little chief

Today, we bring together standout releases from artists shaping the sound of right now. Press play, sit with each release, and if something clicks, add it to your playlist and follow the artist. We discovered these releases via MusoSoup. Thank you!

Audren wrote “Smile, People Smile” talking to herself in front of a microphone after months of everything going sideways. The track is indie pop/R&B with a clear 90s personality, and the horn arrangements are the first thing that grab you. They bring a sharpness and sophistication that calls back to Donald Fagen without feeling like …

Katie Belle’s electro-pop track pulls you in with a dark, bass-heavy pulse and then hits you with lyrics so personal and raw that you almost feel like you’re reading someone’s diary, in the best possible way. The production here is seriously well put together. Katie’s breathy soprano sits right up front in the mix, and …

Okay, so I was not prepared for this one. From the moment it starts, you can tell Claudia is not playing around. The dramatic version of this track takes everything up several notches, and the result is the kind of listening experience that makes you stop whatever you are doing and just… pay attention. Claudia …

Liverpool four-piece RISE released their latest single, and it is a strong one. “Always” sits comfortably in the band’s wheelhouse, a hard-driving rock track with that big, layered sound they have made their own over years of gigging and recording together. Sam Kinley, who goes by stayMellow, handles lead vocals and the performance here is …

When a family of six sits down together to write a song born from genuine frustration and anger, the result is either chaos or something unexpectedly real. With “A New Way”, The Marsh Family pull off the latter, and it’s one of those tracks you didn’t know you needed until you hear it. The Kent-based …

CATSINGTON has put out a track that genuinely stops you mid-scroll and makes you want to sit with it for a while. “Many Gears Ago” is one of those rare songs that doesn’t announce itself loudly. Jeff Katz built this project from the ground up in his LA apartment, and that DIY origin story is …

Mitchell Broodley is not your typical country artist trying to fit a mold, and “Overtime Again” makes that clear from the first listen, and this single does something genuinely clever, it uses football as an emotional lens for a long-distance love story, and honestly, it works better than you’d expect. The imagery of watching the …

Strip away the production, the layers, the studio sheen, and what are you left with? In Kane’s case, some really solid songs. That is the whole point of this release, and it makes for a compelling listen. Psychedelika (Stripped) takes nine tracks from Psychedelika Pt.1 and rebuilds them from the ground up acoustically, with two …

Not many artists would look at a song from the 1920s and think, “yeah, this needs more sub-bass”, but that’s exactly the kind of creative instinct Mike and Mandy operate on. Their trip hop and dub take on this century-old classic is bold, patient, and honestly pretty hard to shake once you’ve heard it. The …

Some songs ask for your full attention, and “Illusion” by Ivelisse Del Carmen is absolutely one of them and I’m sure you will enjoy it. The Puerto Rican artist brings something rare to this slow, smoky single, a genuine sense of emotional honesty that never oversells itself. It is the kind of song you put …

Levi Sap Nei Thang did not come to impress anyone with this album, and that is honestly why it works. “My Little Offering” is a 15-track Gospel record from this Nashville-based artist that prioritizes honesty over everything else, and you can hear that in every song. The album moves through five stages, starting with surrender …

Larry Mossburg is out of Ohio and doing his thing, and “Everyday” is the kind of track that makes you want to hit replay without really thinking about why. It has that easy, comfortable energy where nothing feels forced, and you can tell right away that Larry is just making music that reflects his actual …

You know that phrase people throw around when everything goes wrong? “Story of my life”. Exzenya heard it the same way everyone else did, and then decided to do something far more interesting with it. Her latest single reclaims those four words and turns them into something worth owning. The song runs on driving pop …

Tony Frissore released this single right on time for Lunar New Year, and honestly, the timing could not have been better, and “Island Lantern Festival” is a lo-fi track with reggae undertones that moves at its own pace and does not apologize for it. Soft flutes, relaxed beats, and a subtle global influence make this …

Emma Forgette took one of the most quietly painful experiences a person can have and turned it into a country song that sticks with you long after it ends. The track is based on a real moment from her own life, a draft text to her grandfather that never got sent, and that kind of …

Tom Minor is back with his second album, and honestly, it’s the kind of record that makes you wonder why more people aren’t talking about him. Twelve tracks of brit pop, indie rock, and power pop that somehow hold together as a cohesive body of work, even when the subject matter jumps from climate doom …

Okay, so I’ll be upfront. I did not expect this one to grab me as quickly as it did. “Spin” by The Trusted is one of those tracks that pulls you in within the first ten seconds and does not let go until that abrupt ending cuts everything dead. And even then, you hit play …