Sombr’s ‘Back to Friends’ Is the Breakout Single That Proves He’s More Than a Viral Sensation
LOS ANGELES, CA- It’s been a minute since a young male vocalist genuinely intrigued me. Not in a “oh that’s catchy” kind of way, but in a way that made me stop, rewind, and dig through the back catalog to figure out if the…
Laufey Channels Vintage Elegance on New Single “Silver Lining”
LOS ANGELES, CA- I got swept off my feet again, transported to another era, with Laufey’s latest single, “Silver Lining.” The Icelandic-Chinese chanteuse has a habit of conjuring entire worlds with a single phrase, a delicate run of piano, a velvet-lined vocal lilt. With…
Trousdale’s “Secondhand Smoke” Is a Devastating Exhale of Surrender
LOS ANGELES, CA- With just days to go before the release of their second full-length album Growing Pains (out April 11), Los Angeles harmonic trio Trousdale have pulled back the curtain on one last track, and it’s a stunner. “Secondhand Smoke,” a raw and…
Momma’s “Rodeo” Is a Fuzzed-Out, 90s-Inspired Anthem That Marks a Bold New Chapter
LOS ANGELES, CA- If you’ve ever spent late nights parked under orange streetlight haze, thumbing mixtape cassettes and brooding over heartbreaks real or imagined, Momma’s “Rodeo” is going to hit you square in the nostalgia. And that’s not to say this band is coasting…
Alejandro Aranda’s “Meant To Be” is a Heartstring-Plucker for the Hopelessly Devoted
LOS ANGELES, CA- It’s not often that a singer-songwriter makes a middle-aged man search TikTok. But Alejandro Aranda has always been a bit of an anomaly—ever since he stepped onto the American Idol stage in 2019 and redefined what a reality show contestant could be….
Pixel Grip – “Split” Review: A Feral Dancefloor Purge Drenched in Bloodlust and Betrayal
LOS ANGELES, CA- Adrenaline has a sound, and it might just be Pixel Grip’s latest single *“Split”* — a high-voltage jolt of raw techno minimalism that slices straight through the chest and refuses to let go. Unveiled as the third offering from the Chicago trio’s…
First Listen: fknsyd’s ‘Anesthesia Smile’ Delivers Dreamy Escapism Through Electronic Soundscapes
LOS ANGELES, CA- There’s something quietly arresting about fknsyd’s new single, “Anesthesia Smile.” My first encounter with her music, it came by way of an unassuming press release—but what poured out of my speakers was anything but ordinary. Swirling in woozy, electronic atmospheres, and…
The Swell Season Return With “People We Used To Be,” and I’m Feeling Everything All Over Again
LOS ANGELES, CA- Some emails hit harder than others. When the press release for The Swell Season’s new single “People We Used To Be” landed in my inbox, I had to sit down. A lump in my throat, a rush of memory—warm, aching, and strangely…
Grace VanderWaal Shines on “Proud,” the Poised Prelude to a Bold New Chapter
LOS ANGELES, CA- There was a time when Grace VanderWaal was a wide-eyed tween with a ukulele, charming her way to a win on America’s Got Talent and earning headlines as the precocious “next Taylor Swift.” But if you haven’t checked in since those days,…
renforshort Wields Her Scars Like Stars on Anthemic New Single “pretend to like me”
LOS ANGELES, CA- The best pop songs don’t just mirror our mess—they scream it back in surround sound, glittered in distortion and unflinching honesty. On “pretend to like me,” rising Canadian singer-songwriter renforshort doesn’t just dip into the well of youthful anxiety—she cannonballs in….