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Blue Violence. Became the Definitive Sad Boi of Synth Pop with ‘My Feet Are Sad on the Dancefloor’

Blue Violence. turned the emotional weight of disconnection into a dancefloor confession with ‘My Feet Are Sad on the Dancefloor’, the keystone single from his 3-track EP, ‘Ugh…’. With synths set to shimmer and sardonic melancholy laced through the beat, this melancholic indietronica lament spins the disco ball on its axis to reflect a darker spectrum of inner turmoil.

Through anthropomorphised sorrow, Daniel Fischetti—writing and producing as Blue Violence.—exposes the paradox of internal desolation amidst external euphoria. While glitter rains and basslines throb in euphoric unison, his feet remain heavy with the weight of unshakable emotional inertia. There’s funk in the Depeche Mode-esque rhythm and pain in the lyricism, stitched together with the same magnetic gloom found in the works of John Grant.

Hailing from Southern California, Fischetti started Blue Violence in 2019 during a collaboration with producer and engineer Chris Caccamise of CJE Productions. Their work on the debut album Modern Love cemented Blue Violence. as a name worth noting in the shadowy corners of synth pop. Since then, Fischetti has remained self-contained in his sonic pursuits, refining his signature style without sanding away the raw emotional contours.

‘My Feet Are Sad on the Dancefloor’ doesn’t fake the catharsis—it coils around it, examining every nuance of numbness through neon-soaked textures and darkly sweet tones. Blue Violence delivered the funked-up synth pop hit we never knew we needed. He’s the definitive sad boi of synth pop.

‘My Feet Are Sad on the Dancefloor’ is now available to stream on all major platforms, including Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Erin Inglish’s I Will Not Obey: A Banjo-Laced Battle Cry in a World Built to Break the Willing

I Will Not Obey by Erin Inglish

Erin Inglish pulled no poetic punches in I Will Not Obey—a protest single that rules out compliance and refuses to be complicit through silence. The honkytonk instrumentation and her hauntingly ethereal folk vocals take protest music right back to its roots while injecting swathes of feminine fire into the production. When the single reaches its chorus, an almost hypnotic tribal energy takes over the track, awakening you to how you’ve slept until you’ve woken up in this fever dream of a tyrannical system where there’s no justice or peace, unless you can pay the price of privilege.

Her razor-sharp songwriting, composed around the words of Utah Phillips, allowed this single to spring to life as far more than the sum of all its parts. It’s almost enough to inspire you to join a Wicker Man-style cult and collectively take down the government.

With arrangement support from Adam Nash and Sean Alexander Collins, and banjo lines that bleed defiance into the architecture of the single, Inglish channels her craft into a folk-rooted statement piece that is far from sentimental nostalgia. Her artistry, sharpened across three solo albums, five collaborative records, and a globe-spanning performance history, culminates in this moment of rebellion wrapped in timeless musicality.

As a banjo-wielding songwriter and activist based on California’s Central Coast, Inglish has always pushed her voice beyond performance—I Will Not Obey ensures that her voice echoes where it’s needed most.

I Will Not Obey is now available to stream on all major platforms, including Bandcamp.

Review by Amelia Vandergast.

Jack Fargo Hits a Natural High with Alt-Pop Anthem ‘Drugs on the Weekend’

Jack Fargo

Jack Fargo’s latest release, Drugs on the Weekend, is less Class A and more A-List radio-ready material—delivered as a wavy lo-fi mash-up of RnB, Hip-Hop, and pop. The track is an exposition on how the oxytocin rush from someone who scintillates your soul as much as your skin surpasses every synthetic high imaginable.

With funk-infused grooves and a horn section lifting the vibe even higher, Fargo turns this bedroom-pop musing into an indie anthem choked with infectious appeal. Fargo’s zealously electrifying vocal lines prove he did more than perform when stepping up to the mic; his verses pour straight from a soul bright enough to illuminate any room or arena. The harmonies and rap-infused verses warm the dreamy, lush layers of saturation, making the track an effortlessly magnetic listen.

Fargo, born Jack Fargotstein, is a Memphis-raised musician who sharpened his artistry through hip-hop mixtapes as Bigmac Jack before earning acclaim in LA as half of The Motel Brothers. Post-duo, Fargo returned to his solo roots, pulling influences from Ed Sheeran’s pop-rock effervescence, Mac Miller’s legendary ease, and classic R&B richness, all vividly showcased in this latest sonic concoction.

Drugs on the Weekend perfectly captures Fargo’s lyrical exploration of authentic connections, resonating through melodies that mirror the intimate rush of genuine chemistry. Fargo isn’t chasing superficial buzzes here; he’s illustrating that the purest high flows naturally.

Drugs on the Weekend is now available to stream on all major platforms, including SoundCloud. 

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Fat Prezzi and Miles Ledanois hit heavy and cut deep in ‘Dead Beat’

Don’t let the title of the single fool you; the beats in ‘Dead Beat’ from Fat Prezzi and Miles Ledanois’ collaborative LP, Cold, are alive and kicking—something you’ll instantly realise if you tear yourself away from the oscillations of tonal alchemy swirling around them, soaking up the bite in the collaborators’ rhythmically hypnotic bars.

Hailing from the Bay Area, Prezzi and Ledanois have established a sound unique to the region yet unconstrained by its musical stereotypes. Their melodic motifs feel inherently timeless, appealing to listeners of any generation. The partnership began in the musical melting pot of New Orleans at Loyola University, where producer Miles Ledanois, only three months into beat-making, showed his initial works to Fat Prezzi. Recognising immediate potential, Prezzi encouraged Ledanois, sparking a creative synergy that’s since produced hundreds of tracks.

‘Dead Beat’ carries no pretence of gritty bravado or exaggerated grandiosity; instead, raw authenticity floods the arrangement. Minor-key piano preludes blend effortlessly with beats that effortlessly force submission as the lyrics reflect the adversity these artists have genuinely endured. Prezzi and Ledanois command authority, mercilessly dismantling the hollow narratives of rappers chasing borrowed lifestyles for superficial image-building.

If anyone could rival Run the Jewels’ undeniable chemistry, it’s Fat Prezzi and Miles Ledanois—they hit heavy, cut deep, and demand full emotional engagement.

‘Dead Beat’ is now available to stream on all major platforms, including Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Little Villains hooked rock fans back into the euphoria of pop-punk with ‘Red Saturday’

Little Villains aren’t here to sell you nostalgia, but they certainly stoke its fire with ‘Red Saturday’, a hook-driven anthem from their latest album, Simpler Times. Carrying all of pop-punk’s addictive bounce alongside classic rock riffs, the band delivers a timely reminder that emo was never merely a phase. Imagine Dinosaur Jr pushing their signature sound into overdrive, ramping up energy and euphoria to irresistible levels and you will get an idea of what Little Villains delivered here. With melodies infectious enough to lodge themselves into memory long after the first listen, Little Villains prove their rhythmic chemistry effortlessly surpasses the sum of their individual parts.

‘Simpler Times’, recorded live and free from digital polish at The Stujo in Los Angeles, is a sonic nod to simpler days—when mobiles had buttons and mullets defined cool. Little Villains—James Childs (vocals/bass), Owen Childs (guitar), and Chris Fielden (drums)—proudly trade doom and gloom for gritty, uplifting rock. Lyrically playful, tracks such as ‘Cupboardy’ and ‘Rad Saturday’ embody everyday simplicity with understated charm.

‘Red Saturday’ encapsulates the very spirit of what makes Little Villains essential listening: honest musicianship matched by an irrepressible attitude. With this track, they’ve ignited a sonic pyromania that deserves maximum volume.

Red Saturday is now available to stream on all major platforms, including YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Pop Culture’s Powder Keg: Maeve Riley Lights the Fuse with her EDM Pop Anthem, ‘Oops’

Maeve Riley

After a year where pop icons have openly paraded the imperfect and the unruly, Maeve Riley set the dancefloor on fire with Oops—a decadent pop explosion that anthemises digressions with no intention of cleaning up the mess. From the first hit of the tropic house kicks and 80s polyphonic motifs, Riley slams the accelerator on sonic excess, riding a disco groove fuelled by one of the rawest rock riffs ever dropped into a pop production.

The hedonism only intensifies around Riley’s meteorically magnetic vocal lines, which invite you to shed shame, strip away your inhibitions, and groove to the realisation that few things in life are as pristine as idealism, so get lit to the rapture of chaos. Every beat is a rebellion, every lyric a permission slip to abandon composure in the name of unapologetic pleasure.

Born in Rancho Cucamonga and now entrenched in LA’s music circuit, Riley sharpened her performance edge at UCLA’s School of Theatre, Film, and Television before becoming a fixture in the entertainment world. With 200K+ followers across TikTok and Instagram, she’s turned visibility into credibility without sacrificing authenticity.

Connect with Maeve Riley on Instagram and TikTok and wait for the drop of what will undoubtedly become one of the hottest tracks of the summer.

Review by Amelia Vandergast.

Cali Soul Singer Mark Alan Wilson Helped His Fans ‘Cut Loose’ With His Latest Release

Mark Alan Wilson is the kind of modern artist who makes you suspect he struck a deal with the devil, transforming his own soul into the purest conduit for RnB. His latest single, ‘Cut Loose’, lands effortlessly as a feel-good track fuelled with authentic substance and style.

Wilson is a rare musician who never needs to break convention to sign, seal, and deliver a sound that naturally stands apart. Distinction resonates powerfully through the rapture of his honeyed-smoke harmonies, drifting timelessly into that sanctuary only the sound of soul can provide. The track offers a gentle but necessary reminder that, although patience is essential for life’s bigger pleasures, small delights are scattered everywhere. It grants the listener full permission to cast aside life’s darker moments and simply cut loose, if only for one night.

The swanky jazz-infused interludes and blues guitar riffs sweep away the heaviness from any weary mind, allowing Wilson to effortlessly mainline serotonin into your day. Wilson’s commitment to authentic soul music is evident, resonating as he continues to build momentum through live performances, setting the stage for an array of promising releases throughout 2025.

‘Cut Loose’ is now available to stream on all major platforms, including Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

White Picket Fences Are a Lie: Pillowprince Rewire Queer Disillusionment in ‘R the Straights OK’

With ‘R the Straights OK’, the Oakland indie gaze trio Pillowprince crack open heteronormativity with a switchblade grin and the simmering scorn of lived queer reality. What starts in alt-indie quiescence, all ethereal lilt and slowburn restraint, fractures with a scuzzy interlude that proves distortion isn’t just a sonic texture—it’s the emotional static that fuzzes over every moment spent being bent into someone else’s blueprint.

Crafted from the leather-creased, glitter-smeared spaces Pillowprince call home, the track flickers between fragility and defiant force. Olivia Lee’s vocals, feather-light but sharpened with conviction, echo through the mix like the ghost of a version of yourself you tried to edit out. As the instrumentation teases the hook with near-ritualistic patience, you’re pulled into a queer coming-of-age narrative where conformity is the real villain. The melodic breaks are more than sonic punctuation—they’re the spaces where all the unspoken things pool.

Lyrically, it’s a spicy satirical stab at the expectation to fall in line—white picket fences, 2.5 kids, dead-eyed suburbia—before it swerves back into the shadows of a different kind of fulfilment. This is queer unity under pressure. A noise-drenched consolation for anyone crushed under the weight of pretending that “normal” ever meant safe. With Sea Snyder on drums and Liza Stegall on bass locking in a rhythm section that holds its shape even as everything else implodes, the band embodies queer rebellion.

‘R the Straights OK’ is now available to stream on all major platforms via this link. 


Review by Amelia Vandergast.

Paul Robert’s ‘Release’ Proves Catharsis Hits Harder With Cross-Genre Firepower

With Release, Paul Robert proves that artistic distinction lies within taking influences from genres instead of merely assimilating certain figures within the niche. With a cascade of synths serving as a polyphonic prelude that reminisces with a John Carpenter score before he allows you to imagine a matured offshoot of Bloodhound Gang, Paul Robert becomes the master of inter-genre alchemy.

With a sense of mindfulness reverberating through the enlightened, locked and loaded with lyrical gold track, it’s impossible not to feel the catharsis and the hype simultaneously being injected by the electronica, hip-hop and pop crossover.

After pivoting from a sales career in early 2024 and launching his debut 110—a nod to the steep learning curve and the commitment it demanded—Paul has shown no signs of easing up. When copyright disputes blocked his mixtapeLying from release, he didn’t retreat; he recalibrated. Relocating to Los Angeles, he restarted with new collaborators and fresh resolve. Release arrives as part of his new project Love Different, rolling out one unapologetic track at a time.

Paul’s optimism doesn’t come from naive cheer—it’s forged through friction, stitched through each verse touching on belief, action, love, and digital dysfunction. The track is a pressure valve and an invitation—both release and ignition.

Release by Paul Robert is now available to stream on all major platforms, including Spotify. 

Review by Amelia Vandergast

TNV’s Cream of the Crop – Boom Bap Nostalgia with Boundless Swagger

TNV fires off bars with the kind of force that turns a track into an event. Cream of the Crop, the standout single from his latest LP, For the Record, revives the lo-fi, jazz-infused soul of 00s hip-hop while pushing the energy into overdrive. The larger-than-life presence in his luxe lyrical delivery makes each line hit harder; anyone who grew up on Jay-Z’s prime will feel right at home in the trailblazing anthem which serves as the ultimate soundtrack to your aspiration for greatness.

Swanky melodies and soaring sax lines give the beat a sleek, refined touch, while TNV’s relentless flow keeps the momentum urban nirvana-high. Every bar builds up a kinetic charge that refuses to settle. There’s no stepping back, no slowing down—just pure adrenaline, driven by hooks designed to stick in the psyche. The massive production carries echoes of Run the Jewels, but TNV digs deep into boom bap and soul-driven jazzy hip-hop nostalgia while carving out a sound that is quickly becoming synonymous with his irreplicable presence on the airwaves.

Growing up in Los Angeles with parents deeply embedded in the music industry, TNV absorbed the culture from an early age. His lyricism holds weight, and he uses it to energise and elevate in equal measure. With a fanbase expanding with every release, For the Record positions him at the forefront of the new wave of hip-hop nostalgia.

Cream of the Crop is available now on all major streaming platforms, including Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast