Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: LutchamaK Returns with Hypnotic “Side of Town”

French electronic music producer and JOVM mainstay LutchamaK continues to be restlessly prolific, contributing “Side of Town” to a compilation released by Mexican electronic label, Brown Traxx Recordings. Clocking in at a little over 5:30, “Side of Town” is a breakneck, no bullshit and no chaser bit of techno that’s specifically designed to get asses to the dance floor, while being anchored around a hypnotic, irresistible groove and his long-held unerring knack for meldocism.

“Side of Town” builds on constant tension but is roomy enough that its individual elements — the shimmering synth melody, the driving groove, the vocal sample and skittering beats can breathe on their own.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: Lolabelle Shares Anthemic, Mosh Pit Friendly “Limb”

Buxton, ME-based indie rock band Lolabelle can trace their origins back to the summer of 2024, when three neighbors– Caroline Homer (vocals, guitar), Kurt Fedora (bass) and Gene Gill (drums) — met in their backyard and bonded over a shared love of 1990s alt rock. This meeting of the minds, bought together an unlikely pairing of musicians: Fedora has recorded with J Mascis and Dinosaur Jr., Mark Lanegan, Gooblehoof and a lengthy list of others — and is a grizzled national touring circuit veteran; Gill, is a music educator and saxophonist with a background in both classical music an jazz; and Homer, a former opera singer and late-in-life guitar player.

That casual meetup quickly became a vehicle for Homer’s songwriting and the trio would regularly sneak into the dusty, unfinished basement of their apartment building to jam. When Robert Samantha‘s and God’s Furniture‘s Stephen Bennett (lead guitar) joined the band, the quartet quickly established a sound that’s bittersweet, deeply visceral and cathartic yet fun and full of driving energy while making the rounds of the Portland, ME area live music circuit, including Blue Portland Maine, The Apohadion Theater, The Portland Club, Hey Sailor! and the Starboard Lounge, Hi-Fdelity Brewing, Fogtown Brewing Company, DIY shows and more.

The band went to the studio to record their debut EP, which is slated to drop sometime this month. The EP will be supported with a planned Northeast tour, too. In the meantime, their debut single, “Limb” is a melodic bit of indie pop that channels 90s alt-rock like Veruca Salt, Dinosaur Jr, Letters to Cleo and the like, complete with the classic, alternating quiet verses and loud hooks and fuzzy, distortion pedaled power chord-driven choruses. It’s a fun, mosh pit friendly party starter of a tune that can light up a room.

Video by William Ruben Helms

New Video: Velatine Returns with Brooding, Trip Hop-like “Playing With The Orbits”

Melbourne-based songwriter and producer Loki Lockwood is the creative mastermind behind the darkwave/goth recording project Velatine. For the bulk of Velatine’s history, Lockwood collaborated with different vocalists while crafting a unique and fresh take on the familiar and beloved darkwave/goth sound. 

Last year’s “Till Death Do We Art” saw Lockwood collaborating with Nocturna. Lockwood discovered Holly Purnell through an Instagram ad. Purnell collaborated on “Oh See Me — The Siren,” and while working on that song, she joined as the project’s full-time vocalist.

Released in April, “Whisper Park,” the first Velatine with single with Purnell as a full-time member was a change in sonic direction, showcasing a more forceful goth and doom-like direction. Their latest single, “Playing with the Orbits” is a return to form featuring Purnell’s siren-like delivery over a broodingly atmospheric and glitchy production that seemingly draws from trip hop, industrial electronica and darkwave.

Written five years ago, “Playing with the Orbits” is inspired by Bianca Devins and her unfortunate murder. As Lockwood says, “her story shook me, and if you know the story, then the lyrics reveal its underlying complexity. It’s a song about her murder, it required sensitivity in its delivery. I didn’t see her naive, she was intelligent, creative, an individual, but sadly missed that this was coming. She was exposed and became a target, A song that somehow waited for Holly to express all of this.”

“Bianca was 17 when killed by an obsessed man, who she met online. Referred to as an ‘E-girl’ by the media, she was hardly that,” Lockwood continues, In her teens she had struggled with anxiety, depression and the net had been an escape where she had bonded with others with similar struggles. She worked hard to resolve her own personal issues, finished school and planned to study psychology.

“In her case, her killer spread photos of the aftermath on social media that exploded her into ‘stardom.’ Hardly an influencer, just popular and likable online, she had about 2,000 followers on Instagram when her short life ended. Within days of her murder though, that number had risen to more than 160,000. Incel groups were the main perpetrators spreading the pictures, also sending them to family members with vile messages, such as ‘She deserved it’,”says her mother Kim Devins. “Bianca was everything they hated. She was a really smart girl, very pretty; a lot of guys liked her. She was also intuitive and aware. She recognized grooming in her online community and had helped a lot of girls get away from some dangerous situations.”

Had she got this attention when she was alive surely she would have used it to warn others, but sadly she missed the signs herself. We all crave to be liked, but like her, most of us are happy to expose ourselves to others we don’t know. Innocent normal behavior right? Well it should be, but it’s also about what happened after she was killed that triggered the song. One of the last ‘brag’ posts her killer made was ‘You’re going to have to find someone else to orbit you fuckers.’

Her murder was a carefully planned and executed affair by someone who wanted to maximize their own notoriety. His images were seen, spread and celebrated by an online community of ‘Incels,’ who called her killer ‘a legend.’

There is plenty on-line if you want to dig deeper and so no need for me to say more except read the lyrics and hear Holly’s performance, the story is there,” Lockwood explains in a statement that includes some repurposed and edited material from articles written by Anna Moore, which appeared in The Guardian.

Video by William Ruben Helms

New Video: she’s green Returns with Gauzy “close your eyes”

Minneapolis-based outfit she’s green — Zofia Smith (vocals), Liam Armstrong (guitar), Raimes Lucas (guitar), Teddy Nordvold (guitar) and Kevin Seeback (drums) — specialize in crafting dreamy soundscapes that transport the listener to scenes of soft summer rain and fields of swaying wheat, infused with raw emotional intensity. 

Their debut EP, 2023’s Wisteria saw the band establishing an honest and exploratory songwriting process, as well as reputation for being a force in the world of sonic surrealism. They supported the EP with tours across the Midwest and East Coast with Hotline TNT, Friko, JOVM mainstays Glixen and a list of others. 

Last year, the Minneapolis-based quartet signed to New York-based Photo Finish Records, who released their Henry Stoehr-produced sophomore EP Chrysalis. The EP included  the Souvlaki-era Slowdive-like “Graze,” and the Sundays-meets-A Storm In Heaven-like “Willow.” 

Building upon a growing national profile, the Minneapolis-based outfit will be releasing their newest effort, swallowtail EP on July 10, 2026 through Photo Finish Records. The EP will feature the previously released “mettle,” a decidedly  120 Minutes-era MTV-like bit of shoegaze and dream pop, the gauzy “paper thin” and the EP’s latest single “close your eyes.”

Much like “paper thin,” “close your eyes” is a gauzy and slow-burning tune that seemingly channels Souvlaki while evoking a slow descent into deep sleep. Smith’s ethereal and yearning voice dissolves into the shimmering and swirling guitar textures, which adds to the overall vivid dream-like feel of the song.

“‘close your eyes’ is about a mysterious person who kept recurring in my dreams,” she’s green’s Zofia Smith explains. “In those dreams, we shared a life together by the ocean. Waking up and realizing they weren’t real left a lasting impression on me, leaving me wondering about our connection to our dreams, how my mind could have created this person, or if I knew them in a past life.”

Directed by Jaxon Whittington, the accompanying video for “close your eyes” is shot in a sepia-toned blue ad recreates elements of the dream that inspired the song — with a life at the sea while Smith sings directly at the viewer, and an unseen figure of her dream person.

Video by William Ruben Helms

Throwback: Happy 70th Birthday, Richard Butler!

JOVM’s William Ruben Helms celebrates Psychedelic Furs and Love Spit Love frontman Richard Butler’s 70th birthday.

Video by William Ruben Helms

New Video: Alewya Shares Cinematic Visual for Dancehall-like “Maktoub”

JOVM mainstay Alewya is an acclaimed London-based singer/songwriter, producer and visual artist. Her highly-anticipated full-length debut, ZERO is slated for a June 26, 2026 release through Because London Records. The album reportedly embodies years of artistic growth into an effort that’s both deeply personal and sonically expansive. But the album also marks a significant milestone, as it sees her boldly stepping into a new creative era, defined by fearless experimentation and cultural fluidity. 

ZERO will include the previously released “Night Drive,” feat. Dagmawit Ameha and “City of Symbols,” “Eshi,” the Busy Twist-produced “Selah” and its fifth and latest single “Maktoub.” Anchored around dancehall reggae riddims, skittering industrial trap triplets, “Maktoub” continues a remarkable run of genre-defying and sweaty global club music that’s expansive yet urgent, accessible yet forward-thinking and remarkably catchy. Over the song’s dancehall riddims, the JOVM mainstay’s reggae-influenced vocal sings lyrics that touch upon themes of resistance, destiny and self-determination that are fiercely feminist and defiantly pro-Black and pan-African. 

The song features a sample from legendary Ethiopian singer/songwriter Teddy Afro, which was chosen by Alewya for sentimental reasons, as several generations of Ethiopans and Eritreans have listened to him growing up, much like she did.

“Maktoub,” which derives its title from the Arabic word “it is written,” reflects ZERO‘s recurring themes of faith, instinct and roots woven throughout. Led by feeling, rather than prescribed formula, “Maktoub” showcases the JOVM mainstay’s intuitive creative process in which rhythm and emotion guide the music before lyrics. “Sometimes songs take time to reveal themselves but ‘Maktoub’ felt immediate and effortless from day one,” Alewya says.

Directed by Lee Trigg, the accompanying video for “Maktoub” was shot in Afar, Ethiopia and follows the JOVM mainstay and a crew of friends riding motorcycles across the plains — and running. The video captures Alewya as a magnetic, carefree presence.  For the video, Alewya and the local filming crew flew two hours from the nation’s capital Addis Ababa and then drove eight across the country to reach the region, camping and hiking through its volcanic landscape along the way.

Afar lies at the junction of three tectonic plates — the Arabian, Nubian and Somali — and is one of the hottest and lowest places on the planet, where temperatures regular exceed 122º F with the land sitting at 410 feet below sea level. Despite the extreme conditions, the nomadic people of Afar have developed an unparalleled knowledge of survival and a fiercely independent culture. Historically, the Afar people have resisted colonization by neighboring empires and European powers.

“Afar is where my worlds meet — where three tectonic plates converge; Arabian, Nubian, Somali,”  says Alewya. “It is the birthplace of humanity, and a land where a new ocean is forming beneath my feet. The Afar people are warriors who have lived on their own terms for centuries, and the women carry a grace that makes me feel close to God. For ‘Maktoub,’ with Teddy’s vocals blessing the track, it felt right to create from the closest place to the beginning.”

Video by William Ruben Helms

New Video: Tokyo Tea Room Shares Mesmerizing and Shimmering “Eyes Off You”

Last year’s full-length debut, No Rush saw the rising Margate, UK-based outfit Tokyo Tea Room quickly establishing a sound and approach that takes listeners on a journey within a tender, comfortable bubble. Their music is inspired by lived-in, human emotions while thematically exploring longing and the ephemeral nature of existence. The album eventually led to millions of monthly listeners across the DSPs and a sold-out North American tour, helping the band amass a rapidly growing global audience.

The Margate-based act have new music coming that will reportedly see them entering a new chapter that sees an evolution of their sound that remains rooted in the emotional depth that the band has begun to be known for. The rising British act will return to North America for a fall tour, supporting their new material. The tour includes two NYC area dates — October 13, 2026 at Music Hall of Williamsburg and October 14, 2026 at Bowery Ballroom. Check out the rest of the tour dates below.

In the meantime, the rising outfit’s latest single, the Daniel James Elliott-penned “Eyes Off You” is an atmospheric, mesmerizing and hook-driven, sophitispop-inspired bop that features Beth Dunn’s yearning vocal ethereally floating over shimmering synths, Nile Rodgers-like guitar and a supple yet propulsive bass line. “Eyes Off You” captures the desperation and delusion of an all-consuming obsession, describing the inability to let go, even when it hurts.

Directed by Jacek Zmarz and starring Anders Hayward, the accompanying video for “Eyes Off You” is a cinematically shot fever dream that follows Hayward as he expressively dances in series of surreal yet gorgeous locales.

Video by William Ruben Helms

New Video: Mouth Ulcers Return with Shimmering, Hook-Driven “Space”

Formed last year, London-based outfit Mouth Ulcers — Zak Watson (vocals, guitar), Josephine Rose (guitar, vocals), Jamie Lee Culver (bass) and David Zbirka (drums) — are part of a new generation of dark post-punk that’s actively reshaping the genre into something urgent, youthful and intoxicating.

With the release of last year’s “Western Horror Story” and “A Perfect End” the British quartet quickly developed a sound that they’ve playfully dubbed as “music for vampires to dance to” — i.e. brooding, groove-driven and irresistibly cool.

Recently, the rising British outfit made their live debut with sold-outs the UK and The Netherlands, And building upon a growing profile, the band signed to LAB Records, who will be releasing the quartet’s highly-anticipated debut EP, Silent Pictures on July 10, 2026. The EP reportedly sees the band firmly cementing the sound that has received praise from The Line of Best Fit, So Young, Rough Trade and Louder Than War, as well as airplay from BBC 6 Music‘s Lauren Laverne, Chris Hawkins and Steve Lamacq, BBC Radio 1‘s Daniel P. Carter, KEXP and Radio X, a blend of Joy Division, The Cure and Bauhaus, built on melodic bass lines, wiry guitars and cavernous baritone vocals.

The EP will feature the previously released “Prevail” and its latest single, “Space.” “Space” is a brooding yet hook-driven and dance floor friendly bit of goth-inspired post punk that sounds like it draws from Echo and the Bunnymen and The Cure. The band explains that, “‘Space’ explores how nostalgia can feel like both a physical presence and a permanent loss. Something that’s a common theme across the whole EP, seeing how the past is a part of you but you have to leave it behind to survive.”

Directed by the band, the accompanying video for “Space” continues a run of visuals that seem indebted to 120 Minutes-era MTV. complete with footage of the band playing the song is a haunted and extremely British forest at night and a ton of double exposure-based footage.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: The Afghan Whigs Return with Sultry “Jungle Roux”

JOVM mainstays The Afghan Whigs —  currently Greg Dulli (vocals, guitar), John Curley (bass), multi-instrumentalist Rick Nelson and the band’s newest member, Blind Melon’s Christopher Thorn (guitar) — will be releasing their 10th album, Soft Control on August 21, 2026 through Royal Cream/BMG.

Soft Control is reportedly a testament to the old David Bowie quote, where he describes aging as “an extraordinary process, where you become the person you always should have been.” By now, the volatile years of frontman Greg Dulli’s youth have been substituted with a wry and self-aware, Zen Buddhist-like satori. The edge and sensitive temperament remain but the unchecked conflagration of ego and rage no longer threaten personal immolation.

“I’ve worked hard on my inner peace,” Dulli explains. ““I was an angry young man, and it fueled my art, ambition and my drive. I wouldn’t change anything because I can’t.  But as I got into photography and other art forms, I realized that I’m not in competition with anyone – including myself. Now, I know what I’m doing and there’s a quiet confidence that comes with being able to back it up.” 

The band recorded 22 songs for the album in session s at Joshua Tree, CA‘s Fireside Sound, New Orleans‘ Marginy Studios, East Hollywood’s Gold Diggers Sound and Cincinnati’s Sycamore Studios. Several favorites were cut because they didn’t seamlessly fit into the album’s taut 37-minute run time. The album features guest spots from former drummer Patrick Keeler, vocalist and violinist Petra Haden, My Morning Jacket‘s Bo Koster and a list of others.

Soft Control reportedly captures the JOVM outfit’s long-held ability to craft material that can effortlessly bounce between and mesh arena rock anthems with brooding, cubist refractions of soul and R&B. The album has its Afghan Whig-style bangers — because Afghan Whigs after all. But there’a reconciliation of ear drum shattering volume and somber reflections, living life with joy and purpose while keeping one eye on the clock, while remaining aware of life’s absurdities.

The album’s latest single “Jungle Roux” is a sultry bit of R&B and soul-tinged rock with phased out guitar twang that sounds a bit like a synthesis of “Gimme Shelter,” Dr. John, and Motown, and evokes a woozy, sweaty and desperate craving. It’s arguably the album’s sexiest, song to date.

Video by William Ruben Helms

New Video: Glimmer Shares Hazy, Summery “Someday Sunshine”

Last year, New York-based grungazers and JOVM mainstays Glimmer — Jeff Moore (vocals, guitar), Jaye Moore (drums), Johnny Nicholls (guitar) and Kevin Dobbins (bass) —released their Jeff Berner-produced full-length debut Get Weak. The album included The Colour and The Shape-era Foo Fighters-like “Dissolve” and the  Dinosaur Jr.-like “Been Down.”

The JOVM mainstay act’s latest single “Someday Sunshine” is the first bit of new material since Get Weak, and the single marks an shift in sonic direction for the band, showcasing a more melodic, dream pop-inspired sound while retaining their unerring knack for pairing catchy hooks with rousingly anthemic, power chord-driven choruses. But just underneath the mosh-pit friendly choruses, the song is underpinned by a bittersweet melancholy, seemingly fueled by the fact that summer will pass and leave you longing for those warm carefree days.

The accompanying video for “Someday Sunshine” was filmed by Digital Awareness and edited by JAM features the band performing the song and reddened in layers of psychedelic colored, VHS tape haze and hiss.

Following multiple tours across the US and Europe, the band will play a June 5, 2026 stop at TV Eye. They’ll head down to DC for Telepathic Windows Fest, before going across the pond for a July European Union and UK tour. Check out all tour dates below.

Video by William Ruben Helms

Video Interview: Hush’s Paige Barlow and Miles Dupire-Gagnon

JOVM’s William Ruben Helms chats with Hush’s Paige Barlow and Miles Dupire-Gangon about their recently released “For Dolly” and more.

Video by William Ruben Helms

Throwback: Happy 84th Birthday, Curtis Mayfield!

JOVM’s William Ruben Helms celebrates the 84th anniversary of the birth of Curtis Mayfield.