Sufia Giza Carries the Dub-Poetry Tradition Forward on New Roots Reggae Album “Echoes of Freedom”
Produced by Jah-Eye and featuring veteran reggae musicians Carlton “Santa” Davis and Lesterfari Simbarashe, the nine-track set begins its rollout on Indigenous Peoples’ Day.
CHARLESTON, S.C. — Indigenous author, historical researcher and dub-poetess Sufia Giza first entered the media spotlight with her 2018 book, Moundbuilders of Ancient America: A Legacy Reclaimed, which explored her ancestral roots and the legacy of ancient mound-building cultures. Now, Giza will mark Indigenous Peoples’ Day with the October 12 premiere of her “Quantum Nonsense” video trailer, launching the multi-stage rollout for her forthcoming nine-track roots reggae album, Echoes of Freedom, extending her historical and cultural work through poetry and music while creating space for intergenerational conversations about identity, remembrance, resistance and healing.
The video trailer draws from the album track ‘Quantum Nonsense,’ which examines the complex history of Black people in Indian Country and invites a deeper conversation about the intersections of Indigenous and African American history.
Following the trailer premiere, Giza will pre-release one album track, the ethereal “I Went to Church Today,” on November 2, the Day of the Dead. Written while she was grieving her mother’s death, the song opens the campaign on a day associated with remembrance and honoring those who have passed. The complete digital album is scheduled for release December 31, 2026, on Unity Works Music, coinciding with Kuumba, the Kwanzaa principle of creativity. CDs will follow in 2027, with a vinyl edition also under consideration.
“Echoes of Freedom is my way of bringing the voices of the past into the conversations we are having right now. Releasing the ‘Quantum Nonsense’ trailer on Indigenous Peoples’ Day is a way of honoring Indigenous history while setting the tone for an album rooted in reverence and restoration,” said Giza.
Of Muskogee Creek and Gullah-Geechee heritage, Giza lives between Charleston, South Carolina, and Tobago, Trinidad’s sister island. Her work as a spoken word artist follows the dub-poetry tradition of artists who place politically and culturally conscious verse over music, including Linton Kwesi Johnson, Nikki Giovanni, the Watts Prophets, the Last Poets and Mutabaruka. With Echoes of Freedom, she pairs positive, reflective lyrics with a mellow roots reggae foundation, using song as a bridge between lived memory and contemporary questions.
The album is produced by Jah-Eye and features veteran musicians including drummer Carlton “Santa” Davis of Soul Syndicate, whose credits include work with Peter Tosh and Ziggy Marley, and guitarist Lesterfari Simbarashe of King’s Music. Their instrumentation supports Giza’s measured vocal delivery across a collection recorded over a period of years.
Echoes of Freedom includes work that has already reached audiences through film and publishing. “Cape Fear Massacre” appeared on the soundtrack to Christopher Everett’s award-winning 2015 documentary Wilmington on Fire, while “Softly Walking” was published in the 2016 Routledge anthology Emergent Possibilities for Global Sustainability: Intersections of Race, Class and Gender.
Other selections explore grief, consciousness, perseverance and self-worth. Alongside “I Went to Church Today,” the album includes “Indigo Moods” and the inspirational “Keep It Movin’.” “Reflection of Love” examines low self-esteem, while “Quantum Nonsense,” the visual entry point for the campaign, considers the history of anti-Blackness in Indian Country.
“Dub poetry allows me to place history inside rhythm, where it can be felt as well as heard. I want this music to open conversations between generations and encourage people to look more deeply at the stories that have shaped us,” Giza added.
The “Quantum Nonsense” trailer combines desert drone footage with photography edited by Giza. It premieres October 12, 2026, in observance of Indigenous Peoples’ Day and can be viewed at https://youtu.be/ov9IyUT7L6g .
Additional music and album details will be announced at https://sufiagiza.com .
About Sufia Giza
Sufia Giza is an Indigenous Muskogee Creek and Gullah-Geechee spoken word artist, dub-poetess, author and documentary filmmaker whose work explores history, culture, identity and the African diaspora. She is the author of the 2018 book Moundbuilders of Ancient America: A Legacy Reclaimed, which documents her decades-long exploration of her family’s Indigenous ancestry and the ancient mound-building cultures of the Americas.
A native of Riverside, California, with roots in South Carolina and the Caribbean, she holds three degrees, including a master’s degree in bilingual and cross-cultural educational counseling. Her creative catalog also includes two poetry chapbooks and five documentaries, among them REGGAE MILITIS The Bizness of Reggae Music and ethnobotanical films examining medicinal plant traditions across the African diaspora. Echoes of Freedom is her second release on Unity Works Music.
Visit https://sufiagiza.com and reconnect to your roots!
Mila Sidhu Blends Alt-Pop and R&B on Empowering New Single ‘One Night’
Mila Sidhu steps into a more assured side of her artistry with One Night, a sultry alt-pop and R&B single built around sensuality, rhythm and self-possession. The London-born singer-songwriter delivers a track that feels designed for the late-night hours, pairing sleek production with an understated intensity that gives its confidence plenty of room to breathe.
At the heart of One Night is Sidhu’s commanding vocal presence. Her delivery moves effortlessly between intimate and seductive, while the production maintains a crisp, atmospheric pulse that places the track somewhere between alternative R&B and darker pop. Rather than portraying desire through uncertainty, Sidhu approaches it from a position of control, capturing the thrill of being wanted while retaining the power to decide what happens next.
The track also introduces an Indian influence into Sidhu’s musical palette. Developed with producer Siloe, the song began with Sidhu’s desire to incorporate elements of her heritage, later drawing on her exploration of traditional Indian scales while working with a singer in India. These influences add another layer to an already distinctive production without overpowering the song’s contemporary pop and R&B foundations.
That balance reflects Sidhu’s broader musical identity, which draws from R&B, jazz, hip-hop and darker pop. Yet One Night feels particularly direct: where some of her songwriting explores heartbreak, vulnerability and emotional uncertainty, this single is centred on confidence and self-definition. It is sensual without losing its edge, and polished without sacrificing personality.
With its sleek production, assured vocals and subtle cultural detail, One Night marks a compelling shift in emphasis for Mila Sidhu. It is a track built around presence, the kind of song that enters quietly, establishes its atmosphere, and makes sure it holds the room.
Slay Raché Sets the Stage for Debut Album With “You Make Me Wanna Dance”
Independent pop and R&B artist Slay Raché channels the golden age of dance-pop into “You Make Me Wanna Dance,” an upbeat new single that pairs 80s-inspired energy with polished contemporary production. Built on bouncy rhythms, glossy textures and an instantly accessible hook, the track showcases Raché’s knack for writing pop that makes its impact quickly, while her commanding vocals give the production added presence.
Inspired in part by Michael Jackson and sparked by a Valentine’s Day visit to the Michael Jackson musical in New York, the track carries a clear sense of nostalgia without becoming a retro exercise. Its climactic key change adds a classic pop flourish, while the streamlined production keeps the record firmly rooted in the present.
“You Make Me Wanna Dance” arrives ahead of Raché’s self-titled debut album, Slay, due this fall. Following chart appearances for “XOXO” and “When The Lights Go Out,” as well as more than one million cumulative streams, the release further establishes Raché as an independent artist building a cohesive pop and R&B catalogue around strong songwriting, vocal precision and a distinct creative identity.
“PORTALZ” by Margaret Maria and Bill Gilliam
On PORTALZ, Margaret Maria and Bill Gilliam aren’t interested in rushing toward obvious hooks or making their instrumental music explain itself. They build an atmosphere piece by piece instead, allowing cello, piano, electronics, and orchestral detail to occupy their own corners of the room. The result is an album that bubbles along closer to a destination than a conventional song cycle. Maria’s cello is naturally the most immediate presence. There is something unusually physical about her playing throughout the album. You can hear the bowing, the phrasing, the pauses between ideas. It gives the album a human identity, particularly when Gilliam’s electronic and compositional instincts push things toward more abstract territory.
“Portalz Threshold” is an appropriately understated beginning. It doesn’t arrive with the intention of announcing itself as a grand statement. Instead, it establishes the album’s vocabulary and lets the listener settle into it. “Summoning The Enchantress” follows with more dramatic movement, and this is where Maria’s playing really begins to dominate the experience. One of the underlying strengths of PORTALZ is that the musicians don’t appear overly concerned with keeping everything tidy.
“Landscape Of Complexing Beauty” is a good example. Piano and strings intersect in ways that can feel deliberately unpredictable, yet the arrangement never collapses into randomness. There is structure underneath the movement, even when it isn’t immediately obvious. Then “Love Trembling” brings the emotional side of the record closer to the surface. The title isn’t subtle, but the performance is. Rather than leaning into melodrama, the piece lets its tension develop gradually. Maria’s cello again provides the emotional foundation, giving the composition a sense of vulnerability that the more electronic passages don’t necessarily possess.
The live approach to the album is important here. PORTALZ doesn’t have the sterile perfection that can sometimes accompany heavily constructed instrumental records. There is a sense of musicians actually playing with one another, and that small amount of unpredictability gives the music some needed friction. “Strings Of Ascent” continues the record’s fascination with upward movement and layered texture, while “Dissolving Space Time” opens up a more expansive section of the album. It feels less grounded, almost as if the familiar surroundings have gradually disappeared.
The second half gets particularly interesting when Gilliam and Maria turn toward technology. “Race Of AI Bots” is playful in concept but carries an underlying uneasiness. The track suggests a world in which machines have become increasingly difficult to separate from everyday life. “Mirrored Complex” takes that idea into darker, more intricate territory, with tightly wound musical passages. When the quietness of “Still Stillness” arrives on the next track, the album seems to be deliberately slowing its pulse. That makes the final “Beyond The Unknown” to sound less like a conclusion than a departure point and why it’s a great closer.
In conclusion, PORTALZ won’t necessarily reveal everything on a first listen, and that’s part of its fantastic appeal. Maria and Gilliam have made something that sits comfortably between composition and performance, emotion and experimentation. It is occasionally challenging, occasionally beautiful, and at its best, genuinely absorbing. For an instrumental album, that’s no small accomplishment.
Gwen Waggoner
Norwegian Composer Solveig Sørbø Unveils Heroin Chic, A Powerful New Opera Exploring Addiction, Identity and Death
Following acclaimed performances in Romania and Norway, the ambitious 90-minute opera explores addiction, identity, death and the desire for transcendence through a maximalist and emotionally charged sound world.
Norwegian composer Solveig Sørbø’s ambitious opera Heroin Chic will be released worldwide on 16 October 2026 via Solsnu, distributed by Diger, bringing the acclaimed work to audiences in digital, 2CD and 2xVinyl formats.
Based on the novel by Norwegian writer Maria Kjos Fonn, Heroin Chic explores addiction, self-destruction, identity, sexuality, death and the tension between innocence and physicality. Drawing on both contemporary classical music and popular culture, Sørbø creates an intense and highly theatrical sound world that is maximalist, colourful, hypnotic and emotionally uncompromising.
The opera received its concert premiere in Romania in February 2025, where it was met with a standing ovation from an audience of 500. Critics praised its eclectic soundscape, philosophical depth, emotional impact and striking richness of sound. Romanian cultural magazine Revista Migalo wrote that the production “struck the collective psyche”, while Norwegian newspaper Klassekampen described it as a “danse macabre”.
Heroin Chic subsequently received its Norwegian concert premiere at Oslo’s Parkteatret in February 2026 as part of the Klassisk på Park concert series. The sold-out performance featured some of Norway’s leading classical performers, live visuals by Franciska Eliassen and a handful of staged moments, followed by an afterparty with DJ Roland Lifjell.
The performance was enthusiastically received, and Norwegian music publication Ballade subsequently compared Sørbø’s determination in bringing the ambitious project to life to that of Norwegian cross-country skiing champion Johannes Høsflot Klæbo.
Just two days after the Norwegian premiere, the complete opera was recorded live to tape at Jar Church outside Oslo. Capturing 90 minutes of opera in a single day was a considerable undertaking for the performers and recording team, resulting in a recording designed to preserve the immediacy and intensity of the live work.
At the centre of Heroin Chic is Elise, a young woman consumed by an obsessive desire for death and transcendence. Raised by an overprotective mother who sees her as an almost saintly figure, Elise struggles with the growing conflict between innocence, sexuality and her developing sense of identity.
As she searches for a way to express the darkness within her, Elise adopts a heroin-chic aesthetic and runs away from home. She falls in love with rocker Joakim, who introduces her further into a world of drugs, while the emergence of D — a manifestation of her destructive subconscious — pushes her towards increasingly extreme behaviour.
Across two acts, Elise’s journey moves through anorexia, addiction, sexual exploitation, fractured identity and rehabilitation, with the boundaries between reality, fantasy, life and death becoming increasingly blurred. Her search for transcendence ultimately leads her back towards her mother, childhood and the idea of eternal sleep.
The opera’s final moments deliberately leave the audience questioning what they have witnessed: death, resurrection or a drug-induced fantasy.
Musically, Heroin Chic is equally unconventional. The score features a powerful and hypnotic percussion section, one of the largest soprano roles for a child singer in opera literature, and a distinctive reinvention of the cimbalom within a contemporary classical setting. Captivating melodies sit alongside an eclectic orchestral landscape, creating a work that is both challenging and highly engaging for performers and listeners alike.
The recording features soloists Susanna Wolff, Sofia Neacsu, Siv Misund, Ivar Magnus Sandve and Johannes Nikolai Aas, performing alongside Ensemble Oslo under conductor Hans Petter Mæhle. The recording was engineered and produced by Trond Kjelsås of LydFest.
With roots in the avant-garde as well as popular culture, Heroin Chic is a distinctive contribution to contemporary Norwegian music theatre. Its combination of opera, theatrical storytelling, unconventional instrumentation and psychologically intense subject matter creates a work that reaches beyond traditional operatic boundaries.
Following its successful performances in Romania and Norway, the complete 90-minute recording now brings Sørbø’s ambitious work to a wider international audience.
Follow Solveig Sørbø
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/solveigcomposer
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/solveigcomposer
Linktree: https://linktr.ee/solveig
Website: https://solveigsorbo.com/heroin-chic/
jon scott’s “YOU ARE SO REAL” Makes A Case For Earnest Love Songs
Not every love song needs a twist. jon scott’s “YOU ARE SO REAL” is refreshingly open about what it wants to be. It is affectionate, romantic and completely comfortable with saying so. In a music landscape where emotions are often dressed up in layers of irony, that openness gives the track its own appeal.
The song revolves around appreciation for someone who has made a real difference in scott’s life. Its inspiration came during his recovery from spinal surgery, when the support he received from others became especially important. That personal background is there, but the song does not turn into a detailed account of what happened. Its attention stays on the person being thanked.
That choice also suits the musical style. The track draws from soul and older romantic songwriting, giving scott a setting where warmth and affection feel right at home. The melody and vocal leave plenty of space for the words to come through.
There is something quite enjoyable about a song that does not try to hide behind its own intentions. “YOU ARE SO REAL” is happy to be a love song. It does not need a complicated angle or a dramatic reveal. The pleasure comes from hearing somebody put genuine affection into a piece of music and let that be enough.
For scott, the track grew from a deeply personal period. For listeners, it arrives as an uncomplicated reminder of one of the oldest reasons people write songs in the first place: to tell someone they matter.
STEPHEN MUGFORD SHARES JOYOUS SING-ALONG ANTHEM ‘FUZZY SOCKS (NA NA NA)’
A piano-bright celebration of life’s small wonders, taken from forthcoming album ‘Letters Never Sent’, due early 2027
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – SEPTEMBER 2026
Rising singer-songwriter Stephen Mugford returns with ‘Fuzzy Socks (Na Na Na)’, a warm, big-hearted anthem that is out now across all platforms. It is the latest glimpse of his second album, Letters Never Sent, arriving in early 2027.
With shades of Billy Joel’s storytelling and a chorus built for crowds, ‘Fuzzy Socks’ is a real sing-along. It is a song about getting out of your own head and back into your life. Its message is simple and quietly profound: worrying about the meaning of life can get in the way of actually living it.
The track moves across a whole lifetime in three verses. It opens in midlife, with a traveller asking a holy man about “the point, the truth, the goal”. He discovers the sage is “just a man beneath a robe”, no surer than anyone else, who suggests easing up and noticing the little things. The second verse goes back to childhood. A young girl lies awake worrying whether the world is all right, until “the wall of bears in bed rose to her defense”. The final verse moves forward to the end of life. There, among heavy truths, what rises above the noise is the wonder of flowers breaking through snow, and the comfort of “funny lovers, corny covers, fuzzy socks.” Each verse resolves in the same wordless, unifying “na na na”. That refrain works as an invitation for everyone to join in, whoever and wherever they are.
IN STEPHEN’S WORDS
“The irony of anxiety is that worrying about everything that might ruin your life gets in the way of living it. Obsessing about the meaning of life, or the risks of life, or the end of life eclipses the point of life – to live it, to feel it, to taste it out loud. I think living is found less in the monumental stuff and more in the little joys and wonders we so often rush past.”
THE MUSIC
Stephen writes the lyrics and core arrangements of every song. He then shapes them with award-winning producer John Escobar and Emmy- and Grammy-winning guitarist and arranger Claudio Ragazzi, bringing in top session players to finish each recording. His sound draws on the 70s and 80s music he grew up with. It combines the soulfulness of classic acoustic singer-songwriters, a little funk and the harmonic richness of jazz. A former poetry student who keeps a diary of reflections and observations, Stephen fills his songs with vivid imagery. Family, friendship, everyday struggles and everyday joys are his canvas.
His 2024 debut album Palooza Beach was well received by critics and listeners. It won praise for its observational lyrics and honest, unpretentious songwriting. Stephen sums up his music as “Reflecting in Tune”: stubbornly optimistic, open about life’s messier moments, and always delivered with a wink and a nod. ‘Fuzzy Socks (Na Na Na)’ may be the purest expression of that yet. It is a song that reminds us to feel life deeply and never miss a chance to giggle.
KEY INFORMATION
Artist: Stephen Mugford
Single: ‘Fuzzy Socks (Na Na Na)’
Impact date: 25 September 2026
Album: Letters Never Sent (early 2027)
Production: John Escobar, with arrangements by Claudio Ragazzi
For fans of: Billy Joel, James Taylor, Paul Simon, Jack Johnson
LINKS
Listen: https://stephenmugford.ffm.to/fuzzy-socks-na-na-na
Instagram: instagram.com/stephenmugfordmusic
Facebook: facebook.com/stephenmugfordmusic
Linktree: linktr.ee/stephenmugfordmusic
PRESS, RADIO & TV ENQUIRIES
Mark Adams – Blinding Talent
mark@blindingtalent.com | blindingtalent.com
Beck Martin & DJ Asym distribute the official music video “It’s About Friday Night”
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ANDIE CASE TURNS UP THE HEAT ON NEW SINGLE “SPEAK OF THE DEVIL”
The powerhouse singer-songwriter continues a deeply personal new chapter with the latest track from her newly released EP Show Me Yours, I’ll Show You Mine
Listen Here
Singer-songwriter Andie Case continues to step confidently into the spotlight as an original artist with “Speak of the Devil,” a sharp, emotionally charged new track that captures the tension, temptation and vulnerability that have become hallmarks of her latest body of work.
Clocking in at just over three minutes, “Speak of the Devil” wastes little time making its presence felt. Case has always possessed the kind of voice capable of turning heads, but here the appeal goes beyond vocal firepower. There is personality in the performance, an immediacy that makes the song feel less like something being performed at the listener and more like being pulled into the middle of a complicated conversation.
That sense of emotional proximity is particularly fitting for this stage of Case’s career.
Long before this latest chapter, Andie Case built a massive international following through the internet, becoming one of the standout voices of the YouTube cover era. Her channel grew to more than 1.4 million subscribers, with her videos generating hundreds of millions of views. Along the way, she reached the iTunes Top 100, earned MTV recognition for her cover work, toured internationally and won the $1 million grand prize in Usher’s Megastar competition.
Her road to those milestones was far from conventional. Case left home at 18 to pursue music in Los Angeles and endured periods of significant hardship, including living out of her car while trying to establish herself as an artist. Those experiences helped shape the resilience, independence and emotional candor that continue to run through her songwriting.
After years of introducing herself to millions of listeners through her interpretations of other artists’ songs, Case’s recent releases have increasingly shifted the emphasis toward something much more personal: her own story, in her own words.
That evolution came into particularly clear focus this summer with “Better Days,” the first single introducing her new EP project. Released in July, the song offered a hopeful meditation on perseverance, healing and believing there is something brighter beyond difficult stretches of life. Rather than ignoring hardship in favor of easy optimism, “Better Days” acknowledged the struggle first, making its eventual sense of hope feel earned.
Case followed in August with “Loser,” a song that pushed the vulnerability even further. Built around feelings of failure, insecurity and the pressure of measuring your life against expectations, “Loser” turns a potentially defeating label into something unexpectedly defiant. Instead of pretending uncertainty doesn’t exist, Case embraces it, delivering a reminder that falling short and figuring things out are often inseparable parts of moving forward.
Together, “Better Days” and “Loser” established the emotional vocabulary of Case’s new era: bruised but hopeful, self-aware without becoming self-pitying, and increasingly comfortable with letting listeners see behind the curtain.
“Speak of the Devil” feels like another side of that same conversation.
Where the previous singles wrestled with perseverance and self-worth, the new track brings a different energy into the room. There is an edge to it, with Case leaning into the push-and-pull of desire, consequence and emotional entanglement. Her vocal remains the centerpiece, but the real strength is how naturally she inhabits the song. It feels lived-in rather than merely sung.
That distinction matters for an artist whose voice first became famous interpreting other people’s material.
With these songs, Case isn’t simply proving that she can sing. That question was answered years ago. She is showing listeners who Andie Case is when the material belongs entirely to her world.
SHOW ME YOURS, I’LL SHOW YOU MINE OUT NOW
“Speak of the Devil” arrives as part of Case’s six-song EP, Show Me Yours, I’ll Show You Mine, released September 18, 2026.
The project brings together:
“SMYISYM”
“Speak of the Devil”
“Do Your Worst”
“Better Days”
“Loser”
“Judge Me”
Across its six tracks, the EP explores heartbreak, identity, healing, resilience and self-discovery while placing Case’s songwriting and personal experiences firmly at the center.
Originally announced during the summer for a September release, Show Me Yours, I’ll Show You Mine is now available in full, completing the rollout that began with “Better Days,” continued through “Loser,” and now gives listeners the larger context surrounding “Speak of the Devil.”
The title itself feels appropriate. After building a career by standing in front of a camera and sharing her voice with millions of people, Case is offering something considerably more revealing this time around.
Show Me Yours, I’ll Show You Mine isn’t simply an introduction to a collection of songs. It feels like an invitation into the experiences behind them.
And with “Speak of the Devil,” Andie Case makes that invitation particularly difficult to turn down.
“Speak of the Devil” and “Show Me Yours, I’ll Show You Mine” are available now on major streaming platforms.
For more on Andie Case, follow her on social media:
FOLLOW ANDIE CASE:
Instagram | Spotify | TikTok
Wardrobe Malfunction Build Their Own Sonic Language on ‘Made 2’
There is a real sense of creative momentum around Wardrobe Malfunction. Since first emerging from spontaneous one-take experiments, the project has continued to expand its palette, evolving from a loose experimental duo into a fully formed five-piece with a sound that thrives on unpredictability. ‘Made 2’ captures that progression particularly well, bringing together psychedelic rock, funk-jazz and indie pop in a way that feels exploratory without becoming overly self-indulgent.
What makes the track work is its balance. The arrangement is packed with rhythmic shifts, instrumental detail and psychedelic colour, yet the songwriting remains firmly in focus. A memorable opening riff provides the initial hook before the track moves through its changing time signatures and instrumental passages, giving the quintet plenty of room to showcase their musicianship while keeping the momentum intact.
There is also a warmth beneath the experimentation. Inspired by the relationships between the band, their friends and family, ‘Made 2’ carries a genuine sense of connection that gives its more adventurous musical ideas added weight. Rather than experimentation for its own sake, every twist feels connected to the song’s wider emotional purpose.
With ‘Made 2’, Wardrobe Malfunction demonstrate a growing confidence in their ability to operate outside conventional genre boundaries while still delivering songs with character and immediacy. It is an engaging snapshot of a band continuing to develop on their own terms, with plenty of creative space still ahead of them.
Elvira Kalnik Refuses to Hide the Wound on “Dad”
By Vincent Blackwell
Grief is a lousy studio producer. It doesn’t care about pitch, polish, marketability or whether the singer can make it through the final chorus without collapsing. It barges into the session, knocks over the furniture and leaves fingerprints on every note. Most recordings try to clean up that mess. Elvira Kalnik’s “Dad” does something braver: it leaves the room exactly as grief found it.
Scheduled for release on October 9th, “Dad” is Kalnik’s tribute to the man who first brought music into her life. Her father taught her to play guitar, sang lullabies to her and gave her the kind of emotional foundation that becomes almost invisible—until it vanishes. Following his death, Kalnik found herself unable to return to music. The song arrived in her mind almost immediately, but transforming it into a recording took six months of emotional struggle.
You can understand why. This is not grief reconstructed after the fact, when time has rounded off its sharpest edges. “Dad” speaks from inside the rupture. Kalnik hears her father’s voice in the songs of her childhood and imagines his eyes looking through the sky. These are simple images, but grief does not usually communicate in clever metaphors. It communicates through objects, habits and sudden absences: the empty chair, the remembered lullaby, the telephone that will never ring with that person’s name again.
“My phone is on silence, ’cause you can’t call me anymore,” Kalnik sings, and that line cuts because it drags an enormous spiritual loss into the brutally ordinary world of everyday technology. Death is cosmic until it becomes practical. A number remains stored in a phone, but nobody is there to answer.
Kalnik reportedly wept through numerous takes while recording “Dad.” The finished performance retains the sighs, strained breaths and catches in her voice that another production might have erased. Their presence matters. This is a song about losing control, and a perfectly controlled performance would betray it. The imperfections are not defects in the recording; they are the recording’s central evidence.
The chorus imagines angels singing to her father in paradise before Kalnik delivers the plainest possible confession: “I’ll never be the same. Dad, I miss you.” There is no attempt to outsmart death or wrap bereavement in a fashionable slogan. Faith offers the possibility that her father has found another home, but it does not cancel the pain of his absence. Hope and devastation occupy the same few lines, staring each other down.
Kalnik has built a multidisciplinary career around music, fashion and elaborate visual storytelling, but “Dad” strips artistic identity to its most vulnerable core. Beneath the producer, performer and image-maker is a daughter trying to speak across an impossible distance.
The song’s most devastating thought arrives near the end: she once saw the world through her father’s eyes, and now he views it through hers. That is the strange bargain of inheritance. The people we lose disappear physically, yet continue shaping how we recognize beauty, danger, decency and love.
“Dad” is not polished grief packaged for painless consumption. It is a wound left open long enough to sing. That makes it difficult, honest and deeply human.
Michael Dulin’s “Dancing In Paris”
Some instrumental songs are less like compositions and more like places you have somehow visited before. Michael Dulin’s “Dancing In Paris” belongs to that idea. Even without lyrics, the track creates a vivid romantic setting, turning an unrealized journey into something surprisingly tangible. The story behind the piece is part of its appeal. Dulin had been planning a romantic trip to Paris, but the trip ultimately became a visit to Italy at his wife’s request. Instead of simply letting the Parisian fantasy disappear, he transformed the idea into music. The result is an instrumental love letter to a city he never reached, proving that inspiration does not always require an experience to have actually happened.
FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/MichaelDulinMusic
The imaginative quality is hardly surprising considering Dulin’s background. A pianist, composer and virtuoso, he has built a reputation around emotional depth and masterful musicianship. His style occupies an interesting space between contemporary instrumental music and classical tradition, with jazz providing much of its rhythmic and harmonic freedom. His compositions are known for lush harmonies, intricate phrasing and expressive dynamics, and those characteristics are particularly evident here.
“Dancing In Paris” introduces itself with pure style and conviction. The distinctive beat drives the whole thing underneath piano and saxophone soloing, establishing the track’s sophisticated but approachable character. The piano takes a front eat, where Dulin gets his first major opportunity to command the arrangement. The playing is technically impressive without becoming an exercise in showing off. Instead, the virtuosity serves the atmosphere. Horns subsequently expand the sound, giving the arrangement greater dimension before another piano solo brings Dulin back to the foreground. The production allows each instrument room to breathe, making the track remarkably clear and balanced.
Nothing sounds buried simply to make another instrument appear more important. What really makes the song especially effective is its ability to occupy several musical worlds at once. There is unmistakably a vintage jazz sensibility, but the production and melodic accessibility give it a modern edge. It is sophisticated enough for attentive listening yet inviting enough to work on the radio, during a long drive, or as the soundtrack to a quiet evening. Dulin’s musical history gives this sense of assuredness some context. His extraordinary ability emerged early: as a child prodigy, he could reproduce music by ear after hearing his older sister practice. At twelve, he performed Schumann’s Concerto with the Alabama Symphony Orchestra before continuing his education at Juilliard under renowned pianist and teacher Adele Marcus.
https://open.spotify.com/album/3KoZ4UeVpWzLxW6MZEPwJ1
“Dancing In Paris” works because it sounds and feels human. In an era increasingly dominated by manufactured sounds, Dulin’s performance celebrates patience, personality, and a lot of genuine musicianship. This is polished jazz, certainly, and it never feels stale. It swings, breathes and communicates. Paris may have remained a destination on paper, but through Dulin’s piano, the journey becomes real.
Gwen Waggoner
Radiola Stretch The Boundaries Of Indie Rock On ‘Version Of Life’
Paisley indie rock outfit Radiola introduce themselves with Version of Life, an ambitious debut that showcases a band with a clear appetite for experimentation. Following a sold-out BBC Introducing showcase at King Tut’s, the album establishes Radiola as an emerging Scottish guitar act capable of moving confidently between indie rock, Americana, post-punk and more experimental territory.
Produced by Dave Muir and mixed and mastered at Chime Studio by Ross McGowan, Version of Life draws on a broad range of influences, from The Beatles and Wilco to Fontaines D.C., while maintaining a distinct musical identity. Keyboard contributions from Ciaran McEnneny further broaden the record’s sonic palette, adding depth to an already varied collection of arrangements.
The album’s strongest moments come through its balance of experimentation and songwriting. This Is What You Get (For Falling Love) pairs confident guitar work with a relaxed, melodic arrangement, while the expansive 13-minute-plus title track takes a more exploratory approach. Beginning with sparse textures before building through layers of crackle, drone and distortion, it eventually arrives at a Stone Roses-inspired instrumental coda.
Elsewhere, opener This Song Is False establishes the album’s unpredictable character, while closer tethered introduces a warmer country-rock sensibility. Despite these stylistic shifts, Radiola maintains a consistent focus on melody and lyrical themes surrounding love, life and death.
Version of Life ultimately works as both a statement of intent and an introduction to Radiola’s creative ambitions. Its influences are evident, but they are absorbed rather than replicated, resulting in a debut that balances adventurous arrangements with a strong underlying commitment to songcraft.
Golden Boy (Fospassin) distributes the official music video “Salsa Festivals”
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Spider Rockets distribute the official music video “The Storm”
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Certified Dope Release “Maneater”
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Boston Singer-Songwriter Releases Her Third Single, “it isn’t like that” in September
Boston, MA – September 2026 – Emerging singer-songwriter Abby Hayes from Boston, MA releases her third single, “it isn’t like that,” September 18th. Hayes blends indie-pop production with vulnerable lyrics about her own lived experience. The song delivers a personal explanation of her own fears and being stuck in her own head when it comes to relationships. Inspired by artists like Niamh McCrystal and Gracie Abrams, Hayes used similar production techniques to demonstrate the emotional vulnerability of the song.
Streaming Link: https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/abbyhayes/it-isnt-like-that
Hayes began songwriting in 2023 as well as composing her own music. What started as a creative challenge quickly evolved into a way of processing real-life experiences, shaping the vulnerable and honest sound that defines her music.
“it isn’t like that” follows Hayes’s two prior releases, “i wish i left sooner” (released in May 2026) and “circles” (released in July 2026). “it isn’t like that” was written and composed by Hayes in collaboration with producer Chris Billias at Bristol Studios in Boston. It will be available on all streaming platforms on September 18, 2026.
Socials: TikTok/Instagram/YouTube – @abbyhayesmusic
PONDER THE ALBATROSS RELEASES “OVER HILL AND HOLLOW,” A SONG SHAPED BY THE OPEN ROAD, INSTINCT AND A FULL-CIRCLE STUDIO MOMENT
The September 18 title track features Cooper McBean of The Devil Makes Three on banjo and previews the band’s forthcoming album, Over Hill & Hollow, arriving October 2
DENVER, CO — September 18, 2026 — Americana and folk-rooted band Ponder the Albatross releases “Over Hill and Hollow” on Friday, September 18. The title track from the band’s forthcoming album, Over Hill & Hollow, brings together years of life on the road, the natural rise and fall of experience and a spontaneous decision at Sonic Ranch that changed the direction of the recording session.
Frontman Josh Bower first began hearing pieces of the song while traveling, including on a dusty road near Moab, Utah. An unexpected spark came from the cover of High Performance Habits, a book a bandmate had given him. The phrase led Bower to think about the habits people feed—the vices that may provide temporary shelter but eventually demand a toll.
As the song took shape, Bower drew on contrasts between darkness and light, the pull of difficult paths and imagery inspired by J.R.R. Tolkien. The title arrived naturally. He continued writing after moving back to Arkansas, where the landscape of hills and hollows gave the song an even deeper sense of place.
Unlike much of the band’s material, “Over Hill and Hollow” had never been fully rehearsed or arranged before the recording session. While Ponder the Albatross was working at Sonic Ranch in Tornillo, Texas, several planned songs were not coming together as expected. Standing in the booth and tuning his guitar, Bower decided it was now or never and brought the unfinished song to producer Ted Hutt and engineer Ryan Mall.
After hearing it, Hutt told the band, “Let’s give this some time. I do like what we have been doing with this other tune, but I do think I might like this one a little better—it kind of reminds me of The Devil Makes Three.”
The comparison carried special weight for Bower. The Devil Makes Three has long been a major influence, and the moment became a powerful affirmation of the songwriting journey he has pursued since he was 17 years old.
“Something in that studio brought me back to myself and my place as a songwriter and musician,” says Bower. “I’ve been chasing this dream since I was 17. To hear the band bring the song to life for the first time in that room felt like something bigger was happening.”
The band built the arrangement from the ground up in the studio. As the track came together, the emotional impact was immediate; Bower recalls bassist Eric fighting back tears as everyone realized they had found something special.
Then came another full-circle moment. Hearing a banjo part in the song, Hutt invited Cooper McBean of The Devil Makes Three to play on the recording. The connection was especially meaningful because The Devil Makes Three was the last band Hutt had worked with in that particular room at Sonic Ranch. Nearly a decade earlier, Bower had seen the group perform at Belly Up Aspen with Shakey Graves opening—long before he could have imagined McBean appearing on one of his own songs.
“Over Hill and Hollow” now stands as one of the clearest expressions of Ponder the Albatross: road-worn, reflective and rooted in the belief that the right song can find its moment through instinct, trust and a willingness to take the risk.
The single follows “Holy Road,” “1879” and “Genocide” and sets the stage for the full Over Hill & Hollow album, arriving October 2, 2026.
“Over Hill and Hollow” will be available on all major streaming platforms beginning Friday, September 18.
ABOUT PONDER THE ALBATROSS
Ponder the Albatross is an Americana and folk-rooted band known for blending roots music, rock energy, vivid storytelling and dynamic musicianship. Led by singer-songwriter Josh Bower, the band creates songs centered on perseverance, human connection and life’s winding journey. Their forthcoming album, Over Hill & Hollow, will be released October 2, 2026.
For more information, visit https://www.ponderthealbatross.com and follow Ponder the Albatross on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and Spotify.
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ponderthealbatross/
Michelle Renae Takes a Gamble on Modern Love with New Single “Pretty as Vegas”
Nashville-based independent pop artist Michelle Renae returns with “Pretty as Vegas,” a synth pop new single arriving September 18. Written and produced by Renae, the track transforms the confusion of modern dating into a night at the casino, where love is a gamble and everyone looks a little better under the city lights.
Inspired by Renae’s upbringing in Las Vegas, “Pretty as Vegas” pairs dark ’80s-influenced synths, stacked vocals, groovy guitar and casino-floor sounds with a playful but cynical look at romance. Michael Jackson’s sound and showmanship were a major sonic influence on the track, particularly in its rhythmic pop production and dramatic energy.
At the center of the song is the lyric, “Everybody’s pretty as Vegas under the city lights,” capturing the contrast between appearance and reality that runs throughout the track. Its chorus pushes the metaphor further: “The gamble of your life / Lay a heart I’ll give you mine”
“Pretty as Vegas” also marks the beginning of a larger creative world for Renae, who is developing a body of music inspired by the city where she grew up and using Las Vegas as a backdrop for stories about relationships, ambition, illusion and human connection.
Audio: https://on.soundcloud.com/9Gsmd40z05aldk9n1V
Downloadable Audio: https://app.landr.com/projects/99add1c4-c073-454d-885c-43c259179235?publicToken=c8adde7e-db96-427b-a432-15c5db93aa07&sharing
DSP Audio Link: (will connect to all DSPs once it hits 9/18) https://artists.landr.com/991048839458
Social: https://www.instagram.com/michelle.renae.muse/
Kasey Watts distributes the official music video “Speakers 2.0”
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