Derrick Lee
MARIS Channels Chaos, Catharsis, And Pop-Rock Euphoria On “MOSH★PIT”
LOS ANGELES, CA- There’s a particular kind of pop song that feels engineered less for passive listening and more for physical reaction. The kind of track that demands movement. Sweat. Shouting lyrics back at the stage with strangers. On her latest single “MOSH★PIT,” MARIS…
Tiger La Flor’s “KODACHROMATIC” Is A Stunning Vintage Soul-Pop Daydream
LOS ANGELES, CA- There are moments when a song immediately pulls you into its world before you’ve even fully processed why. That was my experience hearing “KODACHROMATIC” by Tiger La Flor. The name sounded familiar to me, but I couldn’t immediately place where from….
Jesse Welles’ “Masks Off” Is A Furious Folk Anthem For America’s Breaking Point
LOS ANGELES, CA- There are protest singers, and then there are artists like Jesse Welles who seem incapable of looking away from the world around them. Over the past couple of years, Welles has carved out a singular lane for himself through stripped-down performances…
Mark Ambor’s “New York Confident” Feels Like A Bold Escape From Folk-Pop Predictability
LOS ANGELES, CA- For a while there, it felt like Mark Ambor was drifting toward a lane that’s become increasingly crowded in modern pop music: earnest, Americana-leaning folk-pop built around acoustic strumming, gang vocals, and that familiar stomp-and-holler energy that streaming platforms have loved…
FIFA Scores Big With LISA, Anitta & Rema’s “Goals” For The 2026 World Cup Soundtrack
LOS ANGELES, CA- For the FIFA World Cup 2026, the game itself may still be the centerpiece, but FIFA’s latest musical rollout suggests that the organization fully understands where global culture now lives. It lives online, across streaming platforms, fandom communities, social media ecosystems,…
Getdown Services Embrace Chaos And Catharsis On “I Can’t Die Like That” Ahead Of Massive Champion
LOS ANGELES, CA- There’s something immediately disarming about Getdown Services. Before I even had a chance to really process the music itself, I found myself laughing at the opening visuals for “I Can’t Die Like That.” Not laughing at them exactly, but laughing with…
The Runarounds Capture Fleeting Youthful Nostalgia On New Single “Bleachers”
LOS ANGELES, CA- There’s a particular kind of magic that only exists in hindsight. The late-night drives that felt endless. The smell of cigarette smoke lingering in the upholstery of a friend’s car. The thrill of doing absolutely nothing important with people who, at…
The Wldlfe Lean Into Emotional Simplicity on New Single “Heart”
LOS ANGELES, CA- There’s something refreshing about discovering a band at the moment they seem to be settling fully into themselves. For me, “Heart” serves as that introduction to The Wldlfe, and before I even dive deeper into the rest of their catalog, I…
Night Talks Embrace Liberation and Groove on New Single “People Pleaser”
LOS ANGELES, CA- I’ve had my ear on Night Talks for quite a while now. Somehow, despite years of seeing their name pop up across the Los Angeles music scene, I’ve just never managed to catch them live. But after hearing their newest single…
Ok Goodnight’s “Spiral” Is A Spectacularly Mind-Bending Collision Of Musical Genres And Emotional Chaos
LOS ANGELES, CA- There are songs you casually throw on in the background, and then there are songs like “Spiral” by Ok Goodnight that completely consume your attention the moment they begin. The Boston-based art rock outfit’s latest single isn’t designed for passive listening….