Reviews

Some songs feel like destinations. Others feel like journeys. Connie Lansberg’s “Aeroplane,” the opening track from her collaborative album with veteran guitarist Brad Rabuchin, belongs firmly in the latter category. Recorded in a single day at a Pasadena studio with little more than instinct, trust, and musical chemistry to guide…

Chicago experimental project Black Leather Birds returns with Of Children and Their Sorceries, a five-track EP, more like wandering through a forgotten dreamscape where time has stopped ticking. The solo project of producer, composer, and technologist A.G. Syjuco—best known for his work with experimental rock outfit Jack of None—leans heavily…

There is a certain kind of music that refuses to rush. It doesn’t demand attention through explosive hooks or relentless energy. Instead, it invites listeners to sit quietly within its world and absorb every emotional ripple. Novitza’s From Darkness Unto Light is precisely that kind of record. The Montenegrin composer…

Built from songs written across a decade, the Boston singer-songwriter Jillian Ann’s debut full-length release, When All is Said and Done, unfolds as a deeply personal journey through love, heartbreak, growth, longing, and self-discovery. Drawing inspiration from the grand songwriting traditions of the 1970s and 1980s while embracing touches of…

German independent folk artist Fish And Scale, the musical project of Roland Wälzlein, has never been interested in taking the easy road. His songs often explore life’s deeper mysteries, blending folk influences with spiritual reflection and unconventional songwriting. With “Letter from Paulus,” he turns to one of the most enduring…

There are nostalgia projects, and then there are experiments that boldly ask what happens when the past meets the future head-on. Robbien’s Rewired falls firmly into the latter category. Nearly two decades after creating the original Hibernatic recordings in 2007, the artist has returned to those songs with an unusual…

Love songs often focus on heartbreak, betrayal, or the struggle to forgive someone else’s mistakes. Sam Stokes takes a far less travelled road with “He Forgave Me Again,” a strikingly honest single that explores what it feels like to be the one who got it wrong—and to be met not…

Some songs are made for crowded dancefloors, while others seem tailor-made for long nighttime drives with the city glowing outside your window. Love and Lava Twins’ latest single, “Darling where have you been,” comfortably lands somewhere in between. Released alongside its music video in January 2026, the track transforms an…

Hope can be a difficult thing to write about without sounding clichéd. Fortunately, Sean T MacLeod understands that optimism works best when it feels earned. Featured on his 2025 album New Start, “Light Up The Sun” arrives as an uplifting indie-pop anthem that acknowledges life’s struggles while refusing to surrender…

Ro Barrett digs deep into the shadows on “Did No Wrong,” a powerful alternative rock track that balances anguish and resilience with striking confidence. Taken from his upcoming album Fanara, the song wrestles with suffering, injustice, and spiritual exhaustion, yet never sounds defeated. Instead, it stands tall in the storm,…