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Best Music Blog for New Artists

Andrea Sandruvi Scored a Lament into the Strings of Post-Grunge in ‘Fate’

Posted on 3 May 2025

With his third single, Fate, Andrea Sandruvi went beyond tuning into the tones of post-grunge —he dredged the stylings from a place where anguish clings to melody like silt to skin. Inspired by a tragic incident in Piemonte, where a young man succumbed to despair and drowned in the cold indifference of a river, Fate kindles the dark side of kismet into an ocean of post-grunge emotion; you’ll struggle to keep your head above the waves as visceral vulnerability crashes over you.

The ethereal backing harmonies lend euphony to the production, which could have been torn from a tape deck cradling an alt-90s demo if it weren’t for the polish that swathes the agony in the progressive instrumental transgressions. With nods to artists in the same vein as Incubus and bluesy guitar motifs to temper the raw tendrils of grunge, there’s no denying the independent artist’s authenticity. Nothing in the instrumental arrangement feels borrowed. Every melodic movement sways under the weight of lived experience and a mind glazed with melancholia.

From picking up a guitar after a bolt-of-lightning visit from cousin Alessandro to playing countless covers in dimly lit clubs, Sandruvi’s roots in alternative and grunge run deeper than stylistic mimicry. Now, after cutting his teeth rearranging rock and pop in acoustic formats, he’s filtering that raw emotionality into original compositions, each track springing from something felt rather than forced. Fate doesn’t ask to be understood—it makes sure you feel every ache of it.

Fate is now available to stream on all major platforms via this link.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Spite Never Tasted So Sweet in the Snarling Alt-Indie-Punk Static of ‘Licorice’ by 92Steps

Posted on 1 May 2025
Skunk Radio Demos by 92Steps

With no interest in immaculate solos or the polished edges demanded by purists, 92Steps‘ lo-fi snarler Licorice tears through the pop-punk façade with a ragged confidence that sardonically smiles in the face of perfection. Produced in a Minneapolis flat, a family cabin, and a borrowed office space, Licorice is a product of unapologetic constraint—and it thrives in every rough-edged second.

A single-person operation run by Riley Schindler, 92Steps makes it clear from the get-go that this is punk for the disillusioned, the spiritually wrecked, and the quietly gluttonous. Drawing from the same well of misanthropy that fuelled the ‘90s, Licorice strips the polish away from pop-punk, delivering a snarled, lo-fi anthem of pure infectious volition—but there’s plenty more to hold onto than scorn.

Machiavellianly switching up vocal energy with deliberate abandon, the single doles out hooks with the sting of Fidlar and the songwriting stripes of The Offspring, forming a corrosively catchy callout aimed at a slick protagonist that’s easy to hate—probably because they’re hiding in everyone’s orbit.

It’s not clean. It’s not clever. It’s not trying to be. What Licorice is, however, is a shot of caustic humour on the vein of alt-indie-punk’s increasingly self-serious skin. There’s real venom in the charm, and sincerity stitched between the sneers.

Licorice is now available to stream on all major platforms, including Bandcamp.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

CR Srikanth Lit a Celestial Fuse Beneath the Dancefloor in the Hyper Pop Anthem ‘Dancing in the Dark’

Posted on 1 May 2025

CR Srikanth, one of the most fearless sonic explorers, goes beyond traversing uncharted ground; he builds new intersections between symphonic harmony and synth pop to invite his ever-growing army of fans into mind, body, and soul-melting vehicles of escapism.

As one of the rare affecting architects of hyper-sonic pop, none of the emotion is diminished through auto-tune in his latest single, Dancing in the Dark. Visceralism weighs heavily in the euphoria of the dance-worthy anthem, which lifts you to one of the highest plateaus you could ever hope to reach through sensory experience alone. The track is so much more than a tour de force of genre fusionism—it’s constraintless expression delivered through the desire to rush body beats with serotonin.

With Dancing in the Dark, CR Srikanth expands his VS Pop™ vision—his self-defined cinematic crossover genre where orchestral scores collide with ambient and electronic pop aesthetics. Since launching the project in late 2024, he has earned global traction with FM and digital radio spins across seven countries, over 100,000 venue placements through playlisting networks, and a growing Spotify audience. His background as a composer and producer, backed by a catalogue of over 30 orchestral works and a growing presence on YouTube, makes each release more than a standalone single—it’s a signal that the future of genre boundaries is already dissolving.

Dancing in the Dark is now available to stream on all major platforms, including Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Obsidian Cane & Gizella Eased the Friction of a Wearied Reality with Their Soul-Fuelled Electro Release, Crazy World

Posted on 30 April 2025

Crazy World saw producer Obsidian Cane and vocalist Gizella join forces once again through unflinching determination to better the world through sound. As we become wearied by the weight of the world, it can almost feel impossible to find a guilt-free reprieve, but that is exactly what you will find in the soul-infused electro anthem. With vocals tempering the frenetic pulse of the breakbeats which feed drum n bass rhythms into the leftfield tropical house atmosphere, there’s no denying that the symbiotic collaborators orchestrated a hit as authentic as their creative connection. As your rhythmic pulses get rhythmically delivered shots of adrenaline, your mind won’t escape the catharsis of knowing that there are others out there praying for peace to stand in place of the lack of humanity and friction which gets more corrosive day by day.

As one of London’s most boundaryless beatmakers, Obsidian Cane – whose career has spanned producing for major label acts and scoring for British TV – has never bowed to formula. With Crazy World, he once again rewrites the rules. After producing for Gotcha! Records, Gizella earned her stripes as a vocal chameleon, traversing the UK Garage and Drum n Bass scenes with her singular range and emotive command. Their latest release expands their sonic synergy and marks them as artists unafraid to make their art mean something in the age of desensitisation.

Crazy World is now available to stream on all major platforms, including Spotify. 

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Asa Winasis Built an Acoustic Lifeline Between Hope and Heartbreak in ‘Just for Now’

Posted on 30 April 2025

As a talent never destined to linger in anyone else’s spotlight, Asa Winasis shines when given the reins of creativity. He went in for the evocative kill with Just for Now, a humble plea for sanctity, comfort, and connection in the moment; it’s quite literally a mindfulness meditation, providing an exposition of how important the present is, to be given another chance to taste something you want to savour forever.

Through gentle melodicism and even more euphonic vocals which contend with the arcane harmonies in Low and Death Cab for Cutie, Just for Now unravels as an artfully quiescent, orchestrally scored indie chamber pop ballad for the modern era when we’re all searching, yearning, aching and never quite reaching.

The Indonesian artist, previously known for his session guitar work across Southeast Asia and contributions to film soundtracks, strips his sound back to the raw bones of emotional storytelling with Just for Now. Mixed by UK-based engineer Chris Brown, who has worked with Radiohead and Muse, the single carries a sonic clarity that mirrors the tender vulnerability embedded in the stripped-back acoustic arrangement. Singing straight from the heart, Asa Winasis transforms simplicity into profound resonance, embracing a more reflective side that exposes the turbulence of heartbreak and the desperate clutch for one more fleeting moment of connection.

Just for Now is now available to stream on all major platforms, including Spotify. 

Review by Amelia Vandergast

The Gillies Shattered Stirred Scarred Souls with Americana Folk Reverence in ‘It Hit Me Like a Bullet’

Posted on 29 April 2025
It Hit Me Like A Bullet by The Gillies

There’s no escaping the arcane aura of It Hit Me Like a Bullet, the latest release from the award-winning contemporary Americana folk duo, The Gillies. Through shimmering organ tones that swell around the arrangement and seraphically panoramic vocals, the single welcomes Americana Folk home on London’s streets. The Gillies – Susan Turner and Mark Evans – have long been revered for weaving steel-strung and tenor guitars into haunting odes to love, loss, and tangled relationships. True to their reputation for creating ‘music for your graveside’, they set raw emotions free without straying into needless theatrics.

It Hit Me Like a Bullet is salvation in sound, an invitation to tend psychological wounds no matter how raw. The imagery the cinematically intimate arrangement conjures transcends the more than a thousand words phenomenon, unchaining the soul, giving it permission to feel as free as the breezy melodies within the track.

If you know how it feels to find your feet after life broadsides you with perpetually unravelling perplexity, find your peace in the authentic euphony of It Hit Me Like a Bullet. The Gillies, whose previous works like ‘6am’ earned accolades such as Best Single in the GSMC Music Awards 2023 and selections for Fatea Magazine’s showcase sessions, continue to affirm why their understated melodies and timeless themes resonate on both local and international stages.

It Hit Me Like a Bullet is now available to stream on all major platforms, including Bandcamp. 

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Careful, King redefined resilience with trap-pop reverie in ‘Don’t Test Me’

Posted on 27 April 2025

In his latest single, Don’t Test Me, Careful, King redefined resilience through the lens of vulnerable trap-pop introspection. While the title may prepare you for a fiery diatribe, there’s a tenderness to his sonic touch which speaks volumes of his ability to stand his ground while never relinquishing his aura of pure intent.

As emotive as Lil Yachty, but with authenticity coursing far deeper than any superficial resemblances, Careful, King delivered a melodically aching arrangement where every rhythm and every lyric feels earned. It’s not just his vocal flow that marks itself with distinction; the way he arranges his wavy trap-pop instrumentals into rhythms of pure candid catharsis is proof that even if you did a full lap of the contemporary trap scene, you’d never encounter an artist in the same vein as Careful, King.

By channelling the emotional weight of lifelong battles with self-perception, self-worth, and the desire to be authentically seen, Careful, King injects raw humanity into his scar-mapping aural canvas. His story of wrestling with the need for validation, finding solace in self-love, and creating purely from the drive within himself resonates through the track’s bruised yet hopeful core.

Through ‘Don’t Test Me’, Careful, King proves that life’s most powerful moments happen not under the spotlight, but in the quiet spaces where we choose to love ourselves enough to be whole.

‘Don’t Test Me’ is now available to stream on all major platforms, including Spotify and Apple Music. 

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Big C brought the house down with his grime anthem, Work Out

Posted on 27 April 2025

There’s workout music, and then there’s the adrenalising anthem Big C cooked up with ‘Work Out’. Dropped on April 10th with an official video already pulling in over 10,000 views, Big C delivered a grime-charged pulse-pounder that throws motivation straight through the speakers. With all the viral potential of ‘Put a Donk on It’, Big C has every chance of becoming the Blackout Crew of this generation.

The UK-based artist, who splices grime, rap, and house into fresh, high-energy fusions, tailored ‘Work Out’ for fitness fanatics, gym warriors, and anyone needing a sonic caffeine hit. If you’re struggling to find the motivation to pump the iron, stick this on your playlists and get hyped by the vibe that sneaks motivation around the anthemic dance-worthy beats.

Big C quite literally brought the house down with this grime anthem. The body-moving basslines don’t just fire up your muscles — they light a fire under your ambition. Every verse punches with the precision of a heavyweight fighter, while the beat races ahead like it’s got something to prove.

For anyone seeking a track to sweat, stomp, and smash through limits to, ‘Work Out’ is the pure sonic adrenaline your playlists have been crying out for.

‘Work Out’ is now available to stream on all major platforms. For the full experience, stream the official music video on YouTube. 

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Cinema Painted Dusk with Unconditional Indie Folk Pop Affection in ‘When the Sun Goes Down’

Posted on 26 April 2025

With a title that frames the dimming light as more than a shift in the sky, ‘When the Sun Goes Down’ by London-based indie pop artist Cinema sinks into dusk with the kind of melancholia that only surfaces when you’re caught between the tendrils of longing. Through emotive vocal inflections, Cinema transforms a quiescent lo-fi folk-adjacent soundscape into an affecting invitation to feel the claws of compassion as you listen to the diehard romantic candour.

There’s no sleight of hand behind the heart-stirring honesty—just the kind of stripped-back introspection that sharpens with every whispered syllable and picks its battles with silence. With the same evocative intimacy as Cultdreams tied in with more mainstream indie folk pop appeal, Cinema has scored the ultimate formula to break out of the mainstream. The production refuses to rush, giving space to each aching note to stretch and settle under your skin, proving that emotional weight doesn’t need orchestral theatrics to be devastatingly impactful.

In the same way Frightened Rabbit disarms you with the artful agony, Cinema, with When the Sun Goes Down, takes the sum of its parts and calculates it into a profoundly moving sensory experience. If you needed any proof that there’s beauty in vulnerability, it’s in black and white in the kaleidoscope of unflinching confession of unconditional love which veers away from cliché, hitting all the right chords to attest to the striking sincerity with which it was composed and performed.

When the Sun Goes Down is now available to stream on all major platforms, including SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast.

The Disenchanted Divinity of Feeling Ill-Fitted: Useless Wonder! by The Mercury Sounds

Posted on 24 April 2025

If the sanctuary within the tonality of Useless Wonder! is anything to go by, The Mercury Sounds have become masters of carving relics of nostalgic experimentation that border on divine intervention.

The Baltimore-based duo, Jason Stauffer and Josh Krechmer, have been long-hauling their sonic telepathy since primary school. Two decades later, they’re still refusing to colour within the lines. Their fusion of indie-pop vitality and folk-rock introspection culminates in Useless Wonder!, a cosmic lament steeped in lo-fi 70s alchemy. Through natural vocal proclivity and delicate lyrical agony, they sculpted an aching confessional that stings with the sentiment of not being built for a world that keeps shifting beneath your feet.

The way the vocals bleed with weary existentialism against the gauzy swell of warm distortion and glimmering, melancholic strings carries the same weight as a memory you can’t outgrow. The verses tether you to vulnerability, while the chorus throws you into an orbit of quiet resignation.

Even though it would be impossible to crown a Leonard Cohen, Joni Mitchell or Bob Dylan in our modern and fractured industry, it’s clear that if Useless Wonder! had surfaced fifty years ago, it would be playing through grainy AM radios as a national folk treasure.

The Mercury Sounds exhaled a truth for the quiet disenfranchised who’ve long since given up pretending they fit the mould, if you can align to that particular branch of melancholy, hit play.

Useless Wonder! is now available to stream on all major platforms, including SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast