Reviews
‘Alone’- Sam Ostler, turning heartbreak into a towering pop release
Sam Ostler has always understood the power of a big emotional chorus, but ‘Alone’ feels like one of his most complete statements yet. Built around the ache of missing someone who once occupied a central place in your life, the track begins from a point of vulnerability before steadily opening into something far more expansive. […]
‘Belfast (Place Of My Soul)’- Paul Archer, making his hometown glow
On his new single ‘Belfast (Place Of My Soul)’, Paul Archer writes from distance, memory and homesickness, but what emerges is anything but subdued. Instead, he turns that longing into a rich, heartfelt celebration of Belfast’s people, its creative spirit and the deep-rooted sense of belonging that refuses to disappear no matter how far away […]
‘Crown of Glass’- Fanny Alexandra, shattering the illusion with alt-pop power
‘Crown of Glass’ is built around an image that looks glamorous right up until you hold it up to the light. Fanny Alexandra’s latest single uses the world of the high-school beauty queen to explore the hidden cost of being admired. The crown, the attention, the expectation of composure; all of it slowly becomes a […]
‘Red Pill’- Amélie Giardini, finding sweetness at the edge of existential dread
There’s an elegant tension running through ‘Red Pill’. Throughout its runtime, Amélie Giardini doesn’t treat awareness as liberation or escapism as weakness; instead, she floats in the uncomfortable middle ground where both can feel necessary. The Franco-Australian, London-based artist wraps that idea in a striking blend of indie-pop and neo-soul, with a cinematic sweep that […]
‘State of Mind’- BECHILL, turning self-doubt into late-night catharsis
‘State Of Mind’ feels like the kind of song that only really makes sense after midnight. BECHILL’s latest single arrives with a dark, inward-looking intensity, pulling alternative hip-hop, R&B and electronic pop into a track that is restless, confessional and deeply atmospheric. As the second glimpse of her forthcoming debut EP, it also feels like […]
‘Highland Mist’- Martin Lloyd Howard, painting a tranquil setting
There’s something immediately transportive about ‘Highland Mist’. With nothing more than a steel-string acoustic guitar, Martin Lloyd Howard creates a piece that feels spacious, windswept and quietly cinematic, drawing us into a landscape shaped as much by suggestion as by melody. The Reigate-based guitarist and composer comes from a classical background, but ‘Highland Mist’ shows […]
‘The Vault 4 Cinematic’- C’batch, working best without words
Instrumental music asks for a particular kind of trust. Without lyrics, an artist cannot simply tell us where the sadness comes from, who has disappeared, what is being remembered or why the final chord should feel hopeful. Everything has to be communicated indirectly. And on his new collection ‘The Vault 4 Cinematic’, C’batch embraces that challenge. […]
‘Brave, Rough, and Ready to Go’- Sgt, Splendor, turning spectacle into a call to arms
Sgt. Splendor have always seemed most comfortable when the line between song, theatre and provocation starts to blur. And on ‘Brave, Rough, and Ready to Go’, Kate Vargas and Eric McFadden lean fully into that instinct, delivering a piece that feels equal parts rock ’n’ roll fable, vaudevillian fever dream and sly critique of the […]
‘Chicago’- A Project Called Love, turning a fleeting romance into a genre-blurring rush
There’s a loose, unforced charm to ‘Chicago’ that suits its story. Throughout, A Project Called Love’s Jay Hope captures the excitement of being somewhere unfamiliar, meeting someone unexpectedly, and carrying that memory home. Since it first emerged, his solo project has been deliberately difficult to pin down. And on ‘Chicago’, ska rhythms sit alongside punk […]
