Highland Park, Los Angeles artist Reverie has shared a new single called “No Chaser”. Powerful in sound and personal in content, this song is evocative and emotive, while showcasing her sharp lyrical abilities and deft flow. Opening with ghostly, expansive keys that drift atop gritty, pounding drums, the production on “No Chaser” is raw and ominous. Atop the nocturnal instrumentation, Reverie delivers heartfelt, passionate bars detailing mental health and addiction. Her verses are detail-rich and candid, as she draws the listener in with each bar. The latest from Reverie, “No Chaser” makes for an immersive and poignant listen.
Bronx rapper Ricky Mapes has shared a new release called “40 THOU”. Following up a prolific run of engaging, gritty singles including “BIG MAPES” and “FENTY”, this offering finds Mapes at the top of his game lyrically once again, delivering a series of sharp bars atop ominous production.
Icy pianos and hard-hitting drums open the track in a menacing manner, providing a solid foundation for Mapes’ dynamic bars and powerful delivery. Showcasing a focused command of the microphone, “40 THOU” finds him weaving together poised, confident lines effortlessly. Featuring engaging rhymes and heavy, grimy production, “40 THOU” makes for an invigorating listen overall.
Prolific Canadian songwriter Maggie Szabo has released her popular pride anthem, “Don’t Give Up” on DSPs for the first time. This authentic and heartfelt song is dedicated to transgender youth around the world who live in fear and suffer from rejection and exclusion. The uplifting pop anthem’s music video was originally released in 2017 to a wide reception, and has now been released on all DSPs for streaming.
“Don’t Give Up” opens with grand, expansive choral vocals and airy, atmospheric synths before bouncy percussion is added to give the song an enticing groove. Atop the shimmering instrumentation, Szabo delivers powerful, infectious melodies that demonstrate her sharp songwriting abilities. Crescendoing in an explosive, inspiring chorus that lingers in the listener’s head long after listening, “Don’t Give Up” is an anthemic offering that provides a potent and important message.
The latest from Canadian artist Maggie Szabo, “Don’t Give Up”‘s heartfelt vocals and heavenly instrumentation make for an uplifting, poignant listen.
Tell us about your new song? And what’s the story behind it?
My new song is called “Remind you”. And it’s about reminding the person that you love that you basically, love them. A relationship isn’t always smooth sailings, there are a lot of bumpy roads and this song is me recognizing that, calling myself out on my flaws and saying that I’m happy to have someone who’s able to put up with my mess. It’s basically telling your partner that you’re grateful for having them in your life even with the “less happy” moments in the relationship. It’s a reminder that you’re both in this together and that you won’t let go
What makes your music unique? And how would you describe it?
I wouldn’t say the sound portion of the music that I make is the most unique there is. Although I’m working on that. But what makes me stand out I’d say is the story behind each songs. Because my songs are all very personal to me, because they’re inspired by real life events at least for the most part. I provide something genuine and I think that’s what the people that listen to me resonate with. It’s not over the top situations but things that you can relate to if you’ve gone through similar things. Im being me in those songs, the vulnerable me, the happy me the confident me, depending on the songs. Not some made up version just to look cool. I use my music mainly as an outlet for my emotions and so people with the same emotions will relate to it
Which is the best moment in your musical career that you’re most proud of?
Since I’m just getting started I haven’t had anything major happen yet to be honest but as things are slowly growing and i get to see people connect with my songs is an incomparable feeling. So I’m confident that the moments will come, I’ll just keep working towards them. It’s only been around 6 months
How do you balance your music with other obligations – family, friends or work?
I try my best lol, to be honest it’s tough. I work on weekdays and I use almost any free time I get to work on something music related. I’m not the best when it comes to planning things out lot. But somehow it works out for me at least so far it has
What advice would you give to aspiring musicians?
First thing I’d say is to make sure you know what you’re getting into. Secondly whatever you do treat it as if it was a stranger handing it to you. If you wouldn’t like that song from a stranger then that means go back and work on it. Lastly just start doing it. Practice is the best teacher, keep your eyes and ears open and you’ll learn as you go
If you had one message to give to your fans, what would it be?
I’d say thank you to the people rocking with me and I’m going to do my best not to ever disappoint them.
Thank you for joining me on this adventure
What’s next for you? Any upcoming projects?
Definitely more music. Mostly singles for now I do want to drop and 𝐸𝑃 at some point but I don’t know when that will be. I also want to try to work with more people. Music videos. And I also want to create more types of content where I can connect with people. I don’t really know how I will do that but that’s definitely something in the plans. We’ll see what the future holds.
Rising Los Angeles singer YaLLa the Melodica has shared a new single called “Are You The One?” This fresh track showcases sharply-crafted, infectious instrumentation and evocative songwriting that pairs retro influences from 80’s pop with refreshingly modern stylings. “Are You The One?” opens with warm, vivid guitars and airy synths, before bouncy drums and electrifying synth bass are brought in to give the song a memorable groove. As Melodica’s vocals float smoothly atop the instrumentation, the listener is drawn into the song’s vibrant, balmy soundscape. Capping the track off with a catchy, atmospheric chorus, “Are You The One?” provides replay value with its graceful sonics.
An apt soundtrack for warm nights as we move towards summer, “Are You The One?” is an infectious, character-rich offering that finds YaLLa the Melodica delivering an evocative and engaging performance. Considering this is only her second release on streaming platforms, “Are You The One?” feels poised and showcases the kind of focus in her songwriting a veteran might possess.
Over lush, slow instrumentation, Ty Jouska recalls a former relationship and the pain he associates with it. The melodies Jouska strings together are both interesting in form and delivery. Through this combination, Jouska reveals a multitude of feelings for the audience: the relief of growth after a questionable relationship, the discomfort that is driven by internal confusion, and the bittersweet conclusion that he both loved and was unable to love the person of subject in “Am I Over You.” And though the track seems to drown in uncertainty, Jouska’s confidence and unique style helps elevate the track past typical self-loathing. It’s charming, sweet, and an overall easy listen.
grape milk has blessed us with a new single titled “we don’t need therapy!”. Here, the 3-minute pop track sees grape milk make use of his signature soft delivery. In the track, grape milk addresses a person that says he doesn’t need therapy and instead needs money to buy drugs. I talked to grape milk about what the song meant to him and he told me “I struggled with depression around the time of my graduation from high school then I spent a lot of time trying to figure out why I was depressed and what I could do to get out of it. Over the course of this entire past year, I have taken myself on a few magic mushroom trips and I think they’ve slowly but steadily changed my life. Currently, I think my depression is at an all-time low since I first felt it, and that’s when I decided to write the song about it. All that to say, “we don’t need therapy!” is really a song about escaping what so many people are struggling with, and hopefully the song sparks hope for some people who are going through hard times”. grape milk put his all in this song and didn’t disappoint one bit.
NB: grape milk isn’t glorifying drugs or trying to undermine therapy but is highlighting his own experiences with depression.
Juko has finally blessed us with his highly anticipated single “Change (It Won’t Be Long)”. The 3-minute track is way different from Juko’s previous work, as he switched up his vocals and even production style here. It’s a song about forgetting who you are, and then finding a way back. When I asked Juko what the track meant to him, he told me “the song has many meanings to me. I wrote it during a particularly difficult time in my life. One night-I was so scared of the fact that I felt like I haven’t changed as a person lately; that I haven’t grown into the person I wanted to be. I needed to force myself into a situation where I needed to grow. It took me a bit to realize that all of that should come naturally. Do your thing- try your absolute hardest- and the growth will follow”. Well, the growth is obvious on “Change (It Won’t Be Long, but instead of taking my word for it, give it a listen right now and I promise you won’t be disappointed.
AYJ Wavey has finally dropped his long awaited EP 4EA. The 4 track EP shows AYJ’s versatility with turnt tracks like “Fall in Love”, to deep cuts like “Feel Something”, to a more bar heavy feel with “Whole Lotta Red”. AYJ was able to mix different sounds and emotions in just 4 tracks. When I talked to the England-based Nigerian about what 4EA meant to him, he told me “4EA is a state of mind, a way of life I maintained for most of the lockdown. I was in my head, in my own world, studying the game, learning, watching everything and this project is sort of my reaction to everything. This project is a care package for those that really fuck with what I do and think they can see the vision, cause I gotta keep those guys fed; they’re my core listeners. 4EA is also a reflection of my versatility and untapped sound”. It’s obvious with this project that AYJ has grown as an artist and we can’t wait for the visuals he has on the way.
Vancouver, Canada artist BAINS. has shared a new single called “Feel Awful”. The second single from his upcoming album Punch Drunk, this self-produced offering contains emotive sonics and relatable lyricism- making for an evocative and memorable listen.
Fluttering guitars create an appropriately wistful introduction for BAINS.’ reflective, candid verses. He comes through with captivating lyrics that find the artist at a low point, ruminating over past mistakes and time lost. Also themed around his love/ hate relationship with alcohol, the honesty of this single’s subject matter shines through and impacts the listener directly.
Production-wise, “Feel Awful” is engagingly dynamic, with bouncy percussion and grooving bass dropping in mid-way through the first verse and crescendoing in the chorus to create a gripping effect. Drawing the listener into the song’s atmosphere as it builds, the production here is sharply-crafted and vivid.
The latest from BAINS., “Feel Awful” combines hip-hop, alternative R&B, and alt-pop influences into a vibrant and refreshingly personal medley. The second single from his upcoming album Punch Drunk, this release finds BAINS. expanding upon his previous work to present a relatable and infectious offering.
