Rising different pop artist Maxwell Knowles has launched his debut album, Daydreaming In The Darkish, a strong and intimate 10-track journey by way of heartbreak, self-rediscovery, and therapeutic. Mixing lush melodies, dreamy synths, and deeply reflective lyrics, Knowles invitations listeners to discover the uncooked terrain of emotional development and vulnerability. Daydreaming In The Darkish is now accessible on all streaming platforms worldwide.
The album opens with “A Message In A Bottle,” a spoken-word piece layered over an ambient instrumental, an audio essay that units the conceptual tone of the file. The piece weaves references to different songs throughout the album, providing an introspective and poetic entry level into Knowles’s emotional panorama. From there, the title observe “Daydreaming In The Darkish” delivers a late-night meditation on longing, constructed on gentle piano, strings, and a pattern recorded exterior his favourite Austin cafe. Songs like “After I Bear in mind You” and “SEA (Neglect The River)” mix daring, emotive vocals with nostalgic and cinematic manufacturing, providing each the ache of distance and the catharsis of vocal launch. “Letters,” a genre-bending digital ballad initially penned on flights to New York and San Francisco, highlights Knowles’s means to fuse narrative intimacy with adventurous sound design. Different tracks, like “I Can’t Die (With out You),” dive into deeper existential territory, impressed by Sufi poetry to discover the stress between romantic love and non secular craving. The uncooked composition got here collectively virtually unintentionally, starting with lyrics written in a wine bar and culminating in a co-write that Knowles credit as some of the pure and profound moments of the album’s creation. Instrumentals like “it’s 10:47pm and that i’m considering of you” and waltz-influenced songs like “Heal Holding Fingers” deliver distinction and heat, reflecting the quieter moments of readability and connection. “Can’t Break Me Down,” initially written for a movie contest, injects a burst of upbeat resilience into the tracklist, whereas the closing single “Monsters” delivers the album’s core message: therapeutic comes not from battle, however from compassion. Drawing on goals and anxiousness, Maxwell Knowles reframes his fears not as enemies however as misunderstood protectors, a message that has already resonated with audiences at stay reveals and now finds its full voice on the file.
Marking the start of a brand new chapter, SECOND CHANCE MUSIC; the debut full-length from Kentucky (Jordan Holman) is now accessible on all streaming platforms. Directly intimate and unflinching, the file threads its manner by way of hardship, accountability, longing, and newfound readability,in the end touchdown on a profound sense of grace.
Opening with “No Extra Tomorrows,” the album instantly units the tone: a life as soon as almost misplaced, now examined with soul-baring honesty and hard-won perspective. Via songs just like the pariah’s lament “I Walked In The Evening All Alone” and the bittersweet but buoyant “Similar Avenue (Completely different Cities),” Kentucky navigates emotional terrain that ranges from aching remorse to redemptive hope. There’s non secular resonance in “Nearer to Superb,” desertlike desperation in “I Have Been Ready,” and tender reckoning in “Second Hand Love.”
The album closes on the jubilant “The First Day of The Remainder of Your Life”, a becoming endnote that appears ahead with open-hearted optimism. Collectively, these eleven songs type what feels much less like a conventional debut and extra like a confessional rock opera: a deeply private but universally resonant hero’s journey rendered in melody.
SECOND CHANCE MUSIC isn’t simply Kentucky’s story, it’s a mirror held as much as anybody who’s ever misplaced their manner, harm somebody they beloved, or doubted in the event that they’d ever get one other probability. It’s a reckoning, an act of acceptance, and a thank-you to the unseen forces that guided him again.
Swiss-American alt/indie rocker Sam Himself returns with “Good Strangers,” the hanging new single off his forthcoming full-length album Moonsongs; out this September. A quietly highly effective ballad, “Good Strangers” captures the artist’s signature mix of vulnerability and confidence in a soundscape that’s as sparse as it’s evocative.
The “Swiss-born, Brooklyn-bred” (SPIN) artist, hailed because the “King of Tears” by Swiss nationwide broadcasters, brings a way of future nostalgia to the brand new observe—a heartfelt meditation on love, time, and letting go. His wealthy baritone is entrance and heart, accompanied solely by understated guitar work and ambient synth textures. The result’s an intimate and cinematic listening expertise formed by longtime Sam Himself producer Daniel Schlett (Iggy Pop, The Struggle on Medicine).
Although “Good Strangers” started as a full-band association with drums, bass, and percussion, Sam and his producer steadily deconstructed the music in the course of the manufacturing course of. “The longer we labored on it, the extra we present in much less,” Sam says. “Ultimately, we simply let the music converse for itself.”
Celebrity Crush are a four-piece pop group that pack a punch and a backbeat. Taking affect from the likes of Blondie, Arcade Fireplace, and Pulp, their stage present is filled with fiery hooks, explosive stage presence and their tender – oh, so very tender – pocket-poetry pedestrian lunchbucket lyrics. They first received collectively in Hamilton, Ontario as the home band for a sequence of coffeehouse-social-justice-conversational-arts-punk-global-consciousness-high-school-casual-fashion-social-electric-9-volt-action-oriented occasions organized by Marzieh Darling. The nights consisted of globally-focused dialog adopted by stay music from a rotating roster of vocalists and associates from native high-schools. Chloe Butler-Stubbs, Sam Hansell and Truaxe Fox, sat in on bass, guitar, and drums respectively, and Marzieh often crammed in on vocals. Between decade-spanning punk/indie-rock covers the gang snuck in originals that shortly turned crowd favourites. The 4 piece was fortunately roped into highschool basement events and the Hamilton membership and bar scene circa 2022, the place their audacious attractiveness and uniquely pop-oriented songwriting made them native faves. As they graduated highschool and discovered find out how to drive and act regular they infiltrated Toronto, Montreal, Boston, and different cities throughout Ontario, quickly naming themselves Celebrity Crush after an area celeb.
The group dropped a self-recorded tringle (triple-single) titled “Crushed to Meet You” in Could 2024. The EP included three crowd favorite songs from their stay set tracked on laptops of their former grade faculty – the place they’re tight with the headmaster Tony Evans of Growl fame. That summer season the band performed month-to-month reveals at their fave Hamilton venue the Casbah the place Dwayne Gretzky frontman Tyler Kyte finally noticed them carry out. After seeing them play on the membership just a few instances Kyte, standing by the bar, produced a small hand-held noir-style detective’s tape machine from his overcoat and covertly recorded “Be aware to self: They’re prepared.” He began producing the band quickly after, recording their debut album in his studio in Toronto. The file’s slated to launch summer season 2025, kicking off a Canada/US summer season tour.
Austin-based different rock musician Bee Blackwell continues to preview her new EP 9 Lives, arriving June 20, 2025. Written, self-produced after which recorded on the famed Sonic Ranch studio in three days throughout a sabbatical, 9 Lives is an inspiring indie rock-tinged story of surviving by way of chaos and popping out of it higher than ever. Right now, she shares “Claws,” which options her signature brooding and gritty however fuzzed-out guitar work paired with emotionally charged vocals. An official music video for the observe additionally premieres in the present day, paying homage to a 1993 stay efficiency from shoegaze icons Swirlies.
“CLAWS” is the wrestle of being caught between wanting connection and fearing vulnerability,” Bee explains. “Expressing emotion is difficult, being a management freak is even more durable.”
Alt-pop singer-songwriter, Dela Kay, has formally launched her newest single, “Between The Strains,” in the present day—a soul-searching, guitar-laced observe that marks a daring new chapter in her sonic evolution. “It talks about how uncommon and complicated peace can really feel,” says Dela Kay. “Studying ‘between the traces’ to self-soothe can generally flip into self-destruction. However in my case, my overthinking ended up being a robust instinct. The road between the 2 isn’t all the time straightforward to see.” Initially written in July 2024 at collaborator Nick Cozine’s East Nashville dwelling, “Between The Strains” explores the psychological push and pull of vulnerability, instinct, and self-sabotage in relationships. “It’s undoubtedly a vibe I haven’t carried out earlier than,” Dela Kay shares. “It’s moodier, constructed round vibey guitar traces, and it’d really be the primary music I’ve launched with a guitar solo—which is dope!”
Gina Zo, a powerhouse vocalist hailing from the suburbs of Philadelphia and now making waves in LA, isn’t just a rock-pop singer-songwriter—she’s a beacon of authenticity and empowerment inside each efficiency, music, and beat. Along with her bisexuality boldly declared in her 2023 anthem “Faking It,” Gina has reworked her private journey into a strong narrative for the LGBTQIA+ neighborhood, proving that true identification is a type of rebel in opposition to conformity and that the tribe you journey with is the place you actually belong. Her journey was additional formed by her time on The Voice as a member of Workforce Blake, the place Gwen Stefani’s mentorship led her to find a singular authenticity inside herself—so profound that it introduced her to tears after their first assembly, as Stefani challenged her to be extra real.
Her musical influences, from the soulful strains of Norah Jones to the paranormal attract of Stevie Nicks, formed her artistry from a younger age. Household moments along with her grandparents in her youth have been spent dancing with flashlights as strobe lights and singing into makeshift microphones laid the muse for a ardour that might later ignite her profession. Gina’s early days have been a whirlwind of home made movies and impromptu performances, a testomony to her unyielding spirit.
At simply 18, Gina signed with an indie label in Philadelphia, the place she quickly confronted the cruel realities of the music trade. Disillusioned by its darker facet, she stepped away, solely to really feel an plain pull again to her true calling after a breakup that left her reaching for her misplaced identification. Reuniting along with her authentic band, she cast Velvet Rouge, a rock band that embodies defiance and the pursuit of creative freedom.
Velvet Rouge’s debut EP, launched in 2024, is a visceral journey by way of Gina’s soul. From the haunting fact of being with somebody you by no means beloved in “Lonely Since The Day We Met” to the deep battle of not understanding who you’re or what you ought to be in “I Don’t Know Why,” the EP resonates with uncooked, unapologetic emotion. Produced by the esteemed Brian McTear and Amy Morrissey (The Struggle on Medicine, Dr. Canine, Sharon Van Etten), it channels the gritty essence of early 2000s rock and ‘90s grit, providing a soundtrack to the struggles and triumphs of self-discovery.
Fast-rising London band sounds mint unleash their incendiary new single and
visible for “Tin” – dropped by way of EQT Recordings. A searing call-to-action for damaged social and political programs, sounds mint ignite with heavy-set drums and a rolling bassline to full impact. Comprised of Kelvin (frontman), Rudy (drummer), Robbie (lead guitarist) and Layla (bassist), their extremely infectious sound waves and uncooked, intricate lyricism spotlight the angst of a society uncared for by its leaders; vivid reflections of greed, ego, and a poisonous authorities, whose lies and manipulation appear a relentless presence, proceed to gasoline the rebellious power in opposition to authority throughout the UK and past. The sharp backdrop builds as much as an ear-shattering apex earlier than settling into the chaos, their electrical chemistry sustaining management as they plead for actual change.
From empty pubs to the bustling streets of London, the frantic music video immediately brings the highly effective soundwaves to life – Kelvin’s abrasive, all-consuming persona
embodying the mundane and absurdism of recent life. Chilly, monochrome, clueless, and damaging within the face of adversity, backed by a generational ambition to interrupt the system.
Talking on the file, frontman Kelvin states: “Tin is a metaphorical illustration of a person locked into the monotony and meaninglessness of his personal life. It’s additionally undoubtedly my emotions in the direction of the powers that run this nation, the monotony and lack of change in that sphere. The boys membership out of contact, entitled man-babies who repeatedly management our lives for the reason that begin of time. It’s my wrestle with holding any form of religion or perception in those that make selections on our behalf. I feel the one factor that’s saved me and I’m positive many others on this planet from fully dropping their shit and staying in a state of fixed resentment and rage in the direction of the powers that be, is just about a combat or flight response, desensitising myself to all of it when it will get an excessive amount of. Numbing out. Disassociating. Changing into like a tin man who simply does and doesn’t really feel or suppose. Ignorance is bliss however the fact is all the time there plain to see. So that is my duality and my wrestle with all of it.”
NYC-based artist and DJ Lumia is about to drop her fascinating new home anthem, “Heartaches,” on Could twenty eighth. This extremely anticipated observe marks her second launch as she continues to evolve as each an artist and producer, showcasing her distinctive vocal expertise.
Lumia transforms Patsy Cline’s ‘Heartaches’ right into a fierce digital anthem. Her breathless vocals and hovering vocoder layers collide in a thunderous, euphoric drop—delivering a breakup providing made for many who select to bop by way of the wreckage. Heartbreak has by no means hit this tough.
Speaking on the observe Lumia tells us: “I actually love music from the 50’s and 60’s as a result of my dad would all the time play songs from that period once I was rising up. I’ve all the time beloved singing Patsy Cline’s rendition of “Heartaches” and wished to sing a few of it on a observe”
Lumia provides: “I like upbeat songs about heartbreak! They’re empowering in a wierd manner.”
Lumia is a fast-rising power within the digital music scene, recognized for fusing bass-driven melodic home, deep grooves, and tech-house vitality. Her dynamic sound has already drawn essential consideration, with standout performances opening for artists like Chloé Caillet, ChaseWest, and Devault, in addition to a high-profile set on the URBAN OUTFITTERS x Pinterest occasion alongside Tinashe.
Multi-Platinum duo Cafuné – musicians Noah Yoo and Sedona Schat – in the present day announce their new album Chew Actuality will arrive on September 12 by way of SoundOn. Chew Actuality finds Cafuné in a extra confrontational state. Lyrics that stare head-on right into a world of digital degradation, the duo asks themselves what humanity appears to be like like in an period more and more outlined by AI, algorithms, and synthetic intimacy. The album captures Cafuné in a rogue and actual state, now not operating from the chunk of actuality, however biting actuality again. Their guitars growl; their vocals snarl; their lyrics teem with brutal honesty, not avoidant analogy.
The band in the present day releases the album’s thematic centerpiece, the only and video “e-Asphyxiation.” The guitar-driven electro-pop ballad confronts the cyberpunk conceit of “high-tech low-life” — the troublesome process of remaining human within the dehumanizing world we have now constructed — Stream “e-Asphyxiation.”
Cafuné shares, “Each time you doom-scroll, you’re letting your telephone choke you out. Get up, examine the feed, really feel dangerous about your self – rinse and repeat. Even the ‘great things’ on the Web doesn’t really feel enjoyable or sustainable anymore. The world has by no means appeared extra linked and additional aside on the identical time, caught in a cycle of ‘e-Asphyxiation.’ Why do I’ve to show that I’m alive on-line?”
Cafuné’s 3X Platinum music “Tek It” surpassed 1 billion streams partially resulting from its cultural second on TikTok, making SoundOn a becoming launch accomplice for the band’s new music in regards to the pitfalls of the web. Since 2022, the music has acquired its personal Fortnite emote, and was sampled in Lil Uzi Vert’s single “Crimson Moon.” After their journey the final ten years, Cafuné are ready to face themselves, the world round them, and chunk again.
- E mail: neill@outloudculture.com
