Album Reviews

As light as a feather and so melodic that it occasionally runs the risk of getting lost in the divine strumming in the background, the lead vocal offered up by The Forevers’ Natalia Safran is undeniably the most stunning element in the soundscape of their single “Frederique.” Much as is …

Since 2010, Tray Davis has been crafting and refining his own blend of pop-oriented hip hop. The Florida-born, California-based singer/songwriter and rapper would make his recording debut in 2017, with his acclaimed EP Urgent Care spawning three popular singles: “Bicoastal,” the Forgiato Blow-guested “Boatloads,” and “Divine Intuition.” Following its success, …

John Vento is known as the dynamic frontman of the Nied’s Hotel Band, but with Vices, he’s showing fans a different side of himself. Vices is a poem written by poet and comedian Matt Wohlfarth, reimagined and set to music by Vento and David Granati. A scathing critique of many …

For an instrumental to really speak to its audience, it more or less has to embody the emotions that would typically be conveyed unto us through lyricism – often times exclusively – and that’s precisely what makes “Aether” from collaborators Faizan and Amadeus such a compelling listen this September. Defined …

This is specifically for all my party people right now, the opening DJ’s voice commands on the new track “Rude Boy Summer”. Out now from Miami’s multi-instrumentalist and multi-talented, Casely, the song features Braveboy on vocals, too. It’s easy to immerse yourself in the island-like beats and cool breeze bumps, …

Wilber Leon is a singer/songwriter and rapper based in Kent, Washington. Having marked the late 2010s with three full-length albums under the mononym Wilber, he aims to bring the city’s often overlooked modern hip hop scene to greater recognition. Wilber’s latest release is 4 Package, a four-track EP that continues …

Alternative hip-hop is breaking the mold in 2020, and if you want to understand precisely what I mean, you should take a peek at the new music video for Sanya N’Kanta’s new single “I.C.E. at the Door,” currently out and trending online. Comprised of provocative animations that allude to an …

Sleekly arranged but entirely more acrylic than anything I’ve heard in mainstream pop music lately, there’s no getting around the experimental edge that guides forth some of the smartest moments Blindboss’ new single “Fake Internet Points” has to share this September. Stylistically bringing to mind elements of a retro funk-rock …

Wingman is a Los Angeles-based singer/songwriter and producer making a name for himself blending a unique mix of rap and energetic electronic drops. He came out swinging, dropping a debut album as his very first release. Weird New Feelings, the eight-song debut, has already garnered a few million streams online since …

In their debut single, a cover of the iconic “Aces High,” the newly-formed metal supergroup The Wheelblocks dispense a classic thrasher from Iron Maiden that is both heavier than what today’s mainstream standard calls for and stands alone in terms of its fluid stylization. Rather than trying to replicate Iron …

What questions do you ask of your loved ones, of your parents? Do you explore that relationship different then you did when you were younger? In the new song “Preguntame Algo” Arzalez treads vulnerable territory in his polished mix of Latin-influenced pop rock. Dabbling in reggaeton, but truly a multi-genre …

Part rock opera, a sliver of pop and a mild case of Electric Light Orchestra, the catchy “System Crash” from Les Fradkin is an unexpected sonic journey. Fradkin, a MIDI guitar pioneer, suspends the listener into his societal statement. Swirled into the hum-along melody is Fradkin’s quiet demeanor and assured …