Discovering the new music underground around the globe
Soul/Review Gianfranco GFN - SUNSHINE "And I Had a Dream"
Gianfranco GFN has been part of the Groovy Acid-Jazz scene since the 1990s. However, the career of the Italo-Swiss, born in October 1966, dates back even further: a self-taught guitarist, composer, and producer, he gave his first concert at the age of 15, and his first vinyl dates back to 1984. A regular on the underground scene, this jack-of-all-trades is adept in both jazz and rock and stands out particularly in smooth jazz, in Switzerland, Europe, and even beyond.
Rock/Review The Mars McClanes - Until You Lose
Fresh from the studio with a new wave of electrifying tracks, The Mars McClanes are redefining indie rock. This band, with roots in Dallas, TX, has carved out a sound that's as unpredictable as their journey. They stumbled upon their unique style when faced with an unusual booking predicament early in their career at a well-known country bar. The band had signed on to play four hours of music that night but didn’t have any country songs in their catalog.
Rock/Review West Wickhams - Vivre Sa Vie
West Wickhams are Jon Othello and Elle Flores, a psyschedelique Garage Noir Deux peace, originally from Tresco on the Isles of Scilly. Tresco is famously the island of lost souls and is home to subtropical plants and shipwrecked figureheads. They recently relocated to Richmond, Surrey, where the creatures rule. West Wickhams are an imagined rival gang to punk-style icons the Bromley Contingent.
Rock/Review Kelsie Kimberlin - We Are The Promise
Kelsie Kimberlin is an American-Ukrainian musician and singer. Her work is not only accessible and entertaining but also steeped in important social themes and dual meanings, underscoring her deep understanding of the power of creative music to evoke change. From an early age, Kelsie immersed herself in music, singing in choirs, participating in Yoko Ono’s Peace Project, and spending much of her childhood in music studios working on an endless stream of original songs.
Rock/Review Koalra - Something Fails
Fusing the fuzz-fueled guitars and loose rhythms of acts like Dinosaur Jr. with the experimental soundscapes of artists such as Sonic Youth and The Cure, Koalra is an emerging indie rock band who recently moved to Portland from their native Chicago. With their latest release, Koalra have once again upped their sound with a darker and more epic tone with their album titled “Disasterclass.”
Hip-Hop/Review Da Hipster - Hundreds On Hundreds
Da Hipster followed in the footsteps of other Memphis rappers, bringing a sinister charm and imposing rap skills to songs of confrontation and intensity. Da Hipster emerged in 2020 with a series of snippets and online tracks that hinted at the versatile style he came to develop, one that blended elements of emo rap and trap influenced by Three 6 Mafia, Gucci Mane, and Lil Wayne with the energy of punk and metal inspired by Slipknot and Blink-182.
Rock/Review Ian Dencker - When Stars Collide
Ian Dencker is a singer-songwriter who lives in Sydney, Australia. A former chorister, Ian, found some moderate success with his song "Gloria Patri," which won the John Lennon Songwriting Contest. Lately, Ian has been focusing on writing more contemporary music, including a number of new songs written during the Sydney Lockdown. His aim is to write music with a heartfelt message that the listener can relate to.
Ambient/Review Mortal Prophets - GUITARWORKS
GUITARWORKS presents a decalogue of soundscapes molded in the hands of John Beckmann, a consummate artist whose love of the visual bleeds through every note and texture. Like the ambient treks of Aarktica (Jon DeRosa), Beckmann turns the spaces between us into songs of vibrant connectivity. What sets these journeys apart is their circularity: destinations and points of departure are one and the same.
Pop/Review Arrow Santi - Sanctuary of Serenity
Arrow Santi, a rapper out of Long Island, NY, delivers an energy-filled chorus’ with melodic, carefree verses sprinkled in between. Even though Arrow has gone through pain and trials in his personal life, he usually expresses happy, upbeat energy in most of his releases. Arrow displays a variety of different moods and emotions in his songs. In songs like Lotus Dreams, he showcases energy-filled vocals with an aggressive melody. While in other songs like Not Happy and 19 Arrow uses a much more relaxed tone and decides to use more extensive lyrics throughout the single.
Country/Review Backstrom - The Journey (feat. Bart Topher)
Backstrom is a Swedish independent songwriter in the genres of country, folk, and rock music. After a long break from music, he had a creative year and wrote a lot of songs in the winter of 23. Then he spent the rest of the year producing them, and he will release his debut album, "The Carousel," on January 18.
Rock/Review Gary Dranow - Jimi's Song
The band's formation is a story of musical passion crossing geographical boundaries. Gary Dranow, based in Park City, Utah, joined forces with Chris Zoupa from Melbourne, Australia, and Jason Jones from Springville, Utah, to create a sound influenced by the likes of Jimi Hendrix and Stevie Ray Vaughn. Their music, enriched by personal experiences and a diverse range of influences, spans genres like blues rock, alternate rock, and hard rock.
Rock/Review Natalia Quest - Inversion
Natalia Quest is a singer-songwriter born in Russia and currently based in Los Angeles. She combines genres such as progressive rock, symphonic metal, nu metal, dark wave, alternative rock, industrial, classical, and electronic. Her genre has no analogs; she's an innovator and knows how to embody complexity and sophistication that reflect her old soul. Natalia has been writing songs for years, and in 2023 she felt mature and ready enough to share her worldview and depth with the world, so she released multiple old singles as well as new ones.
Rock/Review SVYNX - Harvest Season
Meet the dynamic musical force that is SVYNX, a rock music duo at the cutting edge of sonic innovation. This electrifying duo, characterized by intricate rhythms and offbeat time signatures, infectious pop hooks, high-octane energy, and futuristic electronic elements, brings a fresh and exhilarating experience to the world of rock music.
Electronic/Review William Sanford - Deep Mollusca
William Sanford is an eclectic, avant-garde, ambient, and electronic musician from the Northwest Indiana/Chicagoland area.
Rock/Review Mike and Mandy - Caught The Bug
Mike and Mandy are a married indie duo based in Los Angeles. Both performing artists, Mandy can be seen in the St. Vincent movie “The Nowhere Inn" as a member of St. Vincent’s extended family, and Mike may be best known as a businessman caught air-drumming to Rush in a Volkswagen Jetta commercial.
Rock/Review Underdog - Trans Global Amnesia
Underdog is a band from Boston playing supersonic alternative rock. Formed in 2013 by Scott Ferguson (guitar, bass, drums, and vocals) and Bryn Carlson (lead guitar, drums, bass, and vocals), they have been joined onstage by Aram Heller (bass) and Harry MacKenzie (drums). Bryn and Scott shared the songwriting duties and released their first album, Ether Dome, in September 2020. Scott and Bryn have known each other since the early 1980s, when Bryn moved to Boston from the Washington, DC, area.
Folk/Review Backstrom - Animal (feat. Bart Topher)
Backstrom is a Swedish independent songwriter in the genres of country, folk, and rock music. After a long break from music, he had a creative year and wrote a lot of songs in the winter of 23. Then he spent the rest of the year producing them, and he will release his debut album, "The Carousel," on January 18.
Electronic/Review Lakeside X - Love Disappears (Remixes)
Lakeside X are a synthpop band based in Prague, Czech Republic. Their sound has been compared many times to acts like Mesh, De/Vision, or even Depeche Mode. Over their history, the band has released three albums and established themselves on the electronic scene. Fans of the band may be found all across the world, from their home country of the Czech Republic, Poland, Germany, the UK, Russia, and the USA, to even countries like Argentina.
Blues/Review Gary Dranow - I'm a Man
Gary Dranow and The Manic Emotions are a rock band known for their energetic performances and unique sound. Blending influences from various rock legends, they create music that resonates with fans across generations.
Pop/Review ALIA - I'm Getting Off
As a nonconformist, ALIA has sustained an unvarnished, striking outlook in their work. Staying true to their word of honesty, free spirit, and love for this world. The queer, androgynous, non-binary musician is a child of this world, a child of the universe, and wants to take that step forward and open the door into the realms of their heritage, culture, love, and who they are for all to see and hear. Represent unity in diversity.