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Texas

The gloves are off in Tough on Fridays’ swaggeringly infectious indie alt-rock hit, The Awakening

Posted on 8 April 2023

Taken from their trailblazing alt-rock, indie, and grunge amalgam of an LP, The Encore You Didn’t Ask For, Tough on Fridays’ standout single, The Awakening, is a sure-fire hit of vindication for anyone who knows how bitter-sweet goodbyes can be when betrayal was the final parting shot.

With the same energy as Shitlist by L7, the grungy and Riot Grrrl to the core powerhouse lived up to the hype that has been brewing around them as they’ve taken the Texas music circuit by storm in the last six years.

The compellingly raw vocal lines add a demure touch to the swaggering power rock instrumental aesthetics of the track, which prove how much Tough on Fridays has honed their sound. Their infectious scream-the-chorus-from-the-top-of-your-lungs appeal is only getting more visceral with each new release.

It’s rare to find an outfit offering as much substance as style, but Tough on Fridays is anything but your run-of-the-mill paint-by-numbers outfit. Their soul, scorn and scuzzy riffs are just a few of the reasons you should reserve a place for them on your radar.

The Awakening is now available to stream on Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Broken Heart: Austin pop duo melotheory asks for one more moment together on breathe

Posted on 4 April 2023

With a refined atmosphere to reminisce inside and taken from their 3-track EP named breathe and no eyes open, melotheory dreams of one more moment with a special kind of spirit on breathe.

melotheory is an Austin, Texas-based indie pop duo who were founded by Austin Pedersen and Patrick Insull. After meeting through mutual friends in 2020, they’ve navigated through a 2-year music project which is clearly made with supreme skill.

”With the album now complete, melotheory are re-arranging their music for the stage and will be performing throughout Austin and beyond in the coming months.” ~ melotheory

Tranquil throughout and guiding us through the past trauma and into a possible reconciliation, melotheory shall ease many fast heartbeats and stuns our cold hands with a warming reminder that anything is really possible romantically.

breathe from Austin, Texas-based indie pop duo melotheory is a mellow daydream which shall pour rather beautifully into our awaiting epicentres. This is a soothing soundtrack which is made with so much quality, that shall surely instil a sense of hope that is much needed for many loveless souls.

Each second might change moods forever, in a world which needs much more hope and understanding.

Turn this up on YouTube.

Reviewed by Llewelyn Screen

Stole My Heart: Glancy Kelly senses this special moment will change everything on Take Me Away

Posted on 26 March 2023

Feeling like he is on a whole new planet as the love is so surreal, Glancy Kelly is treasuring each moment with a supreme beauty who has a vibe and aura like no other on Take Me Away.

Glancy Kelly is a Texas, USA-based indie RnB/neo-soul singer-songwriter who is best known for his outstanding vocals and bravery to mix other genres into his sound.

”He has a unique way of expressing his views and emotions through the eloquent storytelling of his music.” ~ Glancy Kelly

Recalling that incredible kiss and yearning for two hearts to combine as one forever, Glancy Kelly is in a whole new world of desire and shall sway our souls into a slow dance for the ages.

Take Me Away from Texas, USA-based indie RnB/neo-soul artist Glancy Kelly is one of the more strikingly enticing singles likely for release in 2023. There is a ravenous appetite on offer which might get chefs knocking on the door, on this rather magnificent soundtrack made for all the lovers in the world.

When you know you want to be with, the world seems like a better place.

Hear more on Spotify.

Reviewed by Llewelyn Screen

All I Could Do: Evan Charles lets the wind take him in on Remember When

Posted on 25 March 2023

Dousing the flames behind and taking himself into a warmer state of mind, Evan Charles takes charge of his life by moving into calmer waters after a tough breakup in the past with the excellent Remember When.

Evan Charles is an Austin-based singer-songwriter and member of the local band Altamesa who has recently joined up to film a documentary with Project ATX6 and is signed to Mr Pink Records.

”Embarking on his first venture outside of his Austin mainstay, Charles is launching a solo career rooted in earnest, poetic songwriting.” ~ Evan Charles

Taking us into this movie-like story with twists and turns, the melodic Evan Charles has brought a timeless feel back into our lives with a dynamic gem made for modern times.

Remember When from Austin-based singer-songwriter Evan Charles is a hugely sentimental track which will take our hearts into a massively nostalgic place. Recalling an unforgettable moment and wishing the love had continued longer, we find a slightly regretful message which shall be so relevant for so many.

In a love-quick world, being grateful no matter the outcome is the only way to live after all.

Listen up on Spotify.

Reviewed by Llewelyn Screen

Lemar French created a jazzy celestial tapestry with his suspensefully filmic hip-hop single, Moving Stars

Posted on 9 March 2023

Here to prove that hip hop can be classy and gritty in the same suspensefully cadenced breath is the Steel City, PA native and seasoned MC Lemar Fresh, with his immersively elevated hit single, Moving Stars.

With all the smoke and glamour of a metropolis after dark, Moving Stars moves like a starlet on a red carpet under his magnetically low-timbered bars and jazzy interludes, which find the perfect balance between sultry and sophisticated.

With 15 years as an MC under his belt and production receipts with everyone from WQED to Rhymefest to Mac Miller to Diamond D, the Houston-residing artist strove for hip hop purity and came up with 24 karat hip hop gold.

Stream Moving Stars, which was released on February 27th, by heading over to Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Slender Dan orchestrated a superlative existential meditation with ‘Time is Running Out’

Posted on 2 March 2023

With vocals as ethereally magnetic as Cigarettes After Sex atop cinematically intricate Aphex Twin-ESQUE beats and apocalypse-centred lyricism, the latest single, Time is Running Out, by Slender Dan, is the ultimate existential meditation.

With chilling vocal samples alluding to how our child-like proclivities are the main reason behind our destructive tendencies that have led the earth to the point of collapse, there’s no exaggerating the sombreness of the dream-like Avant-Garde score. Yet, Slender Dan simultaneously succeeded in creating a tranquil feat of electronic ambience that will quell your end-of-days fears.

The striking mindfulness within the layers of lush reverb allows the tonally transcendent single to unravel as one of the superlative feats of post-modernism you could add to your playlists.

The Nashville-residing duo comprising Heather Dickinson (vox, keys, guitar, bass), and Patrick Ahern (drums, production, vox) debuted their first EP on KEXP in 2021 and has had its fair share of successes since. Time is Running Out is just one of the singles to feature on the forthcoming LP, GESTALT. In their own words, here is what it traverses:

“GESTALT is a 1 hour long, 19 track, avant-garde electronic album. With 13 songs and 6 interludes, Slender Dan presents a sobering critique of modern Orwellian forces- commenting on such topics as propaganda, censorship, the lack of consensus on truth, and the attempt to remain sane in the midst of insane times.”

Time is Running Out will officially release on March 2nd. Hear the official audio on YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

 

Solya is deep in devilry beguile in her alt-indie single, Endlessly

Posted on 23 February 2023

It isn’t every day that we come across 16-year-old alt-indie singer-songwriters with the cinematic grace of a Parisian Chanteuse, and that’s just one of the reasons why you’ll want to immerse yourself in the filmic world orchestrated by the West Texas teen, Solya.

Her debut 3-track single, Fever Dream, is a beguilingly baroque amalgam of rock, pop and electronica; every guitar, synth and piano note was contributed by the triadically gifted virtuoso.

With lyrics that cut right to the core of disillusioned darkness and vocal lines that compel you to lean in so deeply that you’ll forget to come up for air, the standout single, Endlessly, is a tear-jerkingly stunning score that puts Solya in good stead for her aural icon. She’s half my age, but I’d still bow down to her iconic artistic vision.

Hear Solya’s debut release via Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Forgot How To Breathe: Kayla Friend longs for that sweet kiss again on valentine’s day

Posted on 1 February 2023

Witnessing that torn page and reminiscing for a tender touch to change the day, Kayla Friend propels us through the lonesome nights and sings with such an affectionate beauty on valentine’s day.

Experienced in both the desert and the big city life, Kayla Friend is a Hemet, California-born indie singer-songwriter who appears to have the resourceful tendencies needed to succeed.

In some strange culmination of recent events, Kayla Friend’s valentine’s day is an accurate representation of our current world. There is so much love to give. Some would say endless. Somehow however something is off like a cruel game is being played on those who crave a genuine touch. In a sometimes meaningless and plastic time for humanity, this is the sad reality when the heart gets broken too many times.

valentine’s day from the San Antonio-based creative Kayla Friend is such a sweetly-toned track to rid all worries away into the closet. Helping us heal with a true story, this is a hold-me-tight-single for anyone feeling rather let down. Reminding us to go back into the moment and appreciate the love, no matter how short the kiss was.

Love can be harsh sometimes after all.

Hear this fine song on Spotify. See more on the IG music page.

Reviewed by Llewelyn Screen

DMK takes us ‘Higher’ with his alt-RnB single

Posted on 17 January 2023

With a similar tonal palette to the one used in Nirvana’s iconic track, Something in the Way, in addition to the faint reminiscences to Hozier, the up-and-coming independent RnB artist DMK, well and truly came into his own through his artfully experimental single, Higher.

We fully attest to the single’s ability to take you higher through the transcendental feel of the soundscape, which breaks through from the grungy indie guitars in the prelude. The calm and collected nature of the vocals makes it all too easy to meditate on the laidback lyrics that illuminate a more mindful way of living. For your own sake, make it a playlist staple. The hypnotic textures of the track have what it takes to strip ennui from the soul by sonically alluding to the emotional quiescence we should all be striving for. The Houston-hailing artist and producer is definitively one to watch.

Watch the official music video for Higher on YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Chizabam cranked up the heat in Dallas with his head spin of a hip-hop anthem, Shame

Posted on 15 January 2023

Dallas rapper, lyricist, poet, producer, and sound engineer Chizabam cranked up the energy to the nth degree in his almost nuclear hip-hop hit, Shame. With the grit of hustler hip-hop, the blazing beats of a body-rocking hip-hop anthem and enough vocal twists to get your head in a spin, Shame is a track you will need to be concussed to forget.

The luminary artist stepped to the mic with a tragically rare sense of authenticity and fiery motivation to verse vindication to his fanbase that is rapidly expanding across the globe in reaction to his juggernautical ability to charge right through his bars like a one-man sonic stampede.

It is only a matter of time before the world recognises Chizabam for the hip-hop heavyweight he is. He’s not an icon in the making; he’s already the complete dynamic package.

Watch the official music video for Shame on YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast