2hollis Returns With “Hurt,” a Glitch-Fueled Electronic Banger
LOS ANGELES, CA- I’ll admit it: it took me a while to come around on 2hollis. His music never struck me as immediately accessible, and I wasn’t sure I fully understood the appeal at first. But every so often an artist releases a song…
Meg Lui’s “Elvis Queen” Is a Beautiful Introduction to Instant Validation, Produced by Sufjan Stevens
LOS ANGELES, CA- I wasn’t familiar with Meg Lui until this week. Although she’d already released two singles from her forthcoming debut album Instant Validation, “Gone Girl” and “Dreams,” it was the announcement of “Elvis Queen” that finally caught my attention. The reason was…
We Tried Shrooms on America’s Most Haunted Ship (Queen Mary)
Scared and Impaired boarded the RMS Queen Mary… one of the most haunted ships in the world and spent the night inside its most infamous room B340. For this episode of Scared and Impaired, we took things to another level. Billy Langdon chose mushies. Dean…
Grumpy’s “Twenty Five” Finds Beauty In Love, Change, And The Fear Of Being Forgotten
LOS ANGELES, CA- There is something oddly soothing about Grumpy’s “Twenty Five.” On its surface, the song feels warm and nostalgic, built around a lo-fi aesthetic that evokes memories half-remembered rather than fully recalled. Yet beneath that comforting exterior lies a subtle unease that…
Babe Rainbow’s “Polymuscalsaccharide” Is a Psychedelic Summer Groove Worth Surrendering To
LOS ANGELES, CA- Some songs demand analysis. Others simply ask that you come along for the ride. Babe Rainbow’s new single, “Polymuscalsaccharide,” falls squarely into the latter category. From the moment the track opens with its fuzzy, lo-fi bass line, I was hooked. Before…
Steve Aoki and Mia Takarabe’s “Heartless” Signals a New Global Era for J-Pop
LOS ANGELES, CA- Japan has been trending for years, making its way into our daily lives one anime episode or sushi roll at a time. But what about the music? Slowly but surely, more Japanese tracks have been landing on global streaming playlists, more…
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…
