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jfons Ignited the Flames of Devotion in His RnB Earworm, ‘You Got Me Baby’

jfons dials up the heat and the heart in his seminal RnB and hip-hop-fused single, You Got Me Baby. With over 65k SoundCloud streams, the Atlanta-based emissary of scintillation, soul, and seraphically nostalgic melodies proves why his sound is a siren call to anyone craving raw passion wrapped in funk-filtered grooves.

Every note spills with firebrand romanticism, fusing old-school soul with modern sensuality. The bassline struts with intention, the beat hits with precision, and his velvety vocal runs lock onto the listener like a magnetic force. It’s a love song that doesn’t just simmer—it sizzles, throwing embers into an era where commitment is often cast aside.

You Got Me Baby serves as an impassioned ode to devotion, flipping the script on the nonchalant, lust-fuelled anthems that dominate the airwaves. jfons goes all in, letting the weight of unconditional love lift the track beyond the ordinary. Every groove, every falsetto-wrapped lyric, testifies to the sanctity of knowing someone has you, mind, body and soul.

You Got Me Baby is available to stream on all major platforms, including SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

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

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

Aric B. Sinks into the Shadows of Lost Love with ‘ALWAYS U’

There’s no rough to take with the smooth in this hazy dream of an old-school soul serenade. ‘ALWAYS U’, taken from Aric B.’s hotly anticipated LP, THINGS NEVER SAID, is a love song unafraid of its own vulnerability. Mellifluous layers of nostalgia meld around the teasing tempo of the beats, while reverb-soaked synths spill into every corner of the track, enveloping Aric B.’s voice in an atmosphere thick with longing and regret.

Unlike the polished bravado often found in R&B heartbreak anthems, Aric B. doesn’t play the victim here. He paints himself as a less-than-perfect protagonist, taking full accountability for the love that slipped away. That candid honesty makes every lyric cut deeper as he mourns the one that got away with no ego left to shield him. As the track swells towards its multi-layered harmonic crescendo, Aric B. broadens his vocal range with a skill that reflects the depth of his talent.

The Decatur-born singer, songwriter, and producer has been shaping his sound since childhood, influenced by gospel roots and an extensive career spanning jazz, pop, and soul. From singing at Fenway Park to collaborating with Grammy-winning producers behind icons like Beyoncé and Alicia Keys, Aric B. has spent years refining his voice—both literally and artistically. ALWAYS U is proof that he’s arrived at a sound that is unmistakably his own.

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

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Plush Sanches Interview: Crafting Confidence and Breaking Boundaries

Atlanta’s music scene has long been a force to be reckoned with, and Plush Sanches is making sure it stays that way. Rooted in Vine City’s rich culture, he’s built a career that moves between genres, platforms, and perspectives.  In this interview, Plush Sanches reflects on the lessons learned from his city, the unexpected paths his music has taken, and how he keeps his creative process sharp. With six singles on the way in 2025, including City March, now is the perfect time to get inside the mind of an artist shaping his own lane.

Welcome to A&R Factory, Plush Sanches. It’s great to have you here to discuss your music, your ethos, and everything in between.  Growing up in the west side Zone One district of Atlanta, how did the culture and environment shape your sound and approach to music?

Growing up in Vine City, the streets are always filled with music, from someone playing a trumpet on the corner of the street to live acts in Center Stage. The environment was the same as every other city. A place full of opportunities for all.

You started out with a strong local presence before reaching a wider audience through stock music and Reverbnation. What was it like seeing your music gain traction in such a different way?

It was very shocking and eye-opening to all of the different networks available for entertainers and musicians. A very strong way of breaking the ice for what’s next to come.

Atlanta has a deep-rooted influence on hip-hop, but every artist brings their own perspective. Where do you see yourself within the city’s legacy, and how do you set yourself apart?

Someone who helps uplifts and nurtures the next generation. I believe that’s our city’s legacy; If not growth, then only decay. As a musician from Atlanta, I try to bring confidence, independence, and the absence of ignorance.

Your skillset spans songwriting, rapping, producing, and engineering. Do you see these roles as separate disciplines, or do they all feed into one another when you’re creating?

They’re almost like different characters in a Sims game,” the alter ego”.

What does a studio session look like for you? Are you someone who thrives on spontaneity, or do you go in with a clear vision of what you want to create?

During my studio sessions, it can usually go both ways. Sometimes for stock music, it may be a little more structured, but the spontaneous ones can lead to a hit or miss.

Many artists start out submitting tracks and hoping for placements, but not everyone sees the kind of success you did. What do you think made your music stand out in that space?

I believe it was the contemporary genre that my songs slipped into. They weren’t so restricted to one genre, so they were shared throughout.

Music is often personal, but when you’re crafting songs, are you drawing more from your own life or shaping narratives that resonate beyond your own experiences?

I pull from both personal past experiences and others beyond my own experiences.

The industry is constantly shifting, especially with streaming and digital distribution changing how artists break through. What’s your approach to making sure your music reaches the right ears?

Knowing your audience is key. You must know why they like it and where. Networking is always a great way of connecting and building.

Hip-hop has always been a space for both raw expression and innovation. Do you find yourself more drawn to pushing sonic boundaries, or is it the message and storytelling that matter most?

Pushing sonic boundaries is a focus, but the message is still key.

Looking ahead, what’s the next move for Plush Sanches? Any upcoming projects, collaborations, or ideas that you’re particularly excited about?

I have six different singles releasing in the year 2025. One of them is City March coming soon!

Stream Plush Sanches’ discography on Spotify and connect with the artist on Instagram.

Interview by Amelia Vandergast

INFAMOUS C-4 Brings the Boom Back with ‘Hear Me Now’

Atlanta’s INFAMOUS C-4 doesn’t just live up to the explosive energy in his moniker; he defies expectations with every bar in his latest single, ‘Hear Me Now.’ Anchored in the golden era of hip-hop, the track’s nostalgic boom-bap beats and rattling 808s nod to the days when DJ Jazzy Jeff ruled the airwaves.

‘Hear Me Now’ doesn’t lean on the past; it reinvents it. INFAMOUS C-4’s smooth melodic flow rides the beat with an effortlessness that feels timeless, while his lyrics leave pretence at the door. Every verse, delivered with playfully witty charisma and undeniable determination, showcases his ability to craft tracks that build a vibe that’s impossible to ignore. The jazzy undertones in the production give the track a temperate warmth, hinting at the wide-ranging influences that shape his sound.

Already making waves with live performances across Atlanta, INFAMOUS C-4’s reputation is backed by good reviews and a hunger for greatness. His commitment to his craft – from top-tier rhyming to impeccable song-making – puts him in a league of his own. With the right push, the Grammy dreams feel less like ambition and more like inevitability.

Hear Me Now is available to stream on all major platforms, including Spotify, where you can also discover his sophomore LP, Traffic Jamz Da Mixtape.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Commüne pierced the punk-rock veil with their vignette of ennui-soaked suffering ‘Alive, ok’

Slick with ennui-soaked suffering, the latest single, ‘Alive, ok’, from the Athens, Georgia powerhouse, Commüne, leads you into a vortex of existentially scuzzy philosophical enquiry.

If you think the lyric, “And we’re alive, and I know that it’s fine and I’ll tell you that’s great but what about the pain?”, hits hard, brace yourself for the impact of the hypersonic punk rock hooks which, when paired with the Kathleen Hanna-esque bratty vocal delivery, is hard enough to bruise.

Commüne pulled all of the punches with this kaleidoscope of dissonance, which efficaciously depicts the intensity of emotion when you attempt to find tangible reasons to endeavour through relentless chapters of comfortless anhedonia.

With guitar strings, which may as well be live electrical wires burning white hot buzzsaw riffs into the track over the frenetic pulse of the percussion against the ferociously honeyed harmonies, ‘Alive, ok’ is so much more than a testament to the fire-branded power of Commüne; it’s a monolithic monument standing in the punk rock pantheon.

Stream the official music video for ‘Alive, ok’ on YouTube now.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Caleb X ticked all the right dream trap boxes in ‘Ricky Hoodie’

https://open.spotify.com/artist/5EWlu2ICtTeW8grDT2iB8R?si=NFNCQUwqSSCoaKhS7NHKPA

Caleb X’s standout single, Ricky Hoodie, drawn from his third LP, Dreams of Rodeo, introduces listeners to a dreamscape where the trap genre isn’t just revisited; it’s reinvented. The track embodies a dreamy trap aesthetic that could lift the heaviest souls to ethereal heights with its light, transcendent tonality. The instrumental work is nothing short of entrancing, setting a cloud-like stage for Caleb X’s vocals.

His verses meld the sticky sweetness of pop harmonies with the sharp cadence of hip-hop, demonstrating his unique flair for bridging genres. It’s a polyphonic exploration that promises to peel back layers of the mundane and add a fresh sound to any vibe-out playlist. Ricky Hoodie ticks every proverbial box for what dream trap can aspire to be—polyphonic, innovative, and utterly mesmerising without resorting to cliché.

Caleb X, hailing from Atlanta, continually defies the ordinary, shaping sounds that refuse to be shackled by the conventional boundaries of trap music. With each new release, he distinguishes himself from his contemporaries by bending sonic boundaries towards his creative will.

Stream and purchase the 3rd LP from Caleb X on Apple Music and Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Emerge from your naval daze with Phantom Electric’s acoustic rock symphony, ‘Hope So’

The quasi-psychedelic indie singer-songwriter Phantom Electric may have innovation running deep in the veins that connect to the heart he wears on his guitar strings, but his latest single, Hope So, revisits classic song crafting, allowing the thematic underpinnings of the release to draw you into the artful gravity of the single.

Hope So is a haunting intersection between the atmospherically nostalgic air of Chris Isaak and the soul of Bryan Adams; the Adams influence tempers the dark melancholic chill of the lyrics which are slick with existential yearning.

Hope So unfurls as an artful reflection on how easy it is to succumb to navel-gazing and forget to care about anything but yourself—a theme all too relevant in our era of rampant individualism. With spectrally arcane melodies that tear through the soul, Phantom Electric produced one of his most affecting singles to date by looking to the darkest side of the human condition and showing a better way to be.

Hope So will be available to stream on all major platforms from September 27; stream the single on SoundCloud first and head over to Phantom Electric’s official website for more ways to listen.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Get on board with the tech house transcendence in Darth Athena’s Freight Train

After amassing over 25k streams since its debut, the momentum behind Darth Athena’s ‘Freight Train’ is showing no signs of slowing down.

The techno hit, which arrived on the airwaves on July 5th  thundered into the dance music scene with a pulsating energy to deliver a beat-driven masterclass in production. As the synths strobe light into the intricately textured and ominous in all the right places track, the slamming beats blister with swathes of bass, attesting to the meticulousness of the Atlanta, Georgia-residing artist and producer’s style, which couldn’t be more magnetic.

The sequences of euphoric entranced energy pull you in so viscerally that you can almost feel them getting under your skin as you become a victim to the infectious anthem which exemplifies old-school tech house vibes which are seamlessly synthesised with innovative sound design, making a pivotal step in Darth Athena’s journey as a producer.

Stream Freight Train on all major platforms, including SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Shegogg & Mariah Jae blossomed in their serene odyssey of lush RnB, ‘Garden II’

Shegogg’s latest lush with serene soul single, ‘Flower II’, created in collaboration with Mariah Jae, is a revisitation of the 00s RnB era via an unchartered path paved with striking authenticity.

The track’s unique ability to rekindle the genre’s former glory is amplified through the vibrant infusion of contemporary RnB elements while Mariah Jae adds a profound dimension with her ethereal and diaphanously sweet vocals, creating hypnotic harmonies that drift above the solid, trap-infused beats.

At 33, Shegogg, originally from Little Rock, Arkansas and now based in Atlanta, Georgia, stands as a cultivated originator. His style—a skilful meld of RnB and Pop-Funk—brings to mind the smoothness of artists like Justin Timberlake and Usher, yet, rather than letting influence overshadow his sense-awakening sonic signature, he plays to his strengths by blending soulful rhythms and melodies with a warmth that resonates deeply, evoking feelings of comfort and connection.

Unlike his deadest on mimicking RnB icons contemporaries, Shegogg innovative spirit turns everything he touches to sonic gold, and Flower II was far from the exception. The release harnesses the power of metaphoric parables to encourage listeners to nurture their relationships as his and Mariah Jae’s synergy becomes undeniable. Their vocal interplay weaves through the hazy Latin guitar-flavoured backdrop and the intermittently dominant trap beats, efficaciously capturing the bliss of being locked in love.

Garden II was officially released on June 19th; stream the single on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast