Blessing Jolie Evolves With Defiant New Single “20teens”
LOS ANGELES, CA- Three months ago, I wrote about Blessing Jolie’s debut single “Frown Lines” and praised it as “a slow-burn blend of folk and R&B, carried by that velvety tone and an undercurrent of lyrical complexity.” That track introduced her as an artist willing…
Cil Brings Bluesy Sass and Gospel Soul to New Single “something like this”
LOS ANGELES, CA- First impressions matter, and Cil makes hers stick. Her new single, “something like this” (Warner Records), kicks off with a bass line that leans into a blues lick: sly, swaggering, and instantly attention-grabbing. From there, the track bursts in with sass…
Chet Faker Returns With Tender New Single “Inefficient Love”
LOS ANGELES, CA- Chet Faker… the musical alter ego of Nick Murphy… has always thrived on unpredictability. When I read the press release for his latest single, “Inefficient Love,” the two words that jumped out were restless creativity. Honestly, I can’t think of a…
Ripe Teams with Cory Wong on Groove-Driven New Single “Strangers” Ahead of Play the Game
LOS ANGELES, CA- Every now and then a band drops into your orbit that makes you wonder how you’ve missed them until now. That’s exactly how I felt when I pressed play on Ripe’s latest single, “Strangers (feat. Cory Wong).” It’s the kind of track…
Medium Build Lightens the Mood with Playful New Single “Last Time”
LOS ANGELES, CA- I’ll be honest: I’ve struggled to connect with Medium Build. This is despite my friends being head-over-heels for Nick Carpenter’s music. It just never clicked for me… until “Last Time.” There’s something immediately infectious about this track: bouncy energy, cheeky rasp…
Bring Me the Horizon Reimagine Their Legacy with Surprise Lo-Fi Album “Lo-files”
LOS ANGELES, CA- For nearly two decades, Bring Me the Horizon have been one of rock’s most restless shape-shifters. Emerging from Sheffield in the mid-2000s with feral deathcore beginnings, they’ve evolved with near-obsessive reinvention, morphing from metalcore chaos into stadium-sized alt-rock, electronic experiments, and…
The Strumbellas Return with “Hard Lines,” a Raw and Reflective Anthem for 2025
LOS ANGELES, CA- It’s been a minute since The Strumbellas found their way into my rotation. To be honest, not since Hope dropped back in 2016. So when the press release for their new single “Hard Lines” landed in my inbox, I was surprised…
Sabrina Sterling Unleashes Raw Power with “Ramona” at Outset of Debut EP Era
LOS ANGELES, CA- Sabrina Sterling has always had a gift for making vulnerability feel like a superpower. But on her new single “Ramona,” the rising singer-songwriter taps into something even deeper: a grounded fury, a mature strength, and a self-assurance that marks her evolution…
Curtis Harding’s “Time” Is a Soul Revival With a Message of Hope and Resilience
LOS ANGELES, CA- It’s been years since I photographed Curtis Harding’s show at The El Rey, but the memory hasn’t faded. I remember him stepping onto the stage in a cardigan and sunglasses, channeling a kind of laid-back cool that felt more inherited than…
(sic)boy and MERI’s “blacknails” Blends Emo, Hip-Hop, and Alt Energy into a Tokyo Soundtrack
TOKYO, JPN- You know that feeling when everything is falling apart, but you still take the time to put on eyeliner because even your breakdown deserves a little glamor? That’s the emotional space where “blacknails” lives. The latest release from (sic)boy and MERI isn’t…
