Reviews

Released under Sidemount Snorkel Team Playtenfirm Records, Reach the Stars finally landed on August 22, 2025, with airplay already teasing listeners since August 8. Mixed by Stephan Steiner and mastered by Dan Suter, the record is a massive collaborative feat, yet it’s Alex Wellker’s pen, vision, and voice that hold…

Nic Junior has officially staked his claim on summer 2025 with the release of “Ass Shake,” a no-holds-barred club anthem built for nights that blur into sunrise. Dropping straight out of Los Angeles, the track wastes no time in announcing itself as a party-starter, with a bassline so heavy it…

Swiss-based producer and creative director Giorgio Fazio takes listeners down a rabbit hole of sound and philosophy with his new EP Nothing but Simulation, dropping August 22, 2025. Having premiered the title track on August 17 during a guest set on Foodman’s NTS Radio show, Fazio introduces a generative digital…

Modern Refuge, the alt-rock quartet from New Haven, Connecticut, has unveiled their first full-length album, Runaway Dream, released on August 1, 2025. Fronted by siblings Sam Winfield (vocals) and Vincent Amendola (guitar), with Brian Winfield (drums) and Jim McLoughlin (bass), the band channels decades of shared history and electric chemistry…

Ultra Funkular Sound, the solo project hailing from Norwich, England, has just dropped a gem with the release of Bluebells on July 18, 2025. Influenced by Lane 8 but steering into its own lane, the track is homegrown, recorded at the artist’s house on a simple PC. Obviously it doesn’t…

Wichita-born rapper and songwriter Dax has dropped his brand-new single, “Man I Used To Be,” on August 1st, 2025. Produced in Nashville alongside hitmaker Jimmy Robbins, the track is a raw reflection of sobriety, change, and spiritual growth. It arrives as the centerpiece of a pivotal year for Dax, who…

Exzenya, the globetrotting, genre-bending storyteller, has just dropped her latest single, “Regulator of My Dopamine,” a sultry, modern R&B-pop cut, as intoxicating as its title suggests. Released in July 2025 across major streaming platforms, the track is another bold step from the 55-year-old independent artist who’s building a reputation for…

Vince Pope, the Ivor Novello–winning, BAFTA-nominated composer known for his screen work in True Detective, Black Mirror, and Misfits, is stepping back into the spotlight with his new single “Pastoral,” released on August 21, 2025. Already hailed as a melodic gem in the neo-classical scene, the piece feels like Pope…

On August 7th, 2025, Delta F, the enigmatic masked guitarist, unveiled his debut EP The Sky Blooms Only for You. Built quietly in his home studio without demos or overproduction, the project offers a touching instrumental journey, coming like a whispered reassurance that the listener’s pain has been heard. Drawing…

Cotswolds-born rock outfit THIEVES dropped their new single “Ascension” on June 27th, 2025, recorded at the legendary Treehouse Studios—a space that has hosted everyone from Bullet for My Valentine and Busted to Sleep Token, Elbow, and The Maccabees. Formed back in 2014 by guitarist Conor Robertson, vocalist Matthew Cooper, and…