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Blog Showcasing Singer Songwriter Talent

Ben Z Breaks the Mould with the Shape-Shifting Alt Trap Pop Anthem, ‘Wanderin’’

Posted on 10 March 2025

Ben Z made an unapologetic introduction with Wanderin’, a debut single that refuses to follow a straight path. What starts as a cinematic composition that wouldn’t be out of place in Zimmer’s repertoire chameleonically morphs into a moody trap flow, with bars blazing over the sharp beats that bring intensity to the production, amplifying every syllable that Ben Z lays down with conviction and charismatic swagger

Succeeding in his mission to lay down hits that blaze past the mould right out of the gate, the innovator has a promising career, and if the visceral impact of Wanderin’ proves anything, it is that he’s an artist with the fortitude and fire to deliver. The seamless transition from orchestral grandeur to brooding hip-hop dynamism is a bold move, but one that pays off by showcasing the full force of his creative instincts.

With a vision this sharp and a debut this potent, Ben Z has already set the bar high. If this is just the starting point, whatever comes next is bound to hit just as hard.

Wanderin’ is available to stream on all major platforms, including Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

James Pots Cradles the Right Words for Devotion in the Lo-Fi Folk Reverie of ‘Close My Eyes’

Posted on 10 March 2025

James Pots doesn’t waste a second of Close My Eyes trying to impress with grand gestures. Instead, he lets his whispered reverence do all the talking. The short and sweet burst of idyllic folk reverie is a love letter penned with unflinching adoration, performed with an impassioned quiescence that draws you into the centre of the intimately minimalist performance. With little more than the rugged pulls of his guitar strings and the warm reverberations of his honeyed harmonies, he strips romance back to its rawest form—delivered with the quiet conviction of someone who knows exactly what devotion sounds like.

Featured on his debut LP, Everybody’s Gonna Know Your Name, Close My Eyes is just a glimpse into the album’s broader meditation on love and commitment. Where so many artists overcomplicate what those three little words mean, Pots keeps it unpretentious and unguarded.

At just 18, Pots has already proven himself to be a master of understatement. With a growing catalogue spanning acoustic folk, pop, and even dance EDM, he’s building a reputation as an emerging Australian artist unafraid to explore his creative instincts. If Close My Eyes is any indication, he’ll be one to watch as his sound continues to take shape.

Close My Eyes is available to stream on all major platforms, including Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Richie Gathu & PrimRose’s ‘Toxic’ Dances on the Razor’s Edge of Destruction

Posted on 9 March 2025

Following a wavy prelude laced with saturated disquietude, Toxic by Richie Gathu featuring PrimRose ensues with an artfully moody, reverberant beat, trip-hop-esque syncopation, and neo-classical keys that add an ornate touch of grace. PrimRose’s seraphically affecting vocals become the centrefold of the alt-RnB vignette as they pull all the thematically aesthetic layers together in this exhibition of how deep toxic dynamics cut.

When Gathu’s vocals come into the mix, the dramatic stylistic shift veers into a far more soulful pantheon, sharpening the track’s emotional depth. The cinematic narrative that unfolds between the two collaborators proves that nothing is fair in love and war, and nothing is ever black and white in matters of the heart.

Toxic doesn’t romanticise toxicity; it lays it bare, making every reverberation feel like an echo of something unresolved. You’ll be thrown across the entire emotional spectrum while the RnB revelation is in session and come away with the affirmation that the only right that matters in games of the heart is doing what’s right for you.

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

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Wil Hinkson’s ‘Mystic Cries’ Holds the Stillness of the Cosmos

Posted on 8 March 2025

Wil Hinkson’s latest single, Mystic Cries (The Mystic Cries) isn’t in any rush to prove itself. Instead, it lets the weight of its tranquillity settle, making space for listeners to breathe in its celestial echoes. With classic pop foundations softened by jazz’s fluidity, the soundscape never forces transcendence—it simply allows it. The layers move like shifting constellations, effortless yet intentional, with no trace of ego shaping the composition.

Hinkson, the sole architect of the piece—writing, performing, and producing—delivers something that feels both unshaken and boundless. His vocals don’t overreach; they resonate with the kind of ease that makes every note feel inevitable. The track’s poetry leans towards perception-shifting rather than indulgent introspection, guiding rather than dictating. Fans of Peter Gabriel’s contemplative atmospheres will find comfort in its restraint.

In a world that demands constant movement, Mystic Cries offers stillness without emptiness. It’s a rare thing—a song that doesn’t just accompany reflection but facilitates it, giving the listener permission to detach from the grind and let their soul feel whole.

Mystic Cries is now available to stream on all major platforms, including Spotify.

To discover more about Wil Hinkson, visit his official website.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Ivana June Redefines Heartache By Exploring the Hypnotic Intersections of RnB, Bossa Nova & Indie in ‘Around’

Posted on 8 March 2025

Ivana June refined the entire London RnB scene in the space of three sensuously stylised minutes with her latest single, Around. With contemporary indie sensibilities, a deep reverence for soul, and a voice that leaves no celestial beguile to be desired, the hypnotic indulgence transcends sound as it euphonically reverberates through you, allowing accordance to creep into every corner of your psyche. If this was the 17th century, she’d be burned at the stake for the alchemy which breathes through the cathartic tempo.

As her most emotionally intimate release to date, Around captures the cognitive dissonance of heartbreak—the push and pull between the joy someone once brought and the pain they left behind. Through soft and supple harmonies, June commands sonic subjugation, lulling listeners into an ethereal, lush-with-wavy-saturated-reverb bittersweet reverie of a remedy.

Blending her love for groove, jazz, and storytelling, Around intertwines Bossa Nova rhythms with warm RnB and soul melodies, dreamy guitar lines, and raw yet gentle vocals. Co-produced alongside Pete Anderson, the track is infused with the influences of Cleo Sol, The Marías, and Amy Winehouse. A self-taught multi-instrumentalist with a gift for evocative lyricism, June has been lighting up London’s live scene with her band, set to perform Around at her headline show at 91 Living Room on March 14th.

If any newcomer has what it takes to steal the spotlight away from 2025’s biggest stars, our money is on Ivana June. This is just the beginning. Stream the single on Spotify from March 7th.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Shaky Riffs Through the Annals of Rock with the Unshakable Swagger in ‘Quiet in the Night’

Posted on 7 March 2025

With guitars on surf control in the garage rock earworm, Quiet in the Night, the solo virtuoso Shaky riffs his fans through the most stylised annals of rock, pitting low-down and dirty glamour against unshakable euphoria. The single has already racked up over 57k streams on YouTube alone since the music video premiered, amassing plenty of hype for the prodigal son of rock before he unveils his debut album this April.

After a promising start in his youth as a touring guitarist, Shaky stepped away from music to raise his family and keep his grandfather’s manufacturing business afloat. Now, with his three children older and the business stabilised, he’s back and making up for lost time, recording everything in his home studio—not for lack of resources, but because DIY is what he does best.

Founder of Shaky Records and a veteran of projects including Killer Bangs, The Hammills, Petal Crush, Cold Fronts, and The Swinging Fingers, he’s no stranger to the scene. If you like plenty of substance and sticky-sweet lyrical sensibility behind your salacious swagger, you’ll want to devour Quiet in the Night time after time.

Stream the official music video for Quiet in the Night on YouTube now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Maria Heivang’s ‘When I Had You’ Hits Like a Wave of Regret

Posted on 7 March 2025

Like a breath of introspectively fresh air, Maria Heivang’s debut single, When I Had You, locks you into its intimacy from the outset, sharing the singer-songwriter’s smoking pains as she paints a vignette of loneliness and regret. This is far more than a standard exhibition of heartbreak—waves of reverberation ripple from the post-production to mimic the blindsiding nature of loss, amplifying the ache in every line. Even with the vocal treatment pulling her voice in line with the electro-pop instrumentals, the emotive sting in her delivery refuses to be dulled.

Born and raised in the Winter Olympic town of Lillehammer, Heivang has recently relocated to Manchester to take her career to the zenith it deserves. With her debut single, which hit the airwaves on the 27th of February, she created plenty of anticipation for her forthcoming EP, ARGH in love, which will unfold throughout the year. She describes the track as a reflection on not appreciating something good until it’s gone, a sentiment delivered with Nordic charm and alt-pop bite.

Her music carries the juxtaposition of emotional restraint and vulnerability, channelled through icy electronic textures and raw lyricism; if you’re unwilling to compromise between style and substance on your alt-pop playlists, When I Had You is a necessary addition.

Stream the single on YouTube now. 

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Matté Takes the Plunge into Alt-RnB with ‘Deep End’

Posted on 7 March 2025

While many figureheads in RnB are unafraid to chip away at the mould with their sonic signature, Matté came in like a wrecking ball of innovation with his latest single, ‘Deep End’. From the outset, the saturated distortion sets a tone that’s anything but conventional, before the bassline groove threads itself beneath his honeyed-to-the-nines vocal lines. The warmth in the production is unparalleled, giving the track an almost exotically luxe feel as the instrumentals move with unrestrained expression.

Fragments of funk, indie, and soul slot seamlessly into the mosaic of alt-RnB that seduces the senses, proving Matté has no interest in blending into the background. His refusal to play by the rulebook extends beyond the sonics—his lyricism pulls no punches when it comes to romance, either. In an era where detachment often dominates the genre, he stands apart as a rare diehard romantic, unafraid to go all in and wear his heart on his harmonies.

Now based in Los Angeles, the Atlanta-born artist is building a legacy by melding smooth melodies with raw emotion. ‘Deep End’ cements that reputation further, as he lets his storytelling and unique blueprint do all the talking. For those tired of the same recycled formulas, this is a reminder that RnB still has space for innovators.

‘Deep End’ is available to stream on all major platforms, including Apple Music and Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Crawdad Crash Rolls Back the Years with ‘Rock ‘n’ Roll Girls’

Posted on 6 March 2025

Crawdad Crash kicked rhythm’s doors in with Rock ‘n’ Roll Girls, setting a raucous tone as the opening strike of the Where Are All the Rock ‘n’ Roll Girls EP. Riding in on a wave of the golden age of rock, Steve “Crawdaddy” Crawford drags us back to the bright lights and big hair of the 80s, where excess ruled and polish took a backseat to pure energy. The lo-fi production strips away the gloss, leaving behind a track that feels like it was ripped straight from the golden era rather than painstakingly reconstructed.

With all the glam of New York Dolls, the proto-punk charge of the Ramones, and the hard rock adrenaline of Twisted Sister, the track barrels forward without a care for modern trends. Joan Jett may be a dying breed in 2025, but Crawdad Crash is reviving the scene by keeping the fire burning with a sound that refuses to be tamed.

By pulling from hard rock, punk, blues, glam, and power pop, Rock ‘n’ Roll Girls isn’t an imitation of the past—it’s a continuation.

The single is now available to stream on all major platforms, including Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Michael Rendon – The Look: A Red, White and Blue Shadow of Love and Longing

Posted on 6 March 2025

Michael Rendon, a true red, white, and blue Americana singer-songwriter, carries a deep reverence for the roots of country in his unadulterated sound. More than a troubadour, Rendon is an evocateur in The Look, with his wistfully affecting crooning hitting all the rawest chords in his orchestrally laced classic country ballad. If you don’t find yourself on the brink of tears while this cinematically visceral, slick-with-longing love song is in session, you may find that your soul checked out a while ago.

Born and raised in San Antonio, Rendon has spent years earning his stripes across Texas, Ohio, Massachusetts, and beyond. With performances alongside country icons like Martina McBride, Sammy Kershaw, and Doug Stone, he’s built a career on authenticity, letting his voice and songwriting do the heavy lifting. The Look is a testament to that—delicate yet devastating in its execution, steeped in the timeless ache of country storytelling.

While I generally agree with the theory that there’s no such thing as perfection in art, there’s something in the way The Look transcends sound to remind you of the true beauty of unconditional love and affection.

The Look is now available to stream on all major platforms, including YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast