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Blog Showcasing Singer Songwriter Talent

Sebastian Graysen’s ‘Heartless Man’: A Raw Folk Confession in the Eye of the Existential Storm

Posted on 28 March 2025

The debut release from folk-adjacent singer-songwriter Sebastian Graysen taps into emotional pulses with neo-classic minor piano keys before vocals enter, caught compellingly between folk troubadourism and Broadway-style breathtaking visceralism.

The contrast between instrumental restraint and the raw outpouring of pain within the vocals intensifies the affecting propensities of this timelessly classic session of existential questioning. For anyone who knows how it feels to hold far more questions than answers or struggles to find affirmations beneath dark clouds, ‘Heartless Man’ stands as the ultimate reflection of psychological entropy.

Graysen’s songwriting is the unfiltered confessional of an artist who openly admits, “I write, I scream, I feel,” channelling personal hardship and emotional turbulence into music. Based in Limerick, Ireland, Graysen draws from a potent mix of folk honesty, classical refinement, and rock’s raw immediacy, orchestrating to make sense of life but also to heal through shared resonance.

‘Heartless Man’ serves as proof that music born from personal anguish can find universal connection. With its poignant minimalism and powerful vocals, Graysen offers a track which embraces vulnerability without apology. It reaches beyond mere introspection, delivering an anthem for anyone living under existential shadows, uncertain yet yearning for release.

‘Heartless Man’ is now available to stream on all major platforms, including Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Jack Kendrick and The Broken Wonders Cut to the Core with the Folk-Punk Candour in ‘Spoke to My Doctor’

Posted on 28 March 2025
Jack Kendrick and The Broken Wonders

With an evocative sting sharp enough to cut through the coldest souls, Spoke to My Doctor pulls all the right emotively bruising punches. Jack Kendrick and The Broken Wonders are void of pretence as they put melodies to the maladies of the modern age, distilling the agony of a system designed to manage, not mend. The alt-90s aura bleeds through every chord, carrying the weight of raw emotion as the instrumentals fuel the energy and the lyrics lay bare the disillusionment.

Emotionally, the track pivots on a knife-edge, striking with unfiltered honesty. If you’ve ever stared down the tunnel, squinting for a light that refuses to show, or placed your faith in a medical system too ill-equipped to salve the wounds it barely acknowledges, Spoke to My Doctor will hit like a gut punch. The emotion isn’t just in the words—it’s in the way every note aches, in the expressive vocals that never veer into performance for performance’s sake.

After years of relentless gigging, sharing stages with folk-punk legends like Gaz Brookfield and Ferocious Dog, Jack Kendrick has built a reputation for no-frills, high-impact storytelling. This single only cements that further, proving their ability to turn personal turmoil into a cathartic anthem.

For anyone who’s ever felt unheard, Spoke to My Doctor makes sure the message is loud and clear.

Spoke to My Doctor is now available on all major streaming platforms.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

The Sonic Prism Cracked: Damian Wolf Splits the Alt-Rock Spectrum on ‘Flying Colors’

Posted on 26 March 2025

Damian Wolf didn’t just carry the alt-rock flame into his debut LP—he set it ablaze with every saturated string. On the title single Flying Colors, the Maryland-born 20-year-old commands his solo project with the kind of DIY nerve that rarely finds this much cultivation. Entirely self-recorded, mixed, and mastered in his bedroom studio, the track stands as a defiant declaration: no one else engineers Wolf’s chaos—he shapes it into art with his own hands.

He carved his teeth on early ’90s grunge and hard rock, filtered that influence through the discord of noise rock and post-hardcore, then added his own commercial alt sensibility to the mix without sanding down the edges, resulting in a track that channels shoegaze and grunge into high-octane alt-rock visceral volition. When the overdriven guitars refrain from the production, the choral layers of reverb-soaked guitars are left to synergise with Wolf’s arcanely sweet vocals, which bleed into the mix that’s mercilessly blasted by punk’s percussive pulse.

It may often feel like there aren’t many more alt-rock intersections to explore, but Wolf didn’t just find one—he scorched a new route through a multitude of them with Flying Colors. The title track is the flashpoint, where texture becomes tension, and melody finds its way through the maelstrom. If you want to head back to the alt-90s, take this route. Just don’t expect nostalgia. Expect impact.

Flying Colors is now available to stream on all major platforms including Spotify and Apple Music.

Review by Amelia Vandergast.

Ananda Murari – Desert in the Middle: A Mirage You’ll Want to Chase

Posted on 23 March 2025

There’s plenty of sanctuary to be found in the fluidity and flora of Ananda Murari’s spiritually expressive exploration of texture and tonality in ‘Desert in the Middle’; the instrumentals alone are enough to subdue you into its sublimity. When the call of Ananda Murari’s magnetically honed vocals enters and reverberates soul throughout the release as they melancholically spill poetica epiphanies, there comes an affirmation that natural-born singer-songwriters exist—exist in the form of Murari, who carries all of the grace(land) of Paul Simon.

As the single progresses, it transitions into a divine sonic expanse where catharsis is free to savour, to cling to as you envelop yourself in Murari’s ability to paint seraphic worlds through sonorous motifs that leave gilded imprints in the soul. 

Rooted in eclectic indie folk, Murari’s work weaves ancient storytelling, raw emotional introspection, and spiritual depth shaped by his years spent living as a monk. Through his time in devotional silence, he discovered the tonal nuance and lyrical sensitivity now central to his music. The result is a rare kind of songwriting that doesn’t chase impact—it emanates it.

Drawn from his No Coins Needed project, which folds fatherhood and spiritual reintegration into every measure, Desert in the Middle reflects a new era of introspection. It is a sojourn worth taking time and time again. Whether performing solo or with his full-band collaborators, Murari makes music that doesn’t ask for your attention—it earns your surrender.

Desert in the Middle is available to stream on all major platforms via this link.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

IAMCORNELIUS – Life: A Sonic Altitude Check at 35,000 Feet

Posted on 22 March 2025
IAMCORNELIUS

Life by IAMCORNELIUS escapes easy articulation and categorisation. Even if you think along the lines of electro-infused soft melodic rock-tinged folk pop with Avant Garde motifs of soul, you’ll still struggle to run in parallel with the single, which is driven by emotion instead of restrictive genre parameters.

IAMCORNELIUS doesn’t need to make a statement with his moniker when he does it so viscerally through his sound. With his consolingly gruff timbre lifting in the light of the chorus, his intricate acoustic guitar notes bleeding intimacy into the single, and the artful electronic sequences shaping its filmic soul, Life nestles you in its expansive interstellar embrace. If you’re ever caught up wondering about the meaning of life, this track doesn’t offer answers—it reflects the weight of the question in exquisite, untethered form.

Originally from Kenya and now based in Cincinnati, IAMCORNELIUS has spent a life between continents, filtering experience through a diverse musical history. He’s not confined by genre or form—his work is rooted in honesty, written for those tired of looking in the mirror and ready to search their soul.

There are no clean comparisons here. The only adequate metaphor is watching the clouds disappear from the window of a plane as you realise, with both clarity and quiet panic, just how infinite it all really is.

Life by IAMCORNELIUS is available to stream on all major platforms.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Xy Gala Wires Electricity into the Mundanity of Existence in ‘Lifeless Life’

Posted on 21 March 2025

‘Lifeless Life’ opens a pop-hooked Pandora’s box of a paradox, reflecting on how life often inhibits feeling alive, especially as we become numb to atrocities and the monotonies of daily existence. Between the diaphanous candour pouring from Xy Gala’s confessions and the beat that brings a pulse of resistance to the mediocrity of reality, it’s impossible not to lock into the track and feel that he has a gift for unifying those who aren’t content to go through the motions, who struggle to find meaning and pleasure within their autonomy.

It’s a haunting track, sure to vindicate anyone who knows how emotionally paralysing it is to keep your head above water. The electro-rock riff blazes through the mix before the hauntingly pensive, cinematically raw outro, affirming that Xy Gala never pours half measures into his alchemic cocktail of pop, rock, electronica, and trap. The soaring chorus and the Santana-esque guitar solo inject an unforgettable energy into the track, fusing genres into a sound that fans of Post Malone, Falling in Reverse, and The Kid LAROI will appreciate.

The London-based luminary, Xy Gala, has never sounded more authentic or essential. ‘Lifeless Life’ is out on 21st March 2025. Hear it on Soundcloud.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Perenna King Fires Shots at the Elite with ‘Billionaire’

Posted on 21 March 2025

Perenna King isn’t here to play nice with the 1%. Billionaire is a slick, sultry rejection of the pop mould, drenched in bass-heavy afrobeat rhythms that instantly set the NYC singer-songwriter apart. With rap verses that cut through with razor-sharp conviction, she delivers a scathing critique of the ultra-wealthy, making it impossible not to get caught up in the hype of this protest anthem.

In a world where Elon Musk is unavoidable and the rich-poor divide stretches further by the day, King amplifies the frustrations of those grinding to get by, only to realise the system was rigged against them from the start. The track doesn’t just highlight the disparity—it vindicates the ones left fighting for scraps while the billionaires hoard power, influence, and entire economies.

Raised on a fusion of classic rock and literature, King has always had a flair for injecting her music with theatrical drama, but Billionaire isn’t just spectacle—it’s a battle cry. Her latest tour de force breathes fresh air into a genre often too cautious to take a stand. The message is as biting as the beat is infectious, proving that resistance isn’t futile.

Billionaire is now available on all major streaming platforms, including Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Dupree and Niche Redefined Old-School R&B with ‘Wait’

Posted on 20 March 2025

Dupree and Niche brought R&B right back to its golden era with Wait, exploring uncharted paths towards the sanctity of nostalgia. The dual-layered harmonies effortlessly synergise, spilling arcane chemistry into the dreamy atmosphere, while the luxe, kaleidoscopic haze of the production leaves inklings of modernism lingering in the mix. When the rap verses land, hip-hop’s timeless conviction takes hold, broadsiding you with impassioned bars that breathe new life into the track. If you know that loving means being prepared to wait, Wait is the ultimate love story you’ll want to lock into.

Dupree has never been one to stand still. As a singer, actor, dancer, and host, he is dedicated to disrupting reality through entertainment that transcends the mundane. Raised between the close-knit South Chicago suburbs and the vibrant pulse of the inner city, he embodies a deeply embedded hustler’s mentality and a strong connection to Black culture and identity. Music has always been his anchor—his mother encouraged him to join the church choir at six, where he first found his voice. From there, he took every chance to perform, whether in school plays or community productions, shaping an artistry influenced by Aaliyah, Beyoncé, and Usher.

Fusing R&B with House, Urban Pop, and Neo Soul, Dupree channels authenticity as though it’s as natural as breathing. With Wait making waves globally, he’s setting the stage for a fresh run of R&B singles and his debut EP; you will want him on your radar sooner or later.

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

Review by Amelia Vandergast.

Alpine Jubilee Inch Closer to the Indie Folk Pop Throne with ‘Fiver on the Favourite’

Posted on 19 March 2025

Alpine Jubilee won us over with their debut, but with Fiver on the Favourite, they well and truly conquered. Folk-tinged indie pop has rarely sounded this expansive, with flourishes tinged with psychedelia and melodies that seem to ascend endlessly. The single instrumentally invites you to a state of transcendence, while the abstract lyricism filters in, almost serving as another instrument, adding texture to the euphonic tonal masterpiece that progressively enthrals with each new nuanced transition.

Born from the creative partnership of brothers Trevor O’Neil and Glenn O’Neil, Alpine Jubilee stretches across continents, with Trevor based in Toowoomba, Queensland, and Glenn in Geneva, Switzerland. Their sound pulls together an eclectic mix of instrumentation, featuring acoustic guitar, violin, trumpet, harmonies, ukulele, mandolin, mando-cello, tin whistle, harmonica, bass, percussion, synthesisers, and even a zither. Their influences range from 80s new wave and darkwave to twee-jangle pop, contemporary nu-folk, and alt-country, and it shows in the depth of their arrangements. Joining them on the track are Flavia O’Neil on trumpet and backing vocals, Nelson O’Neil on drum programming, and Oliver Liang on violin.

If you’re sick of folk artists who bring the same old pale imitations to the table, Fiver on the Favourite is a surefire antidote to monotony.

Fiver on the Favourite is available to stream on all major platforms, including Spotify. For the full experience, watch the official video on YouTube. 

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Just Xris Painted a Sun-Soaked Memory With His Acoustic Folk Pop Debut, ‘Mother Leah’

Posted on 19 March 2025

With his debut single, Mother Leah, the up-and-coming singer-songwriter Just Xris turns nostalgia into melody, offering a vignette steeped in warmth and reverence. His folksy acoustic pop signature runs parallel to the introspective musings of Cat Stevens and Paul Simon, but the heart of his sound beats entirely in its own time. Every note lands softly, yet speaks volumes, unburdened by excessive amplification.

Rooted in childhood weekends spent on a farm called Leah near Ellisras (now Lephalale), Mother Leah is a sonic love letter to the people and places that shaped him. Those early days of exploring nature, working hard, and sharing unforgettable moments with family and friends fuel the song’s reverie-rich melodies. There’s nothing but love and adoration reverberating through the single, which allows you to imagine what Elliott Smith’s discography might sound like if it were soaked in serotonin, yet not drowning out the affecting quiescent vocal inflections.

Music has been a lifelong passion for Just Xris, first sparked at age 13 when his mother gifted him her old nylon-string guitar. After spending his teenage years playing in a band, he finally took the leap into music production, leading to the release of Mother Leah on January 21, 2025. Blending folk, country, and indie influences, his succinctly sweet melodies speak volumes without excessive embellishment. Whatever he delivers next, we will want to devour it.

Mother Leah is available to stream on all major platforms, including Spotify.

Review by Amelia Vandergast