Album: Sea Lions – Another POP! Music 
Single: Delilah Wood – take my hand 
Single: murdermart – LOSER 
Album: Sea Lions – Another POP! Music
The long-awaited second LP from the Oxnard group is brimming with rich vocal harmonies, vivacious instrumentation, pop charm, and tunes for days.
Single: Delilah Wood – take my hand
Wood’s vocals took me off guard in the best way possible; her vulnerability in her delivery makes it clear that this is personal to her from the heart, and you can truly hear her longing. “take my hand” creates a quiet suspense around you, the listener pulled into her longing, waiting alongside her while you hope she gets what she wants from that person and herself.
Single: murdermart – LOSER
Slightly-sludgy alt-indie with massive harmonies and anthemic musical statements stem from a positive turning point in murdermart’s tenure as a band.
EP: Funds For Jimmy – tell someone you love them
The LA band’s first release in two years is a love letter to their community, reflecting the energy of their live shows and the emotional ups and downs of their music.
Single: Hinged – Face Meet Concrete
Hinged brings a refreshing punk energy to the Liverpool scene with ‘Face Meet Concrete’, a really catchy track that perfectly balances humor with some seriously great songwriting.
Single: Quichenight – Sentimental Heart Attack
Nashville twang and Atlantic Coast summer come together for a preview of what’s to come from the bedroom pop master’s new album, Waterville & Surf.
Single: Fuzzy Feelings – Pledge of Allegiance
109 seconds of scuzzy, fuzzy pop rock from ex-Gross Relations frontman Joey Weber, full of unmistakable personality and punky, lo-fi individuality.
Single: Faker – Nightmare’s Coming Back
“Nightmare’s Coming Back” opens up quietly and turns into a chaotic ride that announces Faker still has plenty left to say.
Single: Asha Wells – Gift Horse
“Gift Horse” refuses to sit still, drifting through slow, jazzy psychedelia before snapping into fast drums, then drifting right back again, and somehow it all feels like one seamless thought.
EP: Kouskous Heaven – Unusual Saints To Pray To
Kouskous Heaven will tickle parts of your brain that are usually left untouched.
Single: Me You Us Them – It’s Really Nothing
Melancholy shoegaze/space rock music that isn’t afraid to kick at your speakers and make your average nihilist swallow his gum about the future of rock n’ roll.
Album: Carlos Moralez – Field Notes
On an album that defies genre, LA’s Moralez reveals years of research on love and death in meditations, confessions, and reflections.
EP: Lizet Aviva – Lizet Aviva
Nestled comfortably somewhere in-between indie, folk and jazz, Lizet Aviva’s new EP is a versatile artistic triumph that is as powerful as it is vulnerable.
Single: Chasing Dreams – Back Home
“Back Home” starts with fast drums and gritty guitars, bringing plenty of energy from the start. Underneath it all, there’s a sense of home and longing that gives the song its emotional pull.
Single: Randle Browning – Love You/Hate This
Raw, unpolished vocals and a simple acoustic guitar carry “Love You/Hate This” a song about loving someone while feeling like you can’t fully be yourself around them.
EP: Laila Smith – Something Dreadful Is Going to Happen
Channeling the stages of grief into music doesn’t come easy, but Laila Smith blends jazz, pop, and experimental influences to examine grief from all angles.
Single: ELROD – Howl
ELROD’s “Howl” grabs you fast with gritty guitars playing lush chords that connect right away, paired with clever little arpeggios that give the song extra texture. The vocals are the real standout here, clear, crisp, and almost raw sounding, like you’re hearing them live. They’re bold and full of personality, driving the song up and down, getting louder and more powerful in intense moments, then pulling back to something softer and more intimate right after.
Lyrically, the song feels like someone that’s caught between fear and honesty, falling down, begging to stay, and realizing they’re chasing something that was never meant for them, like howling at a moon that isn’t theirs. That mix of hope and hurt matches the way the vocals move through the song.
The drums stay slow and steady, keeping the whole track grounded while everything else builds around it. The song also moves through different sections, giving the song its own sense of flow and movement instead of being rigid.
The best part is the guitar solo near the end. Everything gets more intense right there, and the background vocals join in, wrapped in reverb and other effects, giving that moment a huge, almost otherworldly feeling. The engineering of the vocals and instrumentals throughout the mix is excellent, with delay and reverb used in all the right spots.
“Howl” is a bold, emotional and unique song that keeps building until it gets to it’s peak.
Single: The Human Hearts – Still In Error
An anthem in waiting, Still In Error is a potent combination of parts bolstered by rock n roll pedigree and invaluable indie rock experience.
Single: muti – blood
Heavy distorted guitars and tight, catchy drums drive “Blood,” while soft, dreamlike vocals float above the noise, creating a sound that feels both beautiful and unsettling.
