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Maria Heivang’s ‘When I Had You’ Hits Like a Wave of Regret

Posted on 7 March 2025

Like a breath of introspectively fresh air, Maria Heivang’s debut single, When I Had You, locks you into its intimacy from the outset, sharing the singer-songwriter’s smoking pains as she paints a vignette of loneliness and regret. This is far more than a standard exhibition of heartbreak—waves of reverberation ripple from the post-production to mimic the blindsiding nature of loss, amplifying the ache in every line. Even with the vocal treatment pulling her voice in line with the electro-pop instrumentals, the emotive sting in her delivery refuses to be dulled.

Born and raised in the Winter Olympic town of Lillehammer, Heivang has recently relocated to Manchester to take her career to the zenith it deserves. With her debut single, which hit the airwaves on the 27th of February, she created plenty of anticipation for her forthcoming EP, ARGH in love, which will unfold throughout the year. She describes the track as a reflection on not appreciating something good until it’s gone, a sentiment delivered with Nordic charm and alt-pop bite.

Her music carries the juxtaposition of emotional restraint and vulnerability, channelled through icy electronic textures and raw lyricism; if you’re unwilling to compromise between style and substance on your alt-pop playlists, When I Had You is a necessary addition.

Stream the single on YouTube now. 

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Michael Rendon – The Look: A Red, White and Blue Shadow of Love and Longing

Posted on 6 March 2025

Michael Rendon, a true red, white, and blue Americana singer-songwriter, carries a deep reverence for the roots of country in his unadulterated sound. More than a troubadour, Rendon is an evocateur in The Look, with his wistfully affecting crooning hitting all the rawest chords in his orchestrally laced classic country ballad. If you don’t find yourself on the brink of tears while this cinematically visceral, slick-with-longing love song is in session, you may find that your soul checked out a while ago.

Born and raised in San Antonio, Rendon has spent years earning his stripes across Texas, Ohio, Massachusetts, and beyond. With performances alongside country icons like Martina McBride, Sammy Kershaw, and Doug Stone, he’s built a career on authenticity, letting his voice and songwriting do the heavy lifting. The Look is a testament to that—delicate yet devastating in its execution, steeped in the timeless ache of country storytelling.

While I generally agree with the theory that there’s no such thing as perfection in art, there’s something in the way The Look transcends sound to remind you of the true beauty of unconditional love and affection.

The Look is now available to stream on all major platforms, including YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Tyler Rifley Oxygenated New Life into Country Pop with ‘Breathe’

Posted on 5 March 2025

Since the first notes of Breathe found oxygen on the airwaves, Tyler Rifley’s country pop rock anthem has been picking up momentum, and for good reason. With twang in all the right places and anthemics in all the rest, the hook-packed hit doesn’t just set the tone for summer—it serenades it into existence.

Written as an ode to his child and a reflection on how parenthood flips the world on its axis, Breathe radiates the kind of unfiltered, feel-good sincerity that most country artists spend their whole careers chasing. The uplifting message transcends into euphoria, with sun-bleached melodies guiding the way. Even the soaring electric guitar solo feels like an extension of that boundless, infectiously sweet energy.

Anchorage-based and self-produced, Rifley is the engineer of his own sound. As the co-owner of Midnight Sound Studio, he’s created a space where raw emotion meets refined musicianship. His path hasn’t been easy, shaped by years in foster care and the system that followed him into adulthood, but his music doesn’t dwell in the past—it pushes forward, powered by resilience and a newfound sense of purpose.

With Breathe, Rifley reaches the epitome of wholesome country pop panache, discover it yourself on YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

mothshade’s Labyrinth Cover – A Mechanical Descent into the Void

Posted on 4 March 2025

The Cure has never been a band to offer light, but under mothshade’s duress, Labyrinth mutates into a dark and twisted installation of eerie etherealism. This reimagining doesn’t just flirt with unease—it drags you deep into its suffocating atmosphere, lowering the temperature in your soul as its cinematic scope unravels. The fatalistically sweet female vocal lines act as the last thread of human warmth, juxtaposed against a fevered mechanical pulse that never quite resolves, leaving you hanging in rhythmic suspension.

Sitting in the perfect limbo between ambience and intensity, mothshade stretches the progressions like taut wires, teasing your rhythmic instincts without ever offering a safe landing. The result is a cover that feels less like a tribute and more like a dystopian rebirth, stripping away any trace of comfort in favour of pure existential tension.

The industrial, electronic, and alternative rock influences converge into something that feels entirely its own—cold, unrelenting, and unnervingly immersive. If this reworking doesn’t leave you in a deep state of reflection, take it as a clear sign you need to scratch beneath the surface of your psyche.

mothshade’s Labyrinth cover is available to stream now. For the full experience, watch the official video on YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Young Jay Channels the Tides of Romance in His Tropic RnB Trap Pop Fusion, ‘Her Ocean’

Posted on 2 March 2025

Young Jay’s latest single, Her Ocean, is as sonically oceanic as the title—it moves with the same tranquil yet powerful force. Fusing pop, RnB, and trap, the independent artist found his space in the contemporary landscape with a track that radiates warmth and intimacy. There’s a sultry undercurrent, but the real strength lies in the sincerity of his lyricism. While others lean on excess, Young Jay proves that restraint and poetic depth leave a far stronger impression.

After stepping away from music for a year following the passing of his great-grandmother, Lillie Mae Jones Manning, Young Jay resurfaces with a song that feels like both a reflection and a return. Her Ocean is far from surface-level sentimentality—it’s a testament to the kind of romance that refuses to drown in modern trends. With a vocal delivery that rolls in like a tide, carrying both tenderness and intensity, he captures the equilibrium between admiration and longing, bringing a tactile emotional depth to the track.

The production lingers in the same atmospheric space, conjuring images of golden-hour heat and slow-motion devotion. The melody doesn’t overpower; it guides, letting the lyrical honesty take centre stage.

Her Ocean is available now on all major streaming platforms, including YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

The NeS Transforms Turmoil into Transcendence with The Chase

Posted on 1 March 2025

 Berlin-based producer, writer, and performer The NeS proves there are no fixed boundaries in electronica with The Chase—a track that doesn’t just play with genre conventions but smashes through monocultural moulds with rhythmically awakening intensity.

Released on 21st November 2024 as part of an EP of the same name, The Chase pulls techno, trip-hop, soul, pop, and house into its gravitational force, creating an atmosphere that demands rhythmic surrender. The seductively mesmeric official music video is a fitting visual counterpart to the tribal energy surging through the track’s textured progressions. While the beats inject dramatic motifs, the instrumentals thread exotic mystery into the composition, offering a cathartic reprieve from life’s weight.

Lyrically, The Chase compassionately eviscerates the hauntings of a psyche desperate to move beyond the shadow and into the light. Resulting in an experience that speaks volumes of The NeS’ cerebral approach to soul-driven electronica—one that refuses to be confined by conventional genre constraints.

Channelling the chaos of modern existence into soundscapes that uplift rather than oppress, The NeS has crafted a track that reaches the epitome of resonance. If The Chase is a sign of what’s to come, his commitment to sonic wakefulness is going to leave eyes, souls and rhythmic pulses wide open.

The Chase is available to stream on all major platforms. For the full experience, stream the cinematic official music video on YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Marcus: the Apex Predator! Stripped Post-Hardcore to the Scuzzy Bones with Newborn Fossil

Posted on 1 March 2025

Stripped to its scuzzy lo-fi bones, Newborn Fossil isn’t just another entry into post-hardcore’s self-indulgent catalogue—it’s a jagged-edged shot of adrenaline aimed directly at the genre’s more pretentious corners. Detroit’s Marcus: the Apex Predator! barrels through any expectations of polish, letting raw, ragged production amplify the gut-punch impact of the riffs, which charge forward with the same rallying spirit that made Against Me! anthemic.

Formed in 2015, the band sees Kevin Watts (guitar, vocals) reuniting with Float Here Forever bandmate Nick Marko, alongside bassist Sean Bondareff (Kind Beast). With tracking handled by Jake Shives and Grammy-winning Detroit legend Dave Feeny giving the final mix its teeth, Newborn Fossil thrives in the tension between melody and mayhem. The angular riffs may be sharp enough to draw blood, but they still worm their way under the skin, while the vocals engulf the listener in euphoric angst.

The raw edge doesn’t dull the hooks—if anything, the visceral charge makes them hit harder. It’s punk AF, but it doesn’t forsake melody for aggression, proving that a song can make an affecting impact without abandoning euphonic appeal. If this is the kind of electricity Marcus: the Apex Predator! captures on record, their live shows must be nothing short of a raucous spiritual awakening.

Newborn Fossil was officially released on February 14 and is now available to stream on all major platforms, including Apple Music and YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Carniwhore’s ‘(This is Not) A Love Song’ Sinks Its Teeth into the Horror Show of Valentine’s Day

Posted on 27 February 2025

Carniwhore’s latest single, ‘(This is Not) A Love Song’, dropped as the ultimate antithetical love song, offering a four-minute reprieve for anyone who met the saccharine spectacle of consumerism, which is Valentine’s Day, with scorn. The track doesn’t wallow in isolation; it charges at full force, tearing through the hollow sentiments of the season with the brute force of horror punk savagery.

Sonically, Carniwhore went rogue in the renegade of a track that channels the bruising visceralism of Marilyn Manson, sharpened by the dark energy of Murderdolls and Wednesday 13. IDLES-esque punk vocals infiltrate the scathed mix as the industrial-tinged chaos hurtles towards catharsis for those who don’t fit the mould but understand the hive mind all too well. The reprise of “this is not a love song” nods to Public Image Limited, but Carniwhore inject infinitely more bite.

Hailing from Stoke-on-Trent, Carniwhore have cemented themselves as a force to be reckoned with, delivering a sonic onslaught that refuses to be ignored. More than just a venomous rebuttal to romance, the track channels its fury into something meaningful, with all streaming proceeds going to Dougie Mac—a cause close to the band’s heart.

‘(This is Not) A Love Song’ is now available to stream on all major platforms. For the full experience, watch the official music video which dropped on Valentine’s Day.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

Collier Randall’s RnB Pop Aphrodisiac ‘Be Mine’ Drips with Lust and Luxury

Posted on 25 February 2025

Collier Randall thrives on reinvention. The Maryland-born artist built his foundation in theatre before stepping into the world of rap, songwriting, and production. After earning a BFA in Contemporary Theatre from Boston Conservatory at Berklee, he sharpened his ability to merge storytelling with music. His latest single, Be Mine, released on February 7th alongside a cinematically shot music video, is a testament to his hot and heavy genre-fluid alchemy.

The track lands squarely in the heat of pop, rap, and RnB, finding room for afrobeat influences and sculpting a sound that feels decadent from the first beat. The production is thick with atmosphere, while the instrumental progressions shift like a lover’s mood—always in-flux but never losing their ability to put you under their spell. Randall’s vocals are just as mercurial. His RnB harmonies pull close, his rap cadences cut through with precision, and his pop crescendos lift the track into hypnotic territory. Every listen is a lustfully sticky-sweet revelation.

Timed for Valentine’s Day, Be Mine holds its weight as both a love song and an aphrodisiac. Randall’s background in theatre seeps through every detail, from the arrangement to the lyrical delivery, creating a track that commands attention without ever feeling forced.

Be Mine is available on all major streaming platforms. For the full experience, stream the official music video on YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast

4KPHIL. Schools the Scene with ‘Truancy’

Posted on 24 February 2025

Truancy doesn’t start with a whimper—it kicks the door in with a bang of cinematic old-school hip-hop nostalgia, setting the stage for 4KPHIL.’s bars that never miss. Mellifluous yet sharp, his flow rides over soul-soaked syncopated samples with the ease of an MC who knows every syllable is worth hanging onto. His hypnotic cadence pulls you in, revealing his world inch by inch with every line cascading over motifs that pull you straight back to hip-hop’s golden era.

Phillip Mitchell is no stranger to reinvention. Raised in Connecticut by Jamaican and Grenadian parents, he soaked up the sounds of the East Coast, from New York to Toronto. His early years saw him juggle ambitions as an athlete and academic, but a bullet rewrote his path, leading him to pour everything into music. For years, he built his name under a different alias, crafting a reputation through freestyles and independent releases before feeling the need for something greater. In 2021, 4KPHIL. was born.

Now a key figure on Paperjack Productions’ roster, his evolution is undeniable. With Truancy, he keeps his streak intact, executively producing, refining, and expanding his vision with longtime collaborator RunnitBack. His ability to blend old-school soul with contemporary grit proves he’s not just looking back—he’s carrying hip-hop forward with every track. 

Stream the official music video for Truancy on YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast