In their latest single, Every Morning the World is Created, Slender Dan captured the essence of electro-pop while infusing it with a soul-stirring spiritual motif. From Nashville’s avant-garde scene, the duo channels their fascination with the psychedelic facets of life into this track. It’s a tribute not just to personal transformations such as motherhood and rebirth, as Heather of Slender Dan shares, but also to the musical forebears who have sculpted the landscape of synth-pop. The autotuned vocals climb ceaselessly, crafting an ethereal canopy above the dense, moody beats. This striking co ..read more

James Sebastian’s latest single, Looking for a Sign, erupts with the fervour of rock’s golden age, packing an electrifying punch that makes it clear he’s owning the proverbial stage. As a prodigal son of rock ‘n’ roll, Sebastian channels the spirit of iconic acts from The New York Dolls to The Strokes to The Beach Boys, yet his sound remains unapologetically rebellious and tantalisingly original. Looking for a Sign insists you get swept up in its compelling hooks and Sebastian’s natural frontman charisma, reminiscent of a cult leader’s magnetism. This track roars through speakers with an energ ..read more

Baby T’s sixth hip-hop LP, Prodigal Son, blends deep-rooted soul influences with a hard-hitting lyrical flow that will leave you instantly attuned to his ability to live up to hip-hop heavyweights and alongside them, matching the stride of the giants that many attempt to emulate, but few succeed as well as Baby T. Instead of painting by numbers to replicate an urban portrait, with every brushstroke on the canvas of this LP Baby T embodies their authenticity while revisiting the foundational elements of hip-hop and channelling the raw, emotional energy that has defined his career. The Flint-bor ..read more

For independent artists without nepotistic privileges, the most daunting aspect of creating an album is often wondering how to fund all the associated costs of recording, production, and promotion. Pre-order campaigns are a great way to recoup the costs as you go through the motions of bringing your album to life. Yet, crowdfunding platforms such as Kickstarter can be far more efficacious for artists wanting to push their careers to new heights. Kickstarter has recently declared that over 22,000 music projects have been successfully funded on its platform. Established and emerging artists acro ..read more

Now onto their third single, El Greasy is proving their capacity to carve out a pastiche-free niche with their sleazily revolutionised sonic signature. Forget the rock n roll you knew; this modernised slice of rock reverence exhibits a band that knows exactly where to push innovation into the production and revisit the past with debauched devil-may-care uninhibition; the kind of uninhibition gained from downing your favourite black label bottle. The guitar lines are cut with all the raunch and swagger you could ever desire and the rhythm section knows exactly where to bend brutal volition in t ..read more

We were still under Nikki Hayes’ spell after hearing her hit 2023 single Safe, which solidified her status as one of the most promising voices in the contemporary RnB scene; with her latest single, Same One, Different Face, the Chicago-born, Arizona-based artist surpassed herself by unveiling her most evocative single to date. Even the title of the single is bruising with its nod to how even if one door closes and another opens, cyclical patterns in relationships haunt us and paint a tormenting fate that leaves us destined towards cynicism. The refreshed 90s RnB aesthetic became an affecting p ..read more

For their standout single, On the Run, the Welsh three-piece Hazard filtered psyched-up shoegaze-y post-punk through a grungy and intensely evocative lens, resulting in an emotionally tumultuous outpour of despondence. With vocals spilling into the middle ground between the haunting timbre of Placebo and the sharp confronting antagonism of Angels & Airwaves as the monochrome guitars carve a chill into the mind-bending production, On the Run unravels as a dark narrative that tears into the soul and triggers empathy as a dual-sided vignette of loneliness and displacement pours across the alc ..read more

Ikechi Onyenaka’s latest single, ‘Eclipse,’ delivers an avant-garde blend of saxophone-laden jazz and sharp trap rhythms, underpinned by the emotional richness of neo-soul. This intrinsically authentic release evolves with each soulful progression, compelling listeners to groove along with Onyenaka’s reflective journey. Through ‘Eclipse,’ he explores the seldom-discussed loneliness accompanying success, challenging the enviable facade often associated with prosperity. In ‘Eclipse,’ Onyenaka’s artistic versatility shines as he oscillates between rap verses and neo-soul vocal spills, each drippi ..read more

With his latest single, Lights Out, the award-winning producer, multi-instrumentalist and recording engineer, Policy, exhibited how his three decades in the industry have culminated through his heart-wrenching cinematic soundscape which paralyses with power from the first ominously reverberant synth stroke. The dark and stormy instrumentals feed delicious disquietness until the dawn of the single breaks with Euro House nostalgic euphoria. Through it all, Lunella’s vocals keep an even heart-breaking keel, channelling ephemeral grace in the same vein as Bjork. Her voice, steady yet heartrending ..read more

If any up-and-coming band can kick Royal Blood off their throne, it’s the Cambridge-hailing three-piece LAY / BYE with the polished hooks, fiery intensity, and unflinching resonance in their debut single, ACTIVE! The debut holds no prisoners when holding the worst archetypes of the human experience to account; the flaying lyrics pick up more volition through the catchy delivery that forces you right into the electrifying nucleus of the single that stands as a testament to the trio’s ability to vindicate the masses. After a Velvet Revolver-esque intro, the buzzsaw riffs and snarling basslines r ..read more