Can’t Stop is a new single from Junior Love, a pop singer/songwriter and poet based in Monroe, LA. This smooth boppin’ jam has a warm analog quality and features lively vocals. Groovy guitars and a relaxed beat provide the backdrop for Junior’s emotionally expressive voice. You can feel the vivacious energy in this song, which Junior casually describes as “your body’s very own chemical reaction to the feeling of love,” clarifying that often times it isn’t really love but “infatuation,” and “a state of limerence.” Whatever the vibe, Junior lays it all out there, as this song is filled with melodic passion. Musically, it has a very carefree 90’s feel to it. Similarly, his other release Do Ya (not to be confused with Outkast’s Hey Ya) is described as a “90’s inspired garage house track.” It has that subtle tape hiss/noise, which accentuates the retro ambiance. The light and funky backing music and casual atmosphere combine with Junior’s dynamic vocals which bounce around like a cool superball. This is a fun tune that isn’t shy about showing a little sincere affection. Both of these tracks are a prelude to his upcming concept album, 10 Hours to Mexico.

For more info:

Memories is a new single from Trevah, an up and coming hip hop artist who was originally born in Windhoek, Namibia. Having grown up in Ontario and spent time in Toronto, Trevah began rapping when he was just 8 years old. His other primary interest was basketball. “I used to be like Kobe in high school,” he says, looking back on his playing days. As far as his musical pursuits, He made his first beats and started recording at the age of 13. “I got my mom to buy some equipment and then I started recording real heavy, in my room, when I was like 16. I was just playin’ with it.” His first mixtape The Road to Glory was released in 2017 and racked up over 100,000 streams on Soundcloud. Trevah’s unique sound was influenced by his formative experiences in Toronto at a young age. “My first time out of town – when I was like 12 or 13 – was Toronto. So that was like when first Drake came out, Lil Wayne was doing his thing, all the those rappers was on something I kinda attached myself to that in middle school.” Trevah claims that he gets a lot of attention because of his unique style; “A lot of people say I got my own sound. I ain’t never really got no comparisons. When people hear my music, they be like, ‘He got his own lil sound.’”

His new single Memories speaks for itself. You can tell he really has spent a lot of time fine tuning his recording skills, because the mix is crisp and clear, and the sonic qualities are just very pleasing to the ear. He’s not afraid to put his voice out front, and his delivery is solid enough to carry the song. The track is enhanced by strategically placed backing vocals and a synth driven back beat. Memories is a surprisingly moving and sentimental song, lyrically blending elements of nostalgia, family, love and ambition. Quietly powerful, this jam is professionally put together and hovering just under the radar, ready to be found.

For more info:

https://linktr.ee/Trevah

Trappin’ After Sunset is a new full length album from hip hop artist, Dre Da Playa. What’s uniue about Dre Da Playa is that he doesn’t rely on presets, samples and drum machines. Rather, he actually plays instruments (guitars and drums) to create the beats himself. As you might imagine, this results in a very exotic and organic sound, with the backing music taking on a refreshingly groovy and ethereal feel for a hip hop release. Dre has a relaxed and laid back delivery but still cranks up the gears every now and then to rhyme at an impressive pace. The songs are generally upbeat and cultivate a casually chill vibe. What I find most impressive about Trappin’ After Sunset are the distinctive and atmospheric song intros. Musically, they set the mood for the album’s “after dark” ambiance, with The Flow being my favorite example. Dre also demonstrates some solid rhyming chops, particularly on the track Crush Tonight. Overall this album is a decent release with good songwriting and a capable performance. The artist gets bonus points for creating the backing music the old fashioned way, which not only enhances the sound but lends the album an authentic personality.

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Titanic is a new single from artist, Shalom Kolontarov. To say “artist” is an understatement. This guy is an Actor/Singer/Producer/Director and all around performer extraordinaire. His song Titanic is a memorable and avant garde “instant classic,” with the potential to go viral if a video is made for the track. The song is done in a spoken word, performance art style with a light musical backing and subtle hip hop vibes. Not just a gargantuan metaphor, this jam is literally about the Titanic (the actual ship) as Shalom (speaking as the character Jack) relays a brief version of a story loosely borrowed from the plot of the 1997 film. He meets Rose on the Titanic and she agrees to pose nude for him because he wants to “sketch her naked body.” Jack ends up having sex with her and decides he wants to marry her. Subsequently he dies when the ship hits the iceberg, while she survives. That’s it. Now people can just listen to this jam and won’t even have to sit through a three hour movie. Shalom’s deadpan delivery is highly effective, and his accent definitely adds something to the ambiance. I think people would go wild for a live performance of this. It’s totally worth the price of admission.

For more info:

https://www.shalomstopics.com/

where is logii? is a new album from Niskayuna based artist “Love, Logan.” The album has a delightfully organic feel to it, with the groovy intro giving off some folkish, psychedelic vibes. Subsequent tracks blend a variety of genres, incorporating elements of pop, hip hop and synth to create a very experimental and avant garde ambiance. Both artistically unique and approachable, these songs can be appreciated by a broad spectrum of the population. There really is a ton of instrumental versaitility on display here. In every track we are introduced to new, unexpected sounds in the mix (and sometimes even new voices). Some songs are quiet and meditative, while others have enough of a beat to venture into the realm of danceability. All in all, where is logii? is an intriguing and enjoyable release.

For more info:

https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_mUVxF86E8dItljEwyXgA9-N5dzschwiw0

152 is a new single from Pacoima (Los Angeles) based pop band, Kinda Maybe. The video for this jam contains some impressive vaporwave animations, making for a colorfully ambient, retro-futuristic viewing experience. As for the song itself, it’s pretty straightforward synthpop, which manages to take some surprisingly creative twists and turns along the way. Experiments with alterations in the speed of the recording correspond with the song’s lyrics (which utilize “speeding up and slowing down” as a metaphor). Maybe it’s just me, but I think “Kinda Maybe” is a very marketable group. They have a memorable name and slick aesthetics. 152 is a decent and catchy pop song that grows on you with each subsequent listen. There’s something worthwhile here.

For more info:

https://www.instagram.com/kindamaybeofficial/

LIVE FULLY is a new single from indie artist, Zelinen. The song is upbeat and spiritually motivational. One can’t help but experience a feeling of momentum generated from Zelinen’s straightforward and unabashed words of encouragement. Her positive mental attitude beams at you like a ray of sunshine, all throughout this humble and pleasant little recording. The synth driven backing music is delightfully quirky and just makes you feel happy, ready face whatever life throws at you. Zelinen has a strong natural singing voice that projects well and comes through with crystal clarity. If you’re feeling unsure about yourself, this song might be just the uplifiting experience you need to reaffirm your potential to live a fulfilling and spiritual life.

For more info:

Papi is a new album from New York based, Dominican hip hop artist Slakpapi. The album has a very distinctive, funky, sometimes dreamlike sound. In fact, the opening track is actually titled Funky. A good way to describe the ambiance of the intro song is that it’s like listening to an ethereal conversation going on in someone’s head while they’re playing an old school video game. One of the strongest tracks on this release is Sanctuary. In this mini masterpiece, Slakpapi demonstrates he has real skills, demonstrating an impeccable sense of timing and razor sharp delivery. It’s also somewhat refreshing that he’s willing to sing naturally at times without a ton of processing and autotune, and his voice gets the job done just fine. Sanctuary is delightfully melodic and extremely catchy. In my opinion it’s the song with the most potential to score a hit. There’s a surprising amount of versatility on these recordings though, as the artist experiments with all kinds of different song formats, pacing, effects, delivery styles and backing music. No two songs sound quite the same, but all are fun, lively and ocassionally feature memorable titles like Lambo Swervin’. Papi is both an entertaining and respectable album. There’s ample talent on display here.

For more info:

iTunes: https://music.apple.com/us/album/papi/1499399772

Rebirth is the debut album from artist/composer, Juan Sánchez. The tracks are largely piano-driven but often incorporate strings and other instrumental sounds, creating an atmosphere of quiet intensity. Emotionally evocative, the music elicits feelings of sadness and solitude, while maintaining a subtly uplifting and deeply engaging ambiance throughout. Artistically, the expression is off the charts. You can just feel the passion in these recordings. Heading to Dreamland and Arctic Solitude are two tracks to me which stood out as particularly powerful and both feature memorably climactic moments. From a technical standpoint, Juan is a very proficient piano player, and everything is very delicately crafted. This guy is a veteran musician and really knows what he is doing when constructing these compositions. Rebirth would make an excellent soundtrack to any film which deals with quietly dramatic emotions and thought provoking material. If I had to characterize the “mood” of this album I’d say it reminds me of the feeling of being outside just after it rains.

For more info:

https://juansanchezmusic.info/

Superficial is a new single from Magazine Gap, an alternative pop-soul band based in London. The song is supposedly the “sister song” to (and filmed in tandem with) another release, titled For the Ride. We’ve covered releases from this trio a few years ago, and it’s great to see that these guys are still going strong.

As far as this latest release goes, if I look hard enough I can usually find something worthy of praise in just about any recording, but in this case I don’t even have to look at all. The music is flawless from start to finish by nearly every objective metric. The guitars stand out immediately as being very precise, and you can hear every note in its delicious detail. “Tone” is a subjective element, but the guitar tone on this track is warm, and soulful. It achieves what most guitar amp enthusiasts and tinkerers would characterize as “the holy grail of vintage tones.” The vocals are also outstanding, probably the best singing I’ve ever heard from what is technically an “indie” band. The vocals don’t sound stereotypically British to me though, which is interesting. If you heard this song randomly you might actually assume this was an American band. (I personally would never have guessed that two of the members apparently grew up in Hong Kong.) Like the guitars, the keyboards’ elaborate melodies are meticulously performed, while the drums provide a clean and light rhythm to serve as the backbone of the song. Topically speaking, Superficial is a sentimental jam which deals with themes like relationship honesty and transparency. The lyrics are laid out in a simple and “matter of fact” fashion (“Let’s put it out there baby, and set the record straight” is an actual line from the song). All in all, Superficial qualifies as another stellar release under this band’s belt. These guys are true music professionals.

For more info:

www.magazinegap.com
www.facebook.com/MagazineGap
https://open.spotify.com/artist/5DQ1x74w9oOScteXOyV0Jm