Each Friday, Atwood Journal’s workers share what they’ve been listening to that week – a music, an album, an artist – no matter’s been having an affect on them, within the second.
This week’s weekly roundup options music by Alabama Shakes, Medium Construct, Ethel Cain, Madelline, Takeda, Bea Elmy Martin, Lindsey Rose Black, My Chérie, Someplace in Between, Paige O, Widespread Folks, American Authors, Jordan Anthony, Cristina Hart, Nia Wyn, & Lizzie Thomas!
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observe WEEKLY ROUNDUP on Spotify 
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:: “One other Life” – Alabama Shakes ::
Mitch Mosk, Beacon, New York
Of all of the vinyl data in my assortment, few are extra performed, extra worn, extra cherished, than Alabama Shakes’ 2015 masterpiece, Sound and Coloration. The genre-bending, soul-soaked rock band, helmed by the inimitable Brittany Howard, have been a singular drive of nature within the early 2010s – and whereas particular person members have gone off and accomplished their very own issues, typically to nice success, the chemistry that’s and was “Alabama Shakes” has been dearly missed over these previous ten very lengthy years.
Right here we’re
Probably the most uncommon circumstances
How may I ask you to settle?
What if there’s something higher
For us subsequent time?
Ooh, I’m dying to inform you
That I discovered a technique to say goodbye
So it doesn’t damage a lot, ooh
If you cross my thoughts
Can we attempt once more?
(Can we attempt in one other life?)
Yet one more time once more
(Can we attempt in one other life?)
I received’t make you cry once more
(Can we attempt?)
Can we attempt in one other life?
Till now, that’s. “One other Life” marks a contemporary begin for the legendary trio of Brittany Howard, Heath Fogg, and Zac Cockrell as they reunite and lightweight one other red-hot fuse, selecting up proper the place they left with a music full of fireplace and fury. Recorded at Nashville’s Sound Emporium Studios with longtime collaborator Shawn Everett, “One other Life” looks like a transmission from the cosmos – smoky keys and a bluesy guitar drift in like storm clouds earlier than Howard’s voice cracks them open. “Can we attempt once more? Yet one more time once more? Can we attempt in one other life?” the dynamic frontwoman howls with gut-wrenching power, pouring pure ardour and uncooked emotion right into a heavy, heartrending, cinematic fever dream.
Howard calls the observe a meditation on the lives we stock: “Once we wrote ‘One other Life,’ I used to be excited about all of the lives we stock,” she tells Atwood Journal. “Those we’re dwelling proper now, those that slipped away due to totally different decisions, the what ifs, the what wasn’t meant to be, the goodbyes, and the possibility encounters that really feel divine. This music is about these threads and the way they stretch throughout time and house, connecting each model of who we’re. It’s about letting them come collectively, letting them harmonize, and realizing that goodbye isn’t actually goodbye. It’s extra like I’ll goodbye. A collective story that by no means stops unfolding. I’m glad we opened this door into this actuality of us making music collectively once more.”
Do I thoughts?
By no means realizing what can occur
By no means realizing if wе’d final
Possibly we are able to discover some answеrs
Possibly subsequent time
Who am I making an attempt to deceive?
I can’t fake you didn’t simply cross my thoughts
Once I damage you, I damage myself
And the sentiments simply received’t heal
I can’t stroll it again, ooh
Child, goodbye
Can we attempt once more?
(Can we attempt in one other life?)
Yet one more time once more
(Can we attempt in one other life?)
I received’t make you cry once more
(Can we attempt?)
Can we attempt in one other life?
Can we attempt in one other life?
“One other Life” is a robust welcome again – cinematic, soul-stirring, and unrelenting in its ache. Each phrase Howard sings, each lament she cries is steeped in craving and reckoning, each instrumental second stuffed with intense, untethered feeling. Ten years on from Sound and Coloration, Alabama Shakes are as soon as once more blazing their very own path, sounding simply as fearless, fiery, and free as they did after they first rewrote the principles of recent rock.
“One other Life” doesn’t simply reignite that flame – it reminds us why we missed it a lot within the first place. With a 3rd Alabama Shakes studio album on the way in which, the way forward for music smolders as soon as extra with gritty rock and bluesy swagger.
Right here we’re
Probably the most uncommon of circumstances
How may I inform you ceaselessly?
What if there’s someplace higher
On the opposite aspect?
Ooh, I’m dying to inform you
We’ve already stated goodbye
Once I damage you, I damage myself
And the sentiments simply received’t heal
I can’t stroll it again, ooh
Child, goodbye
Can we attempt once more?
(Can we attempt in one other life?)
Attempt once more
(Can we attempt in one other life?)
I received’t make you cry once more
(Can we attempt)
Can we attempt in one other life?
Can we attempt in one other life?
:: “Final Time” – Medium Construct ::
Mitch Mosk, Beacon, New York
Medium Construct’s new single is the type of music that takes your breath away. “Final Time” is a wealthy and soulful, smoldering reverie stuffed with glistening, golden melodies, achingly tender lyrics, and pure warmth. Nick Carpenter has at all times blurred strains between uncooked and refined, confessional and cathartic, however right here he unveils a brand new aspect of his artistry – sensual and suave, seductive and sultry, but nonetheless undeniably candy. His newest observe simmers with slow-burning ardour, each beat pulsing like a heartbeat you’ll be able to’t ignore.
We have been smoking on the street
You have been ending your drink
We have been ready in your pals
It hadn’t been romantic shortly
You have been kinda enjoying imply
It was the type of Friday night time
The place all the drunks are on the street
So this girly wanders up
She was making an attempt to get fun
She pretends she had a mistletoe
hanging by her head
You have been drunk, however nonetheless well mannered
We didn’t need to kill her vibe
So we pressed our lips collectively
like we had a thousand occasions
However it is likely to be the final time
that we kissed
You at all times take as a right
what you’ve got till it’s missed
Don’t you’re taking as a right
what you’ve got till it’s missed
Carpenter frames the music as an exploration of reminiscence, nostalgia, and the unusual readability of realizing when one thing could also be ending: “I’ve this buddy who’s obsessive about superlatives. He’s so inquisitive about who’s eaten essentially the most Flamin’ Sizzling Cheetos or how many individuals have ever been drunk within the Vatican,” he tells Atwood Journal. “However generally these absurd queries drift into the nostalgic. When was the final time I slept over at my childhood bestie’s home? Did I do know the very last thing I stated to my grandma earlier than she died? When was the final time I held arms with my old flame? We by no means actually clock these moments. They’re at all times left to the ache of recollections.”
“This music is about leaving a second and realizing it very properly is likely to be the final time you speak to, kiss, or maintain an individual who was a large a part of your life,” he continues. “It’s the odd sobriety you’re feeling whenever you depart one thing behind. It’s the yin and yang of want and repulsion. When will I play my final present or eat my final banana? Who is aware of?”
Orange wine, Airbnb
Then we bought the information ’bout Eileen
I punched a gap within the wall
You bought curled up in a ball
You instructed your pals, “He’s a loaded gun”
Now you say that I’m the one
Is it romantic that you just’re the
solely particular person I by no means cheated on?
And now we’re dancing within the park
You’re actually making an attempt to unwind
It’s been so lengthy since
I’ve seen you’ve got a good time
Not crashed out on the sofa
Not pulling your hair out
Come on, yet another mouth-to-mouth
It is likely to be the final time that we kiss
You at all times take as a right
what you’ve got till it’s missed
Don’t you’re taking as a right
what you’ve got till it’s missed
This is likely to be the final time that we kiss
You at all times take as a right
what you’ve got till it’s missed
Don’t you’re taking as a right
what you’ve got till it’s missed
It’s a heavy fact to carry, however “Final Time” makes that ache really feel luminous and eternal. Carpenter’s voice rises like smoke, hushed and heated, carrying strains that sear straight by way of the soul: “It is likely to be the final time that we kiss / you at all times take as a right what you’ve got till it’s missed,” he sings within the observe’s brutally heartrending, breathtakingly stunning refrain. Mixing R&B smoothness with indie grit, he’s crafted a music that glows from the within out, each intimate and explosive, intoxicating and immersive. That is Medium Construct at his most magnetic – and if it actually have been the final time, he couldn’t have left us with something extra beautiful.
And if it truly is the top
I simply need you to be glad
And I know how that sounds
So fucking kill me whenever you hear this
‘Trigger it is likely to be the final time that we speak
It breaks my coronary heart once I suppose I’m transferring on
You style remorse, what you’ve bought till it’s gone
And this is likely to be the final time that we kiss
You at all times take as a right
what you’ve got till it’s missed
Don’t you’re taking as a right
what you’ve got till it’s missed
:: : “F**ok Me Eyes” – Ethel Cain ::
Julia Dzurillay, New Jersey
Regardless of the place you stand on the Ethel Cain vs. Lana Del Rey drama, there’s no denying “F**ok Me Eyes” is one in all this yr’s most daring, dynamic, and cathartic releases. In her Instagram story, the artist described this observe as “taking a stab on the persistent misogyny in opposition to harmless youngsters,” even when not all of the lyrics are based mostly on actual experiences.
Regardless of its heavy matter matter, “F**ok Me Eyes” is arguably probably the most marketable songs of the 2025 launch Willoughby Tucker, I’ll All the time Love You. Particularly with 2025’s earlier album Perverts, Ethel Cain proves to be shifting her focus to ambient music. This single, nevertheless, has a “Crush”-esque, pop-adjacent sonic high quality — and that’s intentional.
“That is what funds my life,” Cain stated (through the New York Occasions.) “I don’t need to have to return to working a day job… So I do have to seek out the compromise of, we put out an album, I tour it, I make a pop music or two, and I get pleasure from that. However then I’ll make an hour-and-a-half-long drone album.”
:: “Completely happy as Hell” – Madelline ::
Chloe Robinson, California
Ever catch your self wishing you have been additional forward in life than the place you stand now? Do you’re feeling such as you’re simply stumbling from one improper step to the subsequent? Then Madelline’s anthem for falling behind is the right piece for you. Titled “Completely happy as Hell,” the one dives into the nervousness of not maintaining with life’s tempo and the relentless self-criticism that comes with it. Traces like “no focus/why did I spend all of my fucking cash on my school training/I ought to name my mother/as a substitute of writing songs,” couldn’t be extra relatable. This hovering observe options cinematic strings and introduces her new theatrical pop period. The discharge is produced by Arthur Besna (Nessa Barrett, Lay Banks) and Jon Buscema (Sophie Truax).
Madelline is rising as one in all pop’s most ingenious and daring voices. Her offbeat, incisive songs confront themes like life, demise, and psychological well being, whereas her intelligent lyrics and theatrical stagecraft captivate audiences in a efficiency that blends cabaret aptitude with catwalk fashion. Her songs have captured the web’s consideration, sparking viral developments on Instagram and TikTok, and constructing a loyal fanbase of almost 500,000 month-to-month listeners. This providing is simply as attractive with a message that’s positive to resonate with audiences.
:: “Reynardine” – Takeda ::
Danielle Holian, Galway, Eire
Takeda re-emerge with “Reynardine,” a spellbinding assertion of intent that units the stage for his or her long-awaited debut album, In Venus’ Prepare, out September seventeenth through Drongo Information. With a sound that’s as intricate as it’s expansive, Takeda weaves a wealthy tapestry of influences, from the dusky poetry of Ben Howard to the visceral pull of Pearl Jam, all the way in which to the kaleidoscopic harmonies of Fleetwood Mac. “Reynardine” is a superb fusion of stress and texture, a folk-rooted composition that builds with cinematic precision and emotional weight.
Produced by David Pye (Faithless, Szun Waves), the observe showcases Takeda’s beautiful command of ambiance and dynamics. Josh Harrison’s vocal efficiency is arresting, melancholic but stuffed with resolve, as he guides us by way of a panorama of intimate acoustic fingerpicking, swelling strings, and a rhythm part that step by step gathers storm. The observe’s ultimate minutes are nothing wanting breathtaking: a hovering, fuzz-drenched climax that explodes from its folks origins into one thing extra primal and cathartic. “Reynardine” doesn’t simply sign a return; it’s a promise of one thing really particular on the horizon.
:: “Misplaced” – Bea Elmy Martin ::
Rachel Leong, France
Rising artist Bea Elmy Martin returns with folk-rooted sonic scape “Misplaced.” Very similar to the titular observe, the EP sees Martin navigate the luxurious and expansive sonic scapes of her musical capabilities. Wealthy textures and dynamic layers encompass Martin’s ethereal vocals, accompanied by storytelling spanning identification, artistry, and vulnerability.
“‘Misplaced’ is about that feeling of drifting,” Martin shares. “The best way all of us transfer between being grounded after which immediately untethered. However it’s additionally concerning the issues that deliver us again to ourselves. For me, that anchor is writing and music.”
“Born to Fly” combines rhythmic manufacturing with Martin’s stacked vocals, pushing forth with a burgeoning readability. “Shallows” hones parts of placing narrative inside a moody ambiance, whereas “I’m Right here Now” brings dwelling Martin’s skill to craft musical energy within the softness in addition to the explosive moments.
:: “CUNT HONEY” – Lindsey Rose Black ::
Mitch Mosk, Beacon, New York
Lindsey Rose Black’s “CUNT HONEY” is as daring as its title suggests – after which some. An intoxicating singalong stuffed with cheeky wit, coronary heart, and swagger, it’s dreamy and dramatic, a wink and a sashay with a rustic swing, brimming with horny female hearth. It’s the type of music that instructions consideration from the very first beat, a tempest of grit and glitter that feels each rebellious and celebratory.
The observe bursts open with biting imagery: “You’ll be able to break a mare / put a curse on Eve / take a chunk of the apple / and blame it on me.” By the point Black hits the chorus – “No you’ll be able to’t take the cunt, honey, out of nation” – it’s unattainable to not sing alongside. The lyrics are playful and uncooked, equally cathartic and comedic, as if she’s rewriting the language of nation music in actual time whereas reclaiming the narratives of femininity, queerness, and Southern identification.
You’ll be able to break a mare
Put a curse on Eve
Take a chunk of the apple
And blame it on me
See God within the flower
However don’t overlook the weed
No you’ll be able to’t take the cunt, honey
Out of nation
“‘CUNT HONEY’ is a country-meets-alt-pop bop exploring themes round queer identification, y2k purity tradition, and female energy,” Black tells Atwood Journal. “Rising up in a small spiritual city in Texas, I realized that painful intervals have been ‘Eve’s curse’ for inflicting Adam to sin… There’s a lot to unpack as to why this can be a BANANAS factor to listen to as an adolescent in a physique that menstruates, and I’ve been actively deconstructing narratives my physique has carried round disgrace, femininity, and sexuality for years.”
That blend of fury and playfulness is strictly what makes “CUNT HONEY” so magnetic. It’s a pointy, humorous, and fearless setup for a music that wears its insurrection with a smile. Black takes all of the disgrace and confusion of rising up underneath purity tradition and spins it into one thing playful, campy, and loud. It’s each tongue-in-cheek and lethal severe, a reclamation wrapped in glitter.
Turned 13
Sprucing my purity ring
Make my mattress
Go away room for Jesus
Christ
Principal stated
Oh it’s your fault, all of your fault, all of your fault
These boys are touching themselves at night time
Properly, alright
“As for writing the observe itself, I used to be actually on my interval and, properly, generally the most effective inspiration is simply in taking note of the second. It began with a easy drum machine line, and this entire music simply tumbled out in a matter of minutes. It actually felt very ‘divine intervention’ for a observe that critiques the divinity perception system I used to be introduced up on.”
“‘CUNT HONEY’ is finally a really foolish music with numerous un-silly reckoning round my spiritual upbringing, purity tradition, and the journey to expressing queer identification freely, fantastically, and wholly. I really like pop music, I really like my sophisticated, nation southern girlie roots, and I’ve such a deep properly of religion in God/Spirit/the good and so forth and so forth – it simply doesn’t look something prefer it used to.”
You’ll be able to break a mare
Put a curse on Eve
Take a chunk of the apple
And blame it on me
See God within the flower
However don’t overlook the weed
No you’ll be able to’t take the cunt, honey
Out of nation
Donut, mango, cherry, peach
No you’ll be able to’t take the cunt, honey
Out of nation
Satan’s kiss, set me free
No you’ll be able to’t take the cunt, honey
Out of nation
In different phrases, “CUNT HONEY” is each sermon and satire, a rustic kiss-off with enamel. It’s that stress – foolish and severe, sacred and irreverent – that fuels the music’s irresistible hearth. Black leans into contradiction and finds freedom there, turning her personal historical past right into a thunderous celebration of self. The result’s music that feels therapeutic and hedonistic suddenly.
“My hope with this observe is to carry house for the layered expertise of feeling each gratitude and anger towards the locations and beliefs that formed you. I carry a deep respect and tenderness for fellow ex-vangelicals who’re doing the exhausting, considerate work of deconstructing and reconstructing their religion in new methods.”
23, left dwelling for the large metropolis
Thought I had no place
And needed to depart (bye, y’all)
And the offended males
On the TV display
Screaming about us
Stealing their rainbows
I’m simply taking what’s mine to maintain
What makes “CUNT HONEY” exceptional is the way it refuses to take a seat in only one temper. It’s a young sentiment tucked inside a music that in any other case struts and snarls, proof of how a lot vary Black packs right into a single observe. Vulnerability and ferocity stroll hand in hand right here, every making the opposite stronger. That stability is the heartbeat of “CUNT HONEY” – a cheeky anthem and a rallying cry suddenly. Black isn’t simply telling her personal story – she’s opening house for others to see themselves, scars and all.
“Viva la cunt, honey and viva la my forthcoming file, The Delusion of the American Cowboy, and viva la all of the hunnies in every single place therapeutic their spiritual trauma. I really like you a lot.”
You’ll be able to break a mare
Put a curse on Eve
Take a chunk of the apple
And blame it on me
See God within the flower
However don’t overlook the weed
No you’ll be able to’t take the cunt, honey
Out of nation
That mixture of foolish and severe is strictly what makes “CUNT HONEY” such a triumph. It’s explosive and intoxicating, unapologetic and unfiltered, balancing campy humor with lived-in fact. Black takes the sting of purity tradition and spins it into an anthem of launch and reclamation – a foot-stomping, hip-swaying celebration of female energy that’s as enjoyable as it’s fearless. This isn’t only a music; it’s a spell, fun, a prayer, and a battle cry suddenly.
Donut, mango, cherry, peach
No you’ll be able to’t take the cunt, honey
Out of nation
Satan’s kiss, set me free
No you’ll be able to’t take the cunt, honey
Out of nation
:: “Dishes within the Sink” – My Chérie ::
Mitch Mosk, Beacon, New York
My Chérie’s “Dishes within the Sink” is an intoxicating indie folks seduction – achingly intimate, breathtakingly weak, and tender to its core. It’s a music that feels tender to the contact, but it burns with a quiet hearth inside: Light however turbulent, delicate but hard-hitting. Harking back to artists like Phoebe Bridgers, Samia, Daughter, Julien Baker, and Soccer Mommy, it floats in a dreamlike haze of emotion till its finale, the place the calm bursts right into a frenzied fever dream – a daring, cathartic climax that looks like a hard-won exhale.
Lifeless vegetation, cancelled plans,
Push away my pals
‘Trigger all of them suppose that they know me.
However this heartbreak feels lonely.
Heartbreak like a shadow,
Can’t see it within the shade.
I’ll get by way of this,
However I don’t need to have to attend once more.
“For me, this music encapsulates the determined feeling of being exhausted from ongoing turmoil,” My Chérie tells Atwood Journal. “Wishing you possibly can simply skip by way of remedy and the exhausting components of therapeutic and get to the nice bits. Wishing denial was nonetheless going to work. Once we don’t cope with the core points, they at all times come again as much as the floor and mess us up. Typically we work on ourselves, and that simply places a magnifying glass on the work that others aren’t doing, making it a lot tougher.”
Sitting in my sufferer chair,
Consuming from my sufferer plate,
Choking on my life
And my fairly mistake,
The perfect one I’ve made.
It’s a sentiment anybody who has brushed up in opposition to burnout or grief can acknowledge – the eager for shortcuts by way of the toughest components of therapeutic. My Chérie captures that ache with startling readability, giving form to emotions which can be typically too messy to call. That candor is what makes “Dishes within the Sink” really feel so arresting from the beginning.
My Chérie doesn’t soften the perimeters; she leans into the mess and lets it converse. That refusal to sugarcoat is strictly what offers the observe its energy.
She continues, “This music jogs my memory of screaming at a wall – a longing, a want for change – however there’s this deep essence of hope that got here by way of within the recording course of which wasn’t initially there within the first half of the music. A break-free type of second. This music feels so weak and is so metaphorical, but it looks like essentially the most trustworthy music I’ve written about psychological well being and the struggles I’ve confronted in my life.”
Temper swings, dishes within the sink, soiled.
We don’t imagine in remedy.
So unhappy whenever you stare at me.
These bones are caving in,
These partitions are crumbling,
And she or he’ll sweep the flooring.
That honesty comes by way of within the music’s stark photos and uncooked supply: “useless vegetation, cancelled plans… sitting in my sufferer chair, consuming from my sufferer plate.” The writing is unflinching, however the sound is lush and full of sunshine, as if My Chérie is letting us into her storm and exhibiting the way it shimmers from the within. The observe swells like a quiet storm breaking, every verse peeling again one other layer till the ultimate eruption of sound – half cry, half confession, half launch.
“Dishes within the Sink” is a quiet chaos of heartbreak, therapeutic, and exhausting truths, nevertheless it’s additionally a beacon of resilience. Weak, metaphorical, and unflinchingly actual, My Chérie transforms the mundane into the monumental, providing a music that aches with turbulence but glows with the promise of hope.
Maintain me tight.
Don’t let me go,
I simply wanna really feel at dwelling.
Maintain me tight.
Don’t let me go,
I simply wanna really feel at dwelling.
:: “Lay Your Head on Me” – Someplace in Between ::
Danielle Holian, Galway, Eire
With “Lay Your Head on Me,” Someplace In Between delivers a balm for the weary coronary heart, a hushed anthem that looks like daylight breaking by way of storm clouds. Deena Robertson and Austin Bisnow summon one thing each intimate and cinematic right here: a lullaby for grown-ups, wrapped in golden harmonies and grounded within the quiet heroism of affection that stays. The observe floats with the convenience of a deep exhale, but carries the emotional gravity of a promise stored, a vow whispered at nighttime, reminding us that even in chaos, connection may be our compass. It’s the type of music that feels lived-in and timeless, as if it’s at all times been buzzing within the background of our lives, ready for the appropriate second to talk.
This single marks greater than a sonic evolution; it’s an emotional milestone. Someplace In Between has by no means sounded extra assured or extra weak, threading influences from Thom Yorke’s fragility to The Lumineers’ campfire heat. “Lay Your Head On Me” is a gesture, a philosophy, a lifeline in a world that too typically rushes previous the quiet areas the place love lives. In honoring their H.O.C. ritual, Deena and Austin give listeners permission to pause, soften, and discover security in one another. Someplace In Between isn’t merely constructing a discography; they’re cultivating a refuge, one music at a time.
:: “Thaw By June” – Paige O ::
Rachel Leong, France
Paige O returns with “Thaw By June,” the brand new single basking in a dreamy state of escapism. Connecting indie-folk sensibilities with the backing music akin to boygenius and Mitski, Paige’s vocals shine in its softness.
“Thaw By June” blends imagery and feeling, narrating the state of being in love with somebody who doesn’t actually see you. Just like the title suggests, the heat and summer season daze emanating by way of the sonic panorama of “Thaw By June” is propelled additional by Paige’s songwriting and vocal efficiency, stuffed with longing and hope.
Embedding nostalgia, storytelling and deep-felt emotion, “Thaw By June” is the right observe to deliver us into the autumn months.
:: “Thank You” – Widespread Folks ::
Mitch Mosk, Beacon, New York
Every on occasion, a debut single comes alongside that looks like a shot of pure electrical energy. Widespread Folks’s “Thank You” is a kind of songs – spirited and angsty, dynamic and charming, a passionate indie rock anthem brimming with hearth and coronary heart. Gritty guitar licks and a head-nodding groove set the stage for a refrain that soars sky-high, demanding to be shouted again in unison: “You decide me up then let me down / it’s inside out / you say my identify, however I don’t hear a sound now / so thanks for calling, guess you’ll take anyone.” It’s uncooked, it’s magnetic, and it leaves you reeling.
Shaped in a Southern California basement, Widespread Individuals are Nicky Winegardner (vocals, guitar), Sam Belzer (guitar), Asher Thomson (guitar), Konrad Ulich (bass, vocals), and Cormac Cadden (drums). Bonded over a love for Radiohead, The Strokes, and The Pixies, they’ve spent the previous two years reducing their enamel on the LA circuit – honing their sound till it caught the ear of Cage the Elephant’s Brad Shultz, who went on to provide their debut and signal them to his Parallel Imaginative and prescient label (in partnership with Massive Loud Rock). With their official first single now out on the planet and a slot supporting Cage the Elephant at Lollapalooza’s aftershow, the band are introducing themselves on the largest of phases.
“Typically it could possibly damage extra to have one thing taken away than to by no means have it in any respect,” Widespread Folks share. “‘Thank You’ has to do with the acceptance of being let down.”
That blend of grit and style is what makes “Thank You” such a robust introduction: It’s tender in its ache but electrifying in its supply – the type of debut that calls for consideration and hints at a band destined for competition phases and past.
:: “Race Automobile” – American Authors ::
Chloe Robinson, California
Have you skilled that fleeting romance the place you fell quick and exhausting regardless of realizing the dangers? American Authors’ radiant new launch “Race Automobile” particulars that intense feeling of thrill and connection and the way it vanishes when actuality comes crashing again. The music blends wealthy harmonies, easy guitar melodies, and irresistible rhythms, making it unattainable to skip. The band is most identified for his or her infectious hit single “Finest Day of My Life,” however the group’s newer items like this one, are equally as addictive.
Because the launch of their debut album Oh, What a Life in 2014, New York pop-rock outfit American Authors have achieved what many artists can solely think about. Their music has climbed up the charts, with singles incomes multi-platinum standing. They’ve carried out at main awards exhibits, graced iconic phases worldwide, and toured alongside acts like Andy Grammer and OneRepublic. “Race Automobile” is one other standout positive to soar.
:: “Reckless” – Jordan Anthony ::
Chloe Robinson, California
Jordan Anthony’s “Reckless” is an R&B-tinged late-night pop anthem that channels the joys – and threat – of falling exhausting for somebody who brings out your untamed aspect. The music is drenched in a seductive soul that’s merely intestine grabbing. With a easy, charming tone, he sings of diving headfirst into love, and it’s utterly irresistible. Traces like “there’s hazard in your eyes, however I don’t appear to thoughts. If we took it any quicker, could possibly be crashing,” present simply how exhilarating this partnership is, wild, unpredictable, and utterly magnetic.
The singer first rose to prominence as a Prime 14 contestant on American Idol and has since achieved over 600,000 streams along with his debut single, “Damaged Love.” With a voice that balances tender vulnerability and electrifying euphoria, Jordan Anthony is rapidly establishing himself as one in all pop’s most fascinating new voices. Initially from Australia and now based mostly in Los Angeles, his music blends deeply private, heart-driven lyrics with modern, area fashion pop. Whether or not exploring heartbreak or the joy of a brand new crush, Anthony’s songs seize feelings which can be vivid, unfiltered, and immediately relatable.
:: “Thank You for Leaving” – Cristina Hart ::
Mitch Mosk, Beacon, New York
Cristina Hart hits like a rush of fireplace. “Thank You for Leaving” is a searing grunge-inflected pop/rock anthem – her voice beautiful and stuffed with ache, her lyrics razor-sharp, the manufacturing pristine with a sophisticated chunk. It’s the sound of Hart stepping absolutely into her energy: sharp-edged, hovering, and unapologetically daring. Each observe brims with catharsis, each refrain begs to be screamed at full quantity, whether or not within the automobile or alone in your bed room.
“‘Thank You For Leaving’ is an unapologetic, cathartic anthem about shutting the door on somebody who doesn’t deserve a second probability. Assume Olivia Rodrigo angst meets Paramore vitality, with a Joan Jett perspective,” Hart tells Atwood Journal. “I wrote it at a time the place I had numerous pent up anger from seeing individuals I really like not being handled the way in which they deserved. This music is about telling somebody who thinks they will simply waltz again into your life after treating you want dust time and time once more that no, they’re actually not welcome wherever close to you anymore.”
“It’s about reclaiming your energy and setting boundaries; letting these rose-colored glasses come off. I would like individuals to play this music whereas they’re blocking their poisonous ex’s quantity and to scream it whereas on their technique to reduce somebody off. I hope it can provide them the arrogance to take heed to their intestine. If one particular person will get the braveness to depart their poisonous accomplice after listening to ‘Thank You For Leaving,’ then the music can have served its objective.”
From its gut-punch lyrics (“One minute you’re sorry / then act like a bitch… did you ever love me? I’m unsure you probably did”) to its smoldering, high-octane instrumentation, “Thank You for Leaving” looks like the beginning of one thing massive. It’s daring, biting, and breathtakingly catchy – proof that Cristina Hart is absolutely in her second and seizing it with each arms.
:: “Can’t Get No Love ‘Spherical Right here” – Nia Wyn ::
Mitch Mosk, Beacon, New York
Nia Wyn’s music looks like moving into one other period. “Can’t Get No Love ‘Spherical Right here” is a retro soul reverie – cinematic, achingly emotional, and dripping with intimacy and tenderness. With sweeping strings, organ prospers, and call-and-response vocals that echo the golden age of Motown and Stax, the Welsh artist captures heartbreak with each grandeur and style. It’s the type of music that aches even because it soothes, steeped within the heat of traditional soul but sharp in its fashionable vulnerability.
“I wished to write down a music that could possibly be each a couple of poisonous relationship, and in addition how I typically really feel concerning the music trade,” Wyn tells Atwood Journal. “From conversations with different artists I do know that this can be a widespread expertise – the highs and the very lows of creating music and the way it could make or break vanity. I had been listening to numerous ‘60s R&B and lowrider tunes, and felt impressed to write down one thing that felt each gradual and unhappy, but additionally one thing you possibly can faucet your toes to.”
That duality is the magic right here: “I’m reaching out with my arms, however you simply decide one other man / I can’t get no love ’spherical right here.” Wyn turns private despair into one thing communal, channeling longing and loss by way of a efficiency that feels timeless. It’s a music of shadows and glimmers, of sweetness turned bitter, but it shines with plain soul.
“Can’t Get No Love ’Spherical Right here” isn’t simply one other heartbreak ballad – it’s a reminder of why soul music endures. Nia Wyn’s voice is uncooked, radiant, and restorative, and in songs like this, she’s proving herself an important torchbearer for the style.
:: Awakening – Lizzie Thomas ::
Danielle Holian, Galway, Eire
Lizzie Thomas’ Awakening looks like a heat cup of espresso on a wet morning; comforting, wealthy, and layered with refined surprises. From the primary observe, you understand you’re in for one thing particular. Thomas’s voice is as easy as silk however carries the power of a storyteller who’s lived by way of her truths. The fusion of neo-soul, jazz, and vocal pop by no means feels pressured; as a substitute, it invitations you right into a sonic hug that’s each contemporary and timeless.
What makes this album really fascinating is how Lizzie blends her intuitive songwriting with lush preparations, together with the Grammy-winning Harlem String Quartet. Tracks like “House” and “Awakening” wrap you in cinematic soundscapes that linger lengthy after the music ends. It’s like strolling by way of a forest the place each rustle and ray of sunshine tells a narrative. However don’t be fooled by the album’s tender moments, and there’s hearth right here too. Songs like “This Love” and “This Fireplace” crackle with braveness and insurrection, reminding us that progress isn’t at all times straightforward however at all times value it.
Awakening is a reminder to hear intently, really feel deeply, and dance unapologetically. The observe’s ultimate minutes are nothing wanting breathtaking: a hovering, fuzz-drenched climax that explodes from its folks origins into one thing extra primal and cathartic. “Reynardine” doesn’t simply sign a return; it’s a promise of one thing really particular on the horizon.
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