Each Friday, Atwood Journal’s employees share what they’ve been listening to that week – a tune, an album, an artist – no matter’s been having an influence on them, within the second.
This week’s weekly roundup options music by Not for Radio, Quiet Homes, bloodsports, Mary Hatley, Khamari, Mindchatter, Psychedelic Porn Crumpets, Rett Smith, Low Woman, ANASTÁZIE, Jordana Bryant, ALIE, Craig Finn, sleepazoid, Samuel Taylor, Molly Stone, Coline Creuzot, Alma Muñeca, Fairhazel, Aliza Li, Bettina, & Sophia Stel!
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observe WEEKLY ROUNDUP on Spotify 
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:: “Vueltas” – Not For Radio ::
Julia Dzurillay, New Jersey
For years she’s labored alongside The Marías, an indie various band that earned Unhealthy Bunny’s stamp of approval, identified for songs like “No One Observed” and “Cariño.” Now, Maria Zardoya is branching out together with her personal solo challenge known as Not for Radio. Is that this new enterprise very The Marías-sounding? Undeniably so.
Nonetheless, there’s a sure demo-adjacent, virtually unfinished high quality about Soften that’s lacking from Maria Zardoya’s namesake challenge. The specified impact is making a deeply private album much more heartbreaking and uncooked. I hear inspiration from Radiohead and Cigarettes After Intercourse, although others have in contrast it to Portishead. “Vueltas” specifically, looks like a cross between bossa nova and bolero. It’s wistful in all of the methods you need Zardoya to be.
:: “mark/james” – Quiet Homes ::
Mitch Mosk, Beacon, New York
Tright here’s a form of fever you may solely catch on a London night time out – the combo of warmth, heartbreak, and half-spilled pints that turns all the pieces into movement. Quiet Homes bottle that precise power in “mark/james,” a enjoyable, feverish indie pop daydream that pulses with vitality. One brilliant, buoyant guitar line runs by means of the tune like a lifeline, grounding the frenzy of drums and Hannah Elliott’s magnetic vocals as she pours herself out scorching on the mic – her voice all cheek and cost, daring and enjoyment of equal measure.
This observe looks like sprinting by means of town at midnight: Flirty, messy, alive. “mark/james” is the right pump-up tune – one for the gymnasium, the pregame, or these wild, liminal hours the place all the pieces and antyhing feels attainable.
“‘mark/james’ is a tune for all our courageous sisters and brothers out on the entrance strains of relationship in London,” Quiet Homes – comprised of lifelong pals Jamie Stewart and Hannah Elliot – inform Atwood Journal. “It’s about navigating informal relationships in a world of £7 pints and flat shares with 8 folks. It was written in our first London flat in Walthamstow; it was summer season, and we have been each working full-time hospitality jobs, squeezing in music-making at any time when we may in random pockets of time.”
They proceed, “The guitar loop and drum machine have been the primary components to return into being and obtained us so excited, it felt playful, flirty, and unserious, and the lyrics got here fairly shortly after. When the tempo of the melody is so quick, you may slot in quite a lot of story. The drums have been performed by Meg Learmonth, we recorded them with the observe slowed down 40% earlier than dashing it again as much as get these snappy transients. Chris Rabbits re-recorded the unique bass line with the enjoyable fills.”
A tune for the daring and the blissfully reckless, “mark/james” turns the chaos of contemporary love into pure, radiant movement – vivacious, full of life, and alive in each sense. It’s a rush of colour and electrical energy, a breathless blur that leaves us grinning, gasping, and able to run it again once more.
:: Something Can Be A Hammer – bloodsports ::
Will Yarbrough, Philadelphia, PA
No matter the place you begin, the lineage of indie rock by no means falls removed from the Large Apple. Regardless of shedding its edge to hire hikes over the previous decade, there’s new blood placing the large metropolis again on each blogger’s map.
Whereas recent on Brooklyn’s DIY scene, bloodsports don’t break too removed from custom. They’re a guitar band, before everything, whose weapon of selection is a white-hot tone that would peel no matter paint Sonic Youth spared on Murray Road. Different greats from indie’s previous come to bear on their Good English debut, however crucially, these ghosts by no means linger. Something Can Be A Hammer solely glances on the blueprint to be able to set up a brand new precedent. “Trio” bends Albert Hammond Jr.’s fretwork till the scales are shed of rock ‘n’ roll’s leathery foreskin.
Maybe I’m the one stretching right here, however Something Can Be A Hammer refers extra to the guiding philosophy of Australian comedy troupe Aunty Donna. With smashing outcomes, the title observe exams bloodsports’ speculation with the identical warning afforded to a crash take a look at dummy. Recording with the professionals at Studio G freed the band’s ringleaders Sam Murphy and Jeremy Mock to correctly jam with their newly infused rhythm part. Even “Calvin” — the album’s most simple providing — can’t deny its lust for the slanted and enchanted.
If one is inclined to field bloodsports right into a nook, you could possibly do quite a bit worse than shoegaze. Like their next-door neighbors bathe curtain or cross-state surveyors They Are Gutting a Physique of Water, this band aren’t fixated a lot on their pedalboards. Something Can Be A Hammer is extra preoccupied with how our hopes and desires blur collectively. “Rosary” grieves a relationship that has since come again to life. Murphy’s bleary recollections rub in opposition to a riff that scratches as if simply exterior the door. “I can’t sleep along with your canine dying subsequent to me.” His final phrases hold within the air, nonetheless heavy with remorse, whereas the reverb throbs and swells like a re-opened wound.
:: The Poison I Select – Mary Hatley ::
Danielle Holian, Galway, Eire
Mary Hatley’s debut album The Poison I Select is a fearless introduction to a songwriter who writes with the honesty of somebody who has lived each notice she sings. Drawing from the deep properly of Memphis’ musical legacy, Hatley fuses blues, nation, rock, and pop right into a sound that’s each intimate and expansive. Every of the twelve tracks looks like a confession set to melody, whether or not she’s whispering vulnerability on “As Lengthy As You’re Mine,” reclaiming company on “Not The Solely One,” or channeling fiery defiance in Ricochet. It’s a file brimming with contradictions, uncooked but polished, tender but unflinching, that leaves the listener feeling like they’ve been let into Hatley’s non-public world.
What makes The Poison I Select so compelling is its steadiness of heartbreak and resilience. Tracks like “Canine Days” and “Miss You Pricey” are steeped in grief, however they carry a quiet energy, reworking ache into connection. In the meantime, songs like “What Are You Gonna Do” floor the album in Hatley’s Memphis roots, celebrating place and group. The title observe is the file’s emotional core, a haunting reckoning with poisonous love and the alternatives that outline us. Along with her husky, evocative vocals and storytelling that blends the non-public with the common, Mary Hatley has crafted a debut that feels much less like an introduction and extra like an announcement: she’s right here, she has one thing to say, and she or he gained’t be ignored.
:: “Lonely within the Jungle” – Khamari ::
Miranda Urbanczyk, Michigan
In a state of doubt and desperation, singer-songwriter Khamari wrote “Lonely within the Jungle.” Khamari’s sophomore album, To Dry a Tear is filled with feelings. His tune, “Lonely within the Jungle” isn’t any exception. It’s a susceptible anthem that seeks for solutions within the midst of silence and hopelessness. Khamari cries out to God, as he asks the query. “If there’s a God on this lonely jungle / Why haven’t my prayers been answered?”
:: Internal Democracy EP – Mindchatter ::
Ashley Littlefield, California
Appropriately releasing his newest work on World Psychological Well being Day, October tenth, Internal Democracy EP continues the inventive work often called Mindchatter. The New York artist, singer/songwriter, and producer Bryce Connolly has proven his artistry to tastemakers with rooted digital sounds, mixing an empathic spectrum of eclectic tones that calm the thoughts. This challenge options themes and conversations to appease the thoughts since his journey started in 2019. He has caught consideration within the nationwide competition sphere, showing on lineups from California festival-goers’ favorites like Outdoors Lands, CRSSD in San Diego, Lightning in A Bottle, and Coachella’s DoLab stage, as he continues to imprint his signature fashion on a rising discography for his viewers.
Internal Democracy EP describes a problem of carrying internalized ideas that individuals typically maintain alone by means of their psychological well being journey. The title observe, “Internal Democracy,” guides listeners towards an “interior peace,” providing consolation as they’re welcomed into the Mindchatter’s interior world. Constructing the narrative, “Each Single Sound” uplifts with a chilled melody, grand piano, and a straightforward drum sample. This tune helps floor the listener within the current second. Subsequent, “Such A Disgrace” bursts onto the scene with power, heating up any dancefloor house with hi-hats and synths that carry a optimistic message. Persevering with the power, “Don’t Belief A Thought” provides a satirical and inventive dialogue for listeners to judge. The EP’s closing observe, “Laundry,” permits listeners to scrub away yesterday’s fears and declare their happiness as time strikes ahead.
Internal Democracy EP serves as an emotional bridge, weaving a material of his discography sounds together with his previous 2020 debut launch, Imaginary Viewers, and sophomore 2022 launch, Dream Soup, connecting a wavelength of peace right into a synoptic rhythm that evokes therapeutic. Whereas accompanied by a riveting dance rhythm that echoes electrical power, he expresses feelings freely, bringing consolation by means of his perspective. Now Connolly shares the anticipation that his third LP version of Mindchatter, Giving Up On Phrases, is out on November seventh by way of Maison Arts. As he explains in his personal phrases concerning the album, “This album is the closest I’ve come to defining Mindchatter. Giving Up On Phrases is concerning the quiet battle between the ideas and their observer. It deliberately drifts between genres however stays constant – whether or not it’s a dance observe or a ballad, the sensation is acquainted.”
:: “Manny’s Able to Roll” – Psychedelic Porn Crumpets ::
Danny Vagnoni, Philadelphia
The Psychedelic Porn Crumpets are one among a string of maximalist psychedelic rock bands out of Australia whose prolificacy is matched solely by their aptitude for ripping guitar work. “Manny’s Able to Roll” is the primary single off of their second album challenge this yr following Might’s romp, Carpe Diem, Moonman.
Whereas they aren’t fairly as, let’s say, relentless as their cousins King Gizz, the Crumpets have been an extremely thrilling act to observe since their two-part fuzz opus Excessive Visceral in 2018. They’re the form of band that may unabashedly lower a sprawling vamp of a observe known as “Cubensis Lenses” (iylyk, and iydk then Cubensis is the species identify of psilocybin) after which flip round and write one thing earnest and delightful like “November.” I’ve all the time liked this duality in artwork – it’s the identical cause I really like LCD Soundsystem’s penchant for ridiculous lyrical meandering and nostalgic poetry and why Kurt Vonnegut’s black humor one way or the other feels so compassionate.
“Manny’s Able to Roll” sees the Porn Crumpets exploring the contours of their sounds from Carpe Diem, Moonman – metallic tinged twangy rock with a heavy inclination in direction of live-friendly instrumental vamping. What actually fills out “Manny,” although, is the vibrating resonance all through the tune that I can solely establish as a sitar. This small nuance creates a beautiful new taste of the rollicking Porn Crumpets sound. The verses in “Manny” really feel like frenzied metallic ferments that soften into the bizarre psychedelic calm of the refrain, the attention of the storm. “Manny’s Able to Roll” rocks, and is a superb addition to the PPC’s catalogue.
:: A Bodily Persistence – Rett Smith ::
Rachel Leong, France
Rett Smith dropped his fifth studio album, A Bodily Persistence, this previous week – an unabashed exploration of vulnerability, emotion, and musical precision. The album is rock to its core, with sparser tracks like “November ‘63” peeling again the layers of Smith’s influences in post-punk and Southern guitars.
A Bodily Persistence is Smith at his rawest and most unapologetic. Most curiously, the file was created fully by means of analog gear – taking a step again from trendy expertise. Smith himself oversaw each facet of manufacturing and mixing, most notably heard by means of tracks like “Inform Me There’s a God,” and “Seaside Regrets” – including an additional layer of vulnerability to the album’s storytelling.
With all guitars and unapologetic emotion – Rett Smith’s newest absolutely solidifies him as one of the vital spectacular up to date rockers on the market proper now.
:: “Handbrake” – Low Woman ::
Mitch Mosk, Beacon, New York
A quiet ache pulses on the coronary heart of Low Woman’s “Handbrake.” Dreamy, wondrous, and achingly emotive, the English band’s newest single glows with percussive heat and uncooked vulnerability, its ambiance lush and unguarded from the primary beat. “I don’t have a handbrake however do I’ve what it takes?” Sarah Cosgrove asks, her voice tender but putting – a poetic and poignant line that captures the observe’s stressed push between guilt, desperation, and the necessity to preserve transferring ahead even when the world feels heavy.
“This observe happened on a dismal November night by means of Bradley, myself, and a Mac,” Cosgrove shares. “We had simply completed touring with October Drift, and I had a case of the post-tour blues. A few of that angst evidently bled into the observe, however lyrically ‘Handbrake’ offers with themes of guilt and desperation. I feel, like lots of the album tracks, I’m expressing issues I used to be too passive to articulate within the second.”
Comprised of Sarah Cosgrove (lead vocals/guitar/bass), Bradley Taylor (guitar/bass/backing vocals), Toby Morgan (keys), and Tom Cosgrove (drums), the indie quartet finds steadiness between introspection and depth on this gorgeous first take a look at their forthcoming debut album Is It Too Late To Freak Out? (out October 24 by way of AWAL). “Writing our debut album has allowed us to discover and develop the musical concepts we’ve been restlessly taking part in round with for the previous couple of years,” the band says. “A bulk of the songs have been recorded in reside takes, which is a recording technique we’ve all the time wished to utilise and we felt a freedom to do that all through the method.”
“The album marketing campaign is kicking off with one thing a bit extra sombre and contemplative, as our earlier singles have been targeted on the upbeat and boppy facet of Low Woman. We’re actually excited for folks to listen to the number of songs and instrumentation we’ve put collectively on the album. With ‘Handbrake,’ now we have chosen to go for one thing in contrast to something we’ve ever launched for the primary single.”
What begins as a somber, late-night reflection quickly blooms right into a cathartic, quietly ecstatic launch – vivid proof of Low Woman’s emotional dexterity. “Handbrake” is lush and alive, a sonic confession that surges and swells till it looks like movement itself – glistening, weightless, and lively. Beneath its dreamy veneer lies one thing uncooked and looking: an intimate portrait of self-doubt, inertia, and the delicate hope of breaking free.
“Operating from the issues that I’m operating from, I do know it’s incorrect… yeah I feel that that is the start of the top,” Cosgrove sings, her phrases hovering someplace between resignation and launch. The stress of that chorus – of understanding you’re caught and nonetheless pushing ahead anyway – turns into the heartbeat of the tune. Each shimmering synth, each pulse of percussion, feels prefer it’s propelling her towards the sting of one thing larger, one thing courageous.
Low Woman seize that second of give up with breathtaking grace: the house between holding on and letting go, the place movement turns into which means, and music turns into a form of salvation.
:: “Kiss & Let Go” – ANASTÁZIE ::
Danielle Holian, Galway, Eire
With “Kiss & Let Go,” Czech-Armenian singer/songwriter and co-producer ANASTÁZIE delivers a radiant fusion of R&B sensuality, Afrobeats rhythm, and jazz-inflected magnificence. The observe shimmers with easy sophistication, balancing vibrant power with soulful intimacy. Her vocals, clean, assured, and intoxicating, glide over the beat with ease, whereas the polished but playful manufacturing displays each her multicultural heritage and her refined creative imaginative and prescient. It’s a tune that feels as expansive as it’s private, designed to maneuver each the physique and the spirit.
Past its sonic attract, the only thrives on its message: liberation, youth, and the daring pleasure of self-expression. “Kiss & Let Go” celebrates the artwork of launch, selecting independence and embracing freedom with grace and confidence. By pairing a universally uplifting theme with a globally resonant sound, ANASTÁZIE has crafted an anthem for residing totally and unapologetically. It’s the form of music that doesn’t simply soundtrack the second, it expands it.
:: “Weekend” – Jordana Bryant ::
Bárbara Martínez Campuzano, Mexico
Jordana Bryant makes her ardour for music and songwriting evident in her single “Weekend,” worthy of listeners who wish to expertise romance and enjoyable by means of a sound virtually cinematic. The 2-minute tune makes it straightforward to grasp what it’s about (somebody being joyful and feeling protected whereas in love) with instrumentals that mix nation and pop. A cheerful beat with guitars and Jordana’s genuine, charming vocals, “Weekend” is the metaphor of getting somebody really feel just like the a part of the week that resembles peace, glee, and aid.
With lyrics like “Child, you are feeling like a weekend / Arms I can sleep in” has the top of summer season power that pleads for the second to stay eternally, particularly with an individual that’s shut and that radiates affection and security. Jordana, a local of a small city in Pennsylvania, has loads of different songs and a few EPs that match within the nation style, and that share her true emotions with the aim of connecting with others.
:: “Nearer to Dropping” – ALIE ::
Rachel Leong, France
Hailing from Lille, France, ALIE is a poet at coronary heart. “Nearer To Dropping” is a beautiful indie-pop observe with folk-leaning sensibilities, main with ALIE’s distinct vocals and poignant storytelling.
Combining the sonic worlds invoked by that of the banjo, harmonica, and acoustic guitars, ALIE croons atop these layers: “I can’t assist however take into consideration what dialog would be the final, am I gonna say the phrases?” The one is a testomony to the concern of shedding family members, and the grief that comes alongside within the anticipation and within the aftermath.
A very particular drop within the ocean of contemporary music, ALIE’s music looks like a present within the present storm of contemporary music.
:: At all times Been – Craig Finn ::
Will Yarbrough, Philadelphia, PA
Craig Finn has all the time been a storyteller. Because the daybreak of Y2K, rock critics have rightfully championed The Maintain Regular’s bespectacled, ball-capped and beer-toting bard as Jack Kerouac for my fellow girls and boys of the Myspace era. His newest solo album facilities on the identical small-town kooks that he’s all the time written about with such loving element. However a slight change in surroundings has led him to spin off one of the vital rewarding tales of his storied profession.
In comparison with the camps down by the Mississippi River, Bethany Seashore certain feels like heaven. However for Finn, At all times Been is way from a departure. Anybody who’s heard the one about Charlemagne in sweatpants will acknowledge his newest all-American anti-hero: a soldier-turned-priest who’s in want of one other, greater calling after washing up at his mother and father’ summer season home. To deliver his semi-charmed story to life, Finn recruited the one dudes who can problem The Maintain Regular for the title of World’s Biggest Bar Band. With a stash of mellow keys, stiff backbeats and guitar solos that sail like kites in a breeze, Adam Granduciel and his co-conspirators in The Warfare on Medicine assist a lifetime price of regrets go down clean as the primary spherical at No Bathe Comfortable Hour.
This explicit thirst — for that magical time when the night time and all its countless potentialities are nonetheless in entrance of you — has all the time been Finn’s drug du jour. However not often has he surveyed the morning after’s wreckage with such stark readability. “The Man I’ve At all times Been” is the sound of the offseason, when snowbirds fly south for the winter, leaving solely those that can by no means really get out. Accompanied by an acoustic guitar that pops and creaks like a frosty boardwalk, Finn’s narrator takes a tough take a look at the underside of his bottle and finds little of substance. “Disguises, masks and uniforms / None of them felt totally shaped“, he admits amidst an organ that glows like a test engine gentle.
For our hero, maybe it’s an indication that he’s one step additional on the street to acceptance. However for us, it’s simply extra proof that Finn continues to be among the best round.
:: “3AM” – sleepazoid ::
Mitch Mosk, Beacon, New York
It’s the nighttime, and sleepazoid have completely captured that blurry, buzzing hour between longing and launch. Brooding, downtempo, and dreamily hypnotic, “3AM” looks like The xx colliding with Wolf Alice in a haze of reverb, heartache, and hope. The tune balances two worlds – tender, tender confessions whispered by means of dim verses and fiery, overdriven choruses that hit with pulse-raising depth. It’s dynamic and deeply emotive : a late-night anthem drenched in feeling, flickering just like the final gentle left on at a celebration you don’t wish to go away.
“I favored the thought of portray a scene that will deliver the listener proper into the room,” says vocalist Nette France. “That acquainted late-night get together once you’re not likely certain the place the night time will go – however you’ve gotten hopes! Sonically, we’ve gotten rather more snug writing collectively and I feel you may hear that cohesion. George’s synthy harmonics on this observe are a great instance of how we’re embracing extra fascinating textures throughout the brand new EP – nonetheless embracing the three guitars but additionally permitting for house and dynamics.”
That vivid cinematic pull runs by means of each line of “3AM.” France’s phrases really feel lived-in and instant – “you’re sat over on the sofa telling a narrative to a gathering crowd / and I can’t take my eyes off your mouth” – evoking the dizzy sweetness of connection amid chaos. Because the tune builds, the guitars develop bolder, the drums extra pressing, and the night time itself appears to swell round her till all the pieces breaks open in a cathartic rush of sound and emotion.
“3AM” is the second in the beginning adjustments – the fun, the tenderness, the uncertainty, all suspended in amber. It’s brooding, stunning, and alive with that heady mixture of vulnerability and verve that sleepazoid accomplish that properly.
:: “Little World” – Samuel Taylor ::
Danielle Holian, Galway, Eire
Tright here’s a quiet magic to “Little World,” the debut single from indie folks newcomer Samuel Taylor, who has simply signed to No Roads Information. Rising, as if from the woodland mist of his rural upbringing, Taylor arrives with a sound that feels each historic and startlingly recent, a form of emotional archaeology that uncovers one thing deeply human beneath the floor of melody. At solely 23, he demonstrates the poise of a seasoned songwriter, weaving cinematic textures and pastoral storytelling into one thing transportive. You’ll be able to virtually hear the rivers and forests of his childhood within the house between the notes, that uncommon potential to show solitude into tune, and tune into solace.
Produced by Jesse Quin and mastered by Kevin Tuffy, “Little World” unfolds like a movie rating for a reminiscence you didn’t know you had. The opening’s fragile acoustic selecting and hushed vocals bloom into an beautiful layering of strings, keys, banjo and percussion, an association that feels each intimate and expansive. Taylor’s voice, equal elements ache and assurance, evokes the mild honesty of early Ben Howard and the ethereal tenderness of Sufjan Stevens, but it’s unmistakably his personal. What lingers after the ultimate notice is a way of quiet resilience, the sensation that, even when the world shrinks to its smallest, there’s nonetheless magnificence to be discovered inside it.
:: “Only a Woman” – Molly Stone ::
Danielle Holian, Galway, Eire
“Just a Woman,” is a radiant declaration of confidence and craft by Molly Stone. The tune shimmers with pop polish whereas biting again with lyrical wit. Written in Los Angeles with Leve and produced by REYA, the observe turns on a regular basis underestimation into artwork. Stone’s voice dances over sharp hooks and smooth manufacturing, balancing allure and defiance in equal measure. Each line feels each playful and deliberate, a testomony to her potential to show vulnerability into empowerment with out ever shedding her humorousness.
The accompanying music video amplifies the tune’s message with cinematic aptitude, fashionable, tongue-in-cheek, and unapologetically daring. Mixing the shiny attract of contemporary pop with the storytelling spirit of a real singer-songwriter, Stone channels influences, from Taylor Swift to Lily Allen whereas carving out a sound fully her personal. “Only a Woman” isn’t simply catchy; it’s intelligent, self-aware, and culturally sharp, a glowing reminder that pop music could be as clever as it’s infectious. Molly Stone isn’t merely only a lady, she’s a rising pressure redefining what it means to be one.
:: “Stroll Away” – Coline Creuzot ::
Grace Holtzclaw, Los Angeles, CA
Coline Creuzot is a 3X Billboard-charting artist who continues to push the envelope on all issues R&B. Her roots as a born and raised Houston artist empower her brazen angle and depth of confidence that comes by means of in her music. Creuzot’s new single “Stroll Away” is about selecting herself within the face of chaos. It captures the extreme fallout of an all-encompassing relationship. Creuzot reminds us that there’s all the time a path ahead, even when now we have to stroll that path alone.
“Stroll Away” captivates with pulsating beats, pristine harmonies, and unapologetic vocals that rise like a phoenix. Creuzot recounts the obstacles of her relationship and finds irony by means of the rose-tinted lens of retrospection. She sings, “You need me to remain / However, you gained’t change / Don’t act stunned once I stroll away.” “Stroll Away” is a cathartic launch for Creuzot as she forges forward into a brand new period and encourages others to take that step ahead together with her.
Momentum is rising for Creuzot as an artist. Her current single “I LOVE YOU” is presently within the combine on Sirius XM’s Coronary heart & Soul. “Stroll Away” carries ahead Creuzot’s legacy as a voice for feminine empowerment and the long run appears to be like brilliant.
:: “Anhelo” – Alma Muñeca ::
Rachel Leong, France
“Anhelo” is explosive, confident and simply the correct quantity of experimental. Texas-based art-pop band Alma Muñeca simply launched their newest single, main as much as a wider EP challenge set to launch subsequent week.
The one follows the broader theme of heartbreak and need that the EP will discover. The large synths, understated driving bass and stacked vocals got here to life after performing the tune reside. It’s only one piece of the broader puzzle of confusion, pleasure and disappointment that arrive in love.
The four-piece consists of Cocó Allegra (lead singer), Ernesto Gray (who produced the challenge), in addition to Matt Russell and Wade Stephens. The combination of identities current within the group supplies a wealthy lens by means of which Alma Muñeca’s music will resonate with listeners – rife with a candid honesty in love and life, the songwriting additionally holds the lens of Latin and queer communities by means of lead singer Allegra. With experimental soundscapes and upbeat reside performances, the band creates a protected house for feeling, expressing, and mark their terrain in experimental artwork pop.
:: “The Seagull” – Fairhazel ::
Mitch Mosk, Beacon, New York
Tright here’s a tenderness in Fairhazel’s music that feels virtually sacred – an openness that invitations you to lean in and pay attention nearer. “The Seagull” is a type of uncommon songs that finds magnificence in stillness. Heartwarming and achingly emotive, it floats like a delicate breeze over the ocean – delicate, but filled with depth, heat, and uncooked humanity. Informed from the attitude of a seagull visiting his late grandmother every morning, Fairhazel transforms grief into grace, crafting one thing fragile and eternal from life’s quietest moments.
“My grandmother handed away at age 100,” Fairhazel tells Atwood Journal. “She lived alone in a small city in northern England and as a result of pandemic, she couldn’t be visited typically in her previous few years of life. After I would name her, she would inform me {that a} seagull would come to go to her each morning, the identical seagull, the identical time, like clockwork. The 2 would spend time collectively, she would feed him and he would give her firm. ‘The Seagull’ is a tune from the attitude of the seagull visiting my grandma in her final months, and returning after she was gone to seek out her not there anymore.”
There’s a quiet intimacy that runs by means of the tune’s verses – “Nicely I suppose I’ll see you / spherical this time tomorrow / fly as much as your window / wait so that you can discover” – that feels virtually like prayer. Every picture lands with a tender ache, tracing the rhythm of each day rituals and the gradual fade of time: “Every day is a lifetime / every day’s getting shorter.” Because the tune unfolds, its perspective shifts from companionship to absence, from the heat of connection to the chilly stillness that follows – “Empty for some time now / nobody right here to fulfill me / nobody to share a second / I’ll strive once more tomorrow.”
Fairhazel – the moniker of British-born singer-songwriter Hugh Macdonald – has lengthy blurred the strains between fiction and reality, crafting deeply human folks tales that shimmer with sincerity. Raised between the UK, South Africa, and France, he brings a worldwide tenderness to his sound, recalling the intimacy of Ben Howard and the poetic grace of Sufjan Stevens.
“The Seagull” dwells in that liminal house between pressure and launch, the place fragility turns into its personal form of energy. It’s a tune of companionship and enduring love – a meditation on loss, reminiscence, and the great thing about returning, even when nobody’s left to reply.
:: TRU – Aliza Li ::
Danielle Holian, Galway, Eire
Aliza Li’s newest EP, TRU, is a succinct but highly effective assertion that cements her place in Atlanta’s burgeoning R&B and neo-soul scene. Throughout three tracks, she blends introspective lyricism with lush, up to date manufacturing, crafting a sound that feels each intimate and expansive. From the decisive opener, “Name Tru,” to the radiant “Glow,” Li navigates themes of self-alignment, progress, and emotional liberation with a confidence that makes her storytelling unattainable to disregard. Her vocals, heat and expressive, carry a depth that elevates every observe past mere melody, turning each tune into a private invitation for listeners to replicate and resonate.
The EP closes with “Often Telepathic,” a hauntingly sincere meditation on the nonlinear journey of therapeutic. In just some minutes, TRU manages to really feel each cohesive and dynamic, putting a steadiness between vulnerability and empowerment. Aliza Li demonstrates a uncommon potential to mix soulful textures with up to date sensibilities, creating music that lingers lengthy after the ultimate notice. Concise, heartfelt, and masterfully executed, TRU is a glimpse into an artist on the rise, and a reminder of the transformative energy of music rooted in reality.
:: “Messy Woman” – Bettina BCB ::
Chloe Robinson, California
Ever get so used to listening to rumors about your self, that you simply simply play into the image others have painted of you? That’s What Bettina BCB’s sassy single “Messy Woman” is about. With R&B, pop, and hip-hop vibes, the sonics channel the power of early 2000s Timbaland pop with a smooth, recent replace. The daring observe is the perfect retort for baseless chatter. The lyrics, ‘she is a demon, modern-day Regina,’ instantly conjure the picture of that ruthless, vindictive character that nobody desires to be related to. That couldn’t be farther from who she is, but she figures she may as properly act the half. If the gossip prepare is reeking havoc then so ought to she.
Bettina BCB is an rising artist who fuses her British roots with R&B, pop, and hip-hop influences. Her skilled craft is clear in all the pieces she does. A lot so she was even mentored by the enduring Stargate in Los Angeles. Her tune strains are cheeky and intelligent and her hooks are infectious and memorable. All that may be heard within the intoxicating insanity of “Messy Woman.”
:: “All My Buddies Are Fashions” – Sophia Stel ::
Mitch Mosk, Beacon, New York
Tright here’s one thing quietly devastating about “All My Buddies Are Fashions.” Dreamy and dramatic in equal measure, Sophia Stel’s newest electropop providing shimmers with tender confession and heavy launch – a gradual, cinematic burn that hits laborious and lingers lengthy after the final notice fades. Constructed on propulsive drums, glittering synths, and that signature Stel ache, it’s a tune that glows from the within out: intimate, charged, and fantastically self-aware.
“Chilly sweat, I used to be so ashamed to be alone…” she sings at first, her voice breathy and shut – a whisper that looks like a secret. The verses ache with small, human admissions, whereas the refrain lifts into one thing anthemic and bittersweet: “All my pals are fashions, I’m not complaining now / I’m making one thing as much as get one other bottle.” It’s that blend of humor and heartache, self-deprecation and sincerity, that makes Stel’s writing so magnetic.
Sophia Stel has all the time been laborious to pin down – a Vancouver-born artist and producer who forgoes the polish of the algorithm for one thing uncooked and actual. Her music, rooted in confessional storytelling and post-digital cool, channels the moodiness of 070 Shake and the emotional altitude of Ethel Cain, but stays wholly her personal. “All My Buddies Are Fashions” sits on the middle of her lately launched EP How To Win At Solitaire (out September 5 by way of Pack Information), increasing her sonic world with lush manufacturing and razor-sharp vulnerability.
A heavy-hitting, heart-melting dreamscape, “All My Buddies Are Fashions” looks like late-night honesty wrapped in neon gentle – the form of tune you play when the get together’s over and also you’re not fairly able to face the quiet. It’s tender, stressed, and alive with feeling – proof that irrespective of how luminous the floor, Stel’s glow comes from the center.
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