Tag: New Audio

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: Shabazz Palaces Returns with New Wave-like “Tongue In Chic”

Seattle-born and-based emcee, musician, producer and JOVM mainstay Ishmael Butler has spent the better part of the last three-plus decades, exploring the outer edges of music: In the early late 80s, he co-founded the pioneering, Grammy Award-winning hip-hop trio Digable Planets, who released two landmark albums, 1993’s Reachin’ (A New Refutation of Time and Space) and 1994’s Blowout Comb, toured with Sade — and are still touring today. Butler is also the founder and creative mastermind of the JOVM mainstay act Shabazz Palaces, which released the experimental and highly influential debut, 2011’s Black Up. And with Shabazz Palaces, the Seattle-based artist has continued to push sonic and stylistic boundaries over the course of seven albums, including 2014’s Lese Majesty. 

Butler’s exemplary tastes, verve and unique talents have led to collaborations with Flying Lotus, Thundercat, George Clinton, Clipping., Battles, Onoehtirx Point Never, Animal Collective and his own son, Lil Tracy. He has also collaborated with filmmakers Khalil Joseph and Hiro Murai, and design work with Toronto-based multidisciplinary artist and fellow Black Constellation member Nep Sidhu. And with Shabazz Palaces, Butler has toured with Radiohead, TV On The Radio, and Ms. Lauryn Hill. 

The Seattle-based artist’s eighth Shabazz Palaces album, the Butler and Erik Blood co-produced, 10-song It’s a Style Sport is slated for an October 23, 2026 release globally through Sub Pop. The album, which marks the first batch of new material from the JOVM mainstay since the release of sibling mini-albums, 2023’s Robed in Rareness and 2024’s Exotic Birds Of Prey is reportedly a bold, forthright and heavy-hitting album. Throughout the album’s runtime, the Shabazz Palaces creative mastermind compiles what he’s learned from his storied and dense career into a playful, shimmering portal, yet again proving himself an artist of chameleonic ambition, fueled by curiosity, courage and a boundless imagination. 

Recorded at Brooklyn’s Circular Ruin Studios, Lake View Studios and Seattle’s Hall of Justice Studios, the album will feature guest appearances from Marquette Miller, Thaddeus “Thadillac” Turner, Evan Flory-Barnes, Gerald “Tugboat” Turner, Kassa Overall and Carlos Overall. The album was mastered by Warren Defever at Detroit’s Third Man Mastering. 

Its a Style Sport will include the woozy “Ahh World (I Won The Alpha Bet)” and the album’s latest single “Tongue In Chic.” “Tongue In Chic” is an 80s-styled New Wave-meets R&B bop that sounds as though it could have been recorded sometime around Chaka Khan’s 1984 smash hit cover of Prince’s “I Feel For You,” or as part of the Prince/Minneapolis sound while Butler humorously reflects on his dating life: He starts off with a tale of a relationship that quickly got off on a good foot before going quickly awry and controlling. After seeking a new girlfriend with whom he’d do the prerequisite relationship things, he meets a woman who says she’s a chef but hilarious, she doesn’t own utensils and has a messy kitchen. She’s fine as hell; but it ends with some craziness — and the search for another new, girlfriend.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: JOVM Mainstay Elisapie’s Ethereal Take on The Cranberries’ “Dreams”

Acclaimed Salluit, QC-born, Montréal-based singer/songwriter, musician, actor, activist and JOVM mainstays Elisapie‘s fourth album, 2023’s Inuktitut features inventive re-imaginings of songs by Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Blondie, Fleetwood Mac, Metallica and more, with the album being an act of cultural re-appropriation that reinvigorates the poetry of these beloved songs by placing them within Inuit traditions.

Through the album’s 10 songs, the acclaimed Montréal-based artist tells her story, while offering its songs as a loving gift to her close knit community. But the album is also a testament to the power and remarkably universality of pop music and an ode to the experiences, memories, places and people, who have shaped us.

Recorded for the CBC, APTN and Netflix original series North of North, “Sinnatuumakka (Dreams)” marks the first bit of new material since 2023’s Inuktitut and sees the acclaimed Inuk artist translating and adapting The Cranberries‘ beloved smash-hit 1992 song “Dreams” into her mother tongue. While retaining the familiar and beloved melody of the original, Elisapie’s rendition of the song is a slightly slowed down, more ethereal take that pulls a yearning, escapist thread out to the forefront.

“It’s a song that really resonates with the Inuit world,” says Elisapie. “In the North, it’s cold, and life isn’t always easy. That’s why dreams take on a special place. They’re a way to escape and imagine something else.“

North of North‘s second season, which includes episodes featuring the acclaimed Iunk artist and her new song will launch globally on Netflix later this fall. Set in the Canadian Arctic, the show’s second season sees Siaja (Anna Lambe) still making bold decisions and even bolder mistakes in her effort to level up her life and prove she’s ready to take charge as winter closes in on the Ice Cove community. “It was very moving to see Siaja’s character open up and dream throughout the episodes,” Elisapie says. “This series allows us to dream, and I think the Inuit need that.”

Elisapie was invited by Red Marrow Media and Northwood Entertainment, North of North‘s production team to take part in the show’s second season, which was filmed earlier this year in Iqaluit, NU and Toronto. In addition to making a cameo, she can be seen performing “Sinnatuumakka (Dreams)” and “Arnaq.”

“During the shoot, there were times when I wasn’t sure if it was reality or fiction,” says Elisapie. “And I was lucky enough to share this experience with my band!”
 
“When we wrapped, Elisapie played a couple more songs just for the crowd so they could enjoy a performance without having to hold back their reactions,” say Stacey Aglok MacDonald and Alethea Arnaquq-Baril, North of North’s co-creators and executive producers, and founders of Red Marrow Media. “She dedicated a song to any residential school survivors in the room, and there wasn’t a dry eye. There are a few hundred Inuit who will carry that experience with them for the rest of their lives, us included.”

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: Quantic Shares Vibey “Subterráneo”

Will Holland is a British-born, New York-based producer, composer, multi-instrumentalist and DJ best known as Quantic. Emerging from the UK’s alternative dance scene of the early 2000s, Holland’s career features work that connects electronic production and beatmaking with soul, funk, jazz, and Latin music through recording, DJ’ing, collaboration and relentless create-digging.

Holland’s relocation to Colombia in 2007 marked a transformative chapter: He immersed himself in the country’s rich musical traditions, which led to collaborations with musicians across Latin America, as well as several different projects including Quantic Soul Orchestra, Flowering Inferno, Combo Bárbaro and Ondatrópica.

Currently based here in New York, Holland continues to combine vintage recording techniques, live musicianship and contemporary production to create music that’s rooted in the past, but specifically made for the dance floor.

Holland’s latest Quantic single “Subterráneo” is his first release on Play It Again Sam since 2024’s Dancing While Falling. “Subterráneo” is a warm, vibey blend of electronic music, melodic house and nu-jazz built with skittering beats, glistening and oscillating synths paired with a driving bass line. Evoking a rainstorm hitting on a window or a roof, “Subterráneo” reminds me a bit of Octo Octa‘s Between Two Selves.

“It brings together disparate fragments that swirl and swarm to create an emotional journey,” Holland says. “Through an organic approach, I wanted to hint at machine elements and human interactions through a collage of arpeggios and drifting sub tones.”

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: Nouvelle Vague’s Breathtakingly Gorgeous Cover of Depeche Mode’s “A Question of Lust” feat. Beth Hirsch

Founded by Marc Collins and the late Olivier Libaux back in 2003, Nouvelle Vague was initially conceived as a one-off tribute to post-punk songwriting in a Bossa nova style. 2004’s self-titled debut, which saw them establish their unique fusion of melancholy post-punk, Bossa nova and French re-interpretational approach, unexpectedly achieved global acclaim. Since then, Nouveau Vague has become a global phenomenon.

Their 10th album, A Date with Depeche Mode is slated for an October 30, 2026 release through Kwaidan Records/[PIAS] Recordings. And as you can probably tell, the album sees the French outfit tackling the work of pioneering British electronic outfit Depeche Mode.

A Date with Depeche Mode will include the previously released “Never Let Me Down Again” feat. Brazilian artist Flavia Coehlo, “Only When I Lose Myself” feat. Mélanie Pain, and the album’s latest single “A Question of Lust” feat. Beth Hirsch. Originally released in 1986, the original is a slow-burning and atmospheric tune that balances entirely on the edge between desire vulnerability. For Nouvelle Vague, there was one choice that felt inevitable to interpret the song — Beth Hirsch, whose voice is an integral part of Air‘s ironic Moon Safari and has been etched into the collective memories of an entire generation.

Hirsch’s imitable vocal, which expresses yearning and vulnerability with an achingly wistful quality, ethereally sways over an acoustic Bossa nova arrangement of guitar and accordion. Simply put, the Nouvelle Vague rendition is a cinematic, breathtakingly gorgeous take.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: 50/50 Shares Punchy and Anthemic “Memories Linger”

Archival label Light in the Attic will be presenting the work of 50/50, a wildly prolific and talented British pop duo finally poised to get their due — nearly half a century after their inception. Formed back in the late 70s, 50/50 was the studio project of Richard Haines and David Cowlees, whose unique blend of irresistible synth-forward pop and classic 60s British songwriting with thoughtful, imaginative lyricism should have propelled to the top of the charts — and to be household names. Instead, due to a variety of circumstances beyond their control, they never received the promotion or attention they deserved.

Drawn from a trove of more than 150 recordings made between 1979 and 1985, Memories Linger will be the British duo’s first-ever studio album, introducing the act through 12 songs — of which were previously unreleased. Slated for a December 4, 2026 vinyl and digital release, Memories Linger was newly mastered by multi-Grammy-nominated engineer John Baldwin and will include a wealth of archival imagery and photos from Cowles’ and Haines’ personal collections, along with new liner notes by London-based broadcaster and writer Charles Donovan. Designed by Darryl Norsen, the LP edition will feature a 12-page booklet.

The story of 50/50 is, at its core, about a deep and abiding friendship — one forged in the late 70s between multi-instrumentalist Richard Haines and vocalist David Cowles during informal jam sessional a Reigate, Surrey, UK-based studio. Along with a love of 60s and 70s rock, the pair shared a keen interest in the era’s evolving electronic instrumentation and the emerging sounds of synth pop and New Wave. By the start of the 80s, they settled into a comfortable songwriting partnership. calling themselves 50/50. The name, writes Charles Donovan, “worked on multiple levels, reflecting the democratic split of the songwriting partnership but also the friendship [and] its qualities of support.” 

While both men maintained successful careers — Cowles is in real estate and Haines in AV — and were busy with their young families, they dedicated several nights a week to writing and making music. “The sheer joy of Dave and I coming up with music in my studio was fantastic,” recalls Haines. Working with an array of synthesizers including the Korg Micro-Preset and Korg Polysix, the duo settled on their sound. “You can hear the different threads of the pair’s diverse influences—from prog to rock, singer/songwriter to synth-pop—coming together to form a singular and distinctive fabric,” Donovan notes. “David’s crisp, imaginative lyrics…[and] Richard’s intricate music—sometimes bright and uptempo, but just as often haunting and coolly mysterious—evokes an array of moods. It’s the perfect partnership.”

With the encouragement of Genesis manager Tony Smith, the duo continued their songwriting and in 1982 signed a publishing deal with Bocu Music, the then-home of ABBA, Colin Bluestone and Johnny Logan. There, the duo released a handful of singles including 1982’s “Memories Linger”/”Just Can’t Win,” and 1983’s “Talk Too Much”/”I Saw The Future.” But they repeatedly ran into creative differences with producers and often found themselves unsatisfied with the final masters. Despite positive feedback from industry heavyweights and the press, as well as several high-profile writing opportunities, the duo struggled mightily to gain a foothold. By 1985, after a string of frustrating setbacks, their musical ambitions were somewhat thwarted, but their friendship continued.

More than 150 recordings sat unheard for decades. In the subsequent years that followed, encouraged by their grown children, Haines and Cowles sought to regain control of their work. A 2024 Record Collector article featuring the duo caught the attention of US-based writer Mike Sacks, who then reached out to Light In The Attic founder and co-owner Matt Sullivan, who was immediately taken with 50/50’s music, eventually leading to the December release of their first-ever album — a thoughtfully sequenced collection of 12 songs written over the course of their musical career, and produced exactly as they intended.

Currently Haines runs a successful, East Sussex-based photo restoration business while the Isle of Wight-based Cowles is a retired hotelier. But thanks to the renewed attention on the 50/50, the longtime friends have returned to the studio together for the first time in decades. And yet, the memories of their heyday remain among their most cherished.

“Dave and I had something incredibly special going on,” says Haines. “Yes we worked hard up in my studio but above all we had the most fun, the biggest laughs and the best friendship which led to magic happening. Dave and I have always believed so strongly in the songs we created and are hugely proud of our body of work.”

Cowles adds, “Before I met Richard I was in a very dark place and I hate to think where I would be now if our paths hadn’t crossed. Much of our music was created during those difficult times. I believe that due to his kindness, friendship and, most of all, amazing musical ability, we have produced this stunning body of work. We are still sifting through ideas we recorded some 45 years ago with as much enthusiasm now as we had then. The only difference now is I can honestly say I’ve found a lifelong friend and soulmate.”

Along with the album announcement, the duo and Light in the Attic have shared Memories Linger‘s first single, album title track “Memories Linger.” Sounding a bit like a seamless blend of Split Enz, The Buggles and The Kinks, “Memories Linger” is a punchy anthem that showcases thee duo’s ability to pair incredibly catchy hooks with thoughtful, lived-in lyricism and seemingly effortless craftsmanship.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: Yari M Shares Breezy “Adicta”

Yari M is a Carolina, Puerto Rico-born singer/songwriter and pop artist, who blends elements of Latin pop, Afrobeats and urban rhythms into a unique sound of her own. Her debut EP, 2020’s Yo Soy introduced her fearless energy, with EP track “Freshy” getting attention through a remix with Randy Nota Loca and Brray. The Puerto Rican artist appeared on Randy Nota Loca’s 2021 effort, Romances de Una Nota, 2021 Vol. 2 as the only female guest artist to appear on the album.

2023’s “Está Lloviendo” was her first Billboard-charting single. And adding to a big year, she launched her label Black Diamond Music and opened one of Miami‘s first Dolby Atmos studios.

Building upon a growing profile, the Puerto Rican-born, Miami-based artist’s highly-anticipated full-length debut Momentos, which will include “Últimta Vez,” a hit in Venezuela and “Sin Ti,”which reached #1 in the Dominican Republic features songs that explore joy, heartbreak, nostalgia and celebration.

Momento‘s latest single “Adicta” is a hook-driven blend of Latin pop, reggaeton and Afrobeats built around an an atmospheric production featuring squiggling bursts of funk guitar, skittering polyrhythmic beats and glistening synths beneath the Puerto Rican-born artist’s yearning delivery. While being a much-needed breezy and summery blast on a dreary and damp fall afternoon, “Adicta” is simultaneously club and lounge friendly — but at its core it captures the wooziness, the desperate longing of a new love.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: London’s The Filthy Six Shares Mournful “911 Blue (For George)”

London-based, Grammy Award-winning trumpeter Nick Etwell has worked with an electric and varied list of music legends and superstars including David Axelrod, Beck, Roger Daltrey, Foo Fighters, Noel Gallagher and Tom Jones, as well as a decade-plus long stint touring with Mumford & Sons. Over the years, Etwell has leaned heavily into his deep and abiding passion for Black American music, working with Carla Thomas, Ronnie Spector, Mavis Staples, Cyril Neville, Fred Wesley, Jill Scott, Thee Sacred Souls, Antibalas, Jon Cleary and Adrian Quesada.

Along with his busy schedule as a highly-sought after session player, Etwell is the founder and leader of the soul jazz outfit The Filthy Six, an act that features a collection of highly accomplished members who have worked with Amy Winehouse, Jack White, Dionne Warwick, Mark Ronson, Robbie Williams, Jamie Cullum, Duran Duran and Madness. The London-based sextet has released three albums on UK label Acid Jazz back in the 2010s, while firmly cementing themselves as one most authentic soul jazz acts in the UK — and as one of the most eclectic live acts in the UK scene.

Sonically, the London-based sextet take the blueprint of legendary Blue Note and Prestige Records artists Lou Donaldson, Grant Green, Jack McDuff and others and add a bunch of modern influences to the mix, giving the classic soul jazz sound a bit of a modern sensibility and flair.

Etwell and company’s fourth album Return of The Swagger Junkies: Vol. 1 is slated for a November 27, 2026 release through Color Red. Throughout the album, their unique blend of soul jazz, funk blues and Boogaloo present musical adventures for the mind, body and soul — with a heavy dose of filthy, nasty ass funk. Trust me here, we all need a little bit of that stank in our lives, y’all. The album will also feature guest spots from longtime collaborator Snowboy on percussion.

Return of The Swagger Junkies: Vol. 1‘s first single “911 Blue (For George)” is a hauntingly gorgeous, and mournful composition that seems to channels the despair and anger of Billie Holiday‘s rendition of “Strange Fruit” that reflects on the senseless brutality of that horrible day and of a life snuffed out — on television.

Written as a tribute to George Floyd following his tragic death in Minneapolis, the composition was originally released as a standalone quartet recording featuring Snarky Puppy’s Bill Laurence. But for the subtly reworked rendition, Etwell wanted to capture the greater weight and emotional depth of the full sextet, while reflecting the darkness and pain of the subject matter.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: Hamburg’s N/CTRL Shares Punchy and Anthemic “Let It Sleep (Beneath The Ground)”

Hamburg-based duo N/CTRL — Sven Enzelmann (vocals, electronics, production) and Carsten Lienke (guitar, bass, songwriting) — specialize in a sound that moves freely between post-punk, New Wave, synth pop and indie rock paired with atmospheric […]

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: E Lundquist Teams Up with Michael Damani on Breezy “Chasing”

Los Angeles-based producer, composer and multi-instrumentalist Eric Borders is the creative mastermind behind E. Lundquist, a project that derives its name from a loving nod to his family lineage, bringing the focus back to his own story. With E. Lundquist, Borders specializes in a warmly cinematic sound rooted in Rhodes-driven soul jazz, funk, R&B, library records and live band groove and analog synth textures, reflecting a shift to an intimate, reflective and composer-led approach. 

Borders’ forthcoming album Chasing My Reflections will touch upon themes of identity, resilience and self-reflection while featuring collaborations with Michael Damani, India Blue, Michael Edwards and JOVM mainstay Kendra Morris.

Chasing My Reflections will include “Wishing” feat. Kendra Morris and the album’s latest single “Chasing” feat. Michael Damani. “Chasing” is an upbeat and breezy tune, anchored around a Motown/Daptone/Big Crown/Colemine Records-like arrangement featuring reverb-soaked Rhodes or Wurlitzer, melodic rhythmic guitars and a steady backbeat beneath Damani’s yearning, equally old-school-like falsetto. Lyrically, the song touches upon themes of optimism, self-discovery and acceptance — all while feeling like a warm summer day.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: Yoo Doo Right Shares Cinematic “Sofort Si Fort”

Since their formation back in 2016, Montréal-based experiential rock outfit Yoo Doo Right — currently Justin Cober (guitar, bass, VI, synthesizer, piano, tape recordings and vocals) and John Talbot (drums, percussion) — have over the course of three full-length albums, three EPs, a handful of collaborations and singles and extensive touring across Europe, the UK and North America have firmly established a unique sound where “towering monoliths of roaring riffs crash against swarms of restless rhythms,” PopMatters once wrote.

The Canadian duo’s fourth album, the Ky Brooks co-produced Build and Rest by the Shepherd’s Light is slated for a November 6, 2026 release through Mothland. The album’s material ranges from eardrum shatteringly loud forays into post-rock and krautock, highly-tempered, effects-landed pieces seemingly drawing from ambient, noise and drone, and more. Eschewing genre strictures and boundaries, the album sees the duo opting for a symbolic approach to creation, with each of its different pieces free to unfold in a myriad of ways upon each listen.

From its creators’ point of view, Build and Rest by the Shepherd’s Light chronicles the hardships of artistic resolve, acknowledging the daily grind required to keep the momentum while embracing the shared joy of the creative process. Throughout the album’s runtime, there’s an underlying tribute to the communities that foster art: “Industriestraße 9” pays homage to a defunct Luzerne squat where they used to play. Symbolism seeps through song titles like Tortue”, “Sofort, Si fort,” and “To Be a Lambskin (Or to Be the Whole Flock)”, which offer enigmatic glimpses into creative vision. Co-producer Ky Brooks contributes a spoken word poem to album track “Neighbours Report Their Neighboours.” Timothy Aaron Brynan, who recently joined the duo on tour was invited to play bass on “Doldrums, Doldrums, Eviler Than the Devil,” a song that has quickly become a live set staple. Additionally Jessica Moss (violin) and Francis Leduc-Bélanger (trumpet, flugelhorn) make vital contributions to the album.

The Ky Brooks co-produced album was recorded at Montréal’s Hotel2Tango and Studio Error 403. Seth Manchester mixed the album at Providence’s Machine with Magnets. Amal Lal mixed the album at Oakland’s Macro Sound. The album’s cover art is a photo taken in Ovronanz, Switzerland by Julia Bender.

“There is a lot of joy and laughter in this album. For the first time in a while, we were feeling enriched and energized by what we were creating, the instruments we were using, and what was coming out,” the band says in a lengthy statement. “The record is us looking at our place in the world and deciding we were still committed to making music together. Boldly doing so with as much joy as we can drag out of the dried roots of modern day life. Rather than the anxiety-inducing white knuckle ‘when is it going to break’ energy we have worked with in the past, this record is optimistic but pensive. It holds onto the idea of transcendental musical themes and is deeply rooted in repetition and a clear momentum. A momentum we hope moves people, whether it is in thought or the physical.

“The title—Build and Rest by the Shepherd’s Light—highlights the main themes and motifs of the record as it stands. Rest and build, and rest and build, and rest and build… What else is there in our stories? Everyday is caring for ourselves and then doing everything in your power to care for those around us. A heroic journey is nothing but helping set camp up every night and making sure everyone is fed. A person’s ‘shepherd’ is defined by themselves, whether it’s music, their friends and families, their companion animals, or the very equipment they use to create! In each of our lives, we have the potential to draw strength and find rest in what is around us, build and rest by the shepherd’s light.

“Half the record came fully-formed, the other half was born of improvisational jamming. Originally made as pieces of music to help his partner sleep, Justin created ‘Industriestraße 9’ and ‘Neighbours Report Their Neighbours’ while isolated in a cabin over the Winter. ‘Doldrums, Doldrums, Eviler Than the Devil,’ ‘Tortue,’ and ‘Build and Rest by the Shepherd’s Light’ were us just having lots of fun in the studio, being excited by new ideas and sounds, challenging ourselves to dive deeply into new grooves and styles. The rest were either old ideas born anew or fully conceptualized pieces brought to life. While quite exploratory in its sonic landscape, we see the record as one cohesive story. A cinematic exercise that we hope people listen to in full.

We recorded with co-producer Ky Brooks. They are one of our favourite artists and a dear friend so the choice to have them hop on was an easy and exciting one. We booked studio time with no intention of finishing a record. The goal was to lay down some new ideas and get in the mindset of recording. Hotel2Tango is an incredibly warm and creatively conductive place for us. For four days straight, we put in 12-14 hour days and routinely got lost in the haze of creative fervor. Timothy joined us to record “Doldrums […]”. Jessica, Ezra, and Francis’ instruments, as well as Ky’s vocals, were recorded at Error 403. Having finished recording, we of course turned to Seth (mixing) at Machines with Magnets and Amar (mastering) at Macro Sound  to elevate the album.”

Build and Rest by the Shepherd’s Light will include the album’s first single “Doldrums, Doldrums Eviler Than the Devil,” and its second and latest single “Sofort Si Fort.” Sonically, “Sofort Si Fort” is a meditative, cinematic composition that hints at a mystical tale of a mysterious hero’s journey as told by a balladeer or a Spaghetti Western soundtrack, thanks to reverb-laden melodic guitars, supple bass VI lines and a driving, mid-tempo bass groove.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: Niia Shares Two Previously Unreleased Tracks off “V (Goth Jazz Edition)”

Born Niia Bertino, Niia is a Needham, MA-born, Los Angeles-based classically trained composer, pianist and vocalist. Deeply rooted in jazz, her work blends elegance, edge and a timeless voice with razor-sharp, seemingly lived-in songwriting. Her fifth album, last year’s Spencer Zahn co-produced V was the culmination of years spent experimenting at the intersection of tradition and reinvention.

Existing in the tension between control and collapse, V saw the acclaimed Los Angeles-based artist seamlessly blending the electronic textures of contemporary, experimental pop with the interplay of live, jazz-rooted instrumentation and musicianship. The album’s arrangements stretch — sometimes restrained, sometimes theatrical– but always with intention. As a classically trained musician, who grew up watching Italian cinema, Bertino explains, “I pulled from the harmonic language of jazz pianists like Bill Evans and from the psychological atmosphere of film scores.” 

Arguably, one of Bertino’s most personal albums to date, V thematically explores the full spectrum of the self — self-harm, self-delusion, self-awareness and in rare moments, self-love. “Not in a moralizing way, but in a very human one,” she adds. “The good and bad live side by side, often in the same verse. One minute I’m performing heartbreak like it’s a role I’ve rehearsed, the next I’m quietly admitting I caused the whole thing. That contradiction is the truth.”

The album featured “Pianos and Great Danes,” which I wrote about on this site.

Last week, Bertino released V (Goth Jazz Edition), a deluxe edition of her acclaimed fifth album through Candid Records. V (Goth Jazz Edition) features three bonus tracks, a cover of Chet Baker‘s “I Get Along Without You Very Well (Except Sometimes) and two, previously unreleased tracks “Been A Long Night” and Show Me Love.” “There were a few directions on the album that I still wanted to explore a little deeper, and these new songs felt so connected to the world of V that they really wouldn’t have made sense anywhere else,” Niia says of the deluxe edition of V.

“Been A Long Night” features an intricate, jazz-driven arrangement of broodingly cinematic piano and a supple yet propulsive bass line with skittering drum ‘n bass-meets footwork-styled beats beneath the acclaimed Los Angeles-based artist’s yearning delivery. While being both club and lounge friendly, “Been A Long Night” is rooted in a late-night longing and desire that’s simultaneously fun and a little dangerous.

“Show Me Love” is a slow-burning, gorgeous, Quiet Storm-like tune that showcases Niia’s effortlessly soulful, pop star vocal confessing a desire to wholly accept and love while asking her lover to show some much-needed vulnerability. “Show Me Love” may arguably be the deluxe edition’s most straightforward yet earnest tune.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: Elena Pinderhughes Teams Up with Immanuel Wilkins on Ethereal and Soulful Debut Single “life goes on”

Raised in the Bay Area’s progressive cultural landscape, Elena Pinderhughes is a groundbreaking composer, flutist and vocalist, who has become known for expanding jazz’s emotional range by crafting music that’s tender and sensual, mysterious and direct and grounded in a feminine creative vision without apology. Her work channels an unguarded, deeply personal voice that few in the genre have dared to show.

Informed by shaping the music of her collaborators, Pinderhughes’ work sees her seamlessly weaving R&B and neo-soul while being rooted in the jazz tradition.

Pinderhughes debut single as a solo artist “life goes on” feat. Immanuel Wilkins follows a decade of being one of the most sought-after collaborators across genres and styles: She has toured with Herbie Hancock and Chief Xian aTunde Audah, played at Coachella with Future and Metro Boomin — and sh has appeared on tracks by Giveon, Victoria Monét, Ambrose Akinmusire, Robert Glasper, Esperanza Spalding, Common and a lengthy list of others.

While marking Pinderhughes’ bold step forward into the spotlight as a solo artist, “life goes on” features two of jazz’s most distinct young voices playing off one another as they trade and weave lyrical flute and saxophone lines over a harmonic piano and a propulsive rhythm section and bursts of Kid A and Amnesiac-like-glitchy electronics. The result is a composition that’s ethereal yet soulful, cinematic yet deeply introspective while effortlessly pushing the boundaries of contemporary jazz.

“I’ve been playing the flute for almost my entire life, and for so much of that time I was searching…learning everything I could, trying different things, and figuring out what actually sounded like me,” Pinderhughes says. “Somewhere along the way, I started to hear a voice emerge that felt like my own. That’s what feels different now. I’m not searching in the same way anymore. I feel like I have a sound I believe in and something of my own to say with this instrument. And now I want to show you what the flute can do. I want people to hear how powerful, beautiful, intimate and alive it can be. ‘life goes on’ feels like the beginning of a much bigger story I want to tell about what the flute can be.”

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: TOMORA Shares Dazzling and Euphoric “Celebration”

TOMORA is a collaborative project featuring:

  • The Chemical Brothers‘ Tom Rowlands: As one-half of The Chemical Brothers, Rowlands has produced and recorded six widely acclaimed UK #1 albums and won six Grammy Awards.

  • Norwegian artist AURORA: AURORA has released four studio albums and has quickly become one of Norway’s most influential and globally recognized contemporary artists. Her single “Runaway” has amassed over one-billion Spotify streams to date.

TOMORA builds upon a creative relationship that can be traced to the recording sessions for The Chemical Brothers’ 2019 album No Geography. AURORA contributed vocals to three tracks, including “Eve of Destruction.” Rowlands then went on to contribute to AURORA’s 2024 effort, What Happened to the Heart?, which landed on the UK Top 10.

Released earlier this year through Capitol Records, the duo’s full-length debut, COME CLOSER was written and produced jointly by Rowlands and AURORA. The 12-song album sees the duo pairing the Norwegian artist’s distinctive vocal with the acclaimed British producer’s unparalleled studio expertise. The album sees the duo creating their own unique space, somewhere they can produce the kind of magic that comes from flicking through a perfect record collection, flowing from wigged-out 1960s psychedelia to the hyper-futurism of sounds imagined for the 2060s. 

The critically applauded album includes the previously released singles “COME CLOSER” “SOMEWHERE ELSE” and “I DRINK THE LIGHT.”

After two wildly successful tour runs that included festival sets at Coachella, Fuji Rock and others, the duo went to Rowlands’ Sussex, UK-based Rowlands Audio Research Studio to record COME CLOSER‘s highly-anticipated follow-up, the five-song CELEBRATION EP. Slated for an October 16, 2026 digital release and a November 27, 2026 physical release through Capital Records. The physical release will include a standard 12″ black vinyl, a special marbled vinyl and CD formats. You can pre-order the EP here.

The acclaimed duo say of the EP: “Celebration is a privilege. Celebration is a person. Celebration is a funeral and celebration is a ritual. It’s human nature. And it’s a human need. We should all be celebrated, as real human beings.”

The new EP will include the expanded, ten-minute version of album track, “IN A MINUTE,” and EP title track “Celebration.” “Celebration” features a dazzlingly hypnotic production anchored around motorik-like electronic pulse and club rocking, thumping beats beneath AURORA’s imitable, ethereal and yearning delivery. The result is a track that feels simultaneously immediate and expansive, introspective yet outward-looking, and yearning for ecstatic release.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: Zachhae’us Paul Teams Up with donSMITH, Safa and Milena Casado on Down To Mars-Produced, Quiet Storm-like “STAY”

Atlanta-born and based producer, singe/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Zacchae’us Paul will be releasing his highly-anticipated sophomore album JAZZ MONEY VOL. 2: SWINGIN’ R&B on October 16, 2026 through Candid Records. Sonically, the album sees the rising […]

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: Leon Bridges Returns with Sultry and Soulful “Watch You Dance”

Atlanta-born, Fort Worth, TX-raised singer/songwriter and musician Leon Bridges quickly established himself as one of America’s most exciting new artists with 2015’s platinum-certified, Grammy Award-nominated debut Coming Home, which featured breakout singles “Coming Home” and “River.” Bridges followed up with 2018’s critically applauded Good Thing, which saw him expanding upon his sonic panic while earning a Grammy Award-nomination for Best R&B Album and a Grammy Award for Best Traditional R&B Performance for “Bet Ain’t Worth the Hand.”

2021’s Gold-Diggers Sound was the acclaimed Atlanta-born, Fort Worth-based artist’s most adventurous album to date, and the album received critical applause while earning another Grammy Award-nomination for Best R&B Album. His most recent album, 2024’s Lean is an introspective effort inspired by his Texan roots and his artistic evolution.

Along with his solo work, Bridges has collaborated with the equally acclaimed act Khraungbin on two albums — 2020’s Texas Sun and 2022’s Texas Moon. In a relatively short time he has earned six Grammy Award-nomiations — three for Best R&B Album — and a Grammy Award-win, has also collaborated with an eclectic array of artists, including John Mayer, Kacey Musgraves, Robert Glasper, Terrace Martin, Gunna, The Avanlanches, Gary Clark, Jr. and Shaboozey, all of which showcase a remarkably versatile artist.

Adding to a rapidly growing profile, Bridges has a long-held reputation as a captivating live performer, who has made a run of the global concert and festival circuit, playing an increasing number of the world’s major festivals while making appearances on Saturday Night Live, NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert and Austin City Limits.

Bridges’ fourth album, the J Lloyd-Watson and Lydia Kitto-produced fifth album, Happiness Anytime is slated for a Friday release through Columbia Records. Happiness Anytime reportedly sees the acclaimed Atlanta-born, Fort Worth-based artist returning to the warmth of his 2015 debut but while seeing the members of Jungle and Bridges’ signature sensibilities blending to create something entirely new — an expansive, borderless sound and approach that pushes the Grammy Award-winning artist into brand new territory. The material reportedly echoes Fela Kuti, Paul Simon’s 1990 effort The Rhythm of The Saints and Jorge Ben without feeling overly referential. At its core, the album is reportedly boundary pushing while remaining unmistakably Leon Bridges, rooted in his imitable vocal, effortless charisma and melodic sensibilities.

The album was written and recorded across three fast and furious sessions with Lloyd-Watson and Kitto, a collaboration that can trace its origins to the trio repeatedly crossing paths across the global festival circuit. The trio decided to attempt a low-pressure writing session at Los Angeles-based Chaplin Recording Studios. Four days later, they had come up with six songs — half of the completed album. Pino Palladino contributed bass during the sessions. The overall end result is a timeless body of work that feels unfussy and breezy — that they all hope will make the listener feel happiness anytime they play it.

“For me, happiness is not a feeling that you chase,” Bridges says,“I want this album to be something that lingers with people and lingers in people’s bones. There’s this feeling that we have to fix the problems of the world; you feel inadequate or it can be debilitating. My role is to be light. I hope that comes across with this album.” With Happiness Anytime, Bridges actively sets out with a desire to not only find joy but to find movement again.

Early in his career, Bridges was out in front dancing — and that was something that has wanted recently. He wanted to get back to making music to dance to, music to excise the stresses and frustrations of modern life, and to feel grounded in the rhythms of the present. Interestingly, over the summer, he has been introducing audiences to the new album with sets in Paris, Cannes, Los Angeles, Montreux Jazz Festival, London, Chicago and Outside Lands. And as he has being playing the new material live, he has unveiled “Leon Bridges Presents Happiness Anytime,” a reimagined stage production featuring a vinyl DJ, a horn section, three backing vocalists and Bridges out in front dancing and singing. Partly inspired by the communal spirt of Jamaican dancehall culture, the live set mirrors the album’s emphasis on movement — and on dancing your stresses and frustrations away for a bit. You can see what the live show will look like during his most recent appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, where he performed medley of tunes from the soon-to-be-released album — the strutting Afrobeat-meets-1970s Motown soul-like “Light The Way” and “Illusion” and jubilant, joyous ode to working things out “Talk It Over.”

“Watch You Dance,” Happiness Anytime‘s latest single is a strutting and sultry bit of neo-soul meets classic soul that feels like a funky, dance floor friendly synthesis of Black Pumas, Cody Chesnutt, Daptone Records and Marvin Gaye‘s “Got To Give It Up” but anchored in old-school craft, earnest, seemingly lived-in lyricism and a grown ass folks sensuality. The song’s narrator knows that seduction is a game that you have to play — and he knows how to play it well.