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The Gillies Shattered Stirred Scarred Souls with Americana Folk Reverence in ‘It Hit Me Like a Bullet’

Posted on 29 April 2025
It Hit Me Like A Bullet by The Gillies

There’s no escaping the arcane aura of It Hit Me Like a Bullet, the latest release from the award-winning contemporary Americana folk duo, The Gillies. Through shimmering organ tones that swell around the arrangement and seraphically panoramic vocals, the single welcomes Americana Folk home on London’s streets. The Gillies – Susan Turner and Mark Evans – have long been revered for weaving steel-strung and tenor guitars into haunting odes to love, loss, and tangled relationships. True to their reputation for creating ‘music for your graveside’, they set raw emotions free without straying into needless theatrics.

It Hit Me Like a Bullet is salvation in sound, an invitation to tend psychological wounds no matter how raw. The imagery the cinematically intimate arrangement conjures transcends the more than a thousand words phenomenon, unchaining the soul, giving it permission to feel as free as the breezy melodies within the track.

If you know how it feels to find your feet after life broadsides you with perpetually unravelling perplexity, find your peace in the authentic euphony of It Hit Me Like a Bullet. The Gillies, whose previous works like ‘6am’ earned accolades such as Best Single in the GSMC Music Awards 2023 and selections for Fatea Magazine’s showcase sessions, continue to affirm why their understated melodies and timeless themes resonate on both local and international stages.

It Hit Me Like a Bullet is now available to stream on all major platforms, including Bandcamp. 

Review by Amelia Vandergast

HeadFirst Tore Through the Fabric of Modern Disillusionment with ‘Retrograde’

Posted on 29 April 2025

Retrograde, taken from HeadFirst’s LP, Modern Role Models, serves as definitive proof to anyone over 30 that emo was never a phase while welcoming a new generation of grungy pop punk to the sanctity of raw augmented sincerity. With rapid-fire Bloodhound Gang-adjacent vocals snarling through the distortion and melodic hooks that are sharp enough to carve through any former earworms and lacerate a place for this infectious anthem, there’s no denying that Retrograde makes a monumental impact.

If you can imagine how affecting the middle ground between Fidlar, Foo Fighters and Dinosaur Jr would be, you’d get an idea of how the pulse of this track is given the reins to your rhythmic pulses as the lyrics latch onto the tension tearing through your world and give you an outlet.

Formed by Siraj Husainy, Coby Conrad, and Bima Wirayudha, HeadFirst fuse raw post-grunge fervour with the melodic pull of pop punk. Hailing from Boston, the trio pours electric, visceral energy into every performance, whether lighting up dive bars or packed-out venues. Their music rides the tightrope between nostalgia and cutting modernity, crafted with relentless rhythms, emotionally charged lyrics, and hooks designed to leave a lasting scar.

With Retrograde, HeadFirst have solidified their status as a powerhouse for anyone who craves loud, honest expression in a disillusioned world.

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

Review by Amelia Vandergast

John Arter & the Eastern Kings Built a Red and Blue Striped Monument to Resilience in ‘The Many Ways’

Posted on 29 April 2025

The Many Ways by John Arter & the Eastern Kings, which wound its way onto the airwaves on April 24th, is steeped in Americana reverence, puts the emotive vocals front and centre, and carries the timbre of a roots-deep Eddie Vedder through the instrumental arrangement as it crescendos through overdriven guitars and a percussive pulse that keeps you anchored in the eye of the affecting storm.

Clearly an outfit who have learned the art of intricate arrangements that visualise the pain manifesting through the lyrics and vocals, John Arter & the Eastern Kings are so much more than a breath of fresh air; when it comes to the real deal, they hold all the agony-streaked cards. As an anthem of resilience that allows pain to permeate every sonic pore, The Many Ways is a testament to the trials we all endure as we follow our thorned paths.

John Arter leads Eastern Kings with a voice that floods rooms and leaves an indelible mark. Together, the band orchestrate a sound built on cinematic energy, layered emotionality, and a rare synergy, brought to life with rousing guitar solos and the haunting textures of live violin arrangements. With their fusion of country, folk, and classic rock spirit, Eastern Kings are proving that while trends come and go, raw authenticity remains a vital force.

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

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Mario Deschenes as OneSelf Set Soul Spinning Through 60s Psych Rock Kaleidoscopes in ‘Unicitude’

Posted on 28 April 2025
Versions 'N' Not 8 by OneSelf Featuring Mario Deschenes

OneSelf’s latest seminal release, Unicitude, which translates to ‘Unique Link’, swings rock back into the 60s as so much more than a sonic pitstop; it’s a reincarnation of the shaking, rattling, rolling kaleidoscopes of soul that sparked a movement still reverberating with momentum 60 years later. With a garagey rock production giving the track a raucous bite and psychedelic carousels of colours contouring through the harmonised melodies, it’s impossible not to get in the groove with Unicitude. The vocal presence is a dualistic dream; there’s no tearing the rock renegade energy from the lyrics, regardless of the sticky-sweet proclivities that envelop the performance.

OneSelf created Unicitude as a force that reconnects the soulful rawness of yesteryear with the imagination of the present, setting a new standard for how rock and soul can collide and reawaken.

Mario Deschenes, the mastermind behind OneSelf, is a multidisciplinary artist who has spent over four decades weaving his authentic and original creativity across music, painting, and videography. With seven albums released under his name and another set for release in September 2025, Mario’s music is an extension of his visual art, infused with the same vibrant essence. His catalogue spans over 91 songs and 42 videos, a testament to his enduring commitment to artistic expression through every medium he touches.

Unicitude is now available to stream on all major platforms, including Bandcamp. 

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Careful, King redefined resilience with trap-pop reverie in ‘Don’t Test Me’

Posted on 27 April 2025

In his latest single, Don’t Test Me, Careful, King redefined resilience through the lens of vulnerable trap-pop introspection. While the title may prepare you for a fiery diatribe, there’s a tenderness to his sonic touch which speaks volumes of his ability to stand his ground while never relinquishing his aura of pure intent.

As emotive as Lil Yachty, but with authenticity coursing far deeper than any superficial resemblances, Careful, King delivered a melodically aching arrangement where every rhythm and every lyric feels earned. It’s not just his vocal flow that marks itself with distinction; the way he arranges his wavy trap-pop instrumentals into rhythms of pure candid catharsis is proof that even if you did a full lap of the contemporary trap scene, you’d never encounter an artist in the same vein as Careful, King.

By channelling the emotional weight of lifelong battles with self-perception, self-worth, and the desire to be authentically seen, Careful, King injects raw humanity into his scar-mapping aural canvas. His story of wrestling with the need for validation, finding solace in self-love, and creating purely from the drive within himself resonates through the track’s bruised yet hopeful core.

Through ‘Don’t Test Me’, Careful, King proves that life’s most powerful moments happen not under the spotlight, but in the quiet spaces where we choose to love ourselves enough to be whole.

‘Don’t Test Me’ is now available to stream on all major platforms, including Spotify and Apple Music. 

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Zach Hodges Bottled an Atomic Glitch in Jazz Fusion Form in ‘Nuclear Muskrat’

Posted on 26 April 2025

Zach Hodges let chaos reign in Nuclear Muskrat and conducted it with a conductor’s cultivated touch and a mad scientist’s curiosity. The 19-year-old Midlands-based musician, composer, producer, and multi-instrumentalist may be early in his career, but through his LP, Baby Landmark, he’s already proven that genre loyalty is a concept best left in the past.

Hodges, known for his work as a theatre musical director for String Cheese Theatre, his position behind the kit in Midlands jazz trio Head to Head, and his international touring experience, funnelled every inch of his multidisciplinary pedigree into this 7-minute experimental tour de force. Nuclear Muskrat isn’t content to sit still—within its frenetic framework, it flexes polka funk motifs, indietronica laced with avant-garde effects, funked-up disco grooves, blues-drenched riffs, erratic polyphonic keys, and incendiary synth bursts.

While it could have been easy for this to feel like a pure act of self-indulgence, it’s easy to go along with the ride with Hodges as he demonstrates the malleability of sound in a way so seamless it is as though all of the textures, tones and tempos have always been complementary pairings. It’s as though the contemporary history of music has been condensed in the explorative mind-melter that continually pulls the rug and lays down a different one before the last footstep can land.

If you’re always on the hunt for music that challenges mediocrity, Nuclear Muskrat is the ultimate contender.

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

Review by Amelia Vandergast.

Cinema Painted Dusk with Unconditional Indie Folk Pop Affection in ‘When the Sun Goes Down’

Posted on 26 April 2025

With a title that frames the dimming light as more than a shift in the sky, ‘When the Sun Goes Down’ by London-based indie pop artist Cinema sinks into dusk with the kind of melancholia that only surfaces when you’re caught between the tendrils of longing. Through emotive vocal inflections, Cinema transforms a quiescent lo-fi folk-adjacent soundscape into an affecting invitation to feel the claws of compassion as you listen to the diehard romantic candour.

There’s no sleight of hand behind the heart-stirring honesty—just the kind of stripped-back introspection that sharpens with every whispered syllable and picks its battles with silence. With the same evocative intimacy as Cultdreams tied in with more mainstream indie folk pop appeal, Cinema has scored the ultimate formula to break out of the mainstream. The production refuses to rush, giving space to each aching note to stretch and settle under your skin, proving that emotional weight doesn’t need orchestral theatrics to be devastatingly impactful.

In the same way Frightened Rabbit disarms you with the artful agony, Cinema, with When the Sun Goes Down, takes the sum of its parts and calculates it into a profoundly moving sensory experience. If you needed any proof that there’s beauty in vulnerability, it’s in black and white in the kaleidoscope of unflinching confession of unconditional love which veers away from cliché, hitting all the right chords to attest to the striking sincerity with which it was composed and performed.

When the Sun Goes Down is now available to stream on all major platforms, including SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast.

Emilie Thorsby Poured Pop-Rock Fuel in the Fire of Empowerment with ‘Amazing as Hell’

Posted on 25 April 2025

For anyone familiar with the pressure of contorting into a distortion until all that remains visible is a hollow façade, only to find acceptance still painfully elusive, Emilie Thorsby’s single ‘Amazing as Hell’ is your alt-pop rebellion wrapped in compassion. The track delivers a powerful cascade of empathy, injecting fuel into weary hearts desperate for empowerment.

With theatrical flair, Thorsby effortlessly navigates a myriad of styles—synth-pop hooks dissolve fluidly into baroque pop motifs before surging into bold, Prince-esque rock riffs. Each stylistic shift visually manifests the many masks we don to gain approval from the shifting gaze of those around us. Yet at the centre remains Thorsby’s unapologetically striking vocals, soaring confidently over an infectious nostalgia-inducing production, reminiscent of pop’s golden decades, the 80s and 90s.

Drawing deeply from her personal narrative of resilience, Thorsby confronts past betrayals and abuses—relationships that diminished her worth, leaving emotional scars she transforms into powerful affirmations. Her anthem insists fiercely that inadequacy lies not within ourselves but in the eyes of those incapable of truly seeing us. ‘Amazing as Hell’ holds a mirror to our self-doubt, boldly declaring it baseless and invalid.

Thorsby’s single is a declaration of independence from societal expectations, confidently crafted and passionately performed.

‘Amazing as Hell’ is now available to stream on all major platforms, including SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

The Glorious Years’ ‘The Darkest Universe’: A Psychedelic Prism Illuminating Post-Punk Nihilism

Posted on 25 April 2025
The Glorious Years

With their debut single, ‘The Darkest Universe‘, The Glorious Years opens a portal to a sonic galaxy where psych, krautrock, new wave, and post-punk coalesce into an aurally rich twilight. Co-produced by the band alongside Euan Hinshelwood (Cate le Bon, Half Japanese), this introduction marks the first glimpse into their upcoming album, ‘Something Beautiful Beyond’.

From the chorally opulent vocals that refract gently through the synth lines, to the subtle yet unwavering melodic pull from the guitars, each note maintains a meticulous tension. The single unravels as an exploration of tonal and textural contrasts—a kaleidoscopic prism of colour chillingly distorted by angular post-punk echoes and distinct influences from 70s and 80s sonic epochs.

There is an irreplicable comfort in the way guitars guide listeners through The Glorious Years’ alchemically orchestrated cosmos while the vocals adjust the listener’s perspective between shadows and illumination. Amidst its layers of nihilism and existential introspection, ‘The Darkest Universe’ acts as an open invitation to briefly abandon reality’s monotony for something more expansive, surreal, and profoundly human.

The Glorious Years set their creative compass towards something uniquely consoling yet philosophically provocative, solidifying their potential as a band adept in traversing the deeper spaces of alternative music.

‘The Darkest Universe’ is now available to stream on all major platforms via this link.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

The Disenchanted Divinity of Feeling Ill-Fitted: Useless Wonder! by The Mercury Sounds

Posted on 24 April 2025

If the sanctuary within the tonality of Useless Wonder! is anything to go by, The Mercury Sounds have become masters of carving relics of nostalgic experimentation that border on divine intervention.

The Baltimore-based duo, Jason Stauffer and Josh Krechmer, have been long-hauling their sonic telepathy since primary school. Two decades later, they’re still refusing to colour within the lines. Their fusion of indie-pop vitality and folk-rock introspection culminates in Useless Wonder!, a cosmic lament steeped in lo-fi 70s alchemy. Through natural vocal proclivity and delicate lyrical agony, they sculpted an aching confessional that stings with the sentiment of not being built for a world that keeps shifting beneath your feet.

The way the vocals bleed with weary existentialism against the gauzy swell of warm distortion and glimmering, melancholic strings carries the same weight as a memory you can’t outgrow. The verses tether you to vulnerability, while the chorus throws you into an orbit of quiet resignation.

Even though it would be impossible to crown a Leonard Cohen, Joni Mitchell or Bob Dylan in our modern and fractured industry, it’s clear that if Useless Wonder! had surfaced fifty years ago, it would be playing through grainy AM radios as a national folk treasure.

The Mercury Sounds exhaled a truth for the quiet disenfranchised who’ve long since given up pretending they fit the mould, if you can align to that particular branch of melancholy, hit play.

Useless Wonder! is now available to stream on all major platforms, including SoundCloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast