Emma Hunter’s third EP, Morire, emerges as a defiant rejection of sonic predictability, marking a high point in the Oxford-based singer-songwriter, guitarist and loop artist’s career with a collection that’s as audaciously raw as it is artistically sophisticated. With Tom Bruce’s trip-hop-infused percussion, the 50s-inspired Flamenco-guitar-licked EP unfolds a landscape soaked in cinematic tones and intricate, chanteuse-esque harmonies that narrate a four-part poetic anthology of turmoil. Every chapter brings you closer to the darkest corridors of the mind as it navigates an imperfect world, f ..read more

With her standout single, Reprieve, the self-sustained DIY artist Raven Ives delves into an introspective journey, channelling her creative vulnerability into a brooding synthesis of trip-hop, dark pop, and a touch of neo-classical ambience. Reprieve pulsates with a lifeblood of nuanced emotions, each beat and lyric paving a path deep into the heart’s recesses. This single is a testament to Violet’s refusal to blend into the pop milieu, avoiding the pitfalls of sonic assimilation with a bold, unyielding voice. Her approach to music, deeply rooted in emotional and artistic exploration, avoids d ..read more

If The Last Dinner Party added one more guest, based on the zanily baroque theatrics in the title single, My Dear, from his debut EP, Emanuel Edner would be the guest of honour. Edner, who deserves to go down in history as the ultimate aural debonair, created the ultimate equilibrium between dark and twisted musical theatre and a slick electro-pop aesthetic that would be equally at home in the Kraftwerk discography. As the track progresses, the synth-swathed groove pockets deepen with the licks of funk and modernised blues, refusing to fit within the parameters of pigeonholes in the process. Y ..read more

Magenta Wave’s latest single, “Why Am I In Love With You,” vocally tears at the heartstrings with a fervency akin to Thom Yorke and Frightened Rabbit’s Scott Hutchinson. This track is an atom bomb of melancholy that flips the usual narrative of romanticism upside down. It melodically implores listeners to explore the agony of falling in love when your relationship with yourself is on unsteady ground. With the guitars sonically visualising the disorientation of losing control under another’s influence, and the rhythm section driving this tormented vignette forward, the vocals find an achingly a ..read more

Brikcs, a visionary from the ethereal edges of music’s evolving landscape, delivered a profound auditory experience in his latest single, King. With a foundation laid by a Mogwai-meets-Portishead neo-classic intro of eloquent keys and phantasmically distorted vocal notes, the track boldly transitions into the dark territories of trap. If you went down the rabbit hole and instead of finding wonderland you entered innovation’s nirvana and met your demons, your trip would come a close visceral second to hitting play on King. The artistic juxtaposition in King — between harsh, ensnaring bars and t ..read more

Lolita Terrorist Sounds, the Berlin-based avant-garde ensemble, ensnared once again with their latest single, Mind the Gap, which pulls you into the audacious heart of Berlin’s artistic underbelly. Fronted by the enigmatic Maurizio Vitale, the band continues to smash aural archetypes with devil-may-care panache by blending provocative themes with ground-breaking sounds. Mind the Gap is a vivid reflection of this ethos. The single, an aural equivalent of arthouse cinema, swaggers through the debauched realms of Avant-Garde post-punk with a Lynchian flair. It’s a track that doesn’t just play; it ..read more

In an evocative conversation with Strange Tides, the artist delves into the profound themes encapsulated in their latest EP, ‘Differentiation’. This collection of songs emerges from a decade of transformative experiences, reflecting on personal growth, familial roles, and spiritual introspection. With a candid exploration of breaking away from past influences to forge a unique identity, Strange Tides discusses the intricate process of songwriting that mirrors their journey towards self-definition. This interview not only reveals the artist’s struggle with faith and identity but also showcases ..read more

This week, we sat with the members of Dream State Empire, a band that’s been carving a unique path through New Zealand’s underground and surfacing with their award-winning live performances and air-played hits. As they gear up for the release of their latest single, “Spirals,” on April 12th, our conversation took us through the labyrinth of their recent successes, the creative fervour behind their upcoming track, and the ambitious horizons they aim to reach. Dream State Empire, thank you for the opportunity to sit down with you and discuss your upcoming single, Spirals which will reach the air ..read more

Alley of the Dolls, Yorkshire’s alt-rock revelation, delivered a thunderous wake-up call with their single ‘Broken Skies’. The standout from their EP ‘Urethane‘, is a movement scribed through Jacob Stephenson’s and Adam Pickering’s shared passion for the gritty, grungy, and raw energy of 90s rock. ‘Broken Skies’ lyrically tackles a subject as delicate as it is devastating – the rising phenomenon of school shootings. Few artists have dared to go beyond lyrically mourning the tragedy, but Alley of the Dolls does so with a boldness that is both haunting and necessary. Their words don’t just skim ..read more

If you’ve ever wondered what Dinosaur Jr would sound like with a bigger and louder sonic stature, find the answer in the high-octane riotous love letter to the alt-90s, penned through The Unbranded’s hit single Novacaine. Once you let the impaled-with pop-punk-hooks earworm in, don’t expect it to depart any time soon. As the kinetically infectious chord progressions subjugate your rhythmic pulses into submission, the augmented-with-charisma vocal lines draw you further into the centre of the frenetic epitome of rebellion which spits in the face of anyone who wants to shunt people who don’t fit ..read more