ROCK

“Hellya” by Less comes as a clenched fist finally opening—and then swinging. This track declares intent, as the sound of an artist deciding how she wants to be heard and refusing to shrink herself any longer. Born out of a suffocating period of apathy and emotional overload, “Hellya” captures that…

Andy Smith’s “How Do We Keep Moving On” lands with the weight of experience and the confidence of someone who’s been doing this for a long time—and doing it well. With the brooding spirit of ’80s dark rock, the track comes off as a slow-burning act of defiance. This is…

Liverpool trio Clockwork Animals lean into the atmosphere and intent in the intimate, confrontational “Fantastic Future Dream.” Blurring the lines between alternative rock, post-punk, and shoegaze on their EP of the same name, the band uses this song to zoom out and ask a bigger question: where are we headed,…

Brooklyn-based multi-instrumentalist Henry Behave wears every possible hat on The Perfect Answer. Released on January 1, 2026, the project is the result of years of tinkering, layering, and sound-hoarding, all carried out inside Henry Eveleth’s apartment studio. The payoff is a compact but immersive listen that pulls from art-pop, psych,…

Alt-rock and shoegaze collide with vulnerability on Lost, the debut album from Dallas-based artist Jake Vera. Created alongside producer reactance and mixed by Sefi Carmel, the record feels intensely personal, like a diary left open on the bedroom floor where much of it was recorded. Lost leans into imperfections and…

“In This World” finds Matt DeAngelis zooming out from the personal and aiming straight for something bigger: what it means to live together, right now, in all this noise and chaos. Based out of Turnersville, New Jersey, DeAngelis wears a lot of hats—singer, pianist, keyboardist—and leads a band that clearly…

Golem Dance Cult returns from the shadows with “Pretty at Dawn,” a hypnotic and unsettling piece that perfectly captures their ritual-meets-rave aesthetic. Based in Belgrave, Australia, the project thrives on tension, atmosphere, and emotional ambiguity, drawing from dark post-punk, art rock, and electronic undercurrents. Featuring the unmistakable vocals of Inga…

Astral Rocks return with “Shooting Star (Radio Edit),” like a late-night confession finally stepping into the spotlight. Led by British-born artist Milli Schweizer, the cinematic pop-rock project has consistently leaned into big emotions and expansive atmospheres. This song takes the project into a more focused, hopeful, and defiant territory. Rooted…

Karma Smile finds Coolonaut sounding more fired up, focused, and ferociously alive than ever. Born in Scotland and now based in rural Australia, Coolonaut makes no secret of where his sonic soul lives: deep in the analogue haze of mid-to-late ’60s psychedelia and mod rock. Self-recorded on an analogue 8-track…

Out of Obscurity feels exactly like its title suggests, as a long, confident step into the light. Tampa-based songwriter and digital composer Bill Barlow delivers his most expansive work yet with this 23-track album, blending pop, R&B, rock, and blues into a deeply personal, genre-fluid journey. This storytelling comes from…