Each Friday, Atwood Journal’s workers share what they’ve been listening to that week – a track, an album, an artist – no matter’s been having an impression on them, within the second.
This week’s weekly roundup options music by Justin Bieber, Petey USA, Of Monsters and Males, D’Lourdes, James Vickery, Casii Stephan & Damion Shade, Charlotte Lawrence, Ben Hazlewood, Arcy Drive, Elias Hix, The Marches, Monterey J & Southsidefinn, Xin Liu, Joey Miceli & LEXXE, Chechii, Speedrun, Selve, Sophie Might, Mya Angelique, The Wild Issues, Firebug, ANDRO, Arts Fishing Membership, Lucy Lane, & Fenno Road Jazz!
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observe WEEKLY ROUNDUP on Spotify 
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:: “DAISIES” – Justin Bieber ::
Mitch Mosk, Beacon, New York
It’s the guitar that received me first – mild, heat, wiry, and unmistakably touched by mk.gee’s magic palms. That’s all it took for “DAISIES” to tug me in. Justin Bieber’s voice arrives seconds later – scorching on the mic, uncooked and unguarded – and out of the blue it’s like we’re sitting in a small room collectively, simply him and me (with mk.gee within the doorway), coronary heart extensive open and nerves uncovered. I’ve by no means known as myself a Belieber, however this track may be the one which adjustments that.
“DAISIES,” the second monitor off Bieber’s shock new album SWAG, pulses with that signature Bieber vulnerability – an unfiltered ardour that feels each diaristic and deeply bodily. He’s “countin’ the times, what number of days ’til I can see you once more?” over a dreamy, downtempo association constructed on intimacy and ache, want and restraint. And within the background, you possibly can virtually see mk.gee (aka Michael Todd Gordon) within the shadows, guitar in hand, casting that atmospheric haze solely he can conjure.
The lyrics stroll a tightrope of hope and heartbreak, with Bieber throwing petals and blowing kisses right into a void which may love him again – or won’t. “If it ain’t proper, babe, you understand I’ll respect it / However if you happen to want time, simply take your time / Honey, I get it, I get it, I get it.” That steadiness of longing and emotional maturity is what offers “DAISIES” its endurance: It’s not simply craving, it’s earned development.
For an album centered round fatherhood, love, and self-reflection, this monitor appears like a quiet thesis assertion. “DAISIES” is tender, textured, and simple to fall into – identical to the form of find it irresistible describes.
:: The Yips – Petey USA ::
Mitch Mosk, Beacon, New York
I noticed Petey USA play an intimate, no-frills co-headline set with Medium Construct at Levon Helm Studios this previous spring, and I haven’t stopped interested by it since. There was one thing so uncooked, so endearing, and so unfiltered about his efficiency – like somebody narrating their internal monologue in actual time, equal elements spiraling and spiritually grounded. That very same ethos spills out throughout “The Yips,” the riotous, neurotic, darkly humorous title monitor off his new album The Yips – a report that appears like a lifeline for anybody who’s ever felt simply barely too human to operate.
“I’ve received the yips, learn my lips, I used to run this city, then I received sick… May somebody rub some mud over my eyes?” Petey laments over glitchy synths and Gary Numan-esque grooves, introducing us to the fictional dive bar that homes the album’s world. The track is paranoia and self-deprecation, exorcism and satire – a barstool remedy session with a sax solo swirling like smoke within the air. However greater than something, it’s an ideal thesis for The Yips, the album, as an entire: A report that sees Petey leaning in and leaning again on the identical time, providing each a self-aware shrug and a determined plea for assist.
Produced by Chris Walla (sure, that Chris Walla), The Yips may be Petey USA’s most eclectic and emotionally bold album thus far – but it additionally appears like his most grounded. From the unshakeable churn of “The Milkman” to the refined ache of “Respiration the Similar Air” and the invigorating fervor of “Mannequin Prepare City,” he builds a communal portrait of actual folks in actual moments, every track like a unique desk on the identical dive. As Petey places it: “I’m simply singing about being there to your buddies.” However these songs go additional – they’re about being there for your self, too, even if you happen to don’t have the roadmap.
And so when Petey wails “I need to stop, I need to stop, I need to stop” however resolves “I swear to God I received’t move it on to my youngsters,” it lands like a intestine punch. The anxiousness is generational, however so is the hope. In that sense, The Yips isn’t simply an album – it’s a mission assertion, a coping mechanism, and a gaggle hug disguised as an idea report. Petey USA would possibly simply be the voice of a era: One which’s “hypercritical however objectively incapable,” painfully self-aware, and making an attempt like hell anyway.
:: “Tv Love” – Of Monsters and Males ::
Nicolle Knapová, Czechia
After a five-year-long hiatus, Of Monsters and Males are again with a bang. From the primary beat, I knew this was a comeback price ready for. Ragnar Þórhallsson and Nanna Bryndís Hilmarsdóttir stated that “Tv Love” is a dialog between two folks stretched throughout time. And I consider it’s achieved fantastically. “Tv Love” is that form of monitor that grabs you by the throat, however in the very best manner. It´ s clear that no matter OMAM have up their sleeves might be spectacular. There really needs to be one thing within the water of Iceland that leads into their music whoever the artist is to be simply magical and OMAM is not any exception.
:: You Get It or You Don’t – D’Lourdes ::
Danielle Holian, Galway, Eire
Brooklyn-based artist D’Lourdes bursts via the noise with You Get It or You Don’t, a debut album that’s as arresting in its vulnerability as it’s fearless in its sound. Mixing the angst of early 2000s alt-rock with the graceful textures of R&B and funk, D’Lourdes crafts a dynamic self-portrait, one which refuses to compromise for consolation. From the theatrical ache of “One of many Boys” to the sultry punch of “Get Harm,” the album revels in its refusal to be boxed in. At its core, it’s a coming-of-age revolt wrapped in grit and glitter: a daring assertion of identification for the misunderstood, the misrepresented, and the magnificently in-between.
You Get It or You Don’t is a daring, genre-bending assertion of identification, liberation, and sonic defiance from one in every of various pop’s most charming voices. D’Lourdes, already recognized for his or her viral debut EP and Broadway bonafides, pulls no punches right here, delivering razor-sharp lyricism and hovering vocals with the precision of a seasoned performer. Their message is obvious: authenticity trumps palatability. As vinyl pre-orders roll out and visuals start to drop, this report isn’t only a profession milestone; it’s a cultural second. D’Lourdes isn’t asking for permission, and so they actually don’t want your approval. You get it… otherwise you don’t.
:: “Proper Facet” – James Vickery ::
Josh Weiner, Washington DC
“Woah… that man certain can belt a tune!” Protected to say, my first impression of James Vickery was very a lot a good one. However my admiration of the person solely elevated as I discovered extra of his story. He grew up in London and has Welsh and South African heritage. He’s pursued his passions in R&B, soul and pop music… all whereas being utterly deaf in his left ear, an impairment he’s had since childhood.
Somewhat than let his incapacity get the higher of him, James has used it as a platform for inventive songwriting. His gorgeously sung and produced new single, “Proper Facet,” works as a particular double entendre. He’s lengthy needed to function via his “proper aspect,” the one one he can hear from, in an effort to talk with others. Plus, he’s additionally needed to overcome his incapacity and make issues work along with his romantic associate, to the purpose the place he can confidently inform her, “You’re all the time on my proper aspect, couldn’t do flawed if you happen to tried.” Hopefully (and I’d put cash on it), his upcoming self-titled debut album might be brimming with simply as a lot sincerity and musical means.
:: “King in America”- Casii Stephan ::
Chloe Robinson, California
Casii Stephan’s new gritty single “King in America” that includes Damion Shade is a robust, high-energy, rock-charged response to the hazards of fascism and a daring critique of the present American President. Highly effective lyrics similar to, “Will we allow them to take us all, seize your pitchforks give them hell, I’ll be damned if that is how we go,” make this proud piece of energy an anthem we are able to all get behind.
Stephan reveals, “I’m mad. I used to be raised to consider in God’s divine plan for America. That the monarchy was by no means meant for us. And now… they need a monarchy. They need to threaten my trans buddies’ lives and make them unwelcome in Oklahoma. They need to deport people who find themselves close to and pricey to my household. They need to choose on the minority. Nicely, choose on me. I’m the bulk. We’re the bulk. And in the event that they assume this nation will go down with no struggle?”
Raised in Minnesota and thriving in Tulsa, Stephan is an indie-pop and soul-rock singer-songwriter whose journey bridges heartfelt roots and daring new horizons. She writes from the soul, channeling deep emotion into songs that span themes of life and dying, love and loss. Her work typically challenges limiting social norms—confronting sexism, ageism, and the expectation for girls to remain quiet or “play good.” By way of her lyrics, she questions her personal assumptions and holds onto a deep hope for change, inviting listeners to do the identical on their private journeys.
:: “I Don’t Wanna Dance” – Charlotte Lawrence ::
Nicolle Knapová, Czechia
I really feel like I’ve been sleeping on Charlotte Lawrence’s music for years. I’ve all the time recognized about her music, however lately I’ve been seeing her debut album Someplace shared quite a bit on IG tales and I may not ignore her. And I’m so glad I didn’t. “I Don’t Wanna Dance” was initially launched in 2024 and finally made into the complete album that was launched only some weeks in the past.
On “I Don’t Wanna Dance,” Charlotte Lawrence talks about two totally different conditions and moods. Lawrence stated that on one hand it’s a couple of poisonous relationship and the sensation of absolute despair and then again it’s about going to golf equipment and being hit on by previous man and being disgusted by their habits which I feel is one thing that isn’t written about a lot. The track is extremely catchy and it makes you need to dance regardless of the title of the track.
:: “SPIRAL” – Ben Hazlewood ::
Rachel Leong, France
Ben Hazlewood has by no means been one to draw back from daring resilience and fearless self-expression in his music – and his newest would possibly simply be his most private but. Hazlewood returns with “SPIRAL,” an anthemic monitor charting the journey from darkness to mild.
Ben blends the grandeur of rock with the introspective storytelling of contemporary artistry. His work is autobiographical, drawing from the ebb and circulate of life, offering a path to therapeutic via his personal experiences. Identification is central to his work, and survival is a theme that he by no means fails to champion. “SPIRAL” is a track about that very therapeutic, specifically via the lens of psychological well being.
Pulling a monitor full with swirling synths, driving beats, and uncooked, emotive vocals. “SPIRAL” is the fruits of resilience, optimism and self-acceptance, showcasing Hazlewood’s signature type whereas symbolising a brand-new chapter for the artist too.
:: “What’s in My Head” – Arcy Drive ::
Mitch Mosk, Beacon, New York
Tright here’s one thing feverish and alive in Arcy Drive’s “What’s in My Head” – one thing that grabs you by the collar and doesn’t let go. Tacked on as a bonus monitor to their debut album The Pit, this track doesn’t simply belong on the report – it ignites it. From the primary overdriven guitar to the ultimate wailing chorus, it’s dramatic, it’s dynamic, and it’s delirious: The form of indie rock barnburner that feels too wild to bottle and too good to not hit repeat.
“That is one other track of the bunch that sparked within the barn on Nantucket final winter,” the band shared in a social media publish forward of the monitor’s launch on Friday. “It’s loaded with this chaotic sleep disadvantaged power which additionally precisely describes how we have been feeling enjoying it for the primary time at 3 AM in a rattling barn.” That late-night mania seeps via each beat – you possibly can hear the rafters rattling, the members of Arcy Drive leaping up and down with their devices. The track’s hook-heavy chaos captures the strain of being each “the canine and the person who holds the leash,” spiraling via self-doubt, want, and a few blurry center house between management and give up.
Frontman Nick Mateyunas has by no means sounded extra in management and uncontrolled directly – scorching on the mic, growling and howling via traces that teeter between playful and profound. There’s a Strokes-ian swagger to the angular lead guitars, nevertheless it’s fused with Arcy Drive’s personal unruly allure: Rascally, reckless, and roaring with life. It is a track that makes you need to dance on the roof of the bus they constructed themselves.
If The Pit was already a standout debut, “What’s in My Head” is the exclamation level on the finish – daring, loud, and unapologetically charismatic . Arcy Drive aren’t simply arriving; they’re exploding. This monitor is proof they’ve received the hearth to burn gone the encore.
:: “I May Make You a God” – Elias Hix ::
Mitch Mosk, Beacon, New York
Elias Hix left me speechless after I noticed him open for Houndmouth at Bearsville Theater final month – and I don’t say that evenly. There’s a smolder in his sound, the type that glints at first after which consumes you solely. A singer/songwriter from Spartanburg, South Carolina, Hix carries his music like a slow-burning flame, utilizing soul-stirring lyrics and dusky melodies to strike straight to the center. His new single “I May Make You a God” is delicate and dynamic, mild and dramatic – a young tempest that completely captures the burden, heat, and surprise that’s Elias Hix’s artwork and artistry.
Inform me when and which modified,
avenue lights within the stars
Discovered the lamp of your physique
in a city fronted arms
Timid voice of a lover,
like tooth that carve
With tooth that carve
Tooth that carve
Each thistles in June,
oh you’re a liar
As you die with the crocuses planted by her
Like spring phrases of a mom
that decision flesh and calm hearth
Calm hearth, calm hearth
“It is a track about change and shifting from one section of your life into one other,” he shares merely – and perhaps that’s why the bottom feels prefer it’s transferring beneath his toes because the monitor progresses. From the haunted stillness of its opening traces to the crescendoing last vow – “Now I’ll burn this complete home down and make you a god” – this track doesn’t simply replicate transformation; it is transformation. Hix’s phrases fall like petals and ash, directly fragile and last, and you may virtually really feel the burden of a previous life being mourned as a brand new one takes form.
Hix’s indie folks styling remembers the aching poetry of Gregory Alan Isakov – weathered and wide-eyed, intimate and immense. There’s a weathered earthiness in his voice that grounds even essentially the most poetic and celestial turns of phrase, like “the voice of a hymn because it danced in your yard” or “each thistles in June.” These aren’t simply photos – they’re artifacts of somebody studying to stay within the grey areas between reminiscence and want, disgrace and salvation.
Just like the voice of a hymn
because it danced in your yard
Know the disgrace that you’re
and your unwilling coronary heart
Now I’ll burn this complete home down
and make you a god
May make you a god…
Perhaps I’m projecting, however this track appears like a coming-of-age in actual time – the type that comes from leaving your hometown, seeing the world, and recognizing the humanity that connects us all, even once we really feel lightyears aside. As lovely as it’s breathtaking, “I May Make You a God” aches with that data, and with it, Elias Hix vegetation himself firmly among the many most compelling singer/songwriters of his era.
:: “Come Again Round” – The Marches ::
Danielle Holian, Galway, Eire
With “Come Again Round,” The Marches ship a punchy, irresistibly catchy anthem that solidifies their place as one in every of Scotland’s most enjoyable rising acts. Balancing the sharp hooks of early-2000s pop-punk with the intricacy of math-rock guitar work, the all-female quartet crafts a monitor that feels each immediately acquainted and refreshingly creative. There’s a uncooked honesty on the track’s core rooted in craving, persistence, and artistic starvation that’s elevated by slick, assured manufacturing and radiant musicianship. From sold-out reveals to main competition appearances, “Come Again Round” captures a band in full stride, charging into 2025 with the momentum of a breakout act able to tackle the world.
:: “South Facet Fantasy” – Monterey J ft. Southsidefinn ::
Danielle Holian, Galway, Eire
With “South Facet Fantasy,” Monterey J conjures a vivid daydream soaked within the colors of his native South London, a sonic postcard addressed to the borough’s daring inventive spirit. Effortlessly threading jazz, neo-soul, and hip-hop via a cinematic lens, the rising polymath paints an intoxicating groove the place smoky sax traces soften into fluttering keys and a bass line heat sufficient to thaw even the chilliest metropolis morning. Southsidefinn’s verse doesn’t simply add chew, it anchors the monitor in lived expertise, a lyrical counterpart to Monterey’s ethereal croon. Beneath the route of Grammy-nominated Teo Marangon, each factor feels purposeful, exact, and unafraid to linger in its personal ambiance. This isn’t simply music; it’s cartography.
Recorded throughout Cable Road Studios and the commercial hum of Lightship 95, “South Facet Fantasy” appears like a practice trip via Monterey’s reminiscences: chaotic, tender, jazz-drenched, and continuously shifting tempo. It’s no shock that Monterey nods to Bitches Brew; like Miles earlier than him, he doesn’t simply bend genres, he dissolves them into one thing dreamlike and deeply native. There’s an honesty in the way in which he navigates construction, like taking the good distance residence simply to savour the sights. As the primary glimpse into his upcoming album Welcome 2 South London, this monitor stands as a mission assertion: bold, rooted, and completely magnetic. Monterey J is not only telling his story: he’s scoring the soul of a metropolis.
:: Ardour – Xin Liu ::
Josh Weiner, Washington DC
Over the course of three songs, every one a mean of three minutes and three seconds lengthy, the brand new EP Ardour gives a stable sampling of the vocal items and seasoned manufacturing selections Xin Liu. A local of China’s Guizhou Province, Xin has made a reputation for herself in her homeland by acting on the truth survival present, Youth With You, and forming the lady group The9. Though that band broke up after solely about two years, Xin has stored doing her factor as a solo artist, and in addition made her transition to the USA not too way back. Over right here, she has been making some main strikes, changing into the primary feminine Chinese language solo artist to carry out a set at her Coachella (in what was her first-ever U.S. efficiency, no much less), and in addition the primary one to attain a U.S. High 40 hit together with her track “Take a Sip.”
Since arriving in America, Xin has joined the label 88rising, and with their assist she has launched Ardour. The three tracks right here obtain a purely hypnotic impact, beginning with “Balancing,” on which she tells her associate on the dancefloor to take his time however finally lower to the chase (“I don’t wanna wait one other evening, I don’t wanna move the second by. For those who wanna keep, then I don’t thoughts. Let’s take it sluggish ‘til it feels proper”). Then on the extra upbeat “Ardour,” Xin describes what occurs as soon as that chase has lastly been lower to and her spirits have risen accordingly (“Our chemistry is undefeated. You walked away inside my coronary heart… I can see our future arising in gold”). Lastly, Xin wraps issues up with “Simple,” the place she remembers Woman Gaga’s directive on the track “Do What U Need” by telling her associate, “Don’t let me go, don’t launch me, come put me down, good and simple.” Then she concludes all of it by confessing, “I don’t thoughts if you happen to tie me” (Uhh… okay…. Perhaps it’s good that the track wraps up earlier than we be taught what comes of that predicament.)
All stated, it’s a powerful one-two-three punch of an EP, and I look ahead to seeing Xin channel her “ardour” and musical expertise even additional on her future full-length tasks.
:: “Treatment” – Joey Miceli ft. LEXXE ::
Josh Weiner, Washington DC
Some songs are extremely enjoyable to take heed to, and you then take a better take a look at the lyrics and say, “Woah… that’s fairly tough!” “Easy Legal,” “Chandelier,” “Pumped Up Kicks,” and extra could possibly be labeled as such, and now “Treatment” is one other one I might chalk up on the record. This new single by Joey Miceli – initially from Las Vegas, now based mostly 250-ish miles southwest in Los Angeles – is a complete blast to take heed to, because of a pulsing, synthy beat by his fellow Vegas-based music-man Santino Cardinale and the seamless vocal chemistry between Miceli and NY-native LEXXE. However if you happen to give the precise phrases of the track an excellent learn, it seems that its writer has had one thing of a tough trip as of late – “Treatment” has been described as a chronicle of “the collapse of a friendship or relationship that felt painfully imbalanced.”
Miceli acknowledges that that is robust and private materials, however with the assistance of his proficient collaborators, he was capable of make one thing particular out of it musically. “I knew as soon as I reimagined the track with Santino [and] I heard LEXXE on it” that he was good to go, he says. “I’m so fortunate she was excited to deliver it to life with me.” We’ll see what different private sides of his Miceli will have the ability to deliver to life as soon as his accompanying sophomore album, Pretenders, comes out on July twenty fifth.
:: “Mi Paddi” – Chechii ::
Danielle Holian, Galway, Eire
Chechii’s newest single, “Mi Paddi,” is a sun-soaked anthem that pulses with pleasure, rhythm, and an entire lot of coronary heart. Teaming up with Sierra Leonean duo Kracktwist and Samza, the rising Afrosoul star spins an irresistible mix of Afrobeat, Pop, and R&B right into a danceable tribute to friendship and world connection. It’s the form of track that makes you need to seize your besties, hit the dance ground, and have a good time the fantastic thing about togetherness. Together with her velvet vocals and globe-spanning influences, Chechii proves as soon as once more that she’s not simply driving the Afro-fusion wave – she’s serving to form its future. “Mi Paddi” is a vibe, a journey, and a heartfelt shoutout to the bonds that transfer us.
:: “Reminiscence” – speedrun ::
Mitch Mosk, Beacon, New York
Speedrun’s “Reminiscence” is a fever dream you’ll need to stay in a little bit longer. From the second these angular guitars lower via the haze, Nina Lüders (aka Speedrun) pulls us right into a radiant, visceral world the place previous and current blur, and emotion spills from each beat. There’s a hearth to this track – it’s contemporary and dynamic, with vocals that ship a shiver down your backbone – but additionally a vulnerability simmering simply beneath the floor, capturing the ache of making an attempt to piece collectively a reality that will by no means totally make sense.
I hate the way in which you take a look at me
Like somebody from a reminiscence
Delicate symphony of seventeen
Laid naked to coronary heart of emptiness
Onerous instances and hard knocks
Introduced us undone
You probably did sufficient to me
“This track ‘Reminiscence’ is the primary of three singles I’m releasing this yr,” Lüders shares. “A part of a better trilogy, ‘Reminiscence’ depicts the dual-edged nature of human reminiscence – how our means to recollect the previous is each a blessing and a curse. I wrote all elements to this track (guitars, drums, bass, lyrics & vocal melody) initially as a duet – nevertheless, I spotted that in an effort to convey a way of ‘misremembering’ and uncertainty, it will be extra highly effective to have the speaker speaking to themselves, or to somebody who isn’t actually there.”
That sense of disorientation takes maintain instantly. “I hate the way in which you take a look at me / Like somebody from a reminiscence,” Lüders sings, her voice each wistful and haunted. The lyrics shift views midway via – from “you probably did sufficient to me” to “I did sufficient to you” – a refined however piercing inversion that deepens the track’s emotional complexity. As Lüders notes, “The anomaly of the topic (who’s the speaker speaking to: a lover, a good friend, a member of the family? Or an thought, a reminiscence itself, or themselves?) can be intentionally left that manner,” and the result’s a sonic spiral via love, guilt, and longing that resists clear decision.
Musically, “Reminiscence” is a masterclass in managed chaos. The shoegaze-inspired guitars swirl in a dramatic and fuzz-fueled soundscape, whereas a relentless lead riff retains the monitor grounded in propulsion. Even the guitar solo is haunted – layered with a French poem translated by Lüders herself, enjoying like an echo of unstated ideas. “Dans ta douce splendeur… Je te vois dans la pluie” – it’s dreamlike, aching, and fantastically surreal.
Dans ta douce splendeur
Lune ocre, tu es
Un volet fermé
La couleur du départ
Je te sens dans mes vêtements
Je te vois dans la pluie
Lent et sucré mon memento me pique
Comme la rosée je m’accrocherai à toi
toujours
(Translation)
In your smooth splendor
Ochre moon, you’re
A shutter closed
The colour of departure
I really feel you in my garments
I see you within the rain
Sluggish and candy my reminiscence stings
Like dew, I’ll all the time cling to you
“As a little bit easter egg for the track, I wrote a poem that I translated into French which performs throughout a guitar solo, to additional signify the chaos of ideas as they construct on each other,” she provides. “Instrumentally, I created a ‘blurry’ soundscape of shoegaze-inspired rhythm guitar tones with a bouncy and relentless result in additionally illustrate the thematic ‘haziness’ of the track. Like ideas mixed in, the layers of ‘Reminiscence’ develop to craft a thematic tone of wistfulness, longing, and confusion as they fade away. Am I actually remembering this proper? Or is my thoughts enjoying methods on me?”
So delicate I can’t neglect
The ache nonetheless in your silhouette
And if I stay I’ll regress
To a state that by no means appears to fix
Onerous instances and hard knocks
Introduced us undone
I did sufficient to you
Speedrun has already confirmed her energy with final yr’s Love’s Newest Information EP, a surprising debut that wore its coronary heart on its sleeve. With “Reminiscence” – her first launch since then – she doubles down on that emotional depth, crafting a track that’s as poetic as it’s punchy, as uncooked as it’s roaring. This isn’t only a standout single – it’s an announcement: Speedrun is likely one of the most enjoyable voices in indie rock proper now, and we’d do effectively to keep in mind that.
:: “Loki Horror Image Present” – Selve ::
Mitch Mosk, Beacon, New York
Selve’s “Loki Horror Image Present” is a fever dream in neon technicolor – intelligent, catchy, and deliriously feel-good to the purpose of superb combustion. The Gold Coast-based six-piece mild the fuse and let the spectacle unfold: Guitars glow with sprightly ardour, the drums pulse with candy seduction, and the refrain harmonies are completely intoxicating. It’s camp, it’s new wave, it’s punk, it’s pop, it’s a little bit bit post-everything – a theatrical joyride that’s as self-aware as it’s spectacular.
A blinding mix of satire and sincerity, “Loki Horror Image Present” dances on the sting of delusion and self-discovery, channeling the euphoria and absurdity of chasing your goals right into a glittering post-punk efficiency. “With chasing goals, you may get too hooked up and lose sight of who you’re and what you’re doing, so I feel it’s vital to place outcomes out of your head to make good artwork,” Selve’s frontperson (and proud Jabirr Jabirr man) Loki Liddle tells Atwood Journal. “However faux you’re anti success and also you’re in all probability not being trustworthy with your self – however does self-awareness of being caught within the honey-trap make you not caught within the honey-trap?”
“The reply is not any. With this track, I’m embracing the entire spectrum of identification – from my deepest most insightful depths to a blatantly superficial aspect – with complete love and placing all of it out on show, hopefully giving others permission to do the identical. Punk might be radical, however so can absolute unadulterated and shameless pleasure.”
A seductive, euphoria radiates from each second of this monitor, which Liddle calls “by far essentially the most enjoyable track” on their upcoming album. Written in France throughout a lighter second whereas recording their forthcoming album Breaking into Heaven (out September 12th– and notably the primary full-length album recorded on the legendary Abbey Highway Studios by an Aboriginal artist), the track pulls from inspirations like DEVO, Speaking Heads, Charli XCX, and the Rocky Horror Image Present, fusing campy cabaret with daring post-punk power. The lyrics flirt with delirium and grandeur, riffing on the absurdity of goals that come true: “I’m right here at Abbey Highway / Like a megalomaniac idiot… Subsequent factor I’m working for president of a universe close to you.”
However beneath the glitter lies a thread of stress – a wink and a wince . That duality pulses via the accompanying video, a surreal, Eraserhead-inspired visible metaphor for psychological well being and identification, co-directed by Liddle and Josh Tate. It’s absurd, it’s stylized, and it leans into discomfort simply sufficient to make the catharsis shine brighter.
“The ‘Loki Horror Image Present’ music video is an exploration of identification, psychological well being and the hazards of getting misplaced within the sauce when chasing your goals,” Liddle explains. “This model of myself in a dying delusion of grandeur is a hyperbolic illustration of the elements of ourselves we’re keen to sacrifice and compromise in an effort to pursue a imaginative and prescient of success. We wished to underpin the spectacle with a little bit little bit of darkness to clarify that we’re not glorifying it, however investigating its absurdity. The system of the gunshot got here from this place – to distinction the lightness of the track and create a way of unease – nevertheless it was vital for me to have the gunshot be off-camera, stylised and implied relatively than proven in nice element, as depictions of gun violence are one thing that I do know require nice sensitivity.”
“Loki Horror Image Present” is greater than a track – it’s a permission slip to be every thing directly. Bombastic and barefaced, theatrical and honest, it invitations us to snort, to sing, to reckon, and to revel. Selve aren’t simply performing; they’re liberating – they’re throwing open the curtains and letting all of it spill out.
:: Half Songs 2 – Sophie Might ::
Nicolle Knapová, Czechia
Half Songs 2 by UK-Australian singer/songwriter Sophie Might Jackson is a wonderful sequel to Half Songs, launched final yr. Identical to the primary EP, this launch appears like listening to an previous good friend chat to you about every thing and nothing. The irony, self-deprecation, and honesty are all the time such a breath of contemporary air with each single factor this younger and sensible artist comes up with. The thought of brief however one way or the other nonetheless sharp and poignant tracks is genius. Sophie touches each topic from love and psychological well being to household, and that’s what makes these songs work and what makes Sophie Might somebody to look out for.
:: paper women – Mya Angelique ::
Danielle Holian, Galway, Eire
Mya Angelique’s debut EP paper women is a surprising introduction to a rising voice in pop who is aware of precisely what she desires to say, and says it with the form of emotional readability that feels each common and intimately private. Throughout seven tracks, Angelique invitations listeners into the glittering, gut-wrenching world of teenage girlhood, pulling from her personal experiences and the cultural touchstones of early 2000s teen movies, bed room pop confessionals, and the fierce lyrical lineage of Taylor Swift and Lorde. The EP appears like a diary with a distortion pedal, stuffed with smooth unhappiness, razor-sharp observations, and a cinematic high quality that elevates every second. Written largely when she was simply 15, paper women is as a lot about rising up as it’s in regards to the stress to develop up completely, and Angelique captures that push-pull with heartbreaking grace.
Every track on the EP appears like a snapshot of some delicate and tear-stained, just like the aching “sixteen” or the delicate title monitor “paper women,” others biting and sensible just like the cheeky “the boy within the band” or the sharply humorous “teenage lady nationality.” Her voice, emotionally direct but by no means overdone, brings uncooked vulnerability to introspective moments like “quick-brush” and “the comedown,” whereas the nearer “glitter” lingers with its quietly devastating reflection on comparability and self-worth. Angelique blends diary-entry intimacy with pop-rock polish in a manner that feels refreshingly trustworthy and self-aware, solidifying her place among the many subsequent era of emotionally literate pop storytellers. With paper women, Mya Angelique doesn’t simply introduce herself; she leaves behind a path of glitter, heartbreak, and braveness that’s not possible to disregard.
:: “Knock Down, Drag Out” – The Wild Issues ::
Mitch Mosk, Beacon, New York
The Wild Issues come out swinging on “Knock Down, Drag Out,” an invigorating rock track with as a lot allure because it has churn – a high-octane outpouring of explosive guitars, seductive swagger, and an innate want for launch. It’s fast and addictive, a sweaty, cinematic swirl of want and destruction that grabs you by the collar and doesn’t let go.
I noticed you in a moist dream
Heavy from the warmth
There was a physique on hearth
On Dumaine Road
My coronary heart is sort of a piston
Struggling to beat
I let a satan inside
Inside me
Knock down, drag out
Black coronary heart, crimson mouth
Your trip, my crown
Knock down, drag out
“Popping out of our final album Afterglow (which was this large epic multi-faceted story), we felt that creatively we nonetheless had issues to say,” the UK band tells Atwood Journal. “We got here out of that cycle with concepts on how one can push the manufacturing, how one can shock the viewers and how one can proceed our experiments with storytelling; whereas Afterglow was a collection of tales taking place over one evening, our new single ‘Knock Down, Drag Out’ and its follow-up later this summer season ‘I Can’t Wait’ inform the start and finish of a tumultuous love affair set in New Orleans. The lyrics are designed to lock in to one another, and the time-gap between the tracks is the size of the connection in actual time. ‘Knock Down, Drag Out’ is a sweaty, sexual pop-rock piece of sweet that tastes higher with each chew.”
It’s precisely that – a sticky, irresistible burst of pop-rock bliss, equal elements lust and grit. “I noticed you in a moist dream / Heavy from the warmth / There was a physique on hearth / On Dumaine Road,” Sydney Rae White sings, igniting the monitor with vivid, feverish depth. Her voice straddles the road between confession and celebration because the band builds a pulsing, panoramic soundscape behind her. “Your trip, my crown” she declares within the refrain – anthemic and heady – as drums crash and guitars rip via the strain like a match to gasoline.
The monitor is soaked in New Orleans sweat and mythos: “We toast to nothing in any respect / On Dumaine Road… My metropolis has a historical past / My metropolis has a sound / It’s a resonant hearth / It don’t again down.” That fireplace programs via each word. Fueled by stress, warmth, and pure chemistry, the track makes use of its title phrase as each metaphor and mission assertion: it is a track that fights soiled, performs arduous, and leaves a mark.
However its most arresting second may be the bridge – a sudden shift from bravado to vulnerability as White confesses, “I’m only a lady who received’t do what’s advised / Gave each heartache a chunk of my soul.” The emotional weight lands heavy, particularly as she slips into French: “Qu’est-ce que c’est, ce sentiment en moi? / Un petite mort douce, qui ne finit pas” – a little bit candy dying that by no means ends. Need turns into ache, and ache turns into reality.
As the primary half of a two-part narrative arc, “Knock Down, Drag Out” units the stage with hearth and fever – the form of ardour that burns quick and brilliant. The Wild Issues are at their most dynamic and daring right here, and with “I Can’t Wait” ready within the wings, the story’s solely simply begun.
:: “Time Marches On” – FireBug ::
Chloe Robinson, California
Joshua Tree’s personal FireBug channels the stark great thing about the desert of their radiant rock launch “Time Marches On.” Evoking vibes of songs like Stevie Nicks’ “Fringe of Seventeen,” the tenacious monitor portrays a lot pure ardour and coronary heart. The track is a mix of soulful vocals and ambient digital rock, echoing the ceaseless movement of time and the uncooked power of nature. Juliette Tworsey’s voice is each ethereal and deeply expressive, guiding listeners via an intense, emotional soundscape. The video is simply as compelling with its colourful, surreal nature.
Hailing from the excessive desert terrain of Joshua Tree, California, FireBug is the inventive collaboration of Tworsey and Jules Shapiro. The pair’s music merges up to date rock with influences from ’60s and ’70s psychedelia, mixing in blues, folks, electronica, and the soulful essence of New Orleans. They’ve shared the highlight with iconic performers like Iggy Pop, Iron Maiden, The Cult, Alice In Chains, Tom Morello of Rage Towards The Machine, and even carried out alongside ‘60s legend Donovan, cultivating a loyal following worldwide.
:: “A Little Tougher” – ANDRO ::
Danielle Holian, Galway, Eire
With “A Little Tougher,” ANDRO unveils a shimmering jewel of emotional vulnerability and sonic finesse, marking a daring and charming chapter in his solo journey. Co-produced by Rusty Bradshaw (Florence + the Machine), the one is a genre-blurring mix of 80s-tinged soul-pop, introspective lyricism, and atmospheric manufacturing that feels as cinematic as it’s private. From the second the monitor opens with moody synths, sultry guitar traces, and a pulse of warming bass, ANDRO’s voice instructions consideration: hovering, aching, and finally, unforgettable. The refrain, with its layered vocals and infectious melody, is as emotionally resonant as it’s catchy, threading heartbreak and self-reckoning via a lush, textured soundscape.
“A Little Tougher” is a uncooked meditation on emotional manipulation and the dizzying contradictions of affection, the place vulnerability turns into each weapon and wound. ANDRO’s storytelling is vivid and affecting, elevating the monitor right into a deeply relatable exploration of queer love and self-preservation. Following his time with Brit Award-winning band Jungle, this launch reveals an artist confidently moving into his personal sonic universe, polished, poignant, and profoundly human. If that is the primary style of the forthcoming BROKEN LIMERENCE EP, we’re in for one thing really particular.
:: “New York Warmth” – Arts Fishing Membership ::
Mitch Mosk, Beacon, New York
Arts Fishing Membership’s “New York Warmth” feels just like the soundtrack to a late-summer night you don’t need to finish – all dreamy sweat, streetlight haze, and the wide-open chance of the evening. It’s intimate, it’s earnest, it’s infectious and endlessly dreamy: A track that dances between nostalgia and now, reminding us to cease overthinking and simply dive in.
Outdoors my window within the New York warmth
A pair’s dancing in the course of the road
Oh Don’t look twice infants dive head on in
I feel they’re gearing up for his or her first kiss
In a sea of individuals so nameless
Don’t look twice infants dive head on in
Written whereas frontman Christopher Kessenich was caught in a inventive and emotional rut, the track captures the exact second of breaking free – of looking at a metropolis that by no means slows down and deciding to fulfill it head-on. “Outdoors my window within the New York warmth / A pair’s dancing in the course of the road,” he sings, his voice heat and wide-eyed, letting us in on a little bit miracle unfolding far under. That picture turns into a mantra: “Don’t look twice, infants, dive head on in.”
Trigger you’re dumb
You’re younger, you’re alive
So let this metropolis set a hearth
Give it up, give on in
Let her take you for a little bit spin
You bought time
“I wrote ‘New York Warmth’ after I was in a songwriting and life rut,” Kessenich shares. “There was a way of wanting again at a earlier relationship and former life errors or circumstances with an excessively nostalgic lens. Wanting again and glorifying the previous. I traveled to New York Metropolis to knock myself out of the rut and as I used to be excessive up in my resort tower I imagined the limitless potentialities of the limitless lives enjoying out under me. This concept of by no means wanting again, by no means doubting your self, however relatively diving into the second with vigor stored coming to my mind. Younger love dancing on the street, diving headfirst into the warmth of affection and chance exemplifies the carpe diem perspective I wanted to remind myself to stay by. We will’t return. The one second we have now is correct now. Dive IN.”
Up in my tower with one other track
Making an attempt to piece collectively the place my life went flawed
Oh don’t look again boy dive head on in
I stated don’t look again boy dive head on in
Trigger you’re dumb
You’re younger, you’re alive
So let this metropolis set a hearth
Give it up, give on in
Let her take you for a little bit spin
You bought time
That carpe diem spirit burns brilliant in each refrain, the place pulsing drums and sun-baked guitars body the monitor’s central cry: “You’re dumb / You’re younger / You’re alive / So let this metropolis set a hearth.” There’s one thing each reckless and reassuring in that line – an anthem for anybody who’s ever felt caught, misplaced, or in want of an indication. With its infectious rhythms and soul-searching coronary heart, “New York Warmth” doesn’t simply remind us how one can stay – it feels like life itself.
As a part of their Supernatural Groove EP, and a preview of their upcoming album Pocket Filled with Mumbles, this monitor finds Arts Fishing Membership doing what they do finest: Turning fleeting moments into endlessly songs, and odd cityscapes into one thing mythic.
Give it up, give on in
Let her take you for a little bit spin
You bought time
Outdoors my window within the New York warmth
Younger love is discovering her toes
:: “I Have Been My Mom’s Ache” – Lucy Lane ::
Danielle Holian, Galway, Eire
On “I Have Been My Mom’s Ache,” rising pop-rock powerhouse Lucy Lane delivers her most searing and emotionally unfiltered work thus far. Co-written and produced by genre-bending artist Lleo, the one is a daring confrontation of childhood trauma, wrapped within the hovering, angst-laced instrumentation of early 2000s alt-pop. Lane’s confessional lyrics hit like a punch to the intestine, uncooked, poetic, and disturbingly relatable, as her powerhouse vocals lower via layers of distorted guitar and cinematic manufacturing. It’s a monitor that channels the emotional DNA of Pink’s Household Portrait and Christina Aguilera’s I’m OK, but lands firmly in Lane’s personal sonic lane: fierce, fearless, and unflinchingly trustworthy.
What makes “I Have Been My Mom’s Ache” so compelling is the way it manages to show deeply private ache into one thing common and anthemic. The track is catharsis in movement, a slow-burning launch of guilt, rage, and sorrow, culminating in an explosive, virtually purifying climax. Lane’s means to steadiness vulnerability with musical would possibly locations her in a lineage of artists who aren’t afraid to bleed a little bit on the mic. This single solidifies Lucy Lane as not only one to look at, however one you possibly can’t ignore.
:: Not Simply You – Fenno St. Jazz ::
Josh Weiner, Washington DC
Midway Cafe has been one in every of my favourite stay venues in Boston for some years now, and I’ve particularly loved seeing Totally Celebrated Orchestra, a neighborhood jazz group, carry out there on quite a few events. Final month, I not solely received to catch them onstage but once more, but additionally had the nice fortune to see the awesomely proficient band Fenno St. Jazz ship a scintillating near-hour-long opening set proper beforehand. Two super Massachusetts-based jazz bands back-to-back – it was my fortunate night, certainly!
Fortunately, I’ve been capable of reexperience the thrills of the evening of Might 14th a number of instances, because of my Spotify-assisted means to entry Fenno St. Jazz’s newest album, Not Simply You, a lot of which they carried out on the Halfway Cafe present I noticed final month. The music sounds simply as energetic and well-crafted in album format because it did in particular person. Plus, I’m presently in Montreal for the large annual Jazz Competition, and although they aren’t within the lineup, enjoying Fenno St. Jazz undoubtedly put me in the proper temper for the ‘fest as I used to be driving as much as Canada earlier this week. Thanks guys for that, and I hope to catch you at Halfway or one other spot one in every of as of late!
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