Pop reviews and more!
I’d put money on the chorus of “Hyperfixated” being stuck in your head by tomorrow morning. It got me on the first play, which is clearly what Jessmin and her cowriters were going for, and I’m not even mad about it. The title track lands today alongside the rest of her debut EP, and it …
I didn’t expect a song written for kids to get under my skin, but “Something Real” did, and I’ve been trying to work out why for a couple of days now. Part of it is Marsha Swanson herself. She’s spent years doing psychologically informed creative work with children and families, in schools and therapeutic settings, …
Bushman doesn’t waste time getting to the point on “Reggae In Nashville.” The opening bars pull from a well worn reggae blueprint, the kind Bob Marley and Peter Tosh built decades ago, but there’s a warmth here that feels lived in rather than borrowed. What stands out first is the restraint. Bushman could have leaned …
Thomas Cole wrote a whole song about not shaving, and somehow it works better than it has any right to. “Stubble,” out now, opens with the kind of chorus that gets stuck whether you want it there or not. You will catch yourself humming it before you have even learned the actual words, which is …
“Panic Is the Norm,” out now from Nathan Bryce and Loaded Dice, started as her words. Crockett wrote the lyrics from her own experience as a widowed mother, and instead of turning that into something heavy or sad, she wrote it mean and funny, the kind of humor you only get after life has knocked …
Forget slow builds, everyone claims they do slow builds. Cloud actually pulls it off. “Nobody’s Dreaming” is out now, and it spends its opening seconds doing almost nothing, a synth line, some air, barely a pulse. Then it starts stacking harmonics on top of harmonics until the whole thing tips over into something enormous, and …
Bruno Gugliano’s new release, Brunio’s Mind, is a debut of an entirely self-built world. Across 16 tracks, the Buenos Aires artist pulls listeners straight into his shifting inner landscape, where moods change shape, genres collide, and nothing stays still for long. Right from the first moments, it’s clear that Gugliano isn’t interested in staying within …
Japanese guitarist and songwriter Cloud has released his latest single, In My Dream, now available on all streaming platforms. Collaborating with Luis Gerardo Moreno on guitar and Alex DP on drums, Cloud delivers a rock track that’s both dynamic and emotionally resonant. In My Dream unfolds across three sections, with the guitar gradually building and …
Norfolk folk artist Ervin Munir has released his latest single, Lifeline, showcasing a heartfelt new direction in his ever-growing catalog. Teaming up with local vocalist Kate Swanson, this collaboration emphasizes connection and hope, themes that have long been present in his albums Broken Compass and Pure and Simple. The track opens with a gentle piano, …
Vinyl Floor just put out “Mr. Rubinstein,” the opening track from their upcoming album “Balancing Act,” and it’s a different side of the Danish duo. This song tells a real story about what happens when an artist and a critic go head to head. When egos clash and neither one wants to give an inch. …