ROUNDHOUSE MUSIC 
Utah’s Buppy. has shared a new single called “i retract all the love i let you keep.”, which is centred around crisp keys and organic sounding percussion. The bittersweet, melancholic mood present in the song is immersive, giving you a window into the artist’s headspace. Furthermore, his vocals are enticingly reminiscent, adding another layer to the song’s layered, warm sonics. With this offering, Buppy. further cements himself as an up-and-coming voice to keep an eye on.
Sacramento-born rapper Camden Malik‘s “Back of da Back” is a certified banger, providing a bouncy, energizing beat that hooks the listener in right away. Featuring swirling soul samples that drift over top of deep, bassy percussion, the production on “Back of da Back” is truly infectious. Moreover, Camden Malik’s flow and delivery are as potent as ever here, showing his sharp lyrical ability and poise on the mic. If you enjoyed this track, be sure to check out Love of My Life 3, the latest release from this prolific up-and-coming artist.
Listen to “Back of da Back”:
Written by Damilola Grey
Argota has finally blessed us with his latest track “Blur”. The 3 minute track talks about an elderly husband who lost his wife and is also losing his vision. The man sees reality less, but sees her silhouette more. To the husband, he doesn’t belong, and all he needs is his wife because he feels free with her. The song feels like a flurry of emotions, but at the same time a blur, with Argota executing the concept so perfectly. The track has an eerie but peaceful feeling to it. Blur is a perfect song for those late night drives or rainy days. Make sure to give Blur a listen and I promise you won’t be disappointed:
Reed, Hunnaloe, and Wiki, a trio of New York emcees, have shared a collaborative new single called “Grave or Paid”. Here, the three rappers lay blistering verses full of tongue-twisting syllables and cleverly written lines. The presence they bring on the mic is undeniable here, hooking the listener in from the get-go.
The production on “Grave or Paid” is immaculate, containing a psychedelic, shimmering beat by Subjxct 5. Bolstered by an undeniably catchy, enthralling bounce created by rubbery bass and rich percussion, this track makes for a great soundtrack to crisp winters.
Listen to “Grave or Paid”:
Written by Jacob Saltzberg
With so many strong hip-hop tracks dropping in recent months, it was hard for us to narrow down our favorites for this fall. However, these tracks really stood out as noteworthy, providing refreshing, exciting vibes that kept us hooked throughout. Check them out here:
Detroit rapper Payroll Giovanni‘s song “Hustle Muzik 4” is a smooth, confident release that provides much replay value. The underrated Giovanni, who has released a number of solid albums recently, is one of the most consistent out there right now. The soulful, glossy samples and raw percussion make for an interesting combination that keeps the listener on their toes.
Chanelle Kazadi‘s recent song “Two Cents” is very much a breath of fresh air. The Ohio artist comes through with a smooth, honest track containing elegant vocal samples and bouncy percussion. Her flow is stellar as well, as she shows great command on the mic here. Accompanied by a vibrant, laid-back music video, this release is one to re-visit again and again.
New York rapper Hunnaloe is associated with the SRH collective, a group of talented artists who have been making noise in the city’s underground of late. “Whats the Word” kicks off his latest album ‘HOPE’, and features gorgeous samples and raw drums. It is evident that Hunnaloe keeps levelling up with each release, with “Whats the Word” being some of his strongest work yet.
LA’s Cashus King truly delivers on his latest song “HBCU”, a smoky, raw boom bap banger featuring dry, organic percussion and swirling samples. His flow and wordplay here are sharp and potent, and the overall vibe of this track is refreshing and relaxing. The latest in a series of strong singles from King, this release is worthy of much attention.
This song was technically released in late summer, but nonetheless deserves to be on this list. A cut off Rose’s exciting new album ‘CEILING THEORY’, the glitchy samples and intense flows present here are captivating. Rose’s skilled songwriting ability and ear for unique sounds certainly make him an artist to watch, keeping one excited for what he has to offer next.
Written by Damilola Grey
New Jersey native Babyg the Artist has shared a new single called “Untitled”. Gearing up for the release of her upcoming EP, Babyg the Artist dropped “Untitled” to get fans ready, while also showing her versatility. “Untitled” is full of mellow vibes fans have seen before in a few of her tracks. According to Babyg the Artist, the song was named “Untitled” because she touched too many topics on the track and didn’t want to put a limit on it. She uses the track to talk about her love for music, as well as some issues she has gone through in recent months. Babyg the Artist is showing the world she’s ready to take over, and “Untitled” is a clear example of how amazing she is on the mic.
Listen to “Untitled”:
Written by Damilola Grey
Rap Villain has been gearing up for their November takeover, and what a better way to start it than with Heem Da Dream’s “Lobby Language”. Kicking off RV’s release schedule and also the rollout for his upcoming tape Cosmic Hotel, Heem didn’t disappoint. With a combination of trap and R&B (Trap&B as I like to call it), “Lobby Language” is a song for all occasions. Heem starts the song with the smooth flow most of his fans are accustomed to, but the second verse- where Heem drops the hottest bars with the most perfect delivery- is where Heem shows he is not to be played with. The track boasts of production from Nero Knight. With a track this amazing, we can’t wait for what Heem and Rap Villain have in store for us.
Stream “Lobby Language”:
For the past 6 months, I have been working as a music writer at EARMILK as well as running my own blogs. Prior to this, I had little knowledge on how music media actually worked, and my newfound experience in writing has been truly eye-opening. Long before I worked as a writer, I was an artist crafting my own songs, trying to reach out to blogs and magazines hoping to gain exposure. Little did I know, there were a lot of things that could have helped me early on as an artist trying to reach out to writers, so I’ve decided to share some of the knowledge I’ve gained from an insider perspective to hopefully provide some guidance.
When pitching, emphasize what makes you unique
When pitching to writers, try to keep their perspective in mind. Many music writers receive dozens of pitches a day if not more, so they naturally see a lot of repetition. It is important to think outside the box when pitching, as to grab their attention and excite them about an artist’s work. Brainstorm creative ways to express your mission and persona as an artist, as to stick in the writer’s mind.
Don’t be too dry, try to emotionally connect
Try to connect on an emotional level if possible by making your pitch more personal. When writing about your song, touch on the emotions it is trying to convey, and try to emphasize the elements of it that are relatable on a human level. This helps you stand out from the heaps of dry, statistical pitches a writer receives. Overall, if the pitch can emotionally express the artist’s viewpoint clearly, this can make all the difference.
Tell a story
If you can tell a story about your song or album that is interesting and unique, this can help your pitch immensely. Try to think of a story that stands out from the typical narrative the music industry is trying to sell these days. I recommend trying to dig into your life in order to present something emotionally authentic. It does not have to be an overly complicated story, in fact simplicity can often work to your advantage. However, authenticity remains the key factor here.
Avoid relying (too heavily) on streaming statistics
If a pitch is centred primarily around statistical analysis, I am personally much less likely to accept it. That is not to say that you should never include statistics when pitching to writers, but simply that I don’t think that one should lean too heavily on them. I feel that this method has become over-saturated and I find myself glossing over pitches of this nature. I would prefer to write on an artist with no numbers and an intriguing, compelling story, than vice versa.
Overall, there is no “best way” to pitch to music writers, and it is not a black-and-white process. There are many ways that one can approach pitching in their own unique way that can be highly effective. I simply feel that these general guidelines can help an artist’s pitch stand out from the piles of them that a writer receives. As a baseline, I think it is important to be yourself, put effort into thinking outside the box, and to be personal as to connect emotionally.
Written by Jacob Saltzberg
Contributing writer at EARMILK
Running Roundhouse Music Co.
In today’s independent music market, getting more listeners to click on a track is not easy. With the immense amount of music out there, over-saturation can create many challenges for artists. People these days are used to being bombarded with “new music out” and “link in bio” posts, making it difficult to draw attention to your work, no matter how good it is. It may seem at times that promoting music is like taking shots in the dark, hoping something hits the mark. However, there are certain tactics that can help a song reach more ears, and here are some of them:
1. Consistently share content that tells a story about the song.
Can you create a story behind your release that’s unique to you? If so, this can really help get your release wider attention. An authentic, emotive story behind a release can help differentiate it and connect with an audience. Consistently uploading visual content that tells the story is the key here. People are more likely to pay attention to visuals first, if they tell an engaging story that is emotionally potent.
2. Research blogs and playlists and make lists.
Put some time into research blogs and playlists that feature music that is similar to yours. Try to find their emails or other contact info on their website or “about” section of their playlist, and then, create a table that includes their contact information. Reach out to them with a well constructed pitch that highlights what makes you compelling and unique (view our previous post on pitching music for more info on this).
3. Create remixes
It can be helpful to create remixes to direct ears back to your track. Bringing in guest artists on the remix can expand your reach greatly, and create good networking opportunities. Moreover, the remixes can be adapted to suit different formats, such as crossing into other genres or other cross marketing, which can help spread your track to people that otherwise wouldn’t hear it.
4. Reach out to influencers, start-ups, and other content creators
Reach out to influencers, start-ups, and other content creators and try to add value to their work by offering your music to be used in content. Getting a song placed in an influencer’s video on TikTok or otherwise, or in an ad or promotional video, can help your track gain fast momentum. This can especially help if their audience is similar, or if the creator has similar values or interests to you.
Overall, there are a variety of methods that can help an artist achieve their first 10, 000 plays. As difficult as it is for a track to gain wider traction in today’s world of short attention spans and widespread self promotion, it is possible with dedication and planning. Telling a story around your release and connecting with other artists and creators is key, and it is always important to think outside the box while remaining authentic.
Written by Jacob Saltzberg
Written by Avinash Singh
JJ is an artist you need to discover a few months back and since then he has kept us hooked on his new release and here he is back again with his new project. He offers splendid music, undeniable quality, and a poetic world that it is rare to find nowadays.
We will keep from sticking a precise genre his musical universe that has unique artistic research and large influences from rock to acoustic elements, passing by cinematic atmospheres. His single ”If I Say So’ fights the generalization and contextualization of music into singular non-expansive genres.
We fell in love with his sound, from the first notes itself, and his opus contains unique bangers built over soulful melodic instrumentals, and chill vocal performances.JJ’s flow is appealing from start to finish and combines hip-hop melodies as well as laid-back rapping.
“If I Say So” will make our whole season, and probably the rest of the year. The weird thing is that we can’t even describe it with ‘normal’ words’. We’ve tried until we realized it was impossible.
We understand why it is called ‘If I Say So’ after all as it seems that simply the artist is just saying it with all the fascinating rhythm and this beautiful track is built automatically. The song needs to be savored and reached the folks who enjoy great music.
ROUNDHOUSE MUSIC 