Always gracefully walking the line between supreme creative power and global topical poignancy, UAE producer and artist Sarah R Jay drives along a particularly heart-breaking and thought-provoking pathway this season, with the intensely bold and beautiful EP STREETS OF GOLD.
Music
Though loyalty appears to be a fading attribute of contemporary society, BOOZ refuses to lower the bar. His music is rooted in the values that raised him, and as such, his blending of determination and principle continues to inspire and engage with listeners far and wide.
For modern hip hop fans, emo kids, indie pop and electro lovers – CATHEDRAL is a gem of an album to lose yourself within. While the scene feels overwhelmed with half-assed efforts and AI-generated stories and songs, Kross Irwin brings a level of personal realism, talent, effort, emotion, and originality, and this album celebrates those qualities over and over.
Heavy old school hip hop with a boldly distinct vocal, riff, and realism – Jhaos brings the calm and the chaos in unison, energizing and inspiring, with the unignorable anthem Keep it Moving III.
In continuing to embrace the organic power and soulful presence of instrumental, ‘unplugged’ music, it becomes all the more clear how important it is to find a way to differentiate yourself creatively – without sacrificing the warmth and wonder of what great music truly is. In my view, cinematic and classical composer JX Levinson has achieved exactly that, with the changing pace and uplifting beauty of an impressively unique Weight Of The Hours.
Introducing a huge indie anthem, with a slick groove and unignorable bassline. KAISER meet creatively somewhere between soul, rock, and the big brass bands of the festival world. Gloria is a sensational and timeless single, released in the Spring but all the more warming as a go-to tune this coming winter.
An exciting indie duo, Summerhouse write with a sincere and rather poetic sense of realism and reflection. Excuse My Issues is everything its title implies, but so too is the band name, and the resulting sound is a strangely enchanting fusion of summertime lightness and conceptual, emotional weight.
An intoxicating fusion of gritty late-night techno and the melodic, choir-like flavours of exotic songwriting and catchy jams – DJ Rukhlove delivers a boldly infectious, fast-paced beat, bass and vocal combination, for the unmistakable Toi.
Slick and stylish original indie rock, great riffs and an ambient undertone, with snappy and sharp yet evocative vocals, gentle and poignant all at once. Tizane blend the vulnerability of singer-songwriter reflections, with a rhythmic and addictive edge of anthemic outcry, for the naturally striking Change For You.
Following dreams and delivering the calm, contemplative vibes required to highlight a clear love for making music, J.Con brings together five smooth hip hop and RnB songs, for the aptly-titled EP Late Nights.
When creativity, passion and modern production tools meet to make the perfect storm. Sybilanta is a fictitious modern artist, presented to you by way of a rather sensational EP of original songs.
Big country rock vibes and bold, expressive vocals with a fast-paced, long-form writing style – Bianca Joulianou lights up an energising new side of country, with the strong riffs and self-reflective realism of Bad Routine.