Darius Christian - Volcano

Volcano - Darius Christian (Pop) We’re getting some serious John Legend vibes with the latest track from Darius Christian, “Volcano.” It’s an expertly mixed production, centering the soaring tenor vocal which at times dips both into some bass/baritone as well as some rap flow, displaying some real versatility. While boasting a modern production, there’s definitely a retro vibe with some motown sensibility here—it feels very much in the family of Legend’s “Used to Love U”—which gives this pop track an element of timelessness. With an infectious warbling bass lead and a crystal clear production, Darius Christina’s “Volcano” is a real tub thumper.

Best Lyric: “These wings are of good use when you play with that voodoo.”

D-Terence - Singing (LaLaLaLa)

Singing (LaLaLaLa) - D-Terence (Rap) Propelled by faith, D-Terence arrives with his positive vibe midtempo bop “Singing (LaLaLaLa)”, a track all about having faith that all doubts will resolve and that you will climb to the top of your mountain. The track is underlaid by a seductive salsa guitar and matching percussion, with a booming 808 hitting you in the chest as a chorus of children sing the “lalala” chorus. Cutting through all of that is D-Terence’s rapid fire flow, Twista-esque at times, casting optimism and faith as the way to overcome. Dancey and peppy, this feel good number will be sure to get your shoulders shimmying.

Best Lyric: “It’s all about the journey because there’ll be moments when you think you don’t deserve it.”

Shannen Bamford - Hallucinate (cover)

Hallucinate (cover) - Shannen Bamford (Pop) Shannen Bamford strips down Dua Lipa’s “Hallucinate” for a funk-inspired cover. Keeping the groovy bass line and an upbeat tempo, with the help of producer Uri Kleinman, Shannen centers her vocal with some delicious and ethereal layering and sprinkles in some tight, punchy percussion with some cutting crisp snaps. As a result, Shannen turns a spin around the floor pop anthem into more of a toe tapper, with a sound that reminds us a lot of the kind of production Madonna was doing in the Music era (say, songs like “Don’t Tell Me”). Overall, Shannen and Uri deliver an inventive take just as catchy as the original.

Wyoki - Hot Damn (El Camino)

Hot Damn (El Camino) - Wyoki (Pop/Alt Rock) Wyoki delivers an infectious little earworm with groovy “Hot Damn (El Camino)”, a song about feeling yourself. In “Hot Damn”, Wyoki’s simply cruising the neighborhood in his El Camino feeling like he’s hot shit—simple as that. The production utilizes some 80s synths, gated drums, warbling guitars and a distorted delayed vocal, giving an alt rock kinda feel injected with a lot of quirkiness. The hook is incredibly catchy and we found ourselves singing along to it, as well as humming it hours after first hearing the track. “Hot Damn (El Camino)” feels prime for commercial licensing and sync opportunities, and we can certainly hear it as part of a movie soundtrack. We loved this one.

Best Lyric: “Hot damn, I am, such a pretty little man.”

Michelle Lockey - Why Don't They Choose Me?

Why Don’t They Choose Me? - Michelle Lokey (Alt Folk) Michelle Lokey pulls no punches in the vulnerable “Why Don’t They Choose Me?”. The guitar led track, part of a special project that abandons commercial concerns in favor of raw emotion, feels like the alternative chart toppers of the 90s, possibly an album track from a Sheryl Crow project. The song is incredibly lush, which adds weight to the melancholy imbued in the record. Michelle’s self-esteem battles are on full display as she laments her being underappreciated, discounted and rejected by the world around her. There’s beauty in the sadness, and certainly a relatability factor as everyone has certainly felt this way at some point in their lives. This is a track for when you’re stuck in your feels.

Amanda Holley - Press Play

Press Play - Amanda Holley (R&B) Amanda Holley is reviving that classic R&B sound with latest track “Pless Play”, showcasing some soulful vocals over a crisp percussion production with 90s inspired synths and keys. The track straddles midtempo and dance, as the ambience is quite groovy while the thudding of the kick adds that “turn up” element. There’s a “pregame before hitting the clubs” feel to the track. The vocals are rich and centered in the record, clearly chock full of inspiration from some of the greats. Overall, we place the track in a very Kelly Rowland vibe, with some Mariah worthy harmony punches and a touch of Ariana in the top adlibs. Rich, warm and soulful, Amanda is delivering R&B at its finest.

Best Lyric: “Leave the world behind us and turn up and turn out.”

J-Luv Da Prince - Trance II

Trance II - J-Luv Da Prince (Rap) J-Luv Da Prince takes you on a journey with latest track “Trance II”, a record about embracing truth and not dismissing it when it presents itself. The production is a dreamy affair with a retro hiphop vibe encased in a midtempo groove. A reverb laden horn sets the sonic identity of the track, casting a hazy atmosphere as J-Luv’s sharp vocals cut through with lyrical cleverness that made it hard for us to choose our favorite line below. Drenched in analog fuzz, it’s feels like a roaring fireplace, and we recommend this track for your chill vibes playlist.

Best Lyric: “Open your eyes and realize that death is a disguise.”

Proklaim - ALIVE

ALIVE - Proklaim (Rap) Our final Proklaim track in today’s triad release, ALIVE, highlights something we’ve come to expect from the artist—clever lyrics with a clear point of view. The track, like VAMOS, feels like a samba, and takes his message of positivity internal, serving as a pep talk to keep himself motivated and hone his craft. As always, Proklaim is the picture of drive, claiming that no one can “stop what is meant to be” from him. With his firehose of output to his consistently expert production, matched with this positive attitude towards success, we have no doubt he will get to where he wants to go. For us over on this blog, he’s already arrived.

Best Lyric: “Time to switch gears like clutch.”

Proklaim - VAMOS

VAMOS - Proklaim (Rap) Next up in our triple feature from Proklaim is the positive vibe of VAMOS. Over a horn heavy beat with a plucky percussion arrangement, Proklaim raps messages of living life to the fullest, making every day major, moving forward and generally keeping your chin up and your shine set to bright. Though we certainly thought PERMISSION was a danceable number, this one takes it up a notch, and it’s one we could see the kids on TikTok being all over. Clocking in at just under 2:30, Proklaim leaves us wanting more, as you can’t help but move to this one. We recommend he get this track to the social media of a dance studio and catch a viral wave.

Best Lyric: “Third eye’s working overtime.”

Proklaim - PERMISSION

PERMISSION - Proklaim (Rap) The prolific Proklaim gives us a triple feature today, as he continues to astound us with his consistent output and creativity. This straight up hip winder is one of our favorites, including the delicious and smooth vocal layers we’ve come to expect, driven forward by a tribal influence in the production. The track has a Fugees/Lauryn Hill vibe, part of a series of songs that include a fusion of Afro and Amapiano beats. Boasting clever lyrics, a chill vibe and a very danceable beat, PERMISSION feels primed for editorial playlist placement.

Best Lyric: “Funny how you can turn a puppy into a beast.”

Cris Cain - Power Up

Power Up - Cris Cain (Rap) Cris Cain returns to the scene with bumpin new track “Power Up”, following feature appearances on Fatboy Izzo, DJ Wavesz and Mr. Papers records, among others. Topically, the song is straight down the middle hiphop—Cris is the shit, the ladies love him, the guys want to be him, period. The musical boast is delivered over a rumbling 808 that rattles the bones as the crisp trap snares and hats keep the tempo. Cris’ flow is melodic, blending well into the production to make it a real sing along. We recommend this one for the car ride to the club, it’s a real ‘turn up’ kind of track and will definitely power you up before hitting the scene.

Best Lyric: “Everywhere I go gotta watch my back for the heat.”

Corio - Don't Run

Don’t Run - Corio (Rap) Corio is giving everything he has and is pleading you not to leave in his latest track “Don’t Run.” With a rich baritone/bass vocal that contains a pleasing reedy timbre, Corio is backed by a soulful verbed guitar loop and some crisp snaps, centering the track on his vocal layers and harmonies. The production is sparse, using a dense reverb to fill the space behind Corio’s words, which are the most important part of the track. The song shines for its vulnerable lyrics, devoid of cliche, as the swirling instrumentation evokes the mental state of someone who’s about to lose their everything.

Best Lyric: “Don’t take my feelings wrong it’s hard to talk I say it wrong.”

Adam West - Where Did She Go

Where Did She Go - Adam West (Dance) Adam West blasts into the scene with the thudding “Where Did She Go”, a slamming dance track that elevates sidechaining to a whole new level. The track literally pulses like a heartbeat, the heavy kick pushing everything else in the production out of the way when it slams in. With sudden drops outs and restarts, the track is explosive—it’s the musical equivalent of a firework. On top of the heavy production, we’ve got a catchy earworm of a melody in the chorus, where Adam abandons the distorted robot voice of the verses to soar into the rafters. This is a drink in the air while spinning on the dance floor kind of cut.

Best Lyrics: “When we were kids we were best friends.”

Haawa - wake me up

wake me up - Haawa (R&B) Haawa delivers a slinky R&B record with the bass driven “wake me up”, a follow-up to her debut single “Recalibrate”, which was featured on Apple Music’s After Hours playist. Beginning with a soulful guitar, the song is quickly dominated by an all consuming, rumbling bass, on top of which the lilting soprano of Haawa floats. The contrast puts Hawaa directly into your ears, intimate and close, as the NY-based singer slips her lyrics into the subconscious. The track gives us the feeling of a Jazmine Sullivan number, powerful and hypnotic, with some synth moments reminding us of some early 2000s Timbaland productions. With a track like this, we think we could be dealing with 2024’s version of Tweet.

Best Lyric: “Did you think you owned me?”

The Screaming Pope - Neon Heights (LP)

Neon Heights (LP) - The Screaming Pope (Chillwave) Lush and brooding landscapes are painted with the latest release from The Screaming Pope, the broody and relaxing “Neon Heights” LP. Described by the artist as “a challenging but rewarding listen,” we can only agree with the second part, as this collection of sonic appetizers is as easy to slip into as a warm bath. We dig into the production and vibes below, with emphasis on some of our favorite tracks on the album.

But first, a little about the artist. The Screaming Pope is fronted by George Bolton, a former music video assistant and veteran of the Rhode Island, Chicago, Boston and New York music scenes since the early 80s. George began crafting his latest release in 2020, which has garnered some South American and European airplay. Recorded in his home studio in Boston, the project is that of one man band—production, engineering and even cover art are all generated by George.

Boasting a healthy 14 tracks, “Neon Heights” clocks in at the 30 minute mark, with most tracks lasting no more than 1-2 minutes in length. That’s because very few of the numbers follow the classic song structure. In fact, we’d say only “Movie Star”, “When The Beat Drops”, “Me Gusta” and “I Want You” fall into the standard verse, chorus, bridge template. And that’s because, above all, “Neon Heights” is an album about atmospherics. It’s a vibe first album, with the use of vocals often being that of additional instruments in a carefully constructed soundscape.

That sound, with a few departures, mostly sits in a chillwave, down- and mid-tempo brooding R&B genre, broken up with the occasional house/dance record and latin infused “Me Gusta.” The vibe that “Neon Heights” generates is that of a rainy day coffee shop, which means that so much of the gold on this record is primed for chillwave playlists.

The production throughout is flawless. Instrument separation, depth and movement abound throughout each of the numbers, resulting in delectable morsels of moods. It’s a straight through listen, assisted by a well thought out sequencing that has the tracks easily handing off the baton from one to the next. There’s a variety of vocal features throughout, male and female, including some hiphop/rap verses. “Neon Heights” is consistent, yet eclectic, highlighting a myriad of musical influences.

Our favorite track is the album opener “Movie Star”—a broody track about yearning for the affection of someone The Screaming Pope deems superior to all. With a foreboding bass and atmospheric keys, the track reminds us a lot of Kiiara’s “Gold” in its overall vibe. The vocals shine throughout, conveying the pleading nature of the track, delivering some beautifully crafted and memorable lyrics.

“When The Beat Drops”, which along with “I Won’t” bring a 90s house/dance vibe to the album, feels very Robyn, specifically her “We Dance To The Beat” from the acclaimed 3 part “Body Talk” project. We also have a soft spot for album closer “The Battle”, featuring a female vocalist addressing and adversarial relationship that only lead to her growth and success. Some excellent lyrics here as well, and we almost wish this one extended into a longer track.

Alesandra Pollack - Deep End

Deep End - Alesandra Pollack (Pop) Alesandra Pollack is sending an SOS to her friends and family in “Deep End”, pleading for help as she battles life’s turmoil. The track is brooding and melancholy, while at the same time keeping a pop/dance center. Alesandra’s strong vocals roll in like a storm, reaching heights as the track progresses into richly layered vocal walls and a soaring melody. The vocals come from the soul on this one, and the gravity is doubled when she’s joined by the wailing guitar in the outro. Though the track was written when Alesandra was only 17, the song has a weighty maturity to it in the lyrics, albeit imbued with the emotional angst we all felt at that age. With “Deep End”, Alesandra opens a conversation on mental health battles by letting us into her own struggles.

Best Lyric: “Started as a joke, ended with a dare.”