Jordan Maye ft. Rebecca Soul – “The Puppeteer” (Song Premiere)

Jordan Maye

Today is a great day to share the new single from Jordan Maye that takes classic rock and symphonic elements, and builds on a modern indie singer-songwriter foundation layered with Maye’s powerful vocals. “The Puppeteer” features guest vocals from Rebecca Soul, and showcases a sound similar to Foxy Shazam paired with the classic rock leanings of The Rolling Stones.

If you’re enjoying the new single, please consider streaming Jordan Maye’s music here.

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EVRO – “Ninth Gate” (Video Premiere)

EVRO

Today I’m thrilled to bring everyone an early look at the latest single and video from the electronic pop and post-punk project known as EVRO, called “Ninth Gate.” The single comes from EVRO’s debut self-produced LP, EVRO1, and the artist shared this about the new video:

It’s a triumphant yet melancholic exploration of ego dissolution, where transcendence meets introspection. Directed by Nic Seago, the video depicts a liminal time loop at the threshold of transformation, merging internet-age with an indie aesthetic to mirror the song’s cyclical and transcendent nature. I feel like this track is me having positive energy without being corny, I read the entire Red Book by Carl Jung and I was doing a lot of shadow work when I wrote it, I sort of realized that who I though I was, was a collection of memories told  by a specific perspective that wasn’t accurate to reality, and a lot of the things that I felt weren’t even truth in actuality, it was all made up. That was very liberating so that’s why I sing, Things that I used to feel, none of it was true.

If you’re enjoying the new music video, please consider streaming EVRO1 here.

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Record Store Day Black Friday 2025 Preview

CD, Record Store

Record Store Day Black Friday is this Friday and this year’s celebration of indie record stores occurs on November 28th, 2025. With a fresh slate of new vinyl reissues, exciting exclusives, and in some cases, the first pressings of many key titles, the observance comes with a lot of excitement on the biggest shopping day of the year. The full list of RSD Black Friday releases can be found here, but be sure to check in with your local indie record store to see what they will be carrying this Friday. In this preview, I’ll be diving into some of the most sought after releases and offer some tips for newcomers to secure these titles.

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Interview: Run The Riot

Run The Riot

Recently I was able to connect with a high-energy rock band, called Run The Riot, that has a slick punk sound paired with a little bit of a metal edge to their approach to songwriting. In this interview I asked the band members about their core influences, how they formed and wanted to play music together, and a dream concert lineup that they’d jump at the chance of making happen. Run The Riot is Nick Rubright (Guitar), Bradley Klein (Bass, backing vocals), Billy Waas (Drums), Vlad Odiiak (Guitar, backing vocals, production), and Joe Voccia (Lead vocals), and they’re ready for their moment. If you’re enjoying the interview, you can check out all the streaming and related links to the band here.

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Review: Hit The Lights – Tomorrow’s Gonna Hurt

The first new music from Hit The Lights in nearly a decade, called Tomorrow’s Gonna Hurt, is a solid collection of four songs that highlight the band’s slick approach to pop-punk. Released in part as a tribute to their bandmate Kyle Maite, who tragically died in September 2022, Hit The Lights do their best to honor their past legacy while leaving the door open for where they could go next if they continue to march on. The set features two guest spots, the opener has guest vocals from Jay Pepito and the third track features Hit The Lights’ original vocalist Colin Ross. While the band doesn’t cover too much new ground on this EP, there’s still plenty to enjoy in these songs that will hopefully rejuvenate Hit The Lights in making even more new music soon.

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Review: Spanish Love Songs – A Brief Intermission In The Flattening Of Time

Spanish Love Songs - A Brief Intermission In The Flattening Of Time

The latest taste of music from Spanish Love Songs, called A Brief Intermission in the Flattening of Time, is a guest-heavy, moody and reflective romp of well-written songs. The set was collaborated with producer Arun Bali, and each of these vibrant tracks feature a guest artist/friend of the band. On the key song of “Cocaine & Lexapro” that features Kevin Devine, frontman and guitarist Dylan Slocum shared, “I’ve been trying to work with Kevin for a while now. We have a good number of mutual friends but had never met up until this. The reasoning was simple — our band doesn’t exist without Kevin Devine, so when he agreed to sing on a song, he got to sing on a song. He took what I had demoed as an angry, contrarian second verse and turned it into something delicate and full of pathos. It absolutely floored me the first time I heard his vocal tracks dropped in.” By working with four great artists on this EP, Spanish Love Songs reinvigorate their passion for writing songs filled with uncertainty in the days that lie ahead of us, but with a beating heart of hope that things can and will get better.

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The Brokedowns – “Let’s Tip The Landlord” (Video Premiere)

The Brokedowns

Today I’m so excited to bring everyone the latest music video from Chicago punk band, The Brokedowns, called “Let’s Tip The Landlord.” On this great-sounding single, The Brokedowns channel their love for big hooks paired with slick musicianship. The band shared:

Forty-five years after the Dead Kennedys rudely sneered, ‘Let’s lynch the landlord,’ The Brokedowns offer a softer, less pointed, rejoinder—one of reverence over rebellion: Let us pray for the landlord / Let us venerate the landlord / But above all—Let’s tip the landlord. Picking up where Crypto Dave left off in “In Praise of the Pedestal,” we now find him drawn into the mysterious wolf cult first hinted at in the previous episode. Does Dave have what it takes to withstand the trials of passive income? Is he the chosen one as prophesized in the alpha scrolls? Or is he another beta grifter, doomed to an eternity of cuck Lycan worship?

If you’re enjoying the music video, please consider supporting The Brokedowns here.

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Dirty O’Keefe – Heavy Water (Track-By-Track)

Dirty O'Keefe

Today I’m thrilled to bring everyone an exclusive track-by-track by punk band Dirty O’Keefe, for their new EP called Heavy Water. Dirty O’Keeffe was formed in 2020 by Lagwagon’s Dave Raun. Raun collared Stone Sour’s Christian Martucci, Faith No More’s Billy Gould and Steve Shepard from Cali punk crew Trash n Privilege. Looking both to blow away the cobwebs of the pandemic but also bring attention to the hard-working crews impacted by lockdown, the four released “Brick or Bucket” in 2020. If it was COVID that brought the quartet together, it was the friendships that reunited them five years later for debut EP, Heavy Water. The 4-track collection is a gritty & resonating punk rock collection, with a metallic edge and a splash of influence from each member’s full-time group. If you’re enjoying the feature, please consider streaming the EP here.

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Kewl Haze – “Used To Have It All” (Song Premiere)

Kewl Haze

Today I’m thrilled to bring everyone an early listen to the new single from Philadelphia psych rock band, Kewl Haze, called “Used To Have It All.” The two-piece band is Dan Scott Forreal and Derek Sheehan, and this artist is somewhere in the same realm as other bands like Tame Impala and Beck. Sheehan shared about the direction of the music Kewl Haze took on their debut LP, Suburban Sherpa:

’Used to Have it All’ was one of the early songs we wrote for the album. We started demoing this song at my home studio in the Germantown neighborhood of Philadelphia back in 2021 after Forreal and I moved him back across country from LA. The song came together pretty quickly. I started strumming the chords for the verse and chorus, we put a drum beat to it and added bass, synth and lead guitar for the verse/chorus. We pretty much finished the instrumental demo that night. Forreal later laid down a vocal take at his home studio and I loved the direction. The lyrics were about a recent break-up/post break-up bender. The narrative of the song is hilariously devastating and self-deprecating while also poking fun at modern dating culture. We went to Retro City Studios in Germantown and recorded drums and I wrote lyrics and tracked vocals for the bridge. With that, the song was wrapped. We then brought the song for final mixing to Matt Barrick (The Walkmen, Jonathan Fire Eater) and re-amped guitars and added some additional synth and percussion at his studio Silent Partner Studios in Germantown. Matt’s good friend and co-owner of Silent Partner, Quentin Stoltzfus (Light Heat, Mazarin) mastered the track. We are super excited to officially share our first single with the world. Enjoy!

If you’re enjoying the new single, please consider pre-ordering their new record here.

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Interview: Teppei Teranishi of Thrice

Thrice

A couple of days ago, I was able to schedule an in-person interview with Teppei Teranishi of Thrice in Baltimore, Maryland to discuss the band’s excellent new record called Horizons/West. In this interview, I asked Teppei about the writing process of a few key songs on the new LP, the vinyl reissue plans of key albums like The Alchemy Index, and much more. Thrice are currently wrapping up their fall tour, and tickets are on sale here.

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Ruby Sparks – “Here With You” (Video Premiere)

Ruby Sparks

Today is a great day to share the final music video from the Iris sessions from indie pop band, Ruby Sparks, called “Here With You.” Ruby Sparks is the solo project of Jake Sternberg, and he enlisted producer Collin Desh (of LA band Low Hum), Phil Joly for mixing (The Strokes, Lana Del Rey, Daft Punk), and Dave Cooley for mastering (Tame Impala, Spoon, M83) on his new record that released on November 5th. Sternberg shared:

’Here With You’ was the last song written for Iris. I knew the album wouldn’t be complete without a penultimate, bombastic love song that could live alongside the tender, minimal title track. It’s a song about learning to fall in love with both the simple blissful moments as well as the complexity and uncertainty of a relationship. I knew as soon as I wrote the ‘Grey skies of May finally burning to blue’ line that I wanted this image to represent the song and my relationship to my now fiancé, Joanna. Life and love contain similar dualities, the cool somber spring LA mornings that gradually transform into the most gorgeous blue skies you’ve ever seen, or the days where the grey seems to never let go. This song, album, and music video represent the intersection of my relationship and my art, and I wanted to give fans a glimpse into a slice of my life. Massive thanks to Brian Callaghan, who helped bring the vision to life, and to Joanna for hanging out with me while we melted in the sun together for 6 hours.

If you’re enjoying the music video, please consider purchasing Iris here.

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Review: The EXOHs – Light Of The Moon

The EXOHs - Light Of The Moon

Sometimes you discover a band that makes everything else you’ve been listening to seem almost obsolete. I got that exact feeling the first time I heard The EXOHs vibrant single called “Soarin'”, that ended up being my favorite song released all of this year. The band, which is comprised of Chris Canberg & Michael Perdichizzi, is well on their way towards making a name for themselves on this shimmering collection of four songs known as Light of the Moon. Music is intended to make us feel one thing or another, and The EXOHs latest music makes me feel like anything is possible. With a sound that fits somewhere in the same realm as The Fray, Goo Goo Dolls, and Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness, The EXOHs have taken the next dramatic leap in their artistic development on Light of the Moon.

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