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Illinois

Long Day: Chicago rapper Xman has seen a lot in a short time with Anything

Posted on 10 September 2022

Cranking out a potent track that will get your pulse racing like you have just seen a superhero in action, Xman is at his lively best and shows us deep into his self-assured mindset with Anything.

Xman is a Chicago, USA-based indie hip hop artist who smashes a deep hole into the wall with an underground style that is rather terrific to witness.

Rapped with a knife-like sharpness but never cutting too complex, Xman rolls in and guides us into a road of potential. His lyrics are laser-fueled and you can hear his brimming confidence, that has many street stories to tell from a wild life of uncertainty. Busting out with a piercing production that will get your head nodding rather briskly, displaying to us his growing greatness in this fickle game.

Anything from Chicago, USA-based indie hip hop artist Xman is a fiery single from an artist on a mission to be known all over the world. Teaching us deep within his life that has dealt with many difficulties while working from the bottom to the top, that shows us you can actually win. Only if you believe in yourself and don’t give up that is.

Whenever you think it’s possible, it probably is.

Hear this fine single on Spotify and see more via IG.

Reviewed by Llewelyn Screen

Arbor Creek gave us the Chicago blues in their old school rock n roll single, Make Your Mind Up

Posted on 26 August 2022

Keeping the wheels turning on rock n roll, deep from Chicago’s south suburbs, Arbor Creek is set to release their debut album, Thanks for Wading, featuring the nostalgically bluesy hit, Make Your Mind Up.

Immune to the allure of modern rock gimmicks, Arbor Creek is committed to keeping the warm overdriven vintage tones of rock n roll alive, and pouring soul into each of their tracks which are sure to appeal to any fans of The Rolling Stones, Muddy Waters, Freddie King and Buddy Guy. For the outro, Make Your Mind Up gives John Bonham a run for his legendary money; the nostalgically rich progressive single keeps on giving as it gradually builds in saturated analog momentum.

Thanks for Wading will officially release on August 26th. Check it out for yourselves by heading over to SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Nu Deal x Cityboidre – Going Live, featuring O. Reynolds: Prepare Your Summer Hip Hop Playlists

Posted on 19 August 2022

‘Going Live’ is the latest urban genre-fluid track from the Orlando, Florida production company, Nu Deal Music Group, which platforms and promotes talents from across the states to Nigeria.

Chicago’s Cityboidre and Orlando’s O. Reynolds made sure that the collaborative chemistry flowed through the definitive summer hit, which doesn’t break the wheel; instead, it adds some exotic Afrobeat dancehall flavour to classic hip hop signatures.

Any fans of Vybz Kartel, Spice, Elephant Man, and Bounty Killer will want to make Going Live a firm fixture of their summer hip hop playlists. The sun-kissed and enigmatic vibes take are taken to evocative new heights with the infectiously bright energy and the polished production.

The official music video for Going Live premiered on July 29th; check it out here.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Ladyv777 has unleashed her sticky-sweet advocation of autonomous talent, ‘Diamonds’

Posted on 27 July 2022

Pop meets hip hop in the dreamy bubble gum atmosphere of Ladyv777’s latest single, Diamonds. The Illinois-born and raised singer, rapper, and songwriter, AKA Victoria Russell, has used music as a means of purpose and escape since early childhood; she poured every inch of sonic passion into her debut single and every track that followed.

There is always an overarching advocation of authenticity within Ladyv777’s singles, and Diamonds is the perfect testament to that with its sticky-sweet pop vocals around the hooky rap bars that rest on beats that are playful and convicting in the same progression.

Diamonds is available to stream on Spotify and available to purchase on Apple Music.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Dray’Soul wants that splash to last forever on the romantic RnB single, ‘Octave Waves’

Posted on 8 June 2022

With a calming vocal essence that takes you into a much more composed state of mind, Dray’Soul shows us he is ready to be the lifeguard and rescue that sweet soul so that they may be together forever on ‘Octave Waves‘.

Deondre DraySoul Bush aka Dray’Soul is a Chicago-based indie RnB solo singer-songwriter who started his music career when he was just 7 years old while continuing his evolution with his soulfulness and spirituality entrenched deep within.

”Apart from bringing joy into his life, writing poetry and lyrics for the last 15 years brought clarity to him, which was something he sought in his life to develop his individuality and identity.” ~ Dray’Soul

Sending us into a potentially passionate picture that will have you soaring higher than before, Dray’Soul settles our precious nerves with a hand-holding single that might have you smiling with what is actually possible if you are both united as one.

‘Octave Waves‘ from Chicago-based indie RnB solo artist Dray’Soul is such a serene experience which will get your heart beating faster as you imagine that first kiss with your new lover you have imagined being with for so long. After sorting out his business and getting that mind in tune for the possibility of a proper romance, we are swept into this wonderfully dreamy swimming pool of possibility.

If you have that lifejacket of love to count on, you can navigate even the most treacherous waters.

Listen up to this new single on Spotify and see more vibes develop on the IG page.

Reviewed by Llewelyn Screen

Seattle converges with Manchester in BLUEBOO’s latest smorgasbord of alt 90s aesthetic, Cherry Woman

Posted on 4 June 2022

With a touch of Oasis to the choral vocals to anchor the anthem in its melodicism, the alt-90s Seattle sound doesn’t asphyxiate any originality out of the revivalist nature of BLUEBOO’s latest single, Cherry Woman. It teases just the right amount of nostalgia for Screaming Trees, Soundgarden and Pearl Jam as your synapses fire to the tune of the Chicago-based artist’s off-kilter hook-filled sonic signature.

Notably, we aren’t the only ones finding addictive propensities in the effortlessly original sound of BLUEBOO. They’ve garnered acclaim from across the globe, especially on their strikingly ethereal seminal single, You Win Abigail, which has amassed over 260k streams on Spotify alone.

Cherry Woman is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Lamar Creation soulfully hates the player and the game in his RnB pop hit, Feeling Me

Posted on 30 May 2022

Chicago born and raised artist, Lamar Creation, has dropped the ultimate 2022 RnB pop summer anthem with his latest hip hop influenced single, Feeling Me, which gives all the luxe grooves as Jay Z, the fiery passion of Frank Ocean and all of the contemporary funk of Daft Punk.

The sun-bleached electronic textures, which also find enough room to throw in nuances of Afrobeat, create the perfect platform for Lamar and collaborator, RichDaPhatt’s vocals as they seemingly drift through the entire emotional spectrum to lay it all down on the line on a relationship that is as much of a mental mindfuck as spending an hour watching the news.

The old adage may tell us to hate the game and not the player, but Feeling Me stands as a testament to the dissonance that playing games can cause in a way that may (hopefully) make people think twice about dealing with that kind of hand.

We scarcely needed his bio to tell us that Lamar is as much of a poet as he is a lyricist. It is all too perceptible through the jarring lines that keep on delivering the evocative hammering blows.

Feeling Me is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Richard Bandini knows that there is absolutely nothing they can do now on, ‘A Hymn to the Beauty of Silhouettes’

Posted on 16 May 2022
A Hymn to the Beauty of Silhouettes by Richard Bandini

With a sad tale about how sometimes things just turn empty even if you wish it was the opposite, Richard Bandini sends us into a highly meditative mood to think deeply into a moment that has passed with, ‘A Hymn to the Beauty of Silhouettes‘.

Richard Bandini is an experienced Spanish-American Chicago, Illinois-based indie singer-songwriter who draws on his knowledge from three decades in the game.

”Laidback licks that flirt with blues and country and guitars that borrow from the bayous.” ~ Richard Bandini

With a sombre picture that shall have you gazing more profoundly into your soul, Richard Bandini sings with such understanding and is at his best on a single that features so much sentiment and heartfelt affection.

”Born to play and create, he has never looked back since he started playing with his brothers in a group called Kaplan at age 14, performing at international festivals such as Festimad, Benicassim, or BAM.” ~ Richard Bandini

‘A Hymn to the Beauty of Silhouettes‘ from Chicago, Illinois-based indie singer-songwriter Richard Bandini is a song that will have your heart beating faster and your thoughts brought back to a time that you wished you had gotten over. The love is gone as you desire that you could have changed that specific moment when it all flipped around, from a happy time in your life. There are impassioned vocals on offer with a deep lyrical arsenal, that sends you into a sad mindset where many a tear shall be shed.

Hear this new single on Bandcamp and see more via the IG page.

Reviewed by Llewelyn Screen

Illinois-based artist Timmes knows there will never be another on ‘Narcissus’

Posted on 1 May 2022
https://soundcloud.com/goodtimmes/narcissus-1?utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing

With a chilled technique that has you in awe of his vocal capabilities, Timmes shows us inside the story of how vanity can take you into a reflection-filled fate on, ‘Narcissus‘.

Timothy X aka Timmes is an Illinois-based indie RnB/pop/Hip hop artist and music producer who makes the kind of tranquil music that shall take you into a world packed with possibilities.

”The sequestered artist uses sounds of luscious guitar chords, anxious synths, and eroded 808 drums which are usually accompanied by somber lyrics.” ~ Timmes

Taking us into a story that has been passed through generations and might shock many, Timmes has a style that is unlike anyone else and thrives here with an original track to ponder deeply inside.

‘Narcissus‘ from Illinois-based indie RnB/pop/Hip hop artist and music producer Timmes is the kind of song that has you wondering if you are cursed or not. With self-love and obsessiveness interlinked sometimes and a grey area that can become too much for others to handle, finding the right balance is definitely key. Sung with pure energy and a style that shall have you lighting up some candles, this is a supremely serene track to reflect with intimately.

Hear this mellow new single on Soundcloud and see more of the journey on IG.

Reviewed by Llewelyn Screen

Chicago’s Bugatti Johnson steams up our emotions on visuals for, ‘Heart Can’t Leave’

Posted on 29 April 2022

Warming up the night with a hot video that shows his love for someone who has taken the time to get to know this romantic soul, Bugatti Johnson knows that he needs to make that commitment so that life can be smoother and more passionate on, ‘Heart Can’t Leave‘.

Bugatti Johnson is a Chicago, USA-based indie Hip hop artist who makes a catchy blend of music that grasps your attention and gets the body moving to the groove.

Sending our imagination to a new world that has only peace, pianos and lots of kissing heating up the night, Bugatti Johnson returns with a stunning single that lovers can hold hands with and take away any anxiousness that has been clouding your perspective for too long.

‘Heart Can’t Leave‘ from Chicago, USA-based indie Hip hop artist Bugatti Johnson is a kind single that shows us that romance is definitely possible if you can find the right person to share your life with. With lyrics that are honest to the core, smooth vocals and soapy visuals to get your heart beating faster, this is a track to play late at night when you want to make a point.

Love can be easy to find if you can connect with someone who wants it as much as you do.

Check out this bath-filled music video on YouTube and see more of how his career goes on IG.

Reviewed by Llewelyn Screen