or let go. “Gimme an indication / one thing I might acknowledge, a clue / one thing to carry on to,” Laura Weinbach pleads over glistening guitar strains and a hovering refrain. There’s a pulse of desperation in her voice, but additionally resilience – a want for which means, for proof, for one thing actual to imagine in.
Whereas previous releases leaned into baroque prospers and theatrical edges, “Gimme a Signal” is a pop/rock anthem in full – modern and melodic, however by no means shedding the band’s off-kilter allure. Constructed on nylon-string riffs, unpredictable percussion, and large, cathartic hooks, the tune channels Foxtails Brigade’s signature mix of darkish whimsy and sharp precision. It’s a tune for anybody hanging by a thread – and questioning if the thread is even actual.
As Weinbach explains, the tune got here from a really actual place of doubt: “John Leguizamo as soon as stated of (Latin) artists one thing to the impact of, ‘For some, the door is broad open; for others, they must crowbar it open.’ The sentiment of that message has rung and resonated in my thoughts all through my now decades-long journey as a musician. For me, it has at all times been the crowbar methodology – and even then, I’m undecided I’ve ever been profitable at getting the door open… you simply need to know that the work you do issues – that it’s related and means one thing – and that it gained’t die in a pit of obscurity as quickly as you let it exit into the world… And so one finds oneself asking for an indication. The tune emerged whereas Anton and I had been strolling down the road, simply speaking about all this kinda stuff – and from there music just about wrote itself.”
Led by Bay Space songwriter and guitarist Laura Weinbach, Foxtails Brigade has carved out an area for themselves on the crossroads of eccentricity and class. Their music is theatrical however by no means overwrought, exact however stuffed with coronary heart – and on “Gimme a Signal,” all that stress finds launch. It’s a tune about combating obscurity, about staying seen, about asking the query each artist (and particular person) finally does: does this matter? The wonder is in the way it solutions itself – not with certainty, however with sound.
:: “Be Sort With My Coronary heart” – Staci Gruber ::
Chloe Robinson, California
Infidelity in a relationship is tough to get previous. There are such a lot of feelings left within the aftermath. Nation-meets-Americana artist Staci Gruber’s tune “Be Sort With My Coronary heart” particulars the fallout from betrayal or unfaithfulness and the frequent emotions that come up afterward. Her heat, earnest vocals emit deep-rooted ardour. She shares, “Every one in every of us experiences a lot all through our lives – pleasure, sorrow, love, loss. They assist to outline us and permit us to evolve. We’ve all been heartbroken and felt betrayed, questioning if we’ll make it by means of. Be Sort With My Coronary heart echoes the sentiment that it doesn’t matter what position we play in misplaced love, kindness is essential.”
Staci Gruber is a Boston-based artist whose outstanding musical expertise and compelling songwriting draw listeners in. She weaves collectively her personal life tales with the feelings of others, crafting music that profoundly explores emotions of isolation, loneliness, and hope. This gorgeous ballad is one other launch that grips us.
:: “Shadow of a Coronary heart” – Telebox ::
Danielle Holian, Galway, Eire
With “c,” Galway alt-rock outfit Telebox ship a haunting, richly textured meditation on habit, loss, and emotional decay. The one marks a putting evolution within the band’s sound, weaving components of shoegaze, post-punk, and alt-rock into an immersive sonic panorama. Fuzzy guitars shimmer with grit and sweetness, melodic vocals carry a heavy emotional weight, and the rhythm part grounds the monitor with a pulsing urgency that mirrors the internal turmoil explored within the lyrics. The construction resists conference, unfolding like a descent, gradual, chaotic, and deeply affecting, with out ever shedding its sense of route or energy.
The band present spectacular emotional vary, providing a perspective that’s empathetic, trustworthy, and unflinching. The manufacturing, helmed in a distant Burren house studio with Daithí Ó Dronaí, captures the intimacy and depth of the monitor with outstanding readability. There’s a rawness right here that doesn’t really feel unfinished, as a substitute, it feels intentional and very important, like each imperfection provides weight to the message. Telebox have created greater than a tune; “Shadow of a Coronary heart” is a visceral expertise, and it cements their fame as one in every of Eire’s most compelling rising acts.
:: “English Boy” – PARK RD ::
Mitch Mosk, Beacon, New York
PARK RD’s “English Boy” is a headrush – insatiable, feverish, and fully irresistible. The New Zealand indie rockers throw themselves right into a full-bodied emotional upheaval, channeling want, rejection, and self-doubt right into a rousing, overdrive-laced anthem. It’s brief, sharp, and explosive – full of uncooked guitar riffs, thunderous percussion, and a vocal supply that walks the road between weak and unhinged. “You gained’t textual content again / I preserve taking a look at my cellphone / why does it damage like that,” Tom Chamberlain sings, as if nonetheless catching his breath from the night time earlier than. You may really feel the ache in each phrase, however the music barrels ahead like a freight prepare.
The tune’s origin story is as instant as its sound. “English Boy got here from a band follow the place it was initially a ten minute lengthy jam, and the primary verse got here on the very starting,” Chamberlain shares. “It was a type of magic moments in music the place all the pieces simply comes collectively. On the time I had a crush on this lady, and I hadn’t had a crush in ages earlier than that. She didn’t like me again as a lot, in order that’s the place the primary strains of the tune come from – ‘you gained’t textual content again, I preserve taking a look at my cellphone, why does it damage like that?’”
Produced alongside Jol Mulholland (Neil & Liam Finn, Connan Mockasin), “English Boy” marks an exhilarating subsequent chapter for PARK RD – louder, leaner, and extra emotionally uncovered. There’s a fever dream high quality to all of it: Shout-along hooks, movie-scene references (“Watched that film / True Romance / I desire a date like that”), and the determined momentum of an evening you’re making an attempt to neglect. It’s a heartbreak tune in movement – an anthem for anybody who’s ever confused ache for ardour, or turned rejection into artwork.
With this launch, PARK RD sharpen their sound and naked their enamel. “English Boy” isn’t only a standout – it’s a siren.
:: “Mildew” – Huge Concern ::
Danielle Holian, Galway, Eire
With “Mildew,” Huge Concern step additional into their unsettling, art-pop universe, an area the place magnificence and dread collide underneath a glittering, artificial sky. The monitor is a haunting meditation on agoraphobia and internalised anxiousness, rendered in dazzling textures: shimmering analogue synths, taut drum grooves, and intricately layered guitars that shimmer like reflections on moist pavement. Alice Edwards delivers a efficiency that’s each operatic and deeply intimate, her voice threading fragility by means of theatrical poise. It’s an bold piece of sonic storytelling, half confession, half confrontation – and its ambition pays off.
Working with producer Charlie Andrew, the trio distill existential dread into one thing oddly euphoric, spinning concern into fascination with outstanding management and creativity. “Mildew” doesn’t simply underscore Huge Concern’s knack for crafting emotionally resonant alt-pop; it cements them as one of the compelling new voices in UK music. Equal elements spectacle and sincerity, the one captures the dizzying stress of dwelling in your personal head and the unusual, shimmering magnificence that may nonetheless be discovered there.
:: “Physique Spray” – Altameda ::
Mitch Mosk, Beacon, New York
Altameda’s “Physique Spray” smolders with longing, remorse, and a flicker of defiance — a quietly devastating alt-folk confessional wrapped in lavender smoke and fading reminiscences. The Canadian duo, made up of vocalist-guitarist Troy Snaterse and instrumentalist Erik Grice, toe the road between nostalgia and renewal as they hint the define of a fractured relationship and a youth spent setting literal fires to suburban entrance lawns. “I bear in mind beginning fires in your entrance garden / with lighters and physique spray,” Snaterse sings, his voice hushed and haunted, suspended within the haze of what was and what is going to by no means be.
“Physique Spray” builds its world from scraps of dialog and cigarette-light exchanges — a narrative instructed in fragments, confessions, and too-late apologies. “Are you and Teddy nonetheless dwelling by the airport? / I wager it will get so loud you’ll be able to’t hear your self cry anymore,” the narrator asks, determined for connection, for an escape hatch, for something to carry onto. The instrumentation stays light however regular, a quiet pulse beneath the emotional weight, mixing Americana, neo-folk, and alt-country with a cinematic contact.
“‘Physique Spray’ confronts the confusion that the principal character is experiencing when confronted with mistreatment from their lover, and nostalgia for his or her previous,” Snaterse explains. “Determined to search out an escape they fantasize about being able to fly away and start a brand new life. The character confides in and reminisces with a previous lover about days of their youth — the place they might trigger mischief collectively and light-weight fires with cans of physique spray. The lavender clouds of smoke rising from the flames and dispersing symbolizes the fragility of time, and serves as a reminder that nothing lasts ceaselessly, higher or for worse.”
With “Physique Spray,” Altameda show as soon as once more why they’re amongst Canada’s most compelling voices in trendy Americana. Contemporary off a JUNO nomination for his or her 2022 album Born Losers, and a standout displaying at AmericanaFest UK, the Toronto-based band proceed to craft music that doesn’t simply sound good — it lingers. Like smoke within the air. Like a reminiscence you’re not able to let go.
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:: “waterboy.” – he’s tall. ::
Mitch Mosk, Beacon, New York
he is tall.’s “waterboy.” is the form of tune that makes the solar really feel hotter, the air a bit of lighter. It’s tender and nostalgic, full of sentimental acoustic strums and delicate affirmations, capturing the essence of a reminiscence so candy it aches. Written as a loving homage to The Waterboy – a film that’s “like jewellery” to the Danish singer-songwriter Troels Thorkild Sørensen – the tune is greater than a tribute. It’s a quiet, heartwarming folk-pop serenade to like, presence, and the golden moments that linger in our minds lengthy after they’ve handed. “All I wanna do / is to sit down with you / shut all of it down and really feel the solar by means of the window,” he sings, and it appears like an invite to exhale.
“Humorous and fascinating, what we get emotionally connected to,” Sørensen shares. “However by some means a really dorky American comedy has develop into like jewellery to me, possibly even an heirloom. The room you led me into was like a teaser of the longer term, and now I’m past that, lacking you and the way the connection was. Humorous how life is – as a result of now I want there was a door resulting in the previous. All I need to do is to sit down with you, really feel the solar by means of the window and listen to you telling me that you simply’ll be there for me – you’re my waterboy.”
Regardless of the lowercase moniker, he’s tall. has been steadily rising throughout Denmark and past. Primarily based in Copenhagen and recognized for his weak, heartfelt songwriting, he’s supported artists like Tyler Childers and Brandy Clark, toured by means of Germany, and earned popularity of his 2022 debut EP it’s at all times been you. Now signed to Berlin’s Greywood Data, he brings a novel mix of American storytelling and Northern European heat — introspective, comforting, and at all times honest.
“waterboy.” could also be impressed by a goofy film, however what it captures is quietly profound: the consolation of familiarity, the sweetness of straightforward joys, and the eager for one thing – or somebody – you’ll be able to’t fairly get again. It’s a tune that sits with you, shoulder to shoulder, and says: I’m right here. You’re not alone.
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