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 impression on them, within the second.
This week’s weekly roundup options music by The Head and the Coronary heart, Material, Olivia Reid, Aaron Taylor, Burry, Andy Tongren, Abbie Callahan, Asha Mclean, Rei, Sleep Token, Journey Misplaced, Wynona, Kevian Kraemer, Michael Isaak, Mel Denisse, Sid Dorey, L’objectif, Powerful Cookie, Loren Warmth, Sports activities Group, Brandes, Kindelan, Marsha Swanson, and Tash Blake!
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observe WEEKLY ROUNDUP on Spotify 
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:: Aperture – The Head and the Coronary heart ::
Mitch Mosk, Beacon, New York
Open your ears, open your eyes, open your coronary heart, and take all of it in: The great, the dangerous, the enjoyment, the ache, the love – all the pieces this unbelievable life has to supply. I’ll have many extra phrases to say about The Head and the Coronary heart’s sixth studio album over time, however what I’ll say for now could be this: Fifteen years into their storied profession, the band’s folk-laced music continues to be as recent and enjoyable as it’s free-spirited and philosophically profound. Launched on Could ninth by way of Verve Forecast, Aperture is “an invite to get up within the current second recognizing that it’s all we now have, in all its contradictions of magnificence and ache, pleasure and despair, unfathomable vastness and impermanence,” per band member Matty Gervais. In apply, that interprets to wealthy, heat harmonies, radiant melodies, thought-provoking lyrics, invigorating instrumentals, and immediately memorable singalongs – all delivered with the fervour and seasoned power of pros who, regardless of their years of doing this, proceed to search out inspiration in themselves and of their on a regular basis.
What’s maybe most hanging about Aperture is its vary: Whereas songs like “After the Setting Solar,” “Time With My Sins,” and “Arrow” unpack intimate reflections on identification, goal, and life’s larger which means via a well-recognized, sun-kissed sound, The Head and the Coronary heart spend quite a lot of this report making an attempt on new garments – each musical and topical. The pressing and emotionally charged “Cop Automobile” is an apparent standout: Jonathan Russell’s voice is at its rawest as he sings from the again of a police cruiser, offended and scared, not sure of his current and fearful for his future: “I’m driving in a cop automotive tonight, trying outdoors because the blinks go by, questioning how we gonna die.” Not solely do The Head and the Coronary heart convey a flicker of humanity and empathy to these whom society so usually turns a blind eye, however they achieve this with grace, tact, attraction, angst, and an attractive center finger to the boys in blue.
However that’s removed from Aperture‘s solely vibrant spot: From the luxurious, hypnotic, and heartrending “Pool Break” and the euphoric, life-affirming “Jubilee” to the feel-good reverie “Fireplace Escape” (a very basic THATH tune) and the hopeful “Beg, Steal, Borrow,” The Head and the Coronary heart’s sixth studio album proves to be a significant, memorable, altogether transferring ray of sunshine in 2025’s musical panorama.
“For me, Aperture represents the selection all of us should make between resigning ourselves to darkness, or letting the sunshine in and recognizing our personal company to take action,” Matty Gervais shares. “It feels related to the instances, in that we’re actually selecting between authoritarianism vs. democracy. Ignorance vs. enlightenment on a macro scale, and complacency/cynicism vs. hope, empathy and perseverance on the micro scale. To me, it sums up a variety of what every of those songs is grappling with in some type and what we’ve collectively gone via as a band. It’s about selecting hope time and again, regardless of what number of instances it might really feel that you’ve misplaced it.”
True to their identify as soon as once more, The Head and the Coronary heart have used each their heads and their hearts to create one in every of this yr’s greatest albums – an electrifying, exhilarating people rock journey into our shared humanity that meets the current second with ardour, tenacity, vulnerability, and above all else, hope.
:: Pink Silence – Material ::
Will Yarbrough, Philadelphia, PA
For working in such a loosely outlined subject as indie rock, Material are particularly tight-knit. Heck, the Glasgow duo are even minimize from the identical genetic material. Since childhood, Rachael and Paul Swinton have been chipping away at a mode of minimalism that’s as smooth as it’s stark. However whereas coloured by loss, Pink Silence expands their twin horizon in all instructions.
In terms of recording materials, Material stay fairly sparing. Paul picks at his guitar like a freshly grown scab. Rachael couldn’t sing any nearer to the mic with out whispering in your ear, although her voice continues to path off into the space as if half-remembering a dream. The pair haven’t misplaced their desire for the iPhone’s unmatched compression both, however after getting shortlisted for Scotland’s largest music prize, returning producer Ali Chant inspired them to loosen their self-imposed restraint. Pink Silence flaunts spiffier tempos alongside extra refined textures whereas inviting outdoors perspective from two elder statesmen.
Unsurprisingly, it’s Canadian composer and violinist Owen Pallet who provides essentially the most to Material’s palette. His fastidiously organized strings simmer beneath “Burn” with the excessive, lonesome whistle of a tea kettle throughout some ungodly time of night time. “I may very well be a hero working at midnight hours.” Although making an attempt to remain robust, Rachael’s deep sigh already betrays exhaustion.
The narrative thread behind Material’s third album additionally cuts two methods. Pink Silence invokes both nightfall or daybreak, relying in your way of thinking. Most of those songs grapple with fading friendships, however “Burn” reaches a special boiling level. “I wish to understand how far I’ll take it.” Whereas Paul continues to enhance as an exacting lyricist, his OCD can drive him to burnout. Midway completed, the tune practically provides out, diminished to ashes that crackle like brushfire, solely to construct itself again up once more, every layer returning stronger than earlier than. Stay and digital drums rub in opposition to brittle acoustics and an electrical guitar tone that’s as crisp as a struck match. As its wordless coda tapers off, strings swell with the acquainted heat of the solar cresting over the subsequent hill.
:: “Area to Roam” – Olivia Reid ::
Danielle Holian, Galway, Eire
“Stempo to Roam” by Olivia Reid feels much less like a tune and extra like a breath you didn’t know you had been holding. From the primary observe, it drapes over you want early morning mist — quiet, reflective, and fully immersive. Reid’s voice isn’t right here to dazzle in a traditional sense; it’s right here to disarm, to ask you inward. There’s one thing profoundly transferring about her restraint — the best way she trusts simplicity over spectacle, letting each lyric land softly, but with plain weight. It’s a masterclass in emotional minimalism, the place silence speaks volumes and melody turns into meditation.
What makes this observe linger is its refined bravery. Written within the stillness of the Polish countryside, “Area to Roam” presents the sort of emotional refuge so many people lengthy for — not simply bodily house, however psychic stillness. Reid captures the ache of recent uncertainty with out ever dropping her grip on hope. Her voice, equal elements heat and whisper, carries the observe like a lantern via fog. And whereas the acoustic textures and mild tempo draw from the indie-folk playbook, there’s a timeless high quality right here that transcends style. It’s introspective with out being isolating, smooth with out fading — the sort of tune that stays with you lengthy after the final observe.
:: “With out Ya” – Aaron Taylor ::
Mitch Mosk, Beacon, New York
The ache of absence rears its ugly head in Aaron Taylor’s “With out Ya!” – a seductive tune that born from distance, longing, love’s all too actual withdrawal signs. The most recent single off the South London-based singer/songwriter and producer’s upcoming EP Yours All the time is as candy and easy as it’s sentimental – an homage to being along with the one you like essentially the most, propelled by the earnest, emotionally charged, self-explanatory chorus, “Don’t wanna stay with out ya.”
I get withdrawals
All of the signs
After we’re aside
I’spose I froze
When Cupid’s arrows
Discovered my coronary heart
Don’t wanna stay with out ya
“‘With out Ya’ is the results of a demo I started again in 2022,” Taylor tells Atwood Journal. “It’s a tune about wanting somebody to stay in your life and the way pleased they make you, and I needed to replicate this with the upbeat and constructive sound of the music.”
Embracing intimacy head-on, “With out Ya!” embodies a lot of what Yours All the time is all about – connection. “Generally it explores the absence of connection, marked by both craving or dismissal; at different instances, it’s a request for a deeper, extra significant bond,” Taylor explains. “A central theme is goal – a reminder that every of us has one and wishes to satisfy it. I think about Yours All the time as a set of letters or voice messages that the listener turns into aware of, fairly than the meant direct viewers.”
A smoldering, soul-stirring confessional, “With out Ya!” is the sort of tune that hurts so good. Via baring his personal heavy coronary heart and aching soul, Aaron Taylor reminds us what stay is all about: Discovering that particular somebody who completes us, and driving life’s highs and lows collectively.
I can’t stay alone
Don’t wanna go by myself
I want you dangerous
You’re the beat of my coronary heart
You’re the tip to my begin
You’re all I’ve
Don’t wanna stay with out ya
:: “Peaches” – Burry ::
Danielle Holian, Galway, Eire
With “Peaches,” Burry peels again the pores and skin of pop and serves up a sun-drunk anthem ripe with shimmer and soul, every beat a pulse of freedom, every lyric a breath of reality. This radiant providing from Halifax’s boldest voice blooms with shiny indie-pop fusion, nevertheless it’s the guts beneath the gloss that lingers: the echo of pleasure, the ache of longing, the roar of a life totally lived. Burry’s fearless honesty, a lighthouse for the unseen, glows in each observe, making “Peaches” a radiant name to revel within the messy fantastic thing about turning into.
:: “So Good” – Andy Tongren ::
Chloe Robinson, California
Indie pop meets people rock artist Andy Tongren has crafted a colourful and carefree observe, “So Good,” and it’s, because the title states. The infectious guitar strums and endearing vocals make for the perfect feel-good pay attention. Imaginative strains like “If we get too excessive / And slip off cloud 9 by accident / Sippin’ sunshine, soak all of it up,” show the piece’s sunny, blissful nature. The video has that precise vibe. From mendacity on the grass and strolling on the seashore to taking part in baseball and arcade video games, it reminds us all to step outdoors and stay a bit. The tune and visuals are all about being worry-free, and they’ll have you ever saying “hakuna matata.”
Tongren, greatest often known as the frontman of Younger Rising Sons, is an optimist who breathes positivity. “I actually do attempt to discover the silver lining any method I can. At my core, I really feel like there’s nothing else I can do,” admits the Brooklyn-based singer/songwriter. For Tongren, music has all the time been about connection – it’s the human aspect, uncooked emotion, shared tales, and the bond between artist and viewers. Born in Ohio and slicing his enamel alongside the New York–New Jersey circuit, he has obtained a loyal fan base that relates strongly to his message.
:: “Yo-Yo” – Abbie Callahan ::
Chloe Robinson, California
Romances will be long-lived, whereas others are quick and fleeting. Abbie Callahan examines the character of passing flings and their wild experience of ups and downs in her newest single, aptly titled “Yo-Yo.” The tangy sonics and intoxicating nation vocals make for a particular must-listen observe. Abbie shares, “I wrote ‘Yo-Yo’ about an 8-day situationship, and I’m glad I not less than obtained one thing good out of that complete expertise. It’s gentle and fun-sounding however lyrically darkish and fairly unhappy, truthfully.”
Rooted in Americana, basic nation, and pop, Callahan infuses the style with a sound that feels each new and nostalgic. Her distinctive tone, wealthy with lyrical honesty, attracts listeners in with emotional depth. Abbie’s songwriting is fearless and private, formed by real-life experiences and an unwavering sense of identification. Taking inspiration from legends like Linda Ronstadt and Don Williams, together with fashionable artists comparable to Sierra Ferrell, Billy Strings, and Leon Bridges, Abbie Callahan is forging a path that blends vulnerability with boldness. In “Yo-Yo,” she doesn’t simply seem—she takes command, reworking heartache into one thing powerfully resounding.
:: “Yoga” – Asha Maclean ::
Grace Holtzclaw, Los Angeles, CA
Asha Maclean’s “Yoga” is a free-spirited and euphoric R&B earworm that chronicles a brand new relationship that retains her on her toes. Maclean’s background rising up in New York Metropolis lends itself to the confident, polished tracks she’s placing out at current. “Yoga” places a contemporary twist on her 90’s R&B influences guided by an infectious hook and gripping beats that keep caught in your head.
“Yoga” mesmerizes with sprightly notes of electrical guitar, prismatic percussion, and heat, inviting vocals that pull you deeper into the observe. She sings, “Stand tall like a tree / You fly like a butterfly / Whenever you’re with me.” Drawing inspiration from totally different yoga poses that convey out the magic of a chemistry-based connection, Maclean muses on the thrilling but complicated nature of a budding romance.
Paired with an exhilarating music video to match, the visuals for “Yoga” can have you hooked similar to the tune. Maclean takes the reins by demonstrating the yoga poses she sings about over a fascinating dance routine. “Yoga,” similar to the apply itself, is supposed to stimulate your thoughts and your physique suddenly.
:: “Heaven” – Rei ::
Danny Vagnoni, Philadelphia
Rei is maybe essentially the most thrilling solo guitarist I’ve found in fairly a while, and “Heaven” showcases her musical vocabulary fantastically. As effectively it ought to – in interviews, she discusses how, touring between Japan, the US, and France early in her life, she felt fluent in music earlier than every other language.
“Heaven” foregrounds Rei’s unique and soulful guitar taking part in. The observe begins out with a lush minor blues intro the place Rei sings, mournfully, “Have you ever ever seen Heaven?” After her final, “Being with you is sort of Heaven,” she leaps instantly right into a ripping guitar solo. It’s right here that I need to emphasize how inventive and dynamic Rei’s guitar work is. There are virtually no loops within the entirety of the tune; when you needed to transcribe her taking part in, you would need to take the tune bar for bar and write out each observe with out repeats. Rei is continually improvising, whether or not within the verse or refrain or bridge, underneath her personal lyrics.
You would possibly suppose that sort of taking part in would draw away from the vocals. In reality, that dynamism provides to her compositions. Rei has loads of technical expertise, however the place her guitar taking part in actually shines is in its capability to go with her fervid vocals. True to type, her taking part in is lyrical in itself, weaving and bobbing together with her vocals and the beats of the tune. There may be usually one thing thrilling about the best way musicians can take genres invented elsewhere and, unconstrained by charts or conference, create an idiosyncratic synthesis that’s deeply unique and private. So it’s with J-rock, and “Heaven” hits all of these markers and extra, for me. Give Rei a pay attention. She is one in every of rock’s torch bearers for the 2020s. That’s a known as shot you possibly can maintain me to.
:: Even in Arcadia – Sleep Token ::
Will Yarbrough, Philadelphia, PA
You need to really feel dangerous for Selena Gomez. The previous Disney Channel starlet turned make-up mogul is without doubt one of the wealthiest musicians on this planet. So think about the collective gasp of horror when her new album with fiancé/über producer Benny Blanco was blocked from the Quantity One spot on iTunes by some nameless dude in a cape.
To be honest, Sleep Token didn’t come out of nowhere. Masked singer Vessel and drumming sidekick II have led European pageant goers in horns-raising service for nearly a decade, although it wasn’t till two years in the past that this British invasion crossed over on our aspect of the pond. Now with the arrival of their hotly anticipated fourth longplayer, continued chart dominance appears inevitable. Whereas scarred by the trimmings of fame, Even in Arcadia bears the mark of a pop star.
Despite the fact that that is their first providing since signing with a significant label, Sleep Token haven’t misplaced their mystique. Even in Arcadia was teased in bite-sized chunks throughout a masterful digital advertising and marketing marketing campaign. Followers raced to resolve encrypted web sites, QR merch codes and Instagram ciphers, an area climate forecast.
I’m already pushing previous Mitch’s phrase rely and haven’t even addressed what Even in Arcadia truly feels like, however the surrounding smoke mirrors the sport of cat and mouse that the album performs with Sleep Token’s huge viewers. Virtually each tune begins the identical; a stripped-down guitar or keyboard melody is generously utilized with Auto-Tuned falsetto curlicues earlier than slipping just like the zeitgeist between different traits. Tropical home blooms right into a pristinely produced bouquet of blast beats and Meshuggah-lite chuggery. Midwest emo crushes on prog-metal earlier than falling for a lure beat that’s sleazy sufficient to get an increase out of Future within the strip membership.
Should you’re already skeptical of Sleep Token, then I’ve dangerous information; there’s no resisting Even in Arcadia. Whether or not assuming the type of a bop or headbanger, the album is just too good at pummeling pleasure receptors with candy-coated hooks. Heck, I’d be shocked if it didn’t debut atop the charts.
In spite of everything, in true star-crossed style, Sleep Token are actually brazenly wrestling with followers over their poisonous relationship. “Damocles” is haunted by perceived threats to the group’s throne. But it surely’s additionally the uncommon second the place their guard drops. “Who will I be when the empire falls?” Vessel wonders, laid naked over golden grand piano, earlier than energy ballad pyrotechnics convey down the home. Battle-vested gatekeepers and pop purists will nonetheless attempt to minimize them down, however as soon as once more, behind Even in Arcadia, Sleep Token reveal they’re those pulling all of the strings.
:: “Istanbul” – Journey Misplaced ::
Danny Vagnoni, Philadelphia
I had the pleasure of seeing Journey Misplaced not as soon as, however twice in fast succession early this yr. I first noticed them at a dingy however dependable dive in always-charming New Hope, PA – John and Peter’s – then on the excellent World Cafe Stay, one in every of my favourite venues in Philadelphia, owned and operated as a non-profit group by UPenn.
Their opening tune, “Istanbul” begins with a frantic guitar riff torn from the Australian Psychedelic Rock scene. Fuzzed-out vocals over chopped up guitar riffs observe earlier than the tune drifts off right into a fitful reverie, with singer Jack Faracchio lamenting, “lastly, my warfare is finished/however I don’t really feel I’ve received.” He’s proper–the warfare is much from over, and it’s straight again into psychedelic frenzy. There’s a transparent bevy of influences right here, all contorted into one thing thrilling and novel. I’ve already famous the aggressive Aussie psych influences, however there’s a storybook high quality to their lyricism that may be very a lot Beatles-esque, a solo part that appears like shoegaze-lite, and a particular math-rock consciousness of time and rhythm.
Journey Misplaced’s stage presence is electrifying, amplified all of the extra by the intimate venues I noticed them in. In a number of songs, their keyboardist (a brand new addition to their lineup, not but credited on a recorded album) switches to flute; paired with wall-of-sound psychedelic guitar, the rooms grew to become a veritable flood of cubensis ambiance. There was additionally an enormous crowd pleaser within the type of an unique cowl of “The Chain” by Fleetwood Mac. If you end up in Philly or the encircling space, go see them–if not, remember to indulge on-line.
:: “Flowers to Arrows” – Wynona ::
Mitch Mosk, Beacon, New York
“How does it really feel turning flowers to arrows?” Oof, what a query. Wynona’s Natalie Woodward sings sizzling and heavy on the mic in “Flowers to Arrows,” the band’s first (and up to now, solely) single of 2025. Her candy, mild voice aches with rigidity and despair as, alongside her bandmate and co-songwriter Richard Willats, she laments these members of our society who co-opt, twist, and contort issues to suit their most popular ideology, mould, and messaging. It’s a dynamic and emotional tackle Wynona’s signature, nineties/naughties-inspired “mum-jean rock” sound; whereas the band proceed to glisten and glow, the depth of this observe’s subject material isn’t misplaced on artist or listener.
Instantly I’m overcome with emotion
Grasp me out onto the road
The climate’s chilly,
and it’s all the time been a relentless
Beneath gray cloud mind-set
I hold inside, although its true to consider it
I’m wondering what’s your infatuation
I see all of it for what it’s underneath the asphalt
What a spot to name me out
“‘Flowers to Arrows’ began from a guitar riff Wealthy was taking part in whereas we had been between homes simply after the pandemic. All our studio gear was packed away, so we arrange a makeshift studio and recorded demo concepts utilizing telephones and laptop computer mics,” Wynona inform Atwood Journal. “Natalie wrote the vocal melody to imitate and dance across the guitars. We sat on the demo for years till it caught the ear of our guitarist/producer Adam Hailstone, who took over the mission and added layers of sonic prospers that basically introduced the tune to life.”
“We tracked, produced, and combined the tune ourselves, and it marks our first launch of 2025. It’s a jangly throwback to Britpop, centered on the concept that some folks can take stunning issues in artwork, movie, music, and tradition (flowers), and twist them into symbols for his or her pointed, hurtful ideologies (arrows).”
How does it really feel
Turning flowers to arrows?
How does it really feel
Turning flowers to arrows?
For me, the obvious instance of “flowers to arrows” is a politician co-opting songs with out artists’ permission or consent, and utilizing unauthorized items of music to drive their messaging dwelling – “YMCA” blaring over the loudspeakers at Tr*mp rallies come to thoughts. Interpretation is okay – artwork is so usually a method of self-expression, and the best way the artist intends their work to be consumed could not all the time be aligned with the way it finally ends up being interpreted – however weaponizing artwork to satisfy your individual agenda and your individual ends is pure propagandizing. Whereas Wynona’s newest single stays as sugary as their greatest work, “Flowers to Arrows” additionally unveils a sinister reality about consumption – and it’s a message we’d greatest take to coronary heart transferring ahead.
I see the change from my materiality
Dripping down in entrance of me
What a spot to be
I do know it’s unusual to let the rain
fall via the window
Spilling onto my mattress
In a world the place we may co-deliver
You allow me constructing conversations
I’ve by no means been the type to overlook the amber warnings
These edges I hold catching on
How does it really feel
Turning flowers to arrows
How does it really feel
Turning flowers to arrows
:: “Rearview” – Kevian Kraemer ::
Mitch Mosk, Beacon, New York
Rose-colored glasses get their very personal rallying cry in Kevian Kraemer’s “Rearview,” a hovering and spirited anthem basking within the different aspect’s greener pastures and nostalgia’s brighter hues. Launched April 25th by way of Atlantic Information, the third single off the New Jersey-born artist’s upcoming Jersey or Mars EP is an brisk, invigorating indie pop revelry full with rip-roaring vocals, driving drums, introspective lyrics, and exhilarating guitars.
“‘Rearview’ to me is my tackle the saying ‘the grass is all the time greener on the opposite aspect,’” Kraemer tells Atwood Journal. “I wrote ‘Rearview’ round a time the place I went via a tough breakup and was coming to phrases with what the connection meant to me. Whereas there have been some actually superb instances, I noticed that the general relationship was bringing me down and that life was truly a lot brighter on the opposite aspect. The road ‘your chapstick and my keychain’ serves as a reminder of the great elements of a relationship whereas persevering with to maneuver on and embrace change.”
Readability isn’t all the time obtainable to us within the current, usually via no fault of our personal. Solely via hindsight and actively stepping out of our personal footwear can we actually hope to see issues for what they’re – and on this tune’s case, it’s that retrospective perspective that opens Kraemer as much as each the great and the dangerous.
To his credit score, he’s proper: Issues do look higher whenever you’re checking the rearview. So how will we right for this and enhance our present imaginative and prescient? That’s the subject of one other tune… however for now, I’m pleased to get misplaced within the vibrant, daring enery of “Rearview.”
:: “Fallacious Model of Me” – Michael Isaak ::
Danielle Holian, Galway, Eire
Michael Isaak’s newest single, “Fallacious Model of Me,” marks a deeply private and triumphant return, following his contemplative comeback observe “Say Too A lot.” Written throughout a pivotal second in Isaak’s life – his daring transfer to New York – the tune pulses with vulnerability and power because it explores themes of selfhood, transformation, and the worry of dropping oneself. Isaak’s introspective lyrics resonate powerfully, delivering a sort of emotional readability that feels each uncooked and relatable. His voice, regular and expressive, rides a wave of wealthy, stay instrumentation, a testomony to the seamless chemistry along with his band.
With Will Martinez and Charlie Hickey’s twin guitars sparking with nuance and Matt TC Lucas driving the vitality on drums, the observe delivers an indie-rock sound that feels without delay grounded and hovering. Produced by Hickey and Tyler Graham, the observe is textured, speedy, and alive – underscoring Isaak’s promise to stay true to himself within the face of change. “Fallacious Model of Me” doesn’t simply mark one other launch – it cements Michael Isaak as a voice of sincerity and artistic braveness in a panorama that always asks artists to compromise. Prepared or not, Isaak’s evolution is right here – and it’s unflinchingly genuine.
:: “Like a Fiend” – Mel Denisse ::
Chloe Robinson, California
In “Like a Fiend,” Mel Denisse creates a tune that explores what it’s prefer to be trapped in a tug-of-war between conflicting feelings. Shifting from pleasure to despair, power to vulnerability, this creature experiences a disturbing emotional instability that appears like a whirlwind of mania. The darkish and daring piece showcases an revolutionary, atmospheric backdrop that pairs completely together with her haunting vocals. The ominous air of this observe captivates the listener the entire method via.
Mel Denisse is an artist-producer recognized for mixing gritty guitar textures with unconventional pop sounds. She first picked up her dad’s acoustic guitar at age ten, spent her teenage years crafting demos on pirated software program, and by eighteen had joined a Myspace-era tour via sheer hustle. You sense those self same blood, sweat, and tears on this single.
:: Center Seat – Sid Dorey ::
Danielle Holian, Galway, Eire
Sid Dorey, who first gained traction with viral snippets and poignant lyric movies, has grown into an artist who can command each a stage and a telephone display. However with their sophomore EP Center Seat, they’ve taken that affect and deepened it. The EP doesn’t simply sound good — it feels very important.
Few artists handle to mix theatrical roots with emotional immediacy fairly like Sid Dorey. Center Seat is an announcement of survival, group, and acutely aware development wrapped in lush melodies and razor-sharp lyricism. The fantastically bruised assortment of songs that captures the uneasy magic of coming into your individual. With 5 tracks that weave via themes of grief, identification, and the craving for belonging, Dorey transforms discomfort into artwork. From the gut-wrenching confessions of “Cannibal” to the non secular reckoning of “What Comes With Heaven,” every tune is a fastidiously carved piece of emotional reality. Their voice — equal elements tender and trembling — carries the load of lived expertise, whereas their lyrics hit like pages from a journal you had been by no means meant to learn however can’t put down.
What makes Center Seat stand out is its sense of presence. There’s no filter right here, no intelligent veil of metaphor to cover behind — simply honesty that lands like a quiet storm. Dorey, a queer artist unafraid to talk to the complexities of affection, loss, and survival, invitations listeners not simply to really feel one thing, however to really feel seen. The EP’s title observe, a softly defiant nearer, completely sums up the mission’s mission: discovering consolation within the uncomfortable, and holding onto hope when it could be simpler to let go. In a style that too usually polishes its ache, Sid Dorey reminds us that the center seat, although cramped, will be the place the place we actually be taught to remain.
:: “Goth Youngsters” – L’objectif ::
Mitch Mosk, Beacon, New York
The fever burns daring and vibrant in L’objectif’s first single of the yr. Dramatic, dynamic, and achingly unapologetic, “Goth Youngsters” is a charged and churning indie rock reckoning full of fireplace and fury: “This complete world’s stuffed with battle, I don’t know methods to steal the prize,” frontman Saul Kane sings hot-on-the-mic, his voice aching and intense from the bounce. “This complete room’s stuffed with goth youngsters, I believed I used to be one – seems they’re too good.” So begins a roaring, larger-than-life anthem for all of the ‘emo youngsters’ who by no means actually outgrew the ‘section’: Who’re nonetheless looking for their place within the chaos, making an attempt to know the place they match into life’s massive, instructionless puzzle.
they left the planet of their rockets
I’d’ve gone however they missed out my invite
however for the weekend i’m sorted
nonetheless determining methods to get you by my aspect
yeah nothing makes me really feel as fairly alright
Because the band explains, “Goth Youngsters” has been a real labor of affection – a tune they saved tweaking, and by no means gave up on till they obtained it “proper.”
“[This] is the longest period of time we’ve spent on a tune – we’ve been engaged on it for over a yr,” Kane tells Atwood Journal. “We by no means may appear to maneuver on from it. Ultimately after dropping a little bit of our sanity, we made one thing, that to us, felt like an genuine reflection of the band.”
“Lyrically it’s a tune that just about wrote itself,” he continues. “I don’t wish to overthink the music anymore; it simply felt pure, though whether it is about something, I suppose it’s about determining the way you match into the world. It’s a fairly necessary tune to us and has introduced us via into a brand new chapter for the band.”
look out child see what god despatched
he packaged it so properly in a bow
And set the world into battle
see we pleasure ourselves on information we don’t know
figured it out after a bong hit
and went off spouting bullshit
to his woman
and ultimately we now have to forfeit
however nothing makes me really feel as fairly alright
yeah nothing makes me really feel as fairly alright
yeah nothing makes me really feel as fairly alright
If that is what the subsequent ‘period’ of L’objectif goes to look and sound like, then signal me up: As savage and searing as it’s sonically gorgeous, “Goth Youngsters” is the sort of unflinching, cinematic barn-burner that hits arduous and leaves an enduring mark on the ears and the soul. It’s a few of the hardest music we’ve heard from the Leeds band, and it actually is them at their greatest – achingly emotive, infectiously energetic, and completely uncompromising.
this complete room’s stuffed with goth youngsters…
this complete room’s stuffed with goth youngsters
However nothing makes me really feel as fairly alright
This complete room’s stuffed with goth youngsters
however nothing makes me really feel as fairly alright
this complete rooms stuffed with goth youngsters
however nothing makes me really feel as fairly alright
this complete rooms stuffed with goth youngsters
:: “Happiness” – Powerful Cookie ::
Mitch Mosk, Beacon, New York
“But happiness is no matter you make of it.” Powerful Cookie’s second-ever single poses an attention-grabbing level: We’re all chasing one thing – that a lot we will certainly agree on – however received’t that ‘one thing’ change from individual to individual? Who’re we to put judgment on one other’s model of affection, or pleasure, or happiness? Who’re we to determine which causes are proper and simply, and which causes are improper or reprehensible? A lot in life is subjective, and on “Happiness,” Powerful Cookie take a tough, unflinching and unfiltered have a look at the world, reckoning with that nice pursuit and the lengths some will go to get their excessive.
As a result of in some unspecified time in the future, every of us has to ask: What does happiness truly appear like, how can we get there, and what’s it price?
It have to be arduous to alter.
Sarah says to let it go,
stop promoting dope.
The rashes in your pores and skin
are creeping up in small speak
amongst your pals
However happiness is
no matter you make of it.
Launched April 24th by way of Gravity Information / Capitol Information UK, “Happiness” is an intimate, all-consuming, and emotionally charged alt-rock fever dream. The follow-up to February’s debut single “Emory” finds Powerful Cookie – the London-based band of August Tse, Daniel Hvorostovsky, Jess Ayres, and Gavin Sullivan – in a second of uncooked reflection and upheaval. Whereas “happiness” itself feels intensely private (as August Tse sings, “happiness is no matter you make of it”), the observe’s hard-hitting refrain makes an attempt to unpack and even perceive the very nature of that pursuit – an infinite chase that by no means appears to finish in effectively in ‘actual’ life. “Open up my eyes, present me one thing actual,” an amped-up Tse implores over roaring guitars and churning drums. “Oh my God! It have to be so good to really feel completely nothing.”
It have to be sort of enjoyable
dwelling in a woozy world
letting rumours do the rounds.
The physician says
a behavior will simply rot your head
However happiness is
no matter you make of it.
Open up my eyes, present me one thing actual.
Oh my God! It have to be so good to really feel completely nothing.
I don’t want a shrink ‘trigger this appears like the actual factor.
Oh my God! It have to be so good to really feel completely nothing.
“When Dan and I began writing the instrumental, we already had that guitar melody for the verse, and we ended up constructing the entire association round it,” Tse tells Atwood Journal. “Among the lyrics got here collectively as we went, and it felt just like the music wanted a shift in gear to match the tune’s narrative. We needed the construction and motion of the observe to reflect the unpredictable, usually chaotic nature of life within the pursuit of happiness.”
You’re promoting youngsters a dream
of Armageddon fantasy and entropy
Hungry for a break
The place have the times of happiness gone?
You’ve been self-aware for a lot too lengthy to nonetheless be right here
In songs and tales, fables and fairytales, there’s a ‘fortunately ever after’ – however that doesn’t exist right here within the wild. We lose our childhood innocence as soon as we inevitably understand that reality… that each excessive is non permanent, each candy second non permanent. And but, that’s what so many individuals stay for; the moments that make all the remainder of it price our whereas. Is it a good trade? Is it the appropriate factor to do? Powerful Cookie don’t have all of the solutions, however they could agree that life, similar to their very band, is one robust cookie.
However I suppose happiness is
no matter you make of it.
Name in sick tomorrow
Make my mattress one other day
:: “2009” – Loren Warmth ::
Danielle Holian, Galway, Eire
Loren Warmth’s newest single, “2009,” is a blinding, high-energy triumph that confirms their rising star standing within the pop panorama. Constructing on the emotional depth of their debut EP Scarlet Haze, Warmth effortlessly merges nostalgic dance-pop vibes with fashionable aptitude, delivering a observe that feels each timeless and thrillingly recent. With Chad Rodgers’ modern manufacturing setting the stage, “2009” bursts to life via shimmering synths and a euphoric refrain that calls for repeat listens. Warmth’s vocals are a standout – daring, emotive, and completely magnetic – completely capturing the observe’s themes of longing and electrical ardour. That is pop music at its most irresistible.
:: “Perhaps When We’re 30” – Sports activities Group ::
Mitch Mosk, Beacon, New York
Cambridge indie rock band Sports activities Group appear to softly vacillate between quiet resolve and existential unease in “Perhaps When We’re 30,” and whereas I’m all for it – who doesn’t like some inside battle, left unsettled? – I’d be mendacity to say that, as a 32-year-old myself, the tune doesn’t ship a shiver down my backbone each single time I hear it.
And it’s not as a result of I personally have “settled down” in what I like to consider as a fairly distinctive model of “suburbia” – a small, upstate mountain city with a bustling, mile-long essential avenue stuffed with arts and tradition, outlets and eating places – and right here I am going making an attempt to justify my way of life once more! To whom, precisely, am I writing, and why do I care?
Your brother stated that we should always get actual jobs
And pay our method like all people else
Nicely possibly we may purchase a home
And we may have a child
And spend our days on Fb
Such pleased days on Fb
And share Each day Mail tales
about David Beckham’s youngsters
with pithy little insults
Such pissy little insults
If it’s what you want
It really works for me
We’ll write bitter little letters
To the council ‘bout the bins
And signal them from the neighbors
You’ll signal them from the neighbours
And once they come a knockin’
I’ll faux that you just’re not in
i’ve by no means appreciated the neighbours
I’ve by no means appreciated the neighbours
They usually don’t like me
Musically, “Perhaps When We’re 30” is unapologetically and relentlessly tense. Uncooked vitality builds and builds all through its 4 and a half minutes as frontman Alex Rice ruminates on “massive life” questions, singing an ode to the “conventional path” – getting married, shopping for a home, having a child, a canine, possibly an HOA, “date nights,” gossiping concerning the neighbors… the entire shebang, if you’ll. Structured like a letter written to a cherished one, the tune begins with musings about life in a single’s 30s, earlier than addressing one’s 70s and 80s in later verses. Some would possibly interpret all these lyrics as one massive dig, however because the band’s lyricist Rob Knaggs has shared, it’s truly extremely honest – he’s not taking part in for laughs, even when you, the reader, are about to get an enormous kick out of what comes subsequent.
Perhaps once we’re 30
child we will get a canine
And annually we’ll exit
and we’ll watch The Warfare on Medication
If it’s what you want
It really works for me
“It’s a tune for Brooklyn Beckham,” Knaggs tells Atwood Journal.
That’s the hook, after all. The reality is deeper, and a shade darker, too.
“Whenever you begin off in a band you are feeling like Slurms Mackenzie (the Futurama occasion slug),” he provides. “You’ll be able to’t consider it’s your job to journey around the globe and drink beer and make music with your pals. After which one morning you go searching, and all your pals are getting married, and also you suppose, ‘possibly all I really need is to develop outdated, and get a canine, and write horrible issues about Brooklyn Beckham on Fb, and go on cruises, and have petty disputes with my neighbours about whether or not the council recycles cardboard.’”
Euphoria is fleeting, and the grass all the time appears to be like greener – so what do you do? How do you work all of it out? For starters, you do what Sports activities Group have completed, and also you begin asking your self what true happiness means for you. Perhaps it’s the canine, the home, yada yada. Perhaps it’s a life on the highway. I’m positive there are many in-between examples as effectively that aren’t coming to thoughts proper now. The purpose is, dreaming of what would possibly make you content is a good first step towards reaching your individual little model of heaven on earth.
For me, happiness means dwelling day-after-day alongside the particular person I like – the one who could make lounging on the sofa all day really feel as satisfying as exploring a brand new metropolis, or seeing a favourite band, or eating at a cool restaurant. And once I hear the lyric, “If it’s what you want, it really works for me,” all I actually hear is love: The sort of love that basically does make day-after-day price dwelling, regardless of the place you might be on this planet.
Taken off Sports activities Group’s upcoming third studio album Boys These Days (out Could twenty third by way of Distiller Information / Vibrant Antenna), “Perhaps When We’re 30” is a powerhouse of feeling – and maybe I’m projecting right here, nevertheless it’ll get you speaking.
:: The Distance Between Desires – Brandes ::
Danielle Holian, Galway, Eire
In his debut album The Distance Between Desires, Brandes – an inventive alter ego of former Labour MP and acclaimed creator Peter Bradley – ushers in a deeply reflective physique of labor that strikes with emotional rawness and an unwavering sense of historical past. At its core, the album appears like a reclamation of private and collective reminiscence. The identify Brandes, borrowed from Bradley’s Jewish heritage misplaced throughout the Holocaust, is each a tribute and a automobile for storytelling. The album’s stark, poignant lyrics are delivered with a way of honesty and vulnerability that bridges previous and current, exploring themes of affection, loss, and identification via a novel mix of folks, indie-rock, and world music influences.
Opening with the heart-wrenching “Please Don’t Name,” the album instantly units its introspective tone, capturing the painful disintegration of a relationship with a fragile stability of sparse instrumentation and highly effective, confessional lyrics. From there, the journey expands, taking the listener via the aching autobiographical “Like A Dagger” to the politically-charged “From The Larger Floor,” which resonates like a modern-day protest anthem. Every observe feels meticulously crafted, whether or not it’s the haunting people melodies or the electrical vitality that creeps into the album’s extra anthemic moments. What makes The Distance Between Desires so compelling is Brandes’s capability to fuse private narratives with bigger, common themes, creating an album that’s each introspective and expansive.
The album’s standout second is undoubtedly “Tune for Mordecai,” an emotionally wealthy and cinematic observe impressed by George Eliot’s “Daniel Deronda.” That includes a fusion of Center Japanese devices just like the oud and nafiri, the tune displays on Jewish identification and historical past whereas exploring timeless themes of non secular awakening, resilience, and the battle for freedom. It’s a strikingly bold piece that anchors the album’s thematic exploration of cultural reminiscence, whereas additionally providing a way of hope amid the load of historical past. The Distance Between Desires displays on the human situation, delivered via the lens of private historical past and inventive expression. Brandes has created one thing uncommon: a piece that calls for consideration, resonates deeply, and lingers lengthy after the music fades.
:: “Drowning the Killer” – Kindelan ::
Mitch Mosk, Beacon, New York
Yorkshire singer/songwriter Kindelan has returned with a shocking burst of cinematic softness: “Drowning the Killer” owes as a lot to its wealthy, harmonic depth, because it does to the quieter areas in-between. Constructed on a young finger-picked acoustic guitar, the tune – Kindelan’s first since 2023’s EP you possibly can attain me when you strive – tells a story of intimacy and aching via lush, spellbinding, soul-stirring artistry. Kindelan’s voice appears like pure gold, and like that uncommon steel, it shines daring and vibrant regardless of the state of affairs – bare, or accompanied by a dramatic pool of harmonizing accompaniment.
“Whereas the world sat quiet again in 2021, my good good friend Liv and I sat on zoom writing songs,” Kindelan tells Atwood Journal. “After listening to Adrian Lenker on repeat, I detuned my guitar so every string droned over one in every of their songs. I explored the new shapes and sounds inside this unfamiliar tuning and located the ominous chord development which then grew to become the backdrop for our story that unfolded line by line.”
“We ended up writing a story of two folks, certain by their poisonous connection, who’re simply as dangerous for each other – so dangerous, that they’re excellent for one another.”
Whereas there’s an plain aching, darkness, and bittersweet magnificence at this tune’s core, “Drowning the Killer” finally glows – pushed by Kindelan’s personal spectacular expertise and inside gentle. She’ll ship shivers down the backbone, and but at the same time as she does, one can’t assist however smile.
:: “Like an Angel” – Marsha Swanson ::
Danielle Holian, Galway, Eire
Marsha Swanson’s “Like an Angel” is a masterful mix of sound and imaginative and prescient accompanied by a music video that deepens its emotional gravity. Reimagined from her “Close to Life Expertise” album, the observe has been reborn with a lush string part and stay instrumentation that cradle Swanson’s haunting vocals in cinematic heat. Her supply is tender and introspective, carrying the load of affection, reminiscence, and loss with swish restraint. Directed by award-winning animator Sam Chegini, the video unfolds like a dream with its wealthy symbolism and ethereal imagery mirroring the tune’s quiet exploration of grief, non secular connection, and the lingering presence of these we’ve misplaced.
What makes “Like an Angel” so hanging is its unstated energy with the best way it lingers lengthy after the ultimate observe fades. Chegini’s visible storytelling is each summary and deeply human, blurring the road between fantasy and reminiscence, whereas Swanson’s voice serves as a mild information via all of it. Collectively, they’ve created a chunk that feels timeless with a smooth however soul-stirring meditation on the invisible threads that join us. In a world stuffed with noise, “Like an Angel” is a uncommon second of stillness that speaks volumes.
:: “Poster Woman” – Tash Blake ::
Danielle Holian, Galway, Eire
Tash Blake’s “Poster Woman,” the title observe from her hanging new EP, is a razor-sharp commentary on fame wrapped in a darkish, seductive pop bundle. Equal elements confessional and confrontational, the observe peels again the glittering façade of superstar to disclose the emotional price lurking beneath. From the primary beat, “Poster Woman” pulses with urgency – its synth-laced manufacturing and cinematic rigidity mirroring the chaos of a life continuously underneath the highlight. Tash’s vocals are electrical: sultry, commanding, and laced with simply sufficient vulnerability to make each line hit more durable.
However this isn’t simply one other pop observe concerning the pressures of the business – that is Tash Blake redefining what it means to be a contemporary pop provocateur. With “Poster Woman,” she challenges the listener to query the archetypes we’ve glamorized for many years. It’s a daring rejection of perfection, of people-pleasing, of taking part in the half. As a substitute, Tash leans into the messiness – the lust, the confusion, the fury – and turns it into an anthem for anybody who’s ever felt like they had been performing a model of themselves for approval. Unapologetically uncooked and artistically fearless, “Poster Woman” doesn’t simply introduce Tash Blake’s imaginative and prescient – it cements her as a voice to look at within the new period of pop rise up.
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