Category: Reviews
Blade of Thorns Turns Internal Struggle Into a Wall of Sound on “Deep Waters”
Blade of Thorns isn’t interested in the polished, over-processed side of heavy rock, the kind of production that scrubs out every rough edge until nothing human is left. “Deep Waters”…
Saline Grace Wanders a Gothic Cityscape on “Weeping Wounds” and “Autumn Realms”
Saline Grace has built a career out of sounding like the last band left playing in an empty room. The Berlin outfit’s latest pairing, “Weeping Wounds” and “Autumn Realms,” keeps…
Elisabeth Grey Makes the Case for Starting Over on “Echoes of Paradise”
Elisabeth Grey’s whole artistic identity rests on one idea: creativity doesn’t come with an expiration date. Having spent much of her life prioritizing work, family, and responsibility before turning toward…
Toby Gad and JERUB Sit With Loneliness on “Alone Tonight”
Toby Gad’s name might not be familiar, but his melodies almost certainly are, he’s the writer behind John Legend’s “All of Me,” Beyoncé’s “If I Were a Boy,” and Fergie’s…
Steven Winton Crashes Country Into a Festival Drop on “Wee Small Hours”
Steven Winton has never really settled into one lane. The Aberdeen-based songwriter first made his name fronting Scottish electropop outfit Fridge Magnets, playing T in the Park, RockNess, and Lovebox…
Carl Kammeyer Works Through a Breakup on “Since You Been Gone”
Carl Kammeyer works out of a home studio on Bethel Island, California, handling songwriting and production himself, free from outside pressure to shape his sound any particular way. His latest…
Reagan Hudson Turns a Courtroom Confession Into a Country Song on “When Your Husband Gets Out of Jail”
Reagan Hudson, a singer-songwriter out of the small town of Vale, North Carolina, has built a reputation on finding country songs in places most writers wouldn’t think to look. His…
Rusty Reid Puts His Own Stamp on Johnny Nash’s “I Can See Clearly Now”
Rusty Reid, a Texas-born, now Pacific Northwest-based singer-songwriter, has never been shy about reaching into the past for material. His new single arrives as part of “Lone Stardust (Masterworks of…
Sdubsthereptillian Turns Cemetery Visits Into Hip-Hop on “DARK VAULT”
Sdubsthereptillian doesn’t approach hip-hop like most rappers do. Where the genre usually leans on straightforward autobiography, “DARK VAULT” arrives wrapped in something closer to mysticism, built on the artist’s own…
Keesha Blair Redefines What Gets Passed Down on “The Inheritance”
Keesha Blair’s catalog keeps circling back to the same idea: real transformation starts from the inside. After exploring healing and boundary-setting on tracks like “Peaceful Power” and “Access Declined,” she…
