Reviews

Hailing from Tipp City, United States, Friend/Monell is a duo rooted in a long history and hard-earned chemistry. Jeffrey Friend, former drummer, engineer, and producer of the award-winning band Ludlow Creek, teams up with Ray Monell, a songwriter with three decades of storytelling under his belt and a background in…

Elena Deva builds emotional worlds you have to walk through, and her latest single, “Abusement Park,” released on December 31, 2025, is one haunting ride. A rising alternative rock artist now based in Los Angeles, Deva channels years of lived experience into raw, intentional, and uncomfortably honest music. Drawing from…

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…

Patience Please slow things down and let their guard drop on “Madelaine,” a tender indie-pop confession that feels like reading someone’s diary in the quiet aftermath of heartbreak. Released on January 23, the South West London trio step away from the crunch and sweat of their high-energy live reputation and…

Energy Whores’ Arsenal of Democracy stomps straight into reality, eyes wide open. Hailing from New York and operating firmly outside the comfort zone of neutral pop, the band delivers an art-electronic album that feels wired, anxious, and brutally aware of the world we’re living in. Blending art-pop, electro-rock, punk instincts,…

Deezle’s “My Hands on Your Body” slides in smooth, confident, and unapologetically sensual, reminding you why classic R&B chemistry still hits hardest when it’s done right. Born and raised in New Orleans, Deezle’s fingerprints are already all over modern music history. The track opens in an airy, expansive space, almost…

Siri Neel’s “I Think I Said Something” is soft on the surface, sharp at the edges, and deeply aware of its own pulse. The Danish singer-songwriter has never been interested in blending into neat little boxes, and this single makes that crystal clear. There’s Nordic cool in the air, brushed…

Annstiina’s field waits, listens, and then quietly floors you. Known for her experimental art pop, the Finnish artist strips everything back here, sitting alone at the piano and letting improvisation do the heavy lifting. It comes off cinematic as it evokes the connection to land, memory, and survival, echoing the…

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…