ROCK

There’s a fierce emotional tension running through “The Great Deception,” as Dallas-based alternative rock artist David Howls turns the wreckage of a relationship into a hard-hitting reflection on regret, accountability, and the difficult freedom of letting go.  The track comes charging in with grinding, gritty guitars, bustling beats, and cymbals…

Sometimes, it’s the little things that get under your skin and refuse to leave you alone, but Belfast-born, Rotterdam-based soul and funk artist Curtis Millen knows how to turn that everyday frustration into something you can move to. “SMALL STUFF” is a lively, groove-driven release that takes those nagging stresses…

Thanksgiving gets its own gloriously goofy soundtrack with “It’s Turkey Day,” a comedy single from Dallas-based entertainer Dean Morgan, performing as Sheldon Mashugana, alongside singer and collaborator Crystal Carr. Packed with holiday cheer, playful absurdity, and enough turkey-chasing madness to keep the dinner table entertained, this upbeat number takes aim…

Christmas songs have a special knack for bringing people together, and Mick J. Clark taps into that familiar magic with “It’s Getting Near Christmas,” a festive pop number that captures the excitement of the season with plenty of sparkle and heart. The track kicks off with hard, thumping beats and…

Brian Asha’s “Mighty Man (Jack De Keyzer’s Rock’n’Roll Remix)” serves up a gritty blues-rock anthem with a distinctive personality. Bringing together two-time Juno Award-winning guitarist Jack De Keyzer and Grammy-winning producer Philip Larsen, Asha transforms his original 2013 electro-driven composition into something considerably rougher around the edges, blending old-school blues…

Zoe Roarz doesn’t seem interested in asking permission to make a racket, and thank goodness for that. The Kansas City-born, Los Angeles-area alt-rocker has built her sound around gritty guitars, head-banging grooves, and vocals that can switch from melodic cool to full-throated growls and howls. Her debut full-length album, What…

Romattic’s “Candy Smoking” serves up a deliciously twisted love song, wrapping toxic infatuation in a punchy alt-rock package that’s as addictive as the relationship it describes. The Norwegian project, formed by singer-songwriter Theodor Andreas Halmrast and producer Tommy Duong, blends different generations of rock influences, mixing nostalgic grit with a…

Some titles carry the weight of history, and Gianfranco Malorgio’s “Greaseball” confronts that uncomfortable legacy through a bruised, defiant, and painfully human instrumental. The final chapter in his migration-themed trilogy, following “WOP” and “An Immigrant’s Story,” the composition draws attention to the ethnic slurs once hurled at Italian immigrants and…

Some journeys are too profound for words, and Gianfranco Malorgio’s “An Immigrant’s Story” makes a compelling case for letting music do the talking. Conceived with a potential film adaptation in mind, this evocative instrumental pays tribute to generations of Italian emigrants who left their homeland in search of better lives,…

Co-written by Will Croxton, original collaborator Al Maddy, and Steve Lewis, St. Divine’s “Midnight (to Track)” revisits their debut album’s rebellious spirit while delivering a timely reminder that political complacency comes at a cost. Recorded during the sessions for their debut album The Devil You Know but left off the…