COMMUNIST SEX MAGIC find beauty in collapse on ‘What a Charming Life’
Liverpool outfit COMMUNIST SEX MAGIC arrive with a debut album that seems almost determined to reject the idea of easy listening. What a Charming Life is loud, murky and deliberately uncomfortable in places, but beneath all that distortion sits a surprisingly thoughtful record about disillusionment, identity and the difficulty of staying humanContinue Reading
Martin Kuiper brings swagger and self-doubt together on ‘Freak On Fire’
Since first releasing music in 2023, Martin Kuiper has built his catalogue with a sense of persistence that feels central to his appeal. And throughout his tenure to date, he has steadily expanded his sound across folk-rock, live recordings and, most recently, the heavier direction of his forthcoming album Prison OfContinue Reading
Shadow Flowers introduce debut album Blood Book with ‘Paraselene’
Southampton-based Shadow Flowers offer an absorbing introduction to their debut album Blood Book with new single ‘Paraselene’, a layered piece of alternative rock that moves between shoegaze, grunge and more atmospheric territory. The project of songwriter, producer and multi-instrumentalist Aaron Mills, working alongside Ash Babb and Patrick White, draws on the weight and texture associated with My BloodyContinue Reading
Noah James Mass sets a confident tone with ‘I Am the One’
Noah James Mass arrives with a clear sense of purpose on ‘I Am the One’, the lead single from his newly-released self-titled debut album. Built around muscular alt-rock foundations and a strong blues undercurrent, the track introduces an artist interested in keeping the production sharp without sanding away the rougherContinue Reading
Monophonic Underground builds a carefully unsettling world on ‘Stuff’
On the captivating Stuff, East Cleveland solo project Monophonic Underground takes a deliberately restrained approach to experimental electronica, favouring atmosphere, texture and unusual source material over obvious hooks. The result is an EP that feels considered rather than chaotic, with its stranger ideas given enough space to fully register. Created aloneContinue Reading
Chris Home captures the anticipation of the weekend on ‘Saturday High’
There’s something immediately familiar about the feeling at the centre of Chris Home’s new single ‘Saturday High’. It’s about everything that happens before a big night out: the plans taking shape, the first drink, the journey across town and that brief sense that the weekend could still become anything. AsContinue Reading
HAYBOY reflects on ambition with ‘Smartness & Dollars’
West Virginia songwriter Daniel Brown returns under his HAYBOY moniker with ‘Smartness & Dollars’, the first glimpse of a forthcoming album and a thoughtful exploration of the distance between achievement and fulfilment. Blending alternative rock with psychedelic and Americana influences, the single combines distorted guitars with drifting melodies and a subdued, immersive atmosphere.Continue Reading
OpCritical turn resistance into a rallying cry on ‘Parachute’
Since forming earlier this year, OpCritical have made their intentions unusually clear. This is a project built around confrontation, using music as a way to engage with political tension, social instability and the growing sense that many people are being pushed towards the edge. And on ‘Parachute’, their seventh releaseContinue Reading
Calico Sun finds clarity in motion on ‘Cosmic Revelations’
With his new collection Cosmic Revelations, Connecticut-based multi-instrumentalist Sam Bahman takes the sprawling instincts behind Calico Sun and gives them their most complete form yet. Built across several years, the record gradually reveals the shared emotional thread of the uneasy process of adjusting when life shifts beneath you. It’s an ideaContinue Reading
Danny McGuire looks back with a warm clarity on ‘Friends ’Til The End’
Following the release of ‘Won’t Let Nobody Hurt You’ earlier this summer, Danny McGuire returns with ‘Friends ’Til The End’, a thoughtful new single that finds him leaning further into the reflective side of his songwriting. Throughout his newest offering, the Scottish-born, London-based artist keeps things relatively understated, allowing theContinue Reading