evolution 9’s ‘Sweet Number One’ turns a lost 80s song into a power-pop revival
On their new offering ‘Sweet Number One’, evolution 9 leans into a familiar but enduring strain of guitar-led pop, drawing from British Invasion songwriting and 70s power-pop without overcomplicating the formula. Led by songwriter and keyboardist Dave Follweiler, the track is built around bright guitars, layered harmonies and a steadyContinue Reading
Gubbe turns bad ideas into big fun on ‘What Could Possibly Go Wrong?’
There’s something wonderfully refreshing about an artist refusing to overthink things, and on his new single ‘What Could Possibly Go Wrong?’, Gubbe sounds like he is having more fun than ever. The Norwegian project of songwriter Bent Olav Olsen has often explored darker corners of alternative rock, but this latestContinue Reading
Valley Taylor finds beauty in imperfection on ‘One Hundred Billion Points of Light’
There’s something especially captivating about a record that begins with simplicity and gradually grows into something far stranger than originally intended. And on his latest album One Hundred Billion Points of Light, Bay Area artist Valley Taylor takes that journey in full, transforming the bare bones of intimate home demos intoContinue Reading
Michael Cohen finds light in the wreckage on ‘Living in Dadeland’
There’s something deeply affecting about hearing an artist turn personal collapse into creative momentum, and on Living in Dadeland, Michael Cohen does exactly that. What begins as a record about love and heartbreak gradually becomes a story about memory, persistence, reinvention and the strange ways we try to make sense ofContinue Reading
“Can’t Keep a Good Man Down For Long” Completes the Emotional Arc of TRIPI’s Close to Fire
The three songs released ahead of TRIPI’s Close to Fire: Roman’s Anthology Release Part I trace a clear emotional progression. “Charlie’s Song” holds tightly to memory. “Life Without You” faces absence and release. The final single, “Can’t Keep a Good Man Down For Long,” turns toward endurance without pretending thatContinue Reading
Junior Wright lets grief speak for itself on ‘Away’
There’s a moment in grief when the facts have already settled but the feeling hasn’t. And ‘Away’ lives in that gap. Junior Wright’s new single strips his sound down to piano, cello and voice, creating a setting where every small shift matters. The opening carries a trace of warmth, butContinue Reading
Ria Timkin releases new EP ‘Favourite Child’ ahead of UK and Ireland tour
Ria Timkin has released her new five-track EP Favourite Child, ahead of a run of headline shows across the UK and Ireland. Recorded and co-produced with Tom Wilding at Wildingsounds in Bristol, the EP combines alternative pop with electronic and cinematic elements, bringing together previous singles ‘Our Time’, ‘The Difference’ and ‘Slow Mo’. Across the release, she exploresContinue Reading
Dulldrums let regret drift through the haze on ‘If I’d Known’
Dulldrums arrive with the kind of debut that feels like it’s been sitting with them for quite some time. Formed by married Manchester musicians Matt and Rachel after the end of Mewn, the project strips away the pressure of an all-consuming band setup without sacrificing the ambition. That freedom isContinue Reading
Sean MacLeod makes big questions feel beautifully immediate on ‘That’s When the Earth Becomes a Star’
Sean MacLeod has never sounded particularly interested in separating thought from melody, and That’s When the Earth Becomes a Star pushes that instinct further than ever. Across his fifth solo album, the Irish singer-songwriter folds questions of identity, alienation and transformation into music that remains warm, melodic and remarkably approachable. His ownContinue Reading
Possumwulf stares down the end times on ‘You Can’t Kill My Love’
Possumwulf has always sounded like the landscape around the music matters, and ‘You Can’t Kill My Love’ makes that connection feel especially strong. Rooted in the Ouachita mountains and filtered through a mix of post-rock, Americana and what the artist calls “hillbilly doom pop,” the track feels both deeply regionalContinue Reading