Reviews

Saint Nick the Lesser’s Growing up, growing out undergoes another life you may have passed by and leaves you feeling lighter for it. Right out of the gate, “21 Minutes” pulls no punches. Sparkling, glistening acoustic guitars lay out a deceptively soothing bed while his deep voice calmly walks you…

“Boathouse Row” by MrZnote is gritty, bare-knuckled, and cut straight from the artist’s own ribcage. From the jump, the beat sets the mood with a steady, deep thump under a calm, almost meditative melody, but then glitchy buzzes creep in like static thoughts. Over that, MrZnote steps up with a…

J Terrell’s Cowboy Tango gallops straight through the fences of genre. From the moment “Shark” rolls in with its gentle piano, sparkling cymbals, and satisfyingly heavy drums, you can tell this is getting good. J’s vocals are playful and flirty, the kind that glide effortlessly across the beat while the…

Lugo™’s Let Them Eat Cake is a whole mood, with confidence that comes from decades of honing your craft and still finding ways to surprise people. From the jump, “Beat Your Drum” bursts in like a carnival in full swing, sparkly, bustling rhythms, thumping beats, and relaxed, effortlessly blowing horns.…

MJOfficial’s debut single, “Don’t Trip,” wastes no time making its presence felt. It kicks off with earthy, organic percussion that taps and rolls like it’s been lifted straight from a street corner jam session, while a shimmering layer of high-end sparkle dances in the background. It’s a clever pairing, grounding…

At just 14, YoungLuxe storms onto the scene with “Flex World,” and she’s not here to tiptoe around her point. This debut single is a razor-sharp takedown of the hollow luxury-and-status chase that’s got her generation in a chokehold. No sugarcoating, no sidestepping, just cool, matter-of-fact delivery wrapped in a…

Solum’s latest single, “Circles,” wrings emotion out of you with the infinity of his whirlwind. Recorded entirely in his bedroom, the song carries that unfiltered intimacy you only get when there’s no studio to hide behind. It opens with shimmering guitar lines that snake through the mix, cymbals splashing sharply…

The Cardiff-born songwriter, Daddy Drwg,, known to his daughters as “Daddy Drwg” (Welsh for “naughty,” pronounced Droog), has been many musical things over the years—frontman for Scream, Quicksand Charlie, They Walk Among Us, and The MeMeMes—but here in “Wise Guys,” he’s in full solo stride, taking a scalpel (and a…

Catherine Elms’ album Bring In The Wild is a bold, dark, and intoxicating dive into shadow work set to an alt-rock backdrop that’s equal parts cinematic and visceral. Right from the opening riff of “Brutal Heart,” those heavy, building guitar lines give way to thunderous drums, and her voice, clear…

Coral Z’s breakup anthem “No More” stands over the genre with a steady gaze, ready to walk away. Sure, there’s that lingering ache in its DNA, but the dominant force here is raw resolve. The track kicks off with an acoustic guitar run that builds like a train gathering steam,…