Reviews

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…

Cries of Redemption has always moved a little differently, and that confidence carries straight into “What Lies Beneath.” Led by songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Ed Silva, the long-running project blurs heavy rock and electronic textures, as it leans into atmosphere, tension, and emotional weight, letting modern production tools serve the mood.…

New Zealand–born, London-based keyboardist and producer Ben Stewart captures a beautiful tug-of-war on Live from Lloyd’s Place, his latest two-track EP. This EP comes off intimate, restless, and profound all at once. Released via HUMMUCIDE Music, this short but potent live session thrives on contrast, pitting mental overload against calm…

At just 21, Shannon Darcy is already carving out her own lane in the alternative pop-punk and pop-rock world, blending nineties-tinged grit with modern alt-pop bite. Hailing from Hockley, Essex, she’s built a reputation for bold vocals, emotionally upfront songwriting, and a take-no-nonsense attitude that shines both on record and…

Thomas O’Shea steps into the spotlight with Generation Z, a debut album, as a lived-in diary of modern youth. Self-produced and emotionally unfiltered, the record captures the whiplash of growing up online—where identity, ambition, love, and burnout all collide at once. Blending pop, alternative, and electronic textures, O’Shea taps into…

San Francisco artist Michellar closes out her year on a fiery high with “CROSSED,” a bold, Latin dance single that turns frustration into fuel and motion into release. Written by Michelle Bond and produced by Marius Alexandru, the track feels draws a line in the sand, as it’s one last…

Fort Myers–based artist and producer Cosmo Cloudy continues to carve out her own lane with “After All,” a moody, intimate, handmade, and emotionally loaded slice of alt pop. Entirely self-directed, produced, and mastered on her phone using BandLab, Cosmo Cloudy embodies true DIY spirit, blending influences as wide-ranging as The…

“Butterflies” finds Carley Varley turning emotional wreckage into something sharp, loud, and painfully honest. As the second single from Anatomy of Loss, an EP tracing the five stages of grief after a relationship ends, the track sits right in the thick of heartbreak, when the truth finally lands, and there’s…

Allan Jamisen has never been one to play it safe, and “The Coalition” feels like him doubling down—sharper, darker, and more confrontational than ever. A composer, painter, and true outsider artist, Jamisen thrives in the cracks between genres, and this single lives right there, fusing trip-hop, industrial, jazz, and spoken…