JESUS THE APOLLO impressed me with “THE VILLAIN!” and it hits hard. The guitar work is aggressive, the rap delivery is tight, and somehow it all clicks together without sounding forced. You get these name-drops of Michael Myers, Thanos, and Darth Vader that could’ve been corny but actually land perfectly because the whole attitude of …

Grant Borland’s latest as Soek takes you back to those years when scraped knees didn’t slow you down and summer days lasted forever. The single recreates that invincible feeling kids have before life gets complicated. The piano moves around with the same energy a child has, bouncing, unpredictable, but always purposeful. Live strings recorded by …

Ezra Vancil’s “Island” is a song about getting your life back after it’s been in pieces. He wrote it a few years after getting back together with his wife, and you can hear that relief in every note. Recorded in a cabin out in East Texas with his daughter Cozi singing backup, the track has …

Samuel Yuri’s latest single grabs you right from the start with its gritty, heavy sound. The São Paulo artist has put together a track that bounces between goth rock, grunge, and classic rock without getting stuck in any one box, and the guitars are aggressive and unpolished in the best way, and the drums deserve …

Exzenya’s latest track “Ugly When You Love Me” is beautiful and will hits you with cold electronic beats and a voice that knows exactly where to strike. This song lives in that uncomfortable space where you finally see someone’s affection for the manipulation it always was. The production keeps everything tight and deliberate, and every …

Heron’s latest single is wonderful and right from the opening piano chords and exposed vocals, you can tell this isn’t your typical pop track. The arrangement grows naturally, adding guitars, strings, and harmonies that give the whole thing a warm, almost cinematic quality without ever feeling overproduced or cluttered. The lyrics challenge listeners to reconsider …

Allan Jamisen takes a simple phrase and builds an entire electro-dance track around it, and to be honest with you guys, it’s more engaging than you’d expect, “Gotta Do” starts with dreamy synths before kicking into high gear with pulsing rhythms and distorted vocals that are stunning. The repetition could easily become annoying, but Jamisen …

Denver guitarist D. West has put together an album that deserves your full attention. Released in November 2025 on Hollow Gesture Records, this record takes his American Primitive style and stretches it into darker, more experimental directions with 12-string guitar and ambient textures layered in. His fingerpicking is detailed but never overthought, and you can …

This Glasgow trio has figured out how to make a breakup song you can actually move to. “worth it!” is about looking back at a relationship and wondering why you bothered in the first place, but the music itself is anything but mopey. The band plays with this contradiction really well: you get these catchy …

Too Much Joy went all out with this reissue of their 1989 breakthrough, packing in 34 tracks for anyone willing to take the ride. The extras here are worth your time. Early demos from Radio Tokyo let you hear how these songs started, and the ska version of “Clowns” gives the fan favorite a fun …

Gary Patrick’s new single tackles the messy reality of loving someone who can’t love you back, and he doesn’t hold anything back. Working with co-writer Ken Orsow, Gary puts words to the kind of heartbreak that leaves you wondering why you kept trying so hard, and his vocal delivery sells every line, especially when he …

Moss Henry’s new single is a straight-up banger that’ll have you replaying it before it even finishes. Recorded at Coral Star Studios in the U.S. Virgin Islands, this song mixes Americana with blues-rock in a way that actually works without trying too hard to be clever about it. Moss Henry sings about a guy stuck …

Empty Pinata just released “TikTok Girl”, it’s exactly the kind of song you didn’t know you needed. This indie-bedroom pop track tackles the weird reality of crushing on someone you’ve only seen scrolling past at 2am, and it does so with a sense of humor that never gets in the way of the actual music. …

Wattmore’s latest release “Canadian Whiskey” is the kind of track that catches you off guard in the best way possible, and the Australian brothers joined forces with Allan Caswell to write a drinking song that refuses to play by the usual rules, packing in enough sarcasm and edge to keep things interesting from start to …

Robbie Z decided to make an EP about missing things that never happened, which sounds weird until you actually listen to it. “Anemoia” jumps around between EDM-pop, surf rock, and ballads like someone scrolling their playlist on shuffle, but somehow it all works together. The 23-year-old Bulgarian artist living in London clearly had fun with …

RISE comes back strong with their latest single that turns a breakup into fuel for moving on. Right from the start, you get their mix of synths and guitar working together, backed by drums that keep pushing things forward. The band takes that moment when you’re too stunned to respond after hearing “it’s over” and …

Once Great Estate’s “The Hunter” is a compelling piece of work from this Tallahassee crew who’ve carved out their own corner of the Americana world. Tracy Horenbein leads the charge with songwriting that never wastes your time, and this track about protecting Florida’s bears hits harder than you’d expect from an advocacy song. Tracy’s years …

Matreya has put together a track that grabs your attention right away. The Birmingham singer-songwriter mixes Afrobeats with soul and R&B, and the combination works really well. His voice sits perfectly on top of live horns and saxophone, giving the whole thing a warm, full-bodied sound. The instrumentation is all live: keys, guitars, brass, and …